Caller ID Tips & Tricks
This section is updated only when an internet user informs us of a (pending) change or a useful addition. Please contact us to contribute to this list.
Per-call: Caller ID blocking / unblocking
- To block your telephone number for any call, dial *67 before dialing the telephone number.
- To unblock your number for any call (if you have a blocked line), dial *82 before dialing the telephone number.
Blocking and Unblocking
The FCC’s national Caller ID rules protect the privacy of the person called and the person calling by requiring telephone companies to make available free, simple, and uniform per-line blocking and unblocking processes. These rules give a caller the choice of delivering or blocking their telephone number for any interstate (between states) call they make. (The FCC does not regulate intrastate calls.)
Per-call blocking
To block your phone number and name from appearing on a recipient’s Caller ID unit on a single phone call, dial *-6-7 before dialing the phone number. Your number will not be sent to the other party. You must redial *-6-7 each time you place a new call.
Per-line blocking
Some states allow customers to select per-line blocking. With this option, your telephone number will be blocked for every call you make on a specific line – unless you use the per-line unblocking option. If you want your number to be transmitted to the called party, dial *-8-2 before you dial the number you are calling. You must re-dial *-8-2 each time you place a call.
800 number/toll-free calls
Simply requesting privacy when you call 800, 888, 877 and 866 numbers may or may not prevent the display of your telephone number. When you dial a toll-free number, the party you are calling pays for the call. The called party is able to identify your telephone number using a telephone network technology called Automatic Number Identification. FCC rules limit parties that own toll-free numbers from distributing and using this information, and require phone companies to inform customers that their telephone numbers are being transmitted to toll-free numbers in this way.
Emergency services
Calls to emergency lines are exempted from federal Caller ID rules. State rules and policies govern carriers’ obligations to honor caller privacy requests to emergency numbers.
Blocking the caller’s name
Some Caller ID services also transmit the name of the calling party. The FCC’s Caller ID rules require that when a caller requests his/her number be concealed, a carrier may not reveal the caller’s name, either.
U.S. Area Codes Lookup
AT&T International: U.S. Area Codes
List of US area codes for each state, with a list of important cities and towns in each of the telephone area codes.
Country and City Codes
AT&T International: Country and City Codes
Phone calls placed from one country to another require international country codes and city codes. Every international phone calling location has an international country code and a city code. Use the quick links to find any of the international country codes or city dialing codes you’ll need for international calling.
FCC Consumer Factsheet(s)
Unwanted Telephone Marketing Calls
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted rules that require anyone making a telephone solicitation call to your home to provide his or her name, the name of the person or entity on whose behalf the call is being made, and a telephone number or address at which that person or entity can be contacted. The original rules also prohibit telephone solicitation calls to your home before 8 am or after 9 pm, and require telemarketers to comply with any do-not-call request you make directly to the caller during a solicitation call.
The Truth About Wireless Phones and the National Do-Not-Call List
The federal government does not maintain and is not establishing a separate Do-Not-Call list for wireless phone numbers. Wireless phone subscribers have always been able to add their personal wireless phone numbers to the national Do-Not-Call list.