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Whether you’re looking for a direct way to contact someone or need to verify an identity, finding someone’s phone number on social media platforms like Facebook can be a bit tricky, especially when it’s not directly available on their profile. Fortunately, we’ve tested a number of methods that can uncover contact details (and more), and this article will walk you through the most effective ones.
Key Takeaways
- Checking their Facebook profile for a phone number is a long shot, but it’s still worth a try.
- Using a people search engine like BeenVerified is the most recommended method. It’s efficient and can potentially provide a wealth of detailed info.
- Finding their other social media profiles might lead to unexpected discoveries.
- Try a manual search if you have strong search skills, are willing to invest time, and have extra info beyond just the name.
- A reverse image search might be helpful If you have their profile photos.
💡 A quick reminder
Before diving into the methods below, keep in mind that If you are trying to reach out to the Facebook account owner, phone numbers aren’t your only option. Sometimes other contact info like an email address can be just as effective.
1. Make the most of their profile info
Don’t underestimate the value of a Facebook profile. It might provide direct contact information or offer clues that can help you dig deeper to find it.
Before trying anything complicated, you can try checking the “About” section of their Facebook profile to see if they’ve listed their contact info there. Here’s how to do it on both desktop and mobile:
That said, it’s pretty rare to find this. Users can choose whether to show or hide their phone number, so you’ll only find it on their profile if they’ve chosen to share it publicly.
If you don’t find their phone number under the “Contact and basic info” tab, don’t lose hope. Since most Facebook profiles use real names, you can search for their phone number or other contact info using their full name (e.g. on Google) rather than relying solely on Facebook.
However, note that if all you have is their name, the search can be tricky: the results can be overwhelming , especially with common names. That’s why gathering as many helpful details as possible is key.
The accuracy of the information found on a Facebook profile isn’t guaranteed, but if it is correct, you can use these details along with their name to search for the person on Google, increasing your chances of finding them.
💡 For more search techniques, including how to do advanced searches on specific websites, check out our detailed guide.
2. Use a reliable people search engine
If the methods mentioned above didn’t work well for you, or if you’re looking for a more efficient way to find their contact details, you might want to try using a people search engine—an online tool designed to find detailed information about people.
These websites aggregate vast amounts of data from various sources (public records, directories, social media, forums, etc.) and generate detailed reports on a person within minutes. These reports typically include sections like phone numbers, full name, email addresses, address history, education, jobs, social media profiles, and more.
After testing several people search tools, we found BeenVerified to be the best. It offers detailed results, a higher success rate in finding the correct matches, and user-friendly, well-organized reports.
Why is BeenVerified the best tool for looking up a Facebook user?
There are many people search sites out there. We signed up for trials of the top 5 paid ones and tested each by searching a variety of Facebook users. We evaluated them based on several criteria, including the depth of data provided, the reliability of results, ease of use, customer reviews, and search speed. Based on these factors, BeenVerified emerged as the highest-quality tool for finding detailed information about a Facebook user.
When it comes to finding someone’s phone number specifically, BeenVerified stands out among premium people search sites in several ways:
- Each phone number is usually accompanied by a date range (e.g., “Dates seen Nov 2018 – Jul 2024”), which can help you identify the most recent numbers.
- The list of possible phone numbers distinguishes between “top phone number match” and “high confidence.”
- Each phone number is labeled with its type (mobile/possible mobile/landline/work phone).
How to find someone’s phone number and more with BeenVerified
To get your report, go to BeenVerified’s People Search page, enter the person’s full name, and click SEARCH.
During the search process, you might be prompted to provide some extra information (like the state) to narrow down the results.
Once the report is ready, you can register with your email address to access it. Choose a subscription plan that best suits your needs, and you’ll enjoy unlimited access.
The image below is from a sample BeenVerified report. Your actual report may contain more or less information.
As people search tools aim to provide as much relevant information as possible, the report may list multiple possible phone numbers, including their previous phone numbers or work phone numbers.
To figure out the person’s primary contact, start by checking the report’s “top phone number match.” You can also look atthe date range and phone type—Newer numbers or those categorized as mobile phones are more likely to be active. Filtering by area code can also help—numbers that match the person’s current location are generally more reliable.
Are the phone numbers provided 100% accurate?
People search engines gather data by either directly accessing a vast array of sources or acquiring well-established and pre-processed datasets. Therefore, the amount and freshness of the information you can access largely depend on the quality and timeliness of these data sources. As a result, while people search tools like BeenVerified can uncover a vast array of records, they cannot guarantee 100% accuracy. The value of these tools lies in their ability to quickly provide you with as much relevant information as possible.
💡 Related reading:
Sources of Data: Where do people search sites get their data
Are there free services for finding phone numbers?
You might be wondering if there’re any free tools to find someone’s phone numbers. Indeed, there’re a number of free people search sites out there, but finding a good one can be tricky and overwhelming: Some free sites offer very limited or outdated information, while others may appear “free” but redirect you to paid services when you try to access the full report. This is the case with AnyWho (redirecting to Intelius) and 411.com (redirecting to Whitepages), for instance.
So honestly, the most efficient approach is to use high-quality paid people search engines directly. But if you prefer to stick with free options, there are still some decent choices.
We’ve tried several free services that provide basic information, including possible phone numbers, and found that TruePeopleSearch is among the best for free searches. In our testing, we used real people to compare the quantity and quality of information provided by different websites. We found that TruePeopleSearch has the advantage of showing a relatively larger number of phone numbers, with details such as possible primary phone, last reported time, and carrier.
However, it still has its limitations. For instance, in one case, all the 10 numbers it provided were landline numbers, whereas some high-quality paid sites, like BeenVerified, included 3 mobile numbers as well (which can be more helpful).
3. Find clues from other social media profiles
Some people reveal different amounts of personal information—like phone numbers, emails, or job details—across different social media platforms, depending on who they’re interacting with on each. So if you manage to find their other accounts, you might uncover more than you expected.
You can check their bio pages and posts (if publicly viewable) to see if contact details like the phone number, email address is listed or if there’s any piece of information that can help you determine their identity. Even if you don’t find their phone number there, they can be great alternative ways to connect (if that’s your goal).
The question is, how to find them? Generally, you can start by typing their name into the search bar on the relevant website or app. Some platforms also offer advanced search features that let you refine your results by criteria such as location. Let’s use LinkedIn as an example:
Some people prefer not to use their real names as usernames on social media. In such cases, try to recall if they have a unique nickname or username they often use. Many people stick to the same username across different platforms, so if their username is distinctive and not too common, it can make finding their social media profiles much easier.
4. Conduct a reverse image search
In addition to the information found in the “About” section of a Facebook profile, avatars or real-life photos of a Facebook user can also be valuable for your search. You can perform a reverse image search using popular tools like Google Image and Yandex. These tools will attempt to identify the original source and find more similar pictures. They’re easy to use and can provide immediate results.
All you need is to upload an image from Facebook to the tools. Be sure to choose a clear, high-quality photo that shows the person’s full front face.
I tried this method to locate an unknown person on Facebook, and it was a success. I used a picture they posted on Facebook and ran a search through Google Images and Yandex. Both led me to websites that revealed the person’s full name. Once I had the full name, everything became much easier. I searched for it on Google and fortunately found a few pages displaying the email address associated with the correct person.
💡 If these free tools didn’t yield great results, you might want to consider using more powerful paid facial recognition engines like FaceCheck.ID or PimEyes.
Final thoughts
Finding someone’s phone number from Facebook can be straightforward or challenging, depending on the specific individual. To increase your chances of success, you need to use various resources and combine different approaches.
For instance, if a Facebook profile doesn’t provide direct contact information, you might find clues about their location in their posts. Use this information to assist your search, whether through Google or a people search tool. Similarly, if you locate their profiles on other social media sites but don’t find a phone number, details like their workplace mentioned in their bio or posts can help you dig further. Be resourceful and think creatively!
There’s no guarantee you’ll find the information you’re looking for with the tools discussed in this article. They all source their information from publicly available data sources, such as county, state and federal courts, government departments, and police records, and those sources may contain incorrect or incomplete data. It’s illegal to use these tools to make decisions about employment, admission, consumer credit, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. Read the Fair Credit Reporting Act to learn more....
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