Looking for reverse phone lookup services can get complicated. You may begin with a quick Google search, assuming it will automatically pop up and you'll have the information you require with very little work. Yet what actually comes up are various paid websites which range from under a dollar for one number search to over fifteen dollars for a service subscription.

Editing your search to indicate free reverse phone lookup delivers even more pay sites advertising claims that they are completely free. They sometimes allow you to type in the number without mention of a fee and deliver very basic information such as the city and state, but in order to obtain the more substantial information like a name or address you will once again be prompted to hand over a fee.

Completely free reverse phone lookup is not possible at this point. Providers of this information put out great measures and sometimes money to compile information such as unlisted landline numbers, cell phone numbers, and sometimes address histories. These businesses have no use for this information other than to deliver it to buyers for a minor charge.

whether you move forward from this point depends on how much you really want to reveal the person connected to that phone number. In the age of identity fraud most people won't just access the first site they find and reveal their credit card information. Finding the most trustworthy directories is just as important as when you shop for tennis shoes or handbags through the web.

Getting the information you desire isn't very difficult, once you access a reputable lookup directory.

There are many competing websites all offering different prices and offering different combinations of information. When you simply need to determine the name behind a strange number calling your home or want to determine exactly who your child is chatting with in the middle of the night, you may not have the time to evaluate different websites.

The most effective solution may be to go with a brand that many of us have grown up with and access the web-based version of the yellow pages. There is a sense of legitimacy when you use a common popular name that has been around for years. You can search a phone number and get very basic information here free of charge, including if the number is a cell phone or landline and a map indicating the general location if it is a home or business. You won't find much beyond that, especially if you are researching a cell phone or a residential number that is unlisted.

Be alert at this point because there are links from these pages that offer more information, including registered names and specific addresses, for a fee. These links go to different webpages, so you no longer necessarily have the security of the white pages website so you must check the security of these websites just as you would with any other. White pages itself is not going to reveal much information other than a general location; you will need to look elsewhere for anything else, especially if you want to research a cell phone or unpublished number.

The most effective way to locate reverse phone lookup services for basic information is to go to a reputable service with a reasonable one time fee accepted through a secure payment system. If you only need a one time number search then it is probably not worth the money to commit to a more detailed directory. Find one that provides a one time lookup for a minor fee, often just a buck or two.

Forking over a huge charge for very limited information or being asked to secure information by delivering financial information by email or other non-secure forms are flashing signals of a scam.