It is possible for someone to find your Facebook profile using just your phone number, but there are limitations. Your phone number is not searchable on Facebook itself, so a stranger cannot simply type your number into Facebook and find your profile. However, there are some roundabout ways that your phone number could potentially be linked back to your Facebook account.
Searching Facebook for your phone number
The simplest way for someone to try to find you on Facebook is by searching for your phone number directly on the platform. However, this will not work because Facebook does not allow users to search for other users by phone number.
When you set up your Facebook profile, you have the option to add a phone number for security purposes. However, this phone number is not visible on your public profile and is not searchable by other users on Facebook. There is no search bar or function that allows entering a phone number to find a Facebook account.
So if someone only has your phone number, they will not be able to directly search for and find your Facebook profile through the Facebook platform itself. Your phone number is not exposed in a way that allows strangers to search for and identify your account.
Finding your Facebook through public records
While your phone number is not searchable directly through Facebook, there are public records that may connect your phone number to your name or other personal details. With enough information, it may be possible to then search Facebook and find your profile.
Some of the public records that may link a phone number to someone’s identity include:
- Phone directory listings
- Voter registration records
- Property records
- Marriage and divorce records
- Criminal records
- Bankruptcy filings
- Legal judgments
- Birth and death records
Various public record aggregators compile this information from multiple sources and make them available through search websites and services. Some sites may have limited search functions for free, while full reports often require a paid membership.
If someone enters your phone number into one of these public record search services, they may get records back associated with your name and possibly other details like age, location, relatives, etc. With enough supporting details, this information could potentially be used to then search Facebook and identify your account.
Finding your Facebook through reverse phone lookup services
There are services known as reverse phone lookup or phone number search sites that will attempt to find personal information linked to a given phone number.
These sites have large databases of public records, phone directory listings, user-submitted information, and other sources that they cross reference against a phone number. Some things they may potentially find connected to your phone number include:
- Names
- Age
- Relatives
- Addresses
- Email addresses
- Social media profiles
Many reverse lookup sites will return limited results for free. To get full detailed reports, you generally have to pay membership fees. The comprehensiveness of the reports will depend on how much personal information is available linked to your particular phone number.
If a reverse lookup for your number brings back names, locations, or other identifying details, someone could take that information and potentially find and identify your Facebook profile through searching those details.
Finding your Facebook through data breaches
Over the years there have been many high profile data breaches from various companies and services where personal information was stolen. This includes breaches at sites like:
- MySpace
- Adobe
- Snapchat
- Yahoo
- Ashley Madison
- tumblr
When data breaches occur, personal details like names, email addresses, passwords, phone numbers, locations, IP addresses, and other information gets leaked and sometimes posted publicly. There are websites on the dark web where this breached and hacked data ends up for sale and trade.
If your phone number was part of a data breach, someone could potentially search the records from that breach and identify details like your name, email address, location, etc. They could then take that information and search Facebook to find your profile.
However, it’s difficult to say how likely it is your phone number was caught up in a breach. You usually have to wait until the breach is announced to know if your data was compromised. Some common ways to check if you were part of a breach include:
- Monitoring haveibeenpwned.com which tracks reported breaches
- Enabling credit monitoring to watch for fraud
- Setting up online account alerts
But ultimately, unless you know your phone number was part of a specific breach, there’s no way to know for sure if your data is out there being misused or not.
Getting your number from your online contacts
Even if your phone number is not readily available through public sources, someone you know could potentially find you on Facebook using your number.
For example, say you give your phone number to someone you met through a dating app, online class, gaming chat, email list, or any other online interaction. If that person is motivated enough, they could take your number and search their own Facebook friends/contacts to see if your name pops up.
Many people upload their full phone contact lists to Facebook which syncs names and numbers. If someone has your phone number saved in their contacts under your real name, and their contact list matches up with their Facebook friends, your profile could be identifiable.
This method relies on you having given your phone number to someone who also happens to have you in their Facebook contacts. If you tend to keep your phone number more private, it’s less likely your contacts would have you in their Facebook list.
Preventing your Facebook from being found
If you want to proactively prevent someone from identifying your Facebook profile through your phone number, there are some steps you can take:
- Be selective about sharing your phone number online or with people you don’t know well. The fewer places it appears publicly, the harder it is to search.
- Use a Google Voice or Burner number for online profiles, classified ads, dating apps, etc. This creates a layer of separation from your real number.
- Check your privacy settings on Facebook and be cautious about having a public visible profile. Keep personal details limited or hidden.
- Search yourself online and opt out of public record sites like Spokeo that aggregate your info. This can help dissociate details.
- Enable two-factor authentication on your Facebook account for extra login security.
- Run periodic Dark Web scans on sites like myid.com to watch if your details appear on leaked databases
With vigilance, you can minimize the digital breadcrumbs that could potentially lead someone to tie your phone number to your online identity. However, with enough determination, a persistent person may eventually connect some dots. So it’s impossible to fully prevent your number being used, you can only reduce the ease and likelihood.
Conclusion
While Facebook does not allow direct phone number searches to find users, there are some roundabout ways your number could lead to your profile. Public records, people search services, and data leaks provide potential alternate routes to connect a number to someone’s identity. However, how likely this is depends on how much of your personal information can be tied specifically to your number through various sources. With good privacy practices, you can reduce the visibility of your phone number across the many data points that might identify you online.