How To Find Identifying Information from a Phone Number Using OSINT Tools

Phone numbers often contain clues to the owner's identity and can bring up a lot of data during an OSINT investigation. Starting with a phone number, we can search through a large number of online databases with only a few clicks to discover information about a phone number. It can include the carrier, the owner's name and address, and even connected online accounts.

While a phone number may not seem like much information to give out, an OSINT researcher can quickly discover information that ties a phone number to a variety of other clues. The data can be used to detect whether a phone number is a throwaway VoIP number used to hide the owner's identity or a cell phone belonging to a real person. In the event of buying something online or replying to an apartment ad, this information is incredibly useful to know.
For a hacker, the ability to turn a phone number into multiple connected online accounts, email addresses, or screen names makes it a perfect starting point for bigger things to come. A quick scan to discover the carrier of a phone number can provide everything a hacker needs for a well-crafted phishing email pretending to be from the victim's carrier. Once a hacker can identify other details about the target that may be attached to the phone number, it's easy to identify the weakest link and attack the target using whatever information that's dug up.