When I use this
You have Phone number and want to check it through safe, legal, source-based research.
Back to workflows
Phone workflow
Check a phone number only within legal and consent-based scope.
A workflow for reading number format and limited context without ownership claims.
Passive and safe research workflow
What you get
Limited phone context note and safe action.
What I would be careful with here
The order I follow
Work through the steps in order.
Check the scope
Write why the number is being checked and whether consent or defense scope exists.
A legitimate scope is present.
Validate format
Check country code, length, and number format.
No ownership claim is made.
Look for limited context
Use open scam reports or organizational records when appropriate.
The work does not become personal tracking.
Write a narrow result
State technical context, uncertainty, and safe next step.
Personal data is not exposed.
Sources I open
What I can and cannot say
Phone-number research should stay consent-based or defensive and should not be used for stalking or doxxing.
Move to evidence notesSources
Start with these sources.
AFP Fact Check
Verification and fact-checking
Agence France-Presse fact-checking site covering viral claims, images, videos, and misinformation.
Open sourceBellingcat Online Investigation Toolkit
Verification and fact-checking
Curated toolkit and guides for open-source investigation methods.
Open sourceFCC Unwanted Calls and Texts
Phone number research
US Federal Communications Commission guidance and complaint path for unwanted calls and texts.
Open sourceGoogle Fact Check Explorer
Verification and fact-checking
Search tool for fact checks marked up with ClaimReview structured data.
Open sourceGoogle libphonenumber
Phone number research
Library for parsing, formatting, and validating international phone numbers.
Open sourceInternational Fact-Checking Network
Verification and fact-checking
Poynter's network supporting fact-checking standards and signatories.
Open source