Looking for reverse phone lookup directories can get confusing. You may begin with a quick internet search, believing it will automatically pop up and you'll find the information you need with very little work. Yet what actually comes up is a series of paid directories which range from less than a buck for one number search to over fifteen dollars for a long term subscription.

Editing your search to specify free reverse phone lookup reveals even more pay services sneaking in claims to be free. They may allow you to type in the number without mention of a fee and give very nominal information such as the city or state, but in order to see the useful information such as a name or address you will then be requested to hand over a fee.

Completely free reverse phone lookup does not exist. Providers of this information go to great efforts and even money to compile information including unpublished residential numbers, cellular numbers, and even address histories. They have no purpose to collect this information other than to make it available to you for a nominal charge.

how you proceed from here depends on how much you really need to find out the person connected to that phone number. In the age of identity fraud most people won't just pick the cheapest site and reveal their personal information. Finding the most reputable sites is just as necessary as when you shop for clothing or pocketbooks online.

Retrieving the information you desire isn't very hard, once you locate a proven source.

There are many competing websites all with different charges and offering different combinations of information. When you only need to identify the person connected to a strange number calling your home or wish to identify exactly who your child is chatting with at all hours of the night, you may not have the time to rate different services.

The easiest answer may be to go with a name that many people have grown up with and access the online version of the white pages. There is a sense of safety when you use a well known household name that has been used for years. You can search a phone number and get the most basic information here free of charge, including whether the number is a cell phone or home line and a map indicating the general location if it is a home or business. You won't receive much beyond that, especially if you are looking up a cell phone or a residential number that is unpublished.

Be aware at this point because there will be links on these pages that offer additional information, like names and residential addresses, for a charge. These links go to other webpages, so you no longer necessarily have the familiarity of the white pages website so you should check the security of these databases just as with any other. White pages itself is not going to give you much information other than a general location; you will have to search elsewhere for anything else, especially if you want to research a cell phone or unlisted number.

The best way to find reverse phone lookup directories for basic needs is to go to a trustworthy directory with a reasonable one time fee collected with a secure payment system. If you only need a one time lookup then it is probably not worth the fee to commit to a unlimited directory. Look for one that offers a one time lookup for a low charge, often just a buck or two.

Shelling out a huge charge for very limited information or being asked to secure information by delivering personal information through email or other non-secure forms are obvious signals of a scam.