Alabama Reverse Phone Lookup

Alabama Phone Numbers

Alabama has approximately 6.5 million active phone numbers. Cell phones make up 5.5 million, while traditional landlines have nearly disappeared with just 212,000 connections. VoIP services account for about 737,000 numbers.

When you search an Alabama phone number, it's most likely a cell phone. Cell numbers typically have less public information available than older landline numbers. The shift away from landlines means newer phone numbers are typically harder to trace than older landline numbers that had more public information available.

Alabama Voice Subscriptions (in thousands):

Service Type	June 2023	Dec 2023	June 2024
Mobile telephony	5,470	5,548	5,545
Local exchange telephone service	272	251	212
VoIP subscriptions	726	720	737
Total	6,468	6,519	6,494

Source: FCC Voice Telephone Services Report

Alabama Area Codes Reverse Lookup

Alabama uses 4 primary area codes and 2 overlay codes:

Area Codes 205/659

Location: Area codes 205 and 659 serve central Alabama's economic hub including Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Hoover, and Vestavia Hills.

Common Callers: Healthcare systems (UAB Medicine, Brookwood Baptist Health), financial institutions, University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa), manufacturing companies, and corporate headquarters throughout the Birmingham metro area.

Common Spam and Scam Calls: High volume of spoofed Birmingham numbers used in tech support scams and IRS/tax fraud schemes. Scammers exploit the area's business reputation to appear legitimate.

Lookup Tip: Many corporate headquarters use 205 prefixes. Verify business legitimacy through the Alabama Secretary of State's business entity database before sharing sensitive information.

Area Code 251

Location: Area code 251 serves Alabama's only coastal region including Mobile, Daphne, Fairhope, and Gulf Shores along the Gulf of Mexico.

Common Callers: Port of Mobile businesses, shipbuilding companies (Austal USA), aerospace contractors, tourism and hospitality businesses, healthcare providers (USA Health, Mobile Infirmary), and Gulf Coast resorts.

Common Spam and Scam Calls: Vacation rental scams, timeshare fraud, and fake resort promotions targeting tourists. Scammers exploit the region's tourism industry to create urgency around "limited-time" vacation deals.

Lookup Tip: Legitimate businesses concentrate along the I-10 corridor and coastal areas. Verify tourism-related offers through official websites and never wire money for vacation rentals without thorough vetting.

Area Codes 256/938

Location: Area codes 256 and 938 serve northern Alabama's Tennessee Valley region including Huntsville, Decatur, Madison, and Florence/Muscle Shoals.

Common Callers: Aerospace and defense contractors (Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman), NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Redstone Arsenal personnel, technology companies, University of Alabama Huntsville, and Tennessee Valley Authority.

Common Spam and Scam Calls: Government and military impersonation scams targeting defense contractor employees and their families. Fake security clearance threats, bogus defense contract offers, and employment verification scams.

Lookup Tip: High concentration of legitimate tech and aerospace companies. Verify employers through official company websites directly, never through links in emails or texts. Real defense contractors never request personal information via unsolicited calls.

Area Code 334

Location: Area code 334 serves Alabama's state capital and southeastern "Wiregrass" agricultural region including Montgomery, Dothan, Auburn, Opelika, and Enterprise.

Common Callers: State government offices (Montgomery is the capital), Auburn University, healthcare providers (Baptist Health, Southeast Health), Fort Novosel military installations, and local businesses in Montgomery and Dothan metro areas.

Common Spam and Scam Calls: Government impersonation scams (fake state agencies, DMV, military personnel). Real agencies never threaten arrest or demand gift cards over the phone.

Lookup Tip: Many state agency numbers use 334 prefixes. Always verify government callers through official alabama.gov websites. Legitimate state offices will allow you to call back through publicly listed numbers.

For latest Alabama phone numbering regulations and area code information, contact Dee Newman at the Alabama Public Service Commission via [email protected] or 334-242-4272 or North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA)

Limitation: Area codes indicate where a number was originally assigned, NOT where the phone owner currently lives or is calling from. For more accurate phone number owner information, use our reverse phone lookup tool above.

Spam Calls

In 2024, Alabama residents filed 24,493 robocall and do not call complaints to the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry. Robocalls accounted for over half of all complaints (13,572). An additional 8,437 reported calls involved live callers. Alabama ranks 34th nationally for complaints per capita, indicating a moderate spam call problem compared to other states.

Alabama Telephone Solicitations Act

Alabama state law adds extra protections for residents:

Legal calling hours: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM local time only
Sunday calls: Prohibited without your prior written consent
Caller requirements: Must identify name, company, and purpose within 30 seconds
Penalties: Up to $2,000 per violation

Federal TCPA Protection

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act provides nationwide protections:

Robocalls and auto-dialers are restricted without your prior express consent
Violators face penalties of $500-$1,500 per illegal call
For unwanted texts: Reply STOP to immediately revoke consent
All marketing calls must offer a clear way to opt out

Take action: If a caller violates these laws, report them to the FTC or the Alabama Attorney General. Keep records of the date, time, and phone number for your complaint.

Scam Calls

In 2024, Alabama residents reported 26,049 fraud cases resulting in total losses of $104,201,969, with a median loss of $400 per victim. According to the nationwide FTC data, 35% fraud attempts happen through phone communication (19% phone calls, 16% text messages).

To protect yourself against scams, always look up all unknown callers. Before answering suspicious numbers, verify the identity, especially if the caller claims urgency or authority.

Remember: Legitimate organizations will never pressure you for immediate payment, threaten arrest over the phone, or request payment via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. When in doubt, hang up, verify independently, and report suspicious calls.

What to Do If You Encounter a Scam Call

Hang up immediately, don’t engage or press any keys.
Block the number on your phone.
Document the call: date, number, and what was said.
Report the scam to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov or call 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357).

Phone Number Lookup Limitations

Number Portability. Federal regulations let people keep their phone numbers when they move cities or change service providers, meaning the location information you find might be outdated.
Internet-Based Phone Services (VoIP). These services can assign any area code to a number regardless where someone actually lives, making it nearly impossible to determine their true location since calls route through the internet.
Mobile Phones. Unlike traditional landlines, cell phones don't have much publicly available information. Someone can get a number with one city's area code and move anywhere the next day.
Business Phone Lines. Companies frequently use numbers from multiple area codes or virtual numbers for their operations, which don't reflect actual physical locations.
Recently Reassigned Numbers. When phone numbers get recycled and given to new users, lookup results might still show the previous owner's details instead of current information.
Caller ID Spoofing. Caller ID spoofing occurs when scammers falsify caller ID information to disguise their identity. Scammers frequently spoof numbers with similar area code and even your exchange (first 6 digits) to appear as a "neighbor" calling. This technique increases answer rates.
Outdated Information. Data can become inaccurate quickly due to people moving, changing carriers, or numbers being reassigned to new users.

Phone Lookup Use Cases

Reverse phone lookup results cannot be used for employment screening, credit decisions, insurance underwriting, or housing applications. Such uses violate federal law under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Permitted:

Personal safety and identifying unknown callers
Verifying business contact information before engaging
Fraud prevention and caller verification
Reconnecting with lost contacts
Investigating harassment or threatening calls

Prohibited:

Employment screening or background checks for hiring
Credit decisions or loan approvals
Insurance underwriting or rate setting
Housing rental or purchase decisions
Any use as a "consumer report" under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I trace a cell phone number in Alabama?

Yes, you can search cell phone number owner information, results may be limited. Cell phones make up 85% of Alabama's 6.5 million active numbers but they have significantly less public information available compared to older landlines.

Are phone lookups legal in Alabama?

Yes, Alabama phone number searches are legal for personal use such as identifying unknown callers, fraud prevention, and personal safety. However, you cannot use lookup results for employment screening, credit decisions, insurance underwriting, or housing applications these uses violate the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

How accurate are phone number searches?

Accuracy varies significantly based on several factors. Landlines typically have more accurate, publicly available information. However, 85% of Alabama numbers are now mobile phones with limited public data. Number portability (people keeping numbers when moving), VoIP services, and recent number reassignments all affect accuracy. Always cross-verify important information using multiple sources.

Why does my lookup show the wrong location?

Area codes show where a number was originally assigned, not where the owner currently lives. Federal law allows people to keep their phone number when moving or switching carriers. Someone with a 251 (Mobile) area code may now live in Birmingham or even outside Alabama. This is especially common with cell phones and VoIP services.

Can scammers fake any phone number?

Yes, through caller ID spoofing technology, scammers can display any phone number they want—including your own number, local Alabama numbers, or government agency numbers. This is why you should never trust caller ID alone. Always verify the caller's identity by hanging up and calling back using an official number from the organization's website.

How do I find out who owns an Alabama landline?

Traditional landlines (now just 212,000 in Alabama) typically have more public information available. Search the number using our tool above, which accesses public records, business directories, and historical phone records. You can also try searching the number on social media, Google, or verifying through the Alabama Secretary of State if it's a business number.