It used to be that everyone had a landline phone in their home and searching for a number or address was a matter of opening the white pages and locating the name. This has become 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now that cell phones are in common use and many people do not even have home phones, and if they do their number may be unpublished.

Even with the invention of caller ID on most home phones, a lot of numbers may show up without an identifying name and there are ways for callers to block their name from appearing. Reverse phone lookup providers have stepped up to these changing demands to offer a very timely service to resourceful phone users.

There are two common uses for these services.

Searching for Names

If you are getting calls from someone and only a number is revealed on your caller ID, or you want to figure out cellular phone callers, reverse phone lookup services can help you find out the name listed to the number of concern. Just by typing in the phone number you will be able to identify the person who is behind those calls of concern.

People needing this service include those wanting to check up on a number often calling their spouse or children's cell phone, since there is no public directory for cell phone numbers. Other people may use lookup directories when they need to find a name listed to a landline that may be unlisted. Anytime you have a number but don't know who it is connected to, a reverse phone lookup directory can deliver the information.

Locating Addresses

another common function is to locate an address for someone, whether you know their name or not. Once you plug into the information linked with a particular number most directories will give additional data as well, such as the address of an landline or the address associated with a cell phone number.

This may not be a common need for most people, but it does have its uses in some situations. Such as a parent desperate to find a teenager who has run away or has not returned home well past curfew. If they can find phone numbers from the teenager's bedroom or cell phone a reverse phone lookup could quickly tell them addresses and names of locations the teenager may be located.

More common circumstances may be looking for addresses to mail out party invitations to your child's classmates. If you have a phone number you can get their address and mail out the invitation without calling or tracking down other busy family.

Lookup directories can also deliver access to other various types of data, including income brackets or previous addresses, and one site even gives a map with an general pinpoint of where the home or business is located.

There will be a small charge for any up to date reverse phone lookup website, but if your business or personal situation requires accurate data it is worth the money in the end. The fee is required because this variety of information is not simple or free to research, collect, and save, so distributing it immediately to consumers like you must also include a charge to cover such operational expenditures.

There probably will never be a phone book for cell phone numbers, and even if there were it is probable many of the numbers would be unpublished just like many home phone numbers today. The only way to gain access to such phone numbers is to pay a small fee either to do a single phone number lookup or to join a lookup directory if you will be using the service on a regular basis.