Can you be traced by your mobile number?

[FLYING BLUE]

I see online, there are sites which claim they can track your whereabouts by tracing (triangulation) your cell phone

I am aware that simply typing a number into Google will not give a result unless your phone is in the public domain but is it really possible that your phone can be traced to a street address, any time of day or night?

My thanks to all those who answer

[_Bender_]

Load of rubbish!!!

[Boundless]

Yes, technically possible, but probably not to actual address level, depends on the masts.
Not in the public domain though, unless someone hacks the telco's database. 

The police request this info from the cellphone companies regularly.

This is how when there's a missing person that they can sometimes make categorical statements about what they think has happened within hours. They also use it a lot to prove someone was where they say that they weren't!

Incidentally, the phone companies charge the police a fortune for this info, which of course we pay for through taxes.

[Mansell]

If you have Google location services turned on then it's possible to go into your account and see you approximate movements. I have done this and it wasn't that accurate but it did show the rough area you had been to. So I now keep this turned off all the time. I think Apple has something similar.

[winkywanky]

Forgive me for saying because I know most of you will know this, but certainly with iPhones (and probably others with Android etc now?) it's possible for another person (your other half?) to see where you are in real time, using the technology stated.

It's an App you can set up on both your phones to share whereabouts with another 'consenting' person.

A mate of mine (who doesn't punt AFAIK) suspected his missus of playing around and they both have iPhones. He set up the App on both their phones without her knowing, and caught her bang to rights.

Yet another reason for having a punting phone of course.

[Tony Montana]

If you work for the phone company and are prepared to lose your job you can find out all kinds of stuff.

[Hawkwind71]

I've never worried about it to this extent. The WGs need the phone for security. If I were outed it would be more of an inconvenience than anything else. In 2 years of punting no issues so the worry fades with time.

[_Bender_]

Yes, certain smartphones have tracking apps but most of them you have to accept a request, you can't just tap in a random number and track it, also websites that let you track no's is not possible.

[vw]

Yes, certain smartphones have tracking apps but most of them you have to accept a request, you can't just tap in a random number and track it, also websites that let you track no's is not possible.

Can be hacked though and thus is possible.  Just not in public domain !

[cunnyhunt]

The company I work for was involved for a short time with another that had developed technology to do this, I do not know how accurate but do know that information gathered by this has been used as evidence by the Police in prosecutions. I guess it has a level of accuracy that is accepted within law.

[Mansell]

This topic was covered back in June and one guy put a good link up here it is External Link/Members Only

[G.Raff]

Forgive me for saying because I know most of you will know this, but certainly with iPhones (and probably others with Android etc now?) it's possible for another person (your other half?) to see where you are in real time, using the technology stated.

It's an App you can set up on both your phones to share whereabouts with another 'consenting' person.

A mate of mine (who doesn't punt AFAIK) suspected his missus of playing around and they both have iPhones. He set up the App on both their phones without her knowing, and caught her bang to rights.

Yet another reason for having a punting phone of course.

which App is it then?

[wristjob]

I use Viber and some users' locations are visible. I don't know if it is configurable to share location or not - I assume so. It's possible and I can only imagine it will get more common.

I would guess street level accuracy would be the same as the phone uses for sat nav so a few metres.

[daveev]

It must be like having a tracker on your lap top, when it's stolen, but that would be if you lost your phone, not while it was with you, so yes they can be tracked, but you'd have to ask for it to be looked for i'm sure

[Dani]

Partners can find you via iPhone tracker or find my friends but you have to accept their request for friendship. iPhone tracker sends you an email if anyone uses your account to try to find you but find my friends once you hv accepted it shows where you are to around 20ft
I know hubby and I tried them out to see if either worked in case either of us lost a phone.  Only works if phone has a decent internet signal though or both will show you where they last got a decent signal

[maxxblue]

For those with a Google account, try clicking on the following:

External Link/Members Only

I was a bit taken aback to see my punting trips tracked, including times spent in each location.

You can turn off the tracking function, but I didn't even know that my account had it switched on.

Browsing my timeline did bring a few smiles to my face, though, as I remembered some punts I had forgotten about. 

[Dicky]

I see online, there are sites which claim they can track your whereabouts by tracing (triangulation) your cell phone

I am aware that simply typing a number into Google will not give a result unless your phone is in the public domain but is it really possible that your phone can be traced to a street address, any time of day or night?

My thanks to all those who answer

Quick answer: yes. Thats how most intel agencies or law enforcement track their query with just a cellphone number.  Triangulation involves using cell tower locations to pinpoint really accurately where exactly the phone is picking signals from.  It doesnt have to be a smartphone or even have data enabled. This however isnt really available to the average joe unless you have a warrant or have an inside track into telecom companies through employment or hack-ability.

[tazz]

My google timeline just seems to show me in my road, although it showed a trip to scotland i made. Maybe check this out

External Link/Members Only

[FLYING BLUE]

Some very interesting replies ranging from "complete rubbish" to "yes, it's definitely possible" so I guess the answer isn't yet conclusive


External Link/Members Only

[Boundless]

Partners can find you via iPhone tracker or find my friends but you have to accept their request for friendship. iPhone tracker sends you an email if anyone uses your account to try to find you but find my friends once you hv accepted it shows where you are to around 20ft
I know hubby and I tried them out to see if either worked in case either of us lost a phone.  Only works if phone has a decent internet signal though or both will show you where they last got a decent signal

Yes it's good technology.

I helped an old lady recently who thought she'd lost her iPhone. She borrowed mine and rang her son, he logged onto "find my phone" (he had her password) and he told her almost immediately that it was exactly where we were. We found it, the phone had fallen under the passenger seat in her car!

[JIMI1234]

For those with a Google account, try clicking on the following:

External Link/Members Only

I was a bit taken aback to see my punting trips tracked, including times spent in each location.

You can turn off the tracking function, but I didn't even know that my account had it switched on.

Browsing my timeline did bring a few smiles to my face, though, as I remembered some punts I had forgotten about. 

Well click on it I did.... and it showed me as being in Papua New Guinea yesterday; when in actuality I was in Candii (in Leeds). Go figure  :-)

[Boundless]

Well click on it I did.... and it showed me as being in Papua New Guinea yesterday; when in actuality I was in Candii (in Leeds). Go figure  :-)

 

[maxxblue]

Have you checked that your phone hasn't been nicked? 

[JIMI1234]

Have you checked that your phone hasn't been nicked? 

Yep; it's in my hand as i write this (the phone is too)  :-)

[Watts.E.Dunn]

OK if your phone has a GPS receiver in it and provided that you have a decent view of the GPS satellites then yes you can be tracked and very accurately.

If you don't then it can be done by time triangulation this where three or more base stations will compute your position by measuring the time signals take to be received and that can compute your position. It is not that accurate even under good reception conditions best I've ever seen it is around 2 to 3 hundred metres slightly better in open country but the problem is that Three bases are needed to do it and in urban areas your phone might only be in range of one maybe two .

Best bet is to use a bog standard old Nokia like i have and a * PAYF SIM card and no problems, and best of all the battery lasts for ages:).



* PAYF (Pay As You Fuck)

[Turtle1]

The honest answer is yes, Anyone that says it's not doesn't fully understand. But, it's not easy its takes someone that knows what they are doing and you can't simply just go and do it. Requires specific tools. Also depends on the phone. ( old shitty phones are harder then latest smart phones ) if it's a contract phone then there is a bigger chance of someone finding the registered address.

Long story short, if your up against a hacker, then yes, they probably can find your address through your phone number. They can even hack into your phone. ( big example, the phone hacking scandal ) Use a punting phone at all times, it will prevent a lot of issues,

im not trying to scare anyone or be a prick but thought I'd give an honest answer. I currently work in IT and work with several people who I know have the ability to do such things but locate your exact location from a phone number alone will need government style espionage.

For the average joe. They won't go through the effort and time it will take,

[FLYING BLUE]

Thanks for all the answers chaps

[Tony Montana]

They can even hack into your phone. ( big example, the phone hacking scandal ) Use a punting phone at all times, it will prevent a lot of issues,

They didn't hack the phone itself, they hacked the voicemail account of the person because they had not changed the default pass code.

[Boundless]

The honest answer is yes, Anyone that says it's not doesn't fully understand. But, it's not easy its takes someone that knows what they are doing and you can't simply just go and do it. Requires specific tools. Also depends on the phone. ( old shitty phones are harder then latest smart phones ) if it's a contract phone then there is a bigger chance of someone finding the registered address.

Long story short, if your up against a hacker, then yes, they probably can find your address through your phone number. They can even hack into your phone. ( big example, the phone hacking scandal ) Use a punting phone at all times, it will prevent a lot of issues,

im not trying to scare anyone or be a prick but thought I'd give an honest answer. I currently work in IT and work with several people who I know have the ability to do such things but locate your exact location from a phone number alone will need government style espionage.

For the average joe. They won't go through the effort and time it will take,

The phone hacking "scandal" was only the fact that people (celebs, MP's etc) were too stupid to change the default pin code that you use to retrieve messages. I would imagine that 99% of people haven't changed it, of those probably 85% aren't even aware of it.

Just ring the mobile, key in the default pin and hey presto, you've got access to their voicemail box.

[vw]

The phone hacking "scandal" was only the fact that people (celebs, MP's etc) were too stupid to change the default pin code that you use to retrieve messages. I would imagine that 99% of people haven't changed it, of those probably 85% aren't even aware of it.

Just ring the mobile, key in the default pin and hey presto, you've got access to their voicemail box.

First time you use the pin now on Vodafone you have to jump through text message hoops to change and activate this service, a good thing protecting the free range naive !

[Bobbob84]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, anyone who punts with a  smartphone deserves all they get. Particularly if they don't know how to use it or what it's capable of.

I you must use a smart phone, get near the area you want and switch it off. You can always claim the lost signal or you were just passing through an area story.

But hoanest guys, do you reply need to be held by the hand of Google maps to visit someone?

[Happylad]

If (like me) you use a cheap Nokia (£12 from Argus), and Pay As You Go, you don`t have to give your name and address when you register it for a number.  It can, admittedly, be traced back to its position when actually in use, but there is nothing to link a name or address.

[Boundless]

If (like me) you use a cheap Nokia (£12 from Argus), and Pay As You Go, you don`t have to give your name and address when you register it for a number.  It can, admittedly, be traced back to its position when actually in use, but there is nothing to link a name or address.

Yep.
I decided to get a second punting phone a while back for an extra layer of secrecy and was surprised that I could just go to Argos, pay cash, not register it and then top it up with vouchers bought cash. Seems a bit of a security loophole considering the current terrorist threat.

[Happylad]

Yep.
I decided to get a second punting phone a while back for an extra layer of secrecy and was surprised that I could just go to Argos, pay cash, not register it and then top it up with vouchers bought cash. Seems a bit of a security loophole considering the current terrorist threat.

Cheap Nokia type `phones are no earthly use to terrorists - they all have to have I Phones which can send pictures, tweet, access their Facebook pages, and do all the other things so essential to the lifestyle of a modern terrorist

[winkywanky]

Maybe they're busy sorting out their 21 virgins on Arsebook before they blow themselves to smithereens?

They'd have a job finding any virgins these days, mind.

[vw]

They'd have a job finding any virgins these days, mind.

Nobody told them they are boys !  No where does it say female in the fables !

[winkywanky]

  Lets be honest, if you didn't mind blowing up a bunch of innocents, you wouldn't bother about buggering a few young boys  .

[vw]

Lets be honest, if you didn't mind blowing up a bunch of innocents, you wouldn't bother about buggering a few young boys  .

But they throw people of high buildings for a bit of same sex loving !

[winkywanky]

I'd not heard of that one!

[vw]

I'd not heard of that one!

See it all here

External Link/Members Only

[winkywanky]

That's downright fucking appalling. But no surprise where religious fanatics are concerned.