Not long ago, everyone had a landline phone in their home and locating a number or address was a matter of opening the yellow pages and finding the name. Things have grown more complex now that cell phones are in common use and many people do not even have home phones, and if they do their number may be unlisted.
Even with the development of caller ID on most home phones, some numbers may come up without an identifying name and there are ways for callers to prevent their details from appearing. Reverse phone lookup services have responded to these changing times to provide a very timely service to resourceful phone users.
There are two typical functions for lookup services.
Finding Names
If you are getting calls from someone and only a number is revealed on your caller ID, or you need to figure out cell phone callers, reverse phone lookup directories can assist in finding the name registered to the phone number in question. Just by entering the phone number you will be able to identify whoever is initiating the bothersome phone calls.
People in search of lookup directories include those wanting to check up on a number frequently texting their spouse or teenager's cell phone, since there is no public directory for cell phone numbers. Other people may use this when they want to find a name connected to a home phone that is unpublished. Anytime you have a number but aren't sure who it is connected to, a reverse phone lookup directory can help.
Locating Addresses
The other common use is to identify an address for someone, whether you know the name of the person or not. Once you find the information connected with a specific number most directories will give additional information as well, which includes the address of an home phone or the address associated with a cell phone number.
This may not be a typical need for most people, but it does have its benefits in some situations. For example, take a parent in a rush to locate a teenager who has run off or has not returned home well past curfew. If they can come up with numbers from the teenager's belongings or cell phone a lookup directory could quickly uncover addresses and names of places the child may be at that time.
Other circumstances may be looking for addresses to send out party invitations to your child's classmates. If you have a phone number you can find their address and easily deliver the invite without calling and tracking down other busy people.
These services can also give you a connection to other various types of data, including income brackets and address histories, and one site even gives a map with an rough pinpoint to the business or home's location.
There will be a small charge for any up to date reverse phone lookup directory, but if your business or personal situation demands particular information it is money well spent in the long run. The fee is necessary because this kind of information is not simple or free to research, pull together, and protect, so dispensing it immediately to others such as you must also collect a charge to account for these operational expenditures.
There probably will never be a phone book for cellular numbers, and even if they were compiled most likely many of the numbers would be unpublished just like many home phone numbers today. The only way to obtain access to such phone numbers is to put up a small fee either to do a single phone number search or to join a lookup directory if you will need to access the directory long term.