It used to be that everyone had a standard phone in their home and searching for a phone number or address was a matter of opening the phone book and searching for the name. This has become more complex now that cell phones are widely used and many people do not even have home phones, and if they do their number may be unlisted.

Even with the invention of caller ID on most landlines, some numbers may show up without an identifying name and there are ways for callers to prevent their name from showing up. Reverse phone lookup services have responded to these changing demands to provide a very timely service to modern phone users.

There are two common functions for lookup directories.

Locating Names

If you are getting calls from someone and only a number comes up on your ID, or you need to figure out cell phone callers, reverse phone lookup directories can assist in finding the name listed to the number in question. Just by typing in the phone number you will be able to identify whoever is initiating the calls of concern.

People in search of such services include those who need to identify a number constantly calling their spouse or children's cell phone, since there is no accessible directory for cell phone numbers. Others may use this when they want to know a name registered to a landline that is unlisted. Anytime you have a number but aren't sure who it belongs to, a reverse phone lookup service can assist you.

Locating Addresses

The other typical function is to locate an address for someone, whether you know their name or not. Once you find the information associated with a specific phone number most services will give other sorts of information as well, which includes the address of an landline or the address connected to a cell phone number.

This may not be a common need for most people, but it does have its benefits in quite a few situations. For example, take a parent needing to track down a teenager who has run away or has not returned home well past curfew. If they can find phone numbers from the teenager's belongings or cell phone a reverse phone lookup could quickly tell them addresses and names of places the child may be at that time.

More common situations may be looking for addresses to mail out party invitations to your child's peers. If you have a phone number you can access their address and easily deliver the invite without calling or tracking down other busy family.

Lookup websites can also deliver a connection to other various types of information, such as income brackets or address histories, and one site even gives a map with an estimated pinpoint of the most current location.

There will be a minor fee for any legitimate reverse phone lookup website, but if your business or personal situation requires accurate data it is worth the money in the long run. The fee is required because this variety of information is not easy or completely free to research, collect, and save, so distributing it as needed to people like you must also come with a fee to account for such operational expenditures.

There more than likely will never be a phone book for cell phone numbers, and even if they were compiled it is probable the majority of the numbers would be unpublished just like many home phone numbers right now. The best way to gain access to such numbers is to pay a small fee either to complete a one time number lookup or to join a lookup service if you will need to access the service long term.