Three codes, three honest answers
Check SIM Details by Number in Pakistan: What 667, 668 and 76367 Actually Show
Checking SIM details by number in Pakistan legitimately breaks down into three separate, official mechanisms — finding out which network a number belongs to (SMS “N” plus the number to 76367), pulling up your own SIM’s own registration record (SMS “MNP” to 667), and counting how many SIMs sit against your own CNIC (SMS your CNIC to 668 or the cnic.sims.pk web portal). None of the three, alone or stacked together, ever return a stranger’s name, home address, or CNIC number — and understanding exactly why is the fastest way to stop wasting money on services that promise otherwise.
Start here
What “Checking SIM Details by Number” Can Legitimately Mean
When people search for sim details by number, sim info by number, or sim number check details, they usually mean one of three genuinely different things — and Pakistan has one official, PTA-run mechanism for each.
Search phrases like “check sim details by number”, “sim information with number”, and “check sim by number” get typed into Google for at least three different reasons, and each one has its own honest, legal answer. It helps to separate them before touching a phone, because sending the wrong code to the wrong short-code wastes an SMS charge and gets you an answer to a question you did not actually ask.
The three real mechanisms
First, some people just want to know which network a number belongs to — is 03xx-xxxxxxx a Jazz number, a Zong number, a Telenor number, or an Ufone number? That is a genuinely public, harmless question, and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has an official short-code for exactly that: 76367. It tells you the network. Nothing else.
Second, some people want to confirm the registration record tied to their own SIM — the name, CNIC, and activation date the operator has on file for the number they are currently using. PTA’s self-check code for this is 667, triggered by texting “MNP”. It works only on the SIM that sends the message. It cannot be pointed at anyone else’s number, because it does not take a phone number as an input at all — it reads the identity of the sending SIM directly from the network.
Third, some people want to know how many SIMs, in total, are currently registered against their own CNIC — useful before buying a new connection, or after losing a phone. That is what the SIM Information System 668 and its web equivalent, cnic.sims.pk, are for. Both return a dated count of SIMs per network. Neither returns a name, a number, or an address — only totals.
A fourth and much larger group of searchers, honestly, want a fourth thing: a stranger’s name, home address, or CNIC number, starting only from a phone number that called or messaged them. That intent is real, understandable, and covered in depth further down this page — but it is not something any of the three tools above, or any combination of them, can lawfully provide. We explain exactly why, and what you can legally do instead, in the dedicated guide on SIM owner details by number and in our guide on finding a SIM owner’s name by mobile number. If that is what brought you here, jump to the “What none of these tools can ever tell you” section below rather than working through the walkthroughs first.
For everyone else — the person who wants their own SIM’s record, a network lookup, or a CNIC-wide SIM count — the rest of this page is a full, practical walkthrough of all three official tools, a side-by-side comparison of exactly what each one returns, and the troubleshooting steps for when a code does not reply the way you expect.
Network lookup
The 76367 Network Check: Full SMS Walkthrough
To check which network a Pakistani number belongs to, send the letter “N” followed by a space and the full 11-digit number to 76367 — the reply names only the current network, nothing more.
This is the correct tool when the underlying question is “is this a Jazz number or a Zong number” — for example, before saving a contact, before choosing which balance-transfer service to use, or when a number has been ported and you are not sure which operator it landed on after Mobile Number Portability (MNP).
Exact steps
- Open your messaging app on any live Pakistani SIM — the 76367 short-code only works from a locally registered number.
- Type the letter N, then a single space, then the full 11-digit number you want to check — for example, N 03001234567. The format matters; the space between N and the digits is required.
- Send the message to 76367.
- Wait for the automatic reply, which usually arrives within a few seconds to a couple of minutes and names the current network — Jazz, Zong, Telenor, or Ufone.
What it costs, and what it returns
The service is charged at roughly Rs 2 plus applicable tax per query, deducted from your own SIM’s balance. In return you get exactly one piece of information: the network the number currently sits on. It does not return a name, a CNIC, an address, an activation date, or a location — and it was never designed to. This directly answers one of the most common related questions people search: does 76367 give a name? No. It has never returned subscriber identity information, only the operator/network label. If a number has recently been ported between networks under MNP, 76367 reflects the number’s current network at query time, not its original network at activation.
Your own SIM, only
The 667 Self-Check (MNP): Full Walkthrough
Texting “MNP” to 667 returns the registration details of the SIM that sends the message — your own registered name, a partly masked CNIC, IMSI, activation date, and connection type — and it cannot be redirected at any other number.
This is the code people usually mean when they ask what does 667 actually tell you, or search for a way to check whose SIM this is. The honest, important detail is in that second question: 667 answers “whose SIM is this SIM” only for the SIM physically sending the text. It has no field, no format, and no variant that accepts someone else’s phone number as an input — which is also why it directly answers is there a code to find a SIM owner: no PTA short-code, including this one, works that way.
Exact steps
- Use the actual SIM you want to check — insert it in a phone capable of sending SMS.
- Open Messages and type MNP — exactly these three letters, nothing else, in the message body.
- Send it to 667. No CNIC, no additional number, and no extra text is needed in the message body.
- Read the automatic reply, which lists the registered name on file, a CNIC number with some digits masked for privacy, the SIM’s IMSI, its activation date, and whether it is registered as a voice, data, or hybrid connection.
Why the CNIC comes back masked
The partial masking is a deliberate privacy control by the operator/PTA system — the reply is meant to let you confirm your own identity is correctly on file, not to expose the full CNIC over an unencrypted SMS channel. If the masked digits do not match your own CNIC at all, that is a real red flag worth acting on: it means the SIM may have been registered fraudulently, using biometric data collected outside an authorised outlet, and it should be reported through your operator’s helpline or PTA’s complaint channel, not ignored.
The full breakdown
667 vs 668 vs 76367: The Complete Comparison
These are three unrelated PTA systems built for three unrelated jobs — confusing one for another is the single biggest source of wasted SMS charges and false expectations in this niche.
The table below is the deepest side-by-side on this site of what each code needs as input, what it hands back, what it costs, and — most importantly — whose data it is capable of showing. We have added the web-based cnic.sims.pk portal as a fourth row because it runs on the same underlying data as 668 but works from anywhere in the world, which matters for overseas Pakistanis.
| Method | Input required | What it returns | Cost | Access | Whose data it shows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 667 (SMS “MNP”) | Nothing — sent from the SIM itself | Registered name, partly masked CNIC, IMSI, activation date, connection type | Standard SMS rate | Only from the live SIM being checked | The sender’s own SIM only — never another number |
| 668 (SMS your CNIC) | Your 13-digit CNIC, no dashes | A per-network SIM count table only — no names, no numbers | Approx. Rs 2 incl. tax | Only from a live Pakistani SIM | The CNIC holder who sends it — total counts only |
| cnic.sims.pk (web) | CNIC or Foreign ID, plus reCAPTCHA | Dated counts table: Network, Voice+Data SIMs, Data Only SIMs, Total SIMs | Free | Anywhere in the world, no app or login | The CNIC/ID entered — counts only, never names |
| 76367 (SMS “N number”) | Any 11-digit Pakistani mobile number | The number’s current network only (Jazz/Zong/Telenor/Ufone) | Rs 2 + tax | Any live Pakistani SIM | No personal data at all — network label only |
A pattern worth noticing: three of these four mechanisms never show a name under any circumstance. The single exception, 667, only ever discloses the sender’s own record back to themselves. There is no fifth combination, no clever chaining of these codes, that turns a phone number into a stranger’s identity — the systems are simply not built to connect that way, and PTA has never published a service that does.
For the CNIC-count side of this comparison in full step-by-step detail, see our dedicated 668 SIM check walkthrough and our broader CNIC SIM check guide, which also covers disowning unwanted SIMs. If your real goal is finding out how many connections sit against your own CNIC before applying for a new one, our how many SIMs on CNIC page walks through the 8-SIM cap in detail.
The honest part
What None of These Tools Can Ever Tell You
None of 667, 668, 76367, or cnic.sims.pk — alone or combined — can return a stranger’s name, home address, or CNIC number from a phone number. That is not a gap in the tools; it is how they were deliberately designed.
If you arrived here after a missed call, a suspicious message, or a number you want identified, it is worth saying plainly: this is not a failure of research on your part, and the desire to know who is contacting you is completely reasonable. The problem is that the lawful mechanism for that specific need does not run through any public SMS code or website — it runs through a formal investigation.
Only a police officer or investigation agency acting under a formal PECA 2016 investigation, following the procedures set out in the Investigation Rules 2018, can lawfully compel an operator to disclose a specific person’s subscriber information. No public service, paid or free, has legitimate access to that data outside of that process — which is also the direct answer to how to check whose SIM this is when the SIM in question is not your own: you cannot. No legal public tool can ever do this, full stop — and any site claiming otherwise is not lawfully accessing that data, no matter what it shows you on screen or how official it looks.
If the number is harassing, threatening, or defrauding you, the productive next step is reporting it, not searching for a lookup tool. You can file a complaint with PTA at complaint.pta.gov.pk, or with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) at complaint.nccia.gov.pk — NCCIA also runs a 24/7 cyber helpline on 1799, live since 3 June 2025, after taking over cybercrime investigation from FIA’s Cybercrime Wing in April 2025. If you have previously seen the number 1991 quoted as a cybercrime helpline, that number is retired and no longer correct.
We go into this in far more depth — including exactly what a formal PECA investigation involves and what evidence to keep — on two dedicated pages built for this exact intent: SIM owner details by number and SIM owner name by mobile number. If your intent is that stranger-lookup need, those two guides are the better next read; this page stays focused on what the three legitimate tools above can actually do.
When a code does not behave
Troubleshooting 667, 668 and 76367
Most failures with these three codes come down to one of three causes: wrong message format, insufficient balance, or a temporary network-side delay — each has a specific fix.
No reply at all
Give it a genuine five to ten minutes first — all three short-codes route through operator gateways that can queue during high-traffic periods. If nothing arrives after ten minutes, check that you sent the message from a SIM with active service (not a SIM in airplane mode, and not a SIM with a suspended account), and resend once.
Wrong format errors
Each code has one specific accepted format, and typos are the most common cause of a bounce-back error message:
| Code | Correct format | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| 667 | MNP (exactly these three letters, nothing else) | Adding a CNIC or number after MNP — the system ignores extra text or rejects it |
| 668 | 13-digit CNIC, no dashes, no spaces | Including the dashes (e.g. 12345-1234567-1) instead of the plain 13 digits |
| 76367 | N, one space, then the full 11-digit number | Missing the space after N, or sending only 10 digits |
Insufficient balance
668 and 76367 are both paid services, deducted from your SIM’s main balance at roughly Rs 2 plus tax per query — if your balance is at zero or below the deduction amount, the message typically fails silently rather than returning an error, so top up and resend. 667 (MNP) is billed at your operator’s standard SMS rate, which is usually covered by an existing SMS bundle if you have one active.
cnic.sims.pk portal issues
The web portal requires completing a reCAPTCHA before submitting a CNIC or Foreign ID — if the result page does not load, check that JavaScript is enabled and that no ad-blocker is interfering with the reCAPTCHA widget, then retry. The portal, first-hand verified, is branded on-screen as the “PMD SIM Information System” and has separate tabs for CNIC holders and Foreign ID holders; using the wrong tab for your document type returns no result.
Where 668 came from
A Short, Sourced History of the SIM Information System 668
PTA’s SIM Information System, the service behind the 668 short-code, was launched at a PTA Consumer Forum handling approximately 100 million subscriber records at the time — part of the same body of PTA press material that dates the “SIM Information System 668” service to October 2009 — and, per that same October 2009-dated PTA overview, total usage since launch has reached over 12.6 million subscribers.
It is worth knowing this history because so much confusion in this niche comes from people mixing up genuine PTA milestones with unrelated, fabricated viral claims — and the real timeline is honestly more interesting than the fake one.
Launch and adoption
PTA’s own press material also references a “789 SIM Activation System” dated February 2009, an earlier, related SIM-activation effort that predates the 668 service by several months — the two are documented separately in PTA’s own releases rather than framed as one system replacing the other. Since the SIM Information System’s launch, PTA’s October 2009-dated overview reports that over 12.6 million subscribers have used it, and notably, roughly 60% of the web-based (portal-style) queries have come from overseas Pakistanis — which explains why a worldwide-accessible tool like cnic.sims.pk matters so much for the diaspora, and why PTA separately built an online facility specifically for overseas Pakistanis to regularise or block extra SIMs and connections registered against their CNIC, available on the PTA website and on cellular operators’ own websites, backed by PTA’s general helpline on 0800-55055.
The biometric layer underneath it all
The verification system that keeps this whole structure honest is officially named the Multi Random Finger Biometric Verification System (MBVS), per PTA’s own Biometric Verification page — a standing PTA reference page rather than a dated press release, so treat the specifics below as PTA’s current published position on the system rather than a time-stamped announcement. MBVS performs online verification directly against NADRA’s records for new SIM purchases, duplicate SIM issuance, ownership transfers, MNP porting, periodic re-verification, and SIM disowning — requiring a maximum of two successful thumb or finger impressions, taken only at Customer Service Centres, franchisees, and registered retailers equipped with an authorised MBVS device. PTA has explicitly warned that fraudsters sometimes try to collect fingerprints on unauthorised machines or on paper, posing as government officials — never provide biometric data anywhere outside a verified, authorised outlet. Separately, on that same Biometric Verification page, PTA states that approximately 85% of SIMs used in fraud cases belong to female CNIC holders, a real and sourced vulnerability that makes checking your own SIM count periodically genuinely worthwhile, not just theoretical advice.
The real enforcement timeline — and the fabricated one you may have seen
A specific viral claim has circulated under the name “Operation Clean Sweep 3.0”, describing a supposed 72-hour suspension window for unregistered SIMs. No PTA source anywhere publishes this programme or this timeframe — it should be treated as unverified misinformation circulating online, not as a real PTA enforcement action. The actual, PTA-published enforcement sequence for an unauthorised or unregistered SIM, published alongside the SIM Information System 668 service’s October 2009 launch material, runs considerably longer: a 7-day notice period to register the connection, followed by calling services being suspended after 13 days if unregistered, followed by the SIM being fully blocked after 17 days. That 7/13/17-day sequence is the real timeline to keep in mind — not the fabricated 72-hour version.
PTA itself has form debunking exactly this kind of viral claim in adjacent systems: on the device-registration side (DIRBS), PTA publicly dismissed a social-media rumour that mobile device tax could be paid in instalments through the DIRBS portal, stating no such directive exists. It is the same pattern — a plausible-sounding claim spreads faster than the correction, so always check whether a specific figure or programme traces back to an actual pta.gov.pk release before repeating it.
Where the system stands in 2026
On the enforcement-numbers side specifically, two real 2026 figures should never be confused with each other: NADRA’s 17 June 2025 announcement named a scope of 4,906,611 SIMs for a phased blocking plan — reported the same day by Express Tribune, The Nation, and TechJuice — which was a stated plan, not a completed action. The actual enforcement figure for 2026 itself is 1.838 million illegal SIMs blocked between January and July 2026 (903,230 tied to deceased CNIC holders, 244,357 tied to invalid, expired, or cancelled CNICs, and 691,102 for other reasons), reported in August 2026. These are two different figures measuring two different things, months apart, and should never be added together or quoted interchangeably.
On the identity-verification side, a genuine institutional disagreement emerged in August 2026 between NADRA and PTA over extending SIM verification to facial recognition. NADRA had proposed its own “PakID” app for facial-recognition-based verification in 2025, and operators completed a proof of concept — but by August 2026, NADRA instead proposed that telecom operators install their own capture equipment at outlets, with data passed to operators and then to NADRA for verification, while operators would be barred from storing biometric data themselves. PTA responded that it is exploring alternatives, including one operator’s own mobile app, ahead of a further proof of concept, as reported by ProPakistani on 25 August 2026. As of today, facial-recognition SIM verification is not live for the public — it remains an ongoing discussion between the two institutions.
Accountability on the operator side is not theoretical either: PTA fined Jazz Rs 38.9 million, reported 31 August 2026 by Business Recorder and Daily Pakistan, after finding the operator’s documentation “incomplete” and lacking “mandatory corporate authorisations and end-user credentials” for close to 400 corporate SIMs issued under one company’s name without proper authorisation. PTA stated plainly that “an operator’s responsibility does not end once a corporate SIM is issued”, and that operators cannot delegate verification duties to corporate customers or sales channels — Jazz was ordered to pay within 30 days of the ruling. It is a useful reminder that the compliance burden in this system sits primarily on licensed operators, not on the public trying to look someone up.
Pick the right tool
Decision Guide: Which Code for Which Goal
Match your actual goal to the list below rather than guessing — each of these tools answers exactly one question and none of the others.
- “Which network does this number belong to?” — send N [number] to 76367. This is the only tool built for this exact question.
- “Is my own SIM registered correctly under my name?” — send MNP to 667 from that SIM. Compare the masked CNIC and activation date against your own records.
- “How many SIMs are on my CNIC right now?” — send your 13-digit CNIC (no dashes) to 668 from any live Pakistani SIM, or use cnic.sims.pk from anywhere in the world if you are travelling or living abroad. See our full 668 walkthrough for exact reply formats.
- “I am over the 8-SIM limit and need to disown extras” — start with the CNIC count above, then follow the disowning process covered in our CNIC SIM check guide, noting the Rs 200 capped fee (waived if fraud is confirmed) in force since 1 January 2024, and the 365-day lock that prevents disowning or transferring a SIM within a year of its own activation date, effective under a PTA advisory from 24 May 2026.
- “I just want the general concept of how many SIMs I can legally hold” — see our dedicated how many SIMs on CNIC explainer, covering the Supreme Court’s 8-SIM cap ruling of 5 November 2015.
- “I want a stranger’s name, address, or CNIC from their number” — no PTA tool does this, and no legal public service does either. Read SIM owner details by number or SIM owner name by mobile number for the honest explanation and the lawful path (reporting harassment or fraud, or a formal police investigation).
If your intent genuinely sits across two of these — for example, checking your own SIM count and also wanting to understand the broader legal SIM cap — our homepage guide to checking SIM owner details the legal way ties all of these tools together in one place, and is a good starting point if you are not yet sure which specific tool you need.
Apni zaban mein
Aasan Lafzon Mein Samjhein
Agar aap search kar rahe hain “sim details by number kaise check karein”, to sabse pehle ye samajhna zaroori hai keh Pakistan mein iske teen alag, official tareeqe hain — aur teenon alag kaam karte hain. Agar sirf ye pata karna hai keh koi number kis network ka hai (Jazz, Zong, Telenor ya Ufone), to 76367 par “N” likh kar space ke baad wo number bhej dein — jawab sirf network ka naam batayega, aur kuch nahi. Agar apni khud ki SIM ka record check karna hai — naam, masked CNIC, activation date — to apni hi SIM se “MNP” likh kar 667 par bhejein. Ye sirf usi SIM ka record dega jis se message bheja gaya ho, kisi aur number ka nahi. Aur agar apne CNIC par kitni SIMs registered hain ye jaanna hai, to apna 13-digit CNIC (bina dashes ke) 668 par bhejein, ya phir cnic.sims.pk website use karein jo duniya mein kahin se bhi khul jati hai.
Ab sabse important baat — agar maqsad ye hai keh kisi aur ke number se uska naam, address ya CNIC pata chal jaye, to seedhi baat: ye kisi bhi qanooni tareeqe se mumkin nahi. Na 667, na 668, na 76367, na koi bhi website ye kaam kar sakti hai. Ye PECA 2016, Section 16 ke tehat jurm hai — teen saal tak jail aur Rs 50 lakh tak jurmana ho sakta hai, aur ye sirf lene wale par nahi, dene wale par bhi laagu hota hai. Agar koi harass kar raha hai ya fraud ki koshish ho rahi hai, to sahi qadam ye hai keh PTA ya NCCIA (helpline 1799) par complaint darj karayein — ye asli aur qanooni raasta hai, na keh kisi “SIM database” wali website par paisa zaya karna — aisi koi bhi website ye kaam qanooni tor par kar hi nahi sakti, aur jo bhi website ye claim kare keh wo kar sakti hai, wo scam hai.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How can I check details of a SIM by number in Pakistan?
It depends what you mean by “details”. For the number’s network, text N plus the number to 76367. For your own SIM’s registration record, text MNP to 667 from that SIM. For how many SIMs sit on your own CNIC, text your CNIC to 668 or use cnic.sims.pk. None of these reveal a stranger’s name or address.
Does 76367 give a name?
No. The 76367 short-code, triggered by texting N followed by an 11-digit number, returns only the current network the number is registered on — Jazz, Zong, Telenor, or Ufone. It has never returned a subscriber’s name, CNIC, address, or activation date under any format.
Is there a code to find a SIM owner?
No PTA short-code accepts a phone number and returns that number’s owner. The one code that returns a name, 667, only discloses the record of the SIM sending the message — it has no format that accepts someone else’s number as input, by design.
How do I check whose SIM this is?
If it is your own SIM, text MNP to 667 to see your registered name and details. If it belongs to someone else, there is no legal public tool that discloses that — only a formal police investigation under PECA 2016 can compel an operator to reveal a specific subscriber’s identity.
What does 667 actually tell you?
Texting MNP to 667 returns your own SIM’s registered name, a partly masked CNIC, its IMSI, the activation date, and whether it is registered as voice, data, or hybrid. It works only for the SIM sending the message and cannot be pointed at any other number.
What is the difference between 667, 668 and 76367?
667 (text MNP) checks your own SIM’s registration record. 668 (text your CNIC) counts total SIMs on your CNIC per network. 76367 (text N plus a number) checks which network any number belongs to. They are three unrelated systems built for three different jobs.
Can I check someone else’s SIM details using their phone number?
No. Obtaining another person’s SIM registration details without authorisation is a criminal offence under PECA 2016, Section 16, carrying up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 5,000,000. Only a formal police investigation can lawfully access that information.
Why does 668 or cnic.sims.pk only show counts and not names?
The SIM Information System was built for CNIC holders to monitor their own connection count against the 8-SIM cap, not as a subscriber directory. It returns a per-network table of Voice+Data, Data Only, and Total SIM counts — deliberately excluding names, numbers, or dates to protect subscriber privacy.
Is cnic.sims.pk free to use, and does it work outside Pakistan?
Yes, cnic.sims.pk is a free web portal that works worldwide with no login or app required, which is why roughly 60% of its web-based queries historically come from overseas Pakistanis, per PTA’s own published figures. A reCAPTCHA step is required before results display.
What should I do if 667, 668 or 76367 does not reply?
Wait five to ten minutes first, since gateways can queue during busy periods. Then check your message format exactly matches what each code expects, confirm you have sufficient balance (668 and 76367 are paid services), and retry from a live, active SIM before assuming a fault.
Is “Operation Clean Sweep 3.0” a real PTA programme?
No. This name and its claimed 72-hour suspension window circulate online but trace to no PTA source. The real, published enforcement sequence for an unregistered SIM is a 7-day notice, calling suspended after 13 days, and full blocking after 17 days — a considerably longer timeline than the fabricated version.
What should I do if a number is harassing or defrauding me?
Do not search for a lookup service — report it instead. File a complaint at complaint.pta.gov.pk, or with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency at complaint.nccia.gov.pk, or call the NCCIA 24/7 cyber helpline on 1799 (live since 3 June 2025). Keep screenshots and call logs as evidence.
