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Why Am I Getting A 4 Digit Phone Number On Caller ID? (SOLVED! 2024)

4 digit phone number on caller id

It’s not all that uncommon to receive calls from odd numbers every now and then.

Sometimes, these strange phone numbers have two, six, seven- or even nine digits.

However, a significant percentage of calls from strange sources come from 4-digit phone numbers.

This prompts questions such as:

What do these calls represent?

Who’s behind the four-digit phone number on Caller ID?

Should you take the call or report the number as spam?

Here’s a quick answer: These calls often come from two sources- businesses/legitimate organizations or scammers.

Let’s look at how these 4-digit numbers came about and what you should do if you receive a call from one!

Why Is There A 4-Digit Phone Number On Caller ID?

Why Is There A 4-Digit Phone Number On Caller ID
Image Credit: https://www.lifewire.com/

In the early days of the telephone, few people had phones or telephone numbers.

In addition, the phone had not yet gained much popularity as a means of communication.

Installing a telephone unit was also costly, and as a result, there were relatively fewer phone numbers available.

Businesses, corporations, and other large companies quickly figured out that reducing the length of their phone numbers to four digits helped their customers memorize their hotlines faster.

In response, network providers reduced the length of phone numbers to just four digits.

As a result, customers became more capable of reaching the businesses that they wanted to talk to.

However, as the telephone started gaining popularity, more and more people purchased phones and attained phone numbers.

Increasing the length of phone numbers became a necessity to increase the overall quantity of available phone numbers. Despite this, many businesses and companies opted to retain their 4-digit numbers.

Unfortunately, scammers and fraudsters also decided to use these numbers to make posing as company reps easier.

For many people, 4-digit numbers look especially strange today because they were initially created in the early days of the telephone.

Moreover, they are not part of the regular personal phone numbers you usually see every day, though companies and corporations still utilize them as a matter of convenience.

Who Uses 4-Digit Phone Numbers?

Who Uses 4-Digit Phone Numbers?
Image Credit: https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/

Most calls originating from a 4-digit phone number come from two categories of people.

The first category consists of brand representatives from businesses, large corporations, and companies.

These are the people who market or promote their brands and companies via phone calls.

Even today, telemarketing is a great way to create brand awareness and improve publicity. In other cases, these telemarketers may try to sell a product over the phone to relevant consumers.

On the other hand, calls from a 4-digit phone number on caller ID can also be made by scammers who mimic company reps.

These fraudsters take advantage of the trust that has been established by legitimate businesses.

When these scammers call a potential victim’s phone number, they typically pose as customer relations agents from a bank or large company.

During the course of the call, they then try to attain card or banking details. In other situations, they may attempt to lure unsuspecting individuals into fraudulent schemes.

If successful, they can defraud you instantly! Therefore, it’s essential to recognize when you’re getting a suspicious call- as well as know exactly what to do in such a situation.

Is A 4-Digit Phone Number Dangerous?

Is A 4-Digit Phone Number Dangerous
Image Credit: https://www.nct911.org/

The correct answer to this question depends wholly on who’s behind the call!

When used by businesses, these calls are completely harmless. For example, if a company utilizes telemarketing to create awareness of their services, taking these calls comes at zero cost or risk.

Likewise, private marketers also use these unique numbers when selling their products over the internet.

However, it does become dangerous when scammers are the ones that are making calls from a 4-digit phone number.

These calls are also often associated with “One Ring Fraud” whereby you get billed if you call the number back.

Therefore, the best practice is to never return any missed call from a four-digit number!

Can Calls From 4-Digit Phone Numbers Explode Your Phone?

There are rumors and myths prevalent on the internet and social media that your phone will explode if you take calls from a four-digit number.

From the research we have conducted, we can conclude that there is no evidence (or any real physical possibility) to support such claims!

Therefore, disregard this kind of information (as well as any website that asserts this). There is just no basis for a phone to explode when it takes a call from a 4-digit number.

Does Taking Calls From 4-Digit Phone Numbers Make Your Phone Malfunction?

Another popular myth that has also made its rounds on the internet purports that accepting calls from 4-digit phone numbers will cause a device to malfunction.

As with the earlier rumor, our research failed to produce any evidence or proof that such an effect is possible.

Again- completely disregard these claims if you see them online!

Is It Possible To Get A 4-Digit Phone Number?

Is It Possible To Get A 4-Digit Phone Number?
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Yes. Business, corporations, and private marketers all get their 4-digit numbers from network providers for their telemarketing needs.

You can also attain a 4-digit phone number if you’re running a business or want to sell something to other people.

These numbers are a great idea if you don’t want to expose your details to customers, as they have a unique caller ID that is different from actual phone numbers.

Unfortunately, these same qualities help to mask identities when they’re used by spammers or fraudsters- making it impossible to track them!

What To Do If You Get A 4-Digit Phone Number On Caller ID

Let’s say you get a call from a 4-digit number.

What should you do? What would your reaction be?

As you now know how these numbers came about, this section will teach you everything you need to do if you get a call from a 4-digit phone number.

Most people have reported getting calls from 4-digit numbers from time to time.

If you get one, prepare yourself mentally. Don’t panic! There are two things you can do straight away.

Firstly, you can reject the call.

Declining the call keeps you safe from any conversation or dialogue with the caller.

On the other hand, you can take the call if you’re curious or want to talk with the caller.

However, before doing this, remind yourself that the call is harmless- provided you don’t whip out your credit card or discuss your bank details, of course.

Therefore, you must be careful when discussing anything with the caller.

Take whatever they say with a pinch of salt.

In addition, always do some research on the internet.

A quick Google search will likely reveal whether the same 4-digit number has scammed people previously!

Always keep in mind that both legit businesses (that deliver actual products or essential services) and scammers use these four-digit phone numbers.

Therefore, always cross-check and double-check before ordering or subscribing to any service or commitment!

Wrapping Up

In this article, you’ve learned not only why there are 4-digit numbers but also how to handle communication from these callers.

Getting calls from a 4-digit phone number is pretty normal.

However, you must be careful when taking them, as scammers (and even some unscrupulous companies) can take advantage of their anonymity to defraud people.

Rest assured, however, that these calls cannot cause your phone to explode, make them malfunction, or result in any other far-fetched myth that might be out there.

Provided you keep your credit card and bank details far from the person on the other side, you can enjoy the conversations just like with any other call.

Finally, remember that you can stop receiving repeated calls from 4-digit numbers by blocking the specific digits.

If you’re just not in the mood, declining the phone call is a perfectly fine thing to do!

Do you know how to stay safe on your smartphone? Keep yourself protected with our Comprehensive A-Z Of Smartphone Security right HERE!

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