German phone number lookup (+49)

Who called you from +49? Look up any Germany mobile, landline or toll-free number to see the carrier, line type, region and spam reports — free and anonymous.

Unknown calls from Germany

Germans tend to be wary of calls from numbers they do not recognise, and with good reason. Advertising calls to private households are only legal with prior consent, yet energy switching offers, lottery promoters and dubious investment pitches still ring through, often with a spoofed caller ID. On top of that come shock calls targeting older people, messenger scams written in casual German, and short ping calls from distant country codes. Expats who have just registered at a new address or signed a mobile contract also receive genuine calls from banks, landlords and authorities, so checking whether an 0800, 0180 or 0151 number belongs to a real business saves a lot of guesswork.

Germany phone numbers at a glance

Country calling code: +49
Trunk prefix: 0
Number format: German numbers have no fixed length. Landlines start with an area code of two to five digits after the 0 (030 Berlin, 089 Munich), followed by the subscriber number; mobiles start with 015, 016 or 017 and usually run to 11 or 12 digits including the 0.
Example (national): 030 12345678
Example (international): +49 30 12345678
Emergency number: 112 (fire and ambulance), 110 (police)
Telecom regulator: Bundesnetzagentur

To call a German number from abroad, drop the leading 0 and dial +49 first: 030 12345678 becomes +49 30 12345678. A missed call showing +49 at the start came from a Germany number.

How to tell what kind of German number called you

Mobile numbers

Type	Starts with	Notes
Mobile (015x)	015	Ranges such as 0151, 0157, 0159 and 0152; originally tied to specific networks, but numbers are portable.
Mobile (016x)	016	Includes 0160, 0162 and 0163; like all German mobile ranges, these numbers are portable.
Mobile (017x)	017	0170 to 0179; the prefix no longer reliably reveals the current network because of number portability.

Toll-free, premium and special numbers

Type	Starts with	Notes
Toll-free	0800	Free to call from German landlines and mobiles.
Service numbers	0180	Shared-cost service lines with regulated maximum prices.
Premium rate	0900	Paid content and hotlines; the price must be announced before charging begins.
Mass-call / televoting	0137	Used for TV votes and competitions, charged per call.

Mobile networks in Germany

Numbers can be ported between networks, so the prefix alone does not prove which carrier a number is on today. A WhoCallsMe lookup reads the current carrier of record. The main mobile operators are:

Telekom
Vodafone
O2 Telefónica
1&1

Common phone scams in Germany

"Hallo Mama, hallo Papa" messenger scam

A WhatsApp or SMS message from an unknown mobile number claims to be your child, who has supposedly lost or broken their phone. After a little small talk the sender asks you to pay an urgent bill by bank transfer. Call your child on the old number before sending anything; genuine family members can always confirm.

Fake police officers (falsche Polizeibeamte)

Callers pose as police officers, sometimes with 110 shown on the display, and warn that burglars are active nearby or that your bank is corrupt. They then persuade victims to hand over cash, jewellery or card details to an "officer" who comes to collect it. Real German police never call from 110 and never collect valuables.

Ping calls from foreign numbers

Your phone rings once or twice from a number with an unfamiliar country code, often from Africa or small island states, and hangs up. The idea is that you call back and run up per-minute charges on an expensive line. If you do not know anyone in that country, simply ignore the missed call and block the number.

Report scam calls in Germany

Report unlawful advertising calls, spoofed numbers and spam SMS to the Bundesnetzagentur via its Rufnummernmissbrauch (number misuse) online form. Fraud attempts, shock calls and fake police calls should be reported to the local police (110 in an emergency) or through your state's online police station. The regional Verbraucherzentrale also gives advice.

Stop unwanted calls

Germany has no national do-not-call register. Under the Act against Unfair Competition (UWG), advertising calls to consumers require prior express consent, so any cold sales call without it is already unlawful.

Germany number lookup FAQ

Who called me from +49?+

+49 is Germany's country code, so the call came from a German landline, mobile or service number. What follows tells you more: +49 15, +49 16 or +49 17 (such as +49 151) points to a mobile, while a short area code like +49 30 or +49 89 means a landline in Berlin or Munich.

How do I tell if a German number is a mobile?+

German mobile numbers begin with 015, 016 or 017 when dialled nationally, or +49 15, +49 16 and +49 17 internationally. Because customers can take their number to another network, the prefix no longer tells you reliably which operator the caller uses today.

Are cold calls legal in Germany?+

Not to private individuals without consent. The UWG requires prior express permission for advertising calls to consumers, and callers must not suppress their number. If you receive one, you can search the number on WhoCallsMe to see what others reported, then file a complaint with the Bundesnetzagentur.