Obtaining an address from just a phone number? (UK)

Zilla360

Bit of an odd one: I've been receiving some very strange voicemails of late from a landline number I don't recognize, but is definitely local to me.

Is there any way I might be able to obtain an address just based on the number? I've tried calling it but it either rings forever, or a couple of times there was this strange SSTV-signal-type noise that abruptly stopped.

mbannick

It's most likely an auto dialer sending out garbage (I get messages with gibberish and long beeping tones from time to time and its always some crappy "marketing company" when I look them up). What they do is buy up a bunch of local numbers and have them dial from a list of local numbers (most of the calls I get are either local or the next area code over from mine). While I don't really know of anything off the top of my head there are services that will give you an address for a fee. What do you plan on doing with an address? Usually its some empty building they use to register the numbers and it won't really do you any good going to these places. If I were you I would just ignore them and delete the voice mails, don't try to respond or call them back since that tells them they have a working number to use or sell to the next place. Sorry for the huge chunk of text. My phone doesn't play nice with the forums.

Zilla360

Based on the content of the voice-mails, it's definitely not a marketing company, or an auto-dialer, I'm sure.
If it were that simple I would just ignore this.

mbannick

What are the messages about? Is it a confused person with the wrong number? Edit: also is it a cell number or landline? Sometimes you can tell by the formatting of the numbers.

Zilla360

It's a whole mixture of things. Morse code that translates into gibberish, sometimes sounds of large groups of people wailing, screaming and crying (maybe taken from a movie? I can't tell, but those ones are seriously spooky...) and sometimes synthesized voices reading binary sequences.

mbannick

Heh sounds like you have someone who might be a bored prank caller. Do you have a telephone registry like the yellow pages (US) in the UK that you could look up the number? If you can't find it there it's probably private or a cellphone number. Every site I've found so far will charge you to look up the number. Also, check to see if your friends are messing with you. If it bothers you enough you could probably file a complaint with your provider and have that number blacklisted (that will probably include a fee as well). EDIT: After a bit of googling I haven't really found anything that looks legitimate. If I were you I just ignore the calls unless you have a reason to be concerned. If you are concerned file a complaint with the police (doubtful they can really do much but at least you have a record of harassment).

BlindZenDriver

Any chance you can add the number to your phones contact list and then give it a silent setting. It won't stop the calling or anything but it will be less annoying. Else, as mbannick mentions, go to the police.

Also you mention being sure it's local so this should not apply, however here in Denmark people have lately been receiving calls from numbers that can be mistaken to be local only they are not (apparently some phones sort of hide country codes). So some have been calling those numbers back to see who is calling only to later find out the numbers are in fact foreign and specially expensive priced ones. Ie. it is a scam.

Zilla360

Yeah, I definitely feel it's harassment from someone in the same city as me, I just can't for the life of me (racking my brain) figure who it is, who might be doing it.

It started back in July. One message then, in particular, absolutely chilled me to the bone, (as an atheist and skeptic), but I won't say more about it than that.

I have an Asterisk setup so blocking calls/voicemails isn't a problem, really. It's just really bugging me that I can't figure out who it might be.

ceres

I have used whitepages to some effect without having to go through the pay wall before, but I don't know about services like that in the UK.

The only thing I remember about phone laws in the UK is that it is illegal to call someone you don't have any intention of talking to. It's out-of-date information, but I would call your phone company and the police. There's no harm in calling and seeing what they can do. If you get another voicemail save it, and tell them what you told us: the calls started in July and you have no idea who it is or why they're calling you. Be descriptive. If they can do nothing, you lost a little of your time and that's it.

This would creep me the fuck out though. Any prank calls freak me out because I do not understand the mentality of people who waste their time trying to scare strangers on the phone, but with the voicemails and everything, that's taking it another step.

Jam Warrior

If it's freaking you out and you think it's designed to, I'd be going to the police (non-emergency number obviously) for advice as it sounds like harassment to me.

iRevert

I'm not sure but doesn't whitepages have a .co.uk version that you could use a reverse phone lookup on?

Alternatively have you tried googling the phone number?

Zilla360

Looks like they used to, but it's gone now.
http://www.whitepages.co.uk/reverse-telephone-lookup/white-pages-uk/reverse-telephone-lookup.html

Googling the number was the first thing I tried, and nothing came up, despite my good google-fu.

Hmmm. I think I'll try and take this to the police now then. Will post how things turn out.

V1m

ceres wrote: »

I have used whitepages to some effect without having to go through the pay wall before, but I don't know about services like that in the UK.

The only thing I remember about phone laws in the UK is that it is illegal to call someone you don't have any intention of talking to. It's out-of-date information, but I would call your phone company and the police. There's no harm in calling and seeing what they can do. If you get another voicemail save it, and tell them what you told us: the calls started in July and you have no idea who it is or why they're calling you. Be descriptive. If they can do nothing, you lost a little of your time and that's it.

This would creep me the fuck out though. Any prank calls freak me out because I do not understand the mentality of people who waste their time trying to scare strangers on the phone, but with the voicemails and everything, that's taking it another step.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/26/day-confronted-troll

This provides an interesting perspective.

Norgoth

Try 192.co.uk it's an online directory service, if that's numbers registere to an adress there's a good chance it's on there.

Zilla360

So, just as an update, the number led to a burnt-out (vandalised?) phonebox. The calls stopped soon after I went to the police.

Jam Warrior

Very odd. But glad to hear that going to the authorities got it sorted.

mts

Zilla360 wrote: »

So, just as an update, the number led to a burnt-out (vandalised?) phonebox. The calls stopped soon after I went to the police.

that must mean it was the cops and you just called them out on it