Reverse phone search or phone lookup is the process of searching a phone number in online directories to identify the owner. Some online web pages maintain unique search engines that allow users to know more about the owners of unknown phone numbers calling them. Using the information provided, researchers may then decide whether to ring back the caller or simply ignore their call.
What are New Mexico Phone Numbers?
A large percentage of New Mexico’s phone users are mobile phone and VoIP subscribers. The National Health Interview Survey conducted and reported by the National Center for Health Statistics in 2018 revealed that 81.5% of New Mexico households use wireless phones exclusively, while about 1.0% use landlines as their only means of communication. Some New Mexico homes representing 6.6% of the population, use both landlines and wireless phones simultaneously. These figures show the direction of telephone use growth in the state and indicate that more homes are discontinuing their landline subscriptions.
The major phone carriers in New Mexico are AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint. There are smaller network operators known as mobile virtual network operators (MVNO). These provide affordable prepaid and postpaid service plans while using the networks of the Big Four carriers. AT&T delivers the widest internet coverage in New Mexico, while Verizon and T-Mobile come at a close second and third, respectively. Sprint is fourth with the smallest network coverage in the state.
Besides landlines and cellphones, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone services have gained tremendous popularity in the State of New Mexico. VoIP is a communication option that digitally transmits voice calls over the internet. As of 2018, there were more than 118 million VoIP subscribers in the United States, according to the Federal Communications Commission.
Can I Search a Phone Number and Find Out Who it Is?
Yes. Using phone lookup services, it is possible to search, find, and know who owns an unknown number. Various phone lookup services have searchable online directories that can instantly return the names, full addresses, and other available information of the owners of inputted phone numbers. These search engines are helpful when curious about who used a random number to call you. The amount of data available on phone numbers depends on the phone number type and the reverse phone search engine used. Sometimes, no result will be returned, which is very common with VoIP numbers used by scammers.
What are Phone Lookup Services?
Phone lookup services, or reverse phone search services, maintain public databases where anyone can look up and discover customer details associated with provided phone information. Unlike printed phone books, these online services are frequently updated, with thousands of phone numbers added daily.
While phones have caller IDs for identifying callers, this feature is limited and easily fooled by scammers. Scammers use spoofing techniques to change their caller IDs to any name and number of their choice at the receiver's end. This has made it difficult to differentiate honest callers from those trying to scam citizens and steal money or sensitive information. Understanding how to use phone lookup services to identify scammers using VoIP, spoofed numbers, and robocalls will help equip New Mexicans against phone scams.
What Information Can You Get from a New Mexico Phone Number Lookup Search?
Most New Mexico residents using phone number lookup searches simply want to know the names of the unknown individuals calling them. This piece of information can be provided by a free reverse phone lookup. Other details provided by such searches include:
- Address
- Age
- Gender
While reverse phone lookup free searches are useful for quick identification, they may not provide up-to-date records. Their results mostly come from phone carriers’ databases and are pieces of information submitted by phone users when registering their new numbers. However, some of these details can change. A paid reverse phone lookup search can find more recent information, such as new addresses and current names.
Besides providing updated information, phone number lookup paid searches can also provide additional details. They can find current photos of identified callers from their public social media posts and discover information from publicly available records. These include records kept by New Mexico courts, governments, and law enforcement agencies in the public domain. Such details are particularly useful for finding the true identities of phone scammers trying to impersonate reputable individuals and organizations.
What is a VoIP Number?
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is an internet phone technology that allows users to make voice and video calls over the internet. Lower rates and the ability to share a number with multiple phone lines make VoIP more appealing than mobile and landline phone services. People residing in New Mexico are increasingly depending on VoIP services for their home and office calling needs. These virtual phone numbers can be used to make local and international calls at cheaper rates, as well as text and check voicemails from anywhere in the world. VoIP also offers advanced phone features such as call waiting, PBX, and SIP features.
However, VoIP also allows scammers residing overseas or in other parts of the United States to call with numbers bearing local New Mexico area codes. Scammers can easily sign up for and obtain VoIP numbers using false information. Because VoIP telephone service is not device-based, the origin of its calls and the identities of callers are more difficult to trace.
Therefore, law enforcement and phone lookup services may not find any useful information associated with some VoIP numbers used by scammers. Even then, a phone lookup search that returns no result strongly indicates that the number searched is a VoIP one used by a scammer. Learning how to use reverse phone lookup services to your advantage is very helpful for avoiding phone scams.
What is a New Mexico Phone Number Area Code?
Telephone numbers in the United States used to be administered by local numbering authorities until the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) was introduced by AT&T and Bell in 1947. The initiative behind this plan was to create a streamlined and uniform method of making calls and to accommodate newly assigned phone numbers.
This led to creating area codes denoted by the first three digits of 10-digit phone numbers. A phone number area code represents the particular region where a phone number was assigned. However, with spoofing techniques, area codes may not be accurate in determining the origins of phone calls.
What is a New Mexico Phone Number Prefix Code?
Prefix codes or exchange codes are the second set of three numbers listed after area codes in phone numbers. In the United States, phone numbers contain 10 numbers separated into three sets by hyphens. The first three numbers are the area codes, the second three numbers constitute the prefix codes, while the last numbers are phone line numbers. Using (505) 123-4567 as an example:
- The area code is 505
- The prefix code is 123
- The line number is 4567
New Mexico phone numbers that include the country dialing code are organized in the following manner: country code + area code + prefix code + four-digit line number. For instance, a number with +1 (505) 001-1234 represents:
- +1 is the United States country code
- 505 represents the area code
- 001 is the prefix code
- 1234 is the line number specific to each phone line
Is There a Way to Lookup a Phone Number for Free in New Mexico?
Yes, interested persons can lookup a phone number for free in New Mexico using free reverse phone lookup services. These services are available online, and they include both landline and cell phone numbers. The search results will typically provide the name of the person associated with the number, their address, and other relevant information about them.
In addition to free reverse phone lookup services, requestors may use public record databases and social media sites. Third-party aggregate sites are run by private companies, and they often offer a variety of records to search for. Social media also provides an array of possibilities for finding a person's information, especially if their profiles are public.
It's important to note that the accuracy of the results from these services may vary and researching multiple sources is encouraged. Public record searches may require a fee and social media accounts are not always open to the public. If all else fails, contacting the phone service provider directly may be an option.
Interested individuals should keep in mind that free reverse phone lookup services typically have limited search capabilities compared to fee-based services.
Is Reverse Phone Lookup Legal in New Mexico?
Yes. New Mexico residents can legally identify unknown callers using reverse phone lookup. While the state does not have specific laws discussing the legality of using this tool, it does not consider its legitimate use illegal. New Mexico law enforcement agencies use reverse phone lookups when investigating phone scams. Residents using this tool must not disobey the state’s law while identifying phone users with it. It is illegal in New Mexico to use phone lookup searches to defraud, harass, cause harm, or steal information from another individual.
The information provided by phone number lookup searches must also come from records in the public domain. Using these tools to find confidential information means breaking New Mexico privacy laws. Therefore, to be considered legal, users and providers of phone lookup searches can only use these services to find public records.
