Twilio Lookup API New feature

Mobile-based identity intelligence in real time

Lookup uses mobile-based signals to provide smooth and robust protection for digital platforms and users, minimizing fraudulent activities without compromising the experience.

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Illustration showing how a business can use Lookup to verify a customer’s phone number as a security measure.

Recognition

Twilio named a Leader in CPaaS for second consecutive year

Read the 2024 report

Verify, secure, and optimize engagement with one integrated API

Lookup API adds a seamless layer of security to customer relationships using real-time phone data. Improve conversion and delivery rates, spot risk, and halt fraud. Then integrate with Twilio Verify, Programmable Messaging, and more to enhance your engagement solution with best-in-class security.

New feature

Identity Match

Prevent bots and false account creation. Confirm user identities by matching user-supplied data using a specified phone number against authoritative sources.

Learn more about Identity Match

Benefits

Improve security, conversions, and delivery at once

Phone intelligence data being used to deliver a smooth, secure messaging experience.

Reduce risk and fraud

Protect against fraud with authoritative phone intelligence data. Lookup API uses real-time risk signals to detect fraud and trigger step-up authentication when needed. Determine if a number is valid by identifying the line type as mobile, landline, VoIP, temporary number, and more. Stop fraudulent SIM swaps and fake accounts for secure relationships at scale.

Integrate with Twilio Verify, Programmable Messaging, and more to secure uses cases for onboarding, engagement, and support.
Spot risk signals in real-time by requesting data packages from multiple sources for accuracy and fill rates without slowdown.
Secure accounts with high throughput for zero throttling, plus latency checks scaled to your contact list and message volume.

// Download the helper library from https://www.twilio.com/docs/node/install
// Find your Account SID and Auth Token at twilio.com/console
// and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
const accountSid = process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID;
const authToken = process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN;
const client = require('twilio')(accountSid, authToken);

client.lookups.v2.phoneNumbers('+447772000001')
                 .fetch({fields: 'sim_swap'})
                 .then(phone_number => console.log(phone_number.callerName));

# Download the helper library from https://www.twilio.com/docs/python/install
import os
from twilio.rest import Client


# Find your Account SID and Auth Token at twilio.com/console
# and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
account_sid = os.environ['TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID']
auth_token = os.environ['TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN']
client = Client(account_sid, auth_token)

phone_number = client.lookups \\
                     .v2 \\
                     .phone_numbers('+447772000001') \\
                     .fetch(fields='sim_swap')

print(phone_number.caller_name)

using System;
using Twilio;
using Twilio.Rest.Lookups.V2;


class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Find your Account SID and Auth Token at twilio.com/console
        // and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
        string accountSid = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID");
        string authToken = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN");

        TwilioClient.Init(accountSid, authToken);

        var phoneNumber = PhoneNumberResource.Fetch(
            fields: "sim_swap",
            pathPhoneNumber: "+447772000001"
        );

        Console.WriteLine(phoneNumber.CallerName);
    }
}

// Install the Java helper library from twilio.com/docs/java/install

import com.twilio.Twilio;
import com.twilio.rest.lookups.v2.PhoneNumber;

public class Example {
    // Find your Account SID and Auth Token at twilio.com/console
    // and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
    public static final String ACCOUNT_SID = System.getenv("TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID");
    public static final String AUTH_TOKEN = System.getenv("TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN");

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Twilio.init(ACCOUNT_SID, AUTH_TOKEN);
        PhoneNumber phoneNumber = PhoneNumber.fetcher("+447772000001")
            .setFields("sim_swap").fetch();

        System.out.println(phoneNumber.getCallerName());
    }
}

<?php

// Update the path below to your autoload.php,
// see https://getcomposer.org/doc/01-basic-usage.md
require_once '/path/to/vendor/autoload.php';

use Twilio\\Rest\\Client;

// Find your Account SID and Auth Token at twilio.com/console
// and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
\$sid = getenv("TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID");
\$token = getenv("TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN");
\$twilio = new Client(\$sid, \$token);

\$phone_number = \$twilio->lookups->v2->phoneNumbers("+447772000001")
                                    ->fetch(["fields" => "sim_swap"]);

print(\$phone_number->callerName);

# Download the helper library from https://www.twilio.com/docs/ruby/install
require 'rubygems'
require 'twilio-ruby'

# Find your Account SID and Auth Token at twilio.com/console
# and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
account_sid = ENV['TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID']
auth_token = ENV['TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN']
@client = Twilio::REST::Client.new(account_sid, auth_token)

phone_number = @client.lookups
                      .v2
                      .phone_numbers('+447772000001')
                      .fetch(fields: 'sim_swap')

puts phone_number.caller_name

# Install the twilio-cli from https://twil.io/cli

twilio api:lookups:v2:phone-numbers:fetch \\
    --phone-number +447772000001 \\
    --fields sim_swap

curl -X GET "https://lookups.twilio.com/v2/PhoneNumbers/+447772000001?Fields=sim_swap" \\
-u \$TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID:\$TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN

Increase conversions

Streamline and personalize onboarding to boost conversion rates. Enable passive authentication that doesn’t rely on user input with Twilio’s Line Type Intelligence. This frictionless feature reduces churn, lifts conversions, and integrates easily with Twilio onboarding and engagement solutions.

Request data signals in real-time from multiple sources for superior accuracy and fill rates without slowdown.
Reach more customers with global coverage via Twilio’s carrier partnerships and one of the largest SIM swap data networks.
Gain insights from data signals that enhance marketing, improve key metrics, and help you make business decisions confidently.

// Download the helper library from https://www.twilio.com/docs/node/install
// Find your Account SID and Auth Token at twilio.com/console
// and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
const accountSid = process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID;
const authToken = process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN;
const client = require('twilio')(accountSid, authToken);

client.lookups.v2.phoneNumbers('+14159929960')
                 .fetch({fields: 'line_type_intelligence'})
                 .then(phone_number => console.log(phone_number.callerName));

# Download the helper library from https://www.twilio.com/docs/python/install
import os
from twilio.rest import Client


# Find your Account SID and Auth Token at twilio.com/console
# and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
account_sid = os.environ['TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID']
auth_token = os.environ['TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN']
client = Client(account_sid, auth_token)

phone_number = client.lookups \\
                     .v2 \\
                     .phone_numbers('+14159929960') \\
                     .fetch(fields='line_type_intelligence')

print(phone_number.caller_name)

// Install the C# / .NET helper library from twilio.com/docs/csharp/install

using System;
using Twilio;
using Twilio.Rest.Lookups.V2;


class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Find your Account SID and Auth Token at twilio.com/console
        // and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
        string accountSid = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID");
        string authToken = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN");

        TwilioClient.Init(accountSid, authToken);

        var phoneNumber = PhoneNumberResource.Fetch(
            fields: "line_type_intelligence",
            pathPhoneNumber: "+14159929960"
        );

        Console.WriteLine(phoneNumber.CallerName);
    }
}

// Install the Java helper library from twilio.com/docs/java/install

import com.twilio.Twilio;
import com.twilio.rest.lookups.v2.PhoneNumber;

public class Example {
    // Find your Account SID and Auth Token at twilio.com/console
    // and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
    public static final String ACCOUNT_SID = System.getenv("TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID");
    public static final String AUTH_TOKEN = System.getenv("TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN");

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Twilio.init(ACCOUNT_SID, AUTH_TOKEN);
        PhoneNumber phoneNumber = PhoneNumber.fetcher("+14159929960")
            .setFields("line_type_intelligence").fetch();

        System.out.println(phoneNumber.getCallerName());
    }
}

<?php

// Update the path below to your autoload.php,
// see https://getcomposer.org/doc/01-basic-usage.md
require_once '/path/to/vendor/autoload.php';

use Twilio\\Rest\\Client;

// Find your Account SID and Auth Token at twilio.com/console
// and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
\$sid = getenv("TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID");
\$token = getenv("TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN");
\$twilio = new Client(\$sid, \$token);

\$phone_number = \$twilio->lookups->v2->phoneNumbers("+14159929960")
                                    ->fetch([
                                                "fields" => "line_type_intelligence"
                                            ]
                                    );

print(\$phone_number->callerName);

# Download the helper library from https://www.twilio.com/docs/ruby/install
require 'rubygems'
require 'twilio-ruby'

# Find your Account SID and Auth Token at twilio.com/console
# and set the environment variables. See http://twil.io/secure
account_sid = ENV['TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID']
auth_token = ENV['TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN']
@client = Twilio::REST::Client.new(account_sid, auth_token)

phone_number = @client.lookups
                      .v2
                      .phone_numbers('+14159929960')
                      .fetch(fields: 'line_type_intelligence')

puts phone_number.caller_name

# Install the twilio-cli from https://twil.io/cli

twilio api:lookups:v2:phone-numbers:fetch \\
    --phone-number +14159929960 \\
    --fields line_type_intelligence

curl -X GET "https://lookups.twilio.com/v2/PhoneNumbers/+14159929960?Fields=line_type_intelligence" \\
-u \$TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID:\$TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN

Improve message deliverability

Increase delivery rates and cut costs with Twilio’s real-time phone number validation. Confirm if a number is legitimate before you send, distinguish mobile numbers from temporary VoIP numbers and landlines, plus verify the correct number format to reduce delivery errors.

Integrate with Twilio Verify and Programmable Messaging for secure engagement with marketing and contact centers.
Ensure compliance with global messaging regulations like SOC2 Type 2 for optimal delivery, plus added data residency controls.
Secure accounts with high throughput for zero throttling, plus latency checks scaled to your contact list and message volume.

Use cases

Put up-to-date phone intelligence to work at scale

Improve message deliverability

Delivery errors frustrate users who expect real-time communications. Improve contact rates by validating a number before you send. Distinguish mobile numbers from landlines, format numbers correctly, and optimize SMS routing with carrier data for optimal delivery.

Personalize messaging and voice calls

Personalization is key to a quality customer experience. Identify inbound callers globally by determining the name associated with phone number to personalize engagement over SMS and voice calls, and enhance your marketing at any scale.

Enrich data and risk models

Businesses use customer data to enrich user profiles and understand risk. Access real-time user signals like phone line type, SIM tenure, connectivity status, carrier, and more to improve risk models, scrub contact lists, and make more accurate business decisions.

Mitigate fake accounts and takeovers

Stopping SIM swap fraud, fake account creation, account takeovers, and promo abuse is a business priority. Halt takeovers when you identify risk signals of compromised numbers. Mitigate fakery with Line Type Intelligence that spots suspicious virtual numbers.

Need help setting up Lookup?

Bring your ideal solution to life with technology partners and top-tier consulting partners like Deloitte Digital, Perficient, and more. View partners

Features

Build trusted relationships upon real-time insights

Formatting and Validation

Validate and reformat phone numbers automatically to match national and global dialing standards for optimal deliverability.
Line Type Intelligence

Identify the carrier and phone line type from mobile, landline, fixed VoIP, non-fixed VoIP, toll free, and more to mitigate fake accounts, scrub contact lists, and improve deliverability.
Call Forwarding

Expose voice channel compromise and at-risk numbers with real-time access to the call forwarding status for mobile numbers. Only available in the UK.
SMS Pumping Risk Score

Powered by advanced machine learning models, SMS Pumping Risk Score can effectively identify and flag malicious behavior associated with phone numbers involved in SMS Pumping Fraud.
Line Status

Check if a phone number is active or reachable on its carrier network. Optimize cost and delivery by only sending messages to active contacts.

Caller Name

Identify inbound callers then personalize outreach using the verified caller or business name to improve conversions, security, and customer experience. Only available in the US.
SIM Swap

Detect SIM swap to stop fraud and account takeovers with timestamps and dates of any SIM changes, plus configurable risk tolerance that enables accurate modeling and metrics.
Identity Match

Prevent bots and false account creation. Confirm the ownership of a mobile phone number by comparing user-supplied data against authoritative sources.
Reassigned Number

Check if a phone number has been reassigned since the user's last consent date. Increase user conversion and avoid legal breach by reaching out to the right person

Verify and Lookup are better together

Get a comprehensive solution to cut costs, increase OTP conversions, and reduce fraud risk.

70% lower

lower cost-per-user and support costs with Verify’s real-time identity signals*

$62.7 million

saved by Verify Fraud Guard*

4.8 billion

validations per year with Verify **

90% reduction

in user validation time using Lookup Identity Match***

Explore Verify

“We’re not just relying on traditional methods but also relying on these new signals that can help prevent fraud. It is safe to say that we have caught several signals of fraud using Identity Match”

Peter Laptewicz CPO, Tradier Inc.

Pricing

Enhance your engagement solution with seamless security in one API

Sign up for Twilio free to start building without commitments. Only pay for what you use with flexible pay-as-you-go pricing.

See pricing Start for free

* based on Twilio's publicly available price list as of 7/14/2023

** Twilio 2023 internal data

*** Traider results with Twilio