Searching for reverse phone lookup directories can get confusing. You may begin with a simple Google search, hoping it will quickly appear and you'll have the information you need with minimal work. Yet what actually comes up is a series of paid services which range from less than a buck for one number search to upwards of fifteen dollars for a long term subscription.

Changing your search to specify free reverse phone lookup reveals additional pay sites hiding behind claims to be free. They sometimes allow you to enter the number without mention of a fee and give very nominal information such as the city or state, but if you want to obtain the more substantial details such as a name or address you will then be prompted to hand over a fee.

Absolutely free reverse phone lookup does not exist. Providers of this data put out great measures and even money to compile information like unlisted home phone numbers, cellular numbers, and sometimes address histories. These businesses have no use for this information other than to pass it on to you for a nominal fee.

whether you move forward from this point depends on how badly you really want to identify the name behind that phone number. In the age of identity theft many people won't just pull up the first site they find and hand over their private information. Finding the most trustworthy sites is just as important as when you purchase clothing or purses online.

Finding the information you need isn't very difficult, once you locate a legitimate service.

There are a growing number of competing directories all with different fees and offering different combinations of data. When you only want to determine the name connected to a unidentified number calling your home or need to identify exactly who your child is chatting with in the middle of the night, you may not have the patience to evaluate different websites.

The quickest solution may be to go with a name that many people have grown up with and access the web-based version of the white pages. There is a sense of security with a well known household name that has been around for years. You can look up a phone number and get very basic information here without paying, including whether the number is a cell phone or home line and a map pinpointing the general location of a home or business. You won't get much beyond that, especially if you are looking up a cell phone or a home phone number that is unlisted.

Be careful at this point because there will be links on these pages that offer additional information, including names and specific addresses, for a charge. These links go to other sites, so you no longer necessarily have the security of the white pages website so you must verify the legitimacy of these websites just like any other. White pages itself is not going to reveal much information besides a general location; you will have to look elsewhere for more, especially if you wish to know about a cell phone or unlisted number.

The best way to access reverse phone lookup directories for basic needs is to find a reputable service with a small one time charge collected with a secure payment system. If you only need a one time number search then it is probably not worth the charge to commit to a long term directory. Find one that delivers a single search for a small fee, often just a buck or two.

Forking over a large charge for small amounts of information or being asked to pay by delivering card numbers through email or other non-secure methods are flashing signals of a scam.