Searching for reverse phone lookup directories can become complicated. You may start out with a simple Google search, assuming it will automatically pop up and you'll discover the information you require with very little work. Yet what actually comes up are various paid websites which vary from less than a buck for one lookup to over fifteen dollars for a long term subscription.
Revising your search to specify free reverse phone lookup brings additional pay directories advertising claims that they are completely free. They sometimes allow you to enter the number for free and deliver very nominal information such as the city and state, but in order to obtain the useful information such as a name or address you will once again be asked to pay.
Absolutely free reverse phone lookup does not exist. Providers of this information put out great efforts and even money to collect information like unlisted home phone numbers, cell phone numbers, and even address histories. They have no purpose to collect this information other than to pass it on to you for a small fee.
how you proceed from this point depends on how much you really desire to find out the name behind that phone number. In the age of identity theft most people won't just access the cheapest site and reveal their private information. Finding the most reputable directories is just as crucial as when you buy clothing or handbags online.
Retrieving the information you want isn't very difficult, once you locate a proven lookup directory.
There are a growing number of competitive services all offering different prices and offering different combinations of information. When you only need to know the person connected to a strange number calling your home or want to know exactly who your child is talking with in the middle of the night, you may not have the time to evaluate different directories.
The quickest solution may be to go with a name that many of us have grown up with and use the web-based version of the yellow pages. There is a sense of security with a well known popular name that has been used for years. You can look up a phone number and get very basic information here free of charge, including whether the number is a cell phone or landline and a map indicating the general location of a home or business. You won't get much more than that, especially if you are researching a cell phone or a landline that is unlisted.
Be careful at this point because there will be links on these pages that will deliver more detailed information, including names and residential addresses, for a charge. These links lead to different sites, so you no longer necessarily have the familiarity of the yellow pages website so you need to check the security of these databases just as with any other. Yellow pages itself is not going to give you much information other than a general location; you will have to look elsewhere for anything else, especially if you want to research a cell phone or unpublished number.
The best way to find reverse phone lookup websites for basic needs is to go to a trustworthy directory with a nominal one time charge collected through a secure payment system. If you just want a one time lookup then it is obviously not worth the charge to commit to a long term service. Locate one that provides a single lookup for a small price, often just a buck or two.
Shelling out a huge charge for small amounts of information or being asked to secure information by delivering personal information through email or other non-secure forms are obvious signs of a scam.