Unknown caller? There's a secret way to find out who dialed... using apps you'd ... trends now
Do you panic when you get a text message or call from a number you don't recognize?
Forget having to send that awkward 'sorry, who is this' text or Googling the phone number - there are several ways to track down the caller.
TikToker Liz Perez posted a recent video detailing what to do when you get a call from an unknown number.
Here’s how it works: If you get a text from an unknown number, mobile payment apps like Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, or PayPal can help you put a name to that number.
All you have to do is copy and paste the number into your payment app of choice to unveil the mystery sender's name.
It doesn't just happen by accident. A caller who shows up on your phone as 'Unknown' or 'no caller ID' has taken premeditated, extra steps to hide their return phone number from you
TikToker Liz Perez posted a recent video detailing how to use payment apps to find out who's behind unknown numbers
However, this only works if you already have an account with one of those apps, and the sender has to use their real name and number in the app, too.
Then there's the flip side. What if you don’t want your name and phone number to be so readily available?
Be sure to disable your mobile payment app from sharing your name and phone number with other people. The steps vary per app. For example, in Venmo, open Settings, Friends and Social and toggle off Phone contacts.
However, there are also settings in iPhone and Android phones that can figure this out.
Here is DailyMail.com's step-by-step guide to revealing mystery callers.
Turning on this setting in payment apps like Venmo automatically adds contacts to your Venmo friends list
Maybe you remember from your pranking years: Dialing *67 conceals your number from someone you call. There are similar numbers you can dial to respond to mystery callers.
The first is *69, which traces the number of the last person who called you. It works even for anonymous or hidden calls, so you can get the phone number and exact time they called.
Once you have that number, you can block it on your phone so they can't call you anymore.
In more dangerous circumstances, such as harassment, another number you can use is *57.
It gets you the phone number and call information that *69 does, but it goes above and beyond by passing that info on to the police.
Your phone service will log a *57 call so authorities can more easily locate whoever is harassing you.
To get the most out of this, call the police right after a *57 call with a written log of the calls from your harasser so law enforcement can act.
Your phone company might charge you extra for these
