Not long ago, everyone had a standard phone in their home and finding a number or address simply required opening the yellow pages and finding the name. Things have grown 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 development of caller ID on most home phones, some numbers may come up without an identifying name and there are ways for callers to stop their details from appearing. Reverse phone lookup services have stepped up to these changing demands to provide a very useful service to resourceful phone users.

There are two common uses for lookup services.

Searching for Names

If you are getting calls from someone and only a number comes up on your ID, or you want 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 number you will have access to the person who is initiating the bothersome phone calls.

People needing this service include those who need to identify a number frequently texting their spouse or teenager's cell phone, since there is no accessible directory for cell phone numbers. Others may use this when they need to find a name connected to a landline that is unpublished. If you have a number but are uncertain who it belongs to, a reverse phone lookup service can deliver the information.

Finding Addresses

The other typical function is to locate an address for someone, whether you know their name or not. Once you gain access to the information associated with a specific phone number most directories will give additional data as well, such as the address of the landline or an address listed to a cell phone number.

This may not be an everyday need for some people, but it does have its benefits in some situations. For instance, consider a parent needing 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 belongings or cell phone a lookup directory could quickly reveal addresses and names of places the teenager may be at that time.

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

Lookup directories can also deliver access to other sorts of information, such as income brackets and previous addresses, and one site even gives a map with an estimated pinpoint of where the home or business is located.

There will be a minor fee for any legitimate reverse phone lookup service, but if your business or personal situation demands particular information it is worth the money in the long run. The fee is required because this kind of information is not easy or free to research, compile, and protect, so dispensing it as needed to others such as you must also include a fee to make up for these serviceable expenditures.

There likely will never be a public directory for cellular numbers, and even if they were compiled most likely a lot of the numbers would be unpublished as is the case with many home phone numbers right now. The best way to get access to these numbers is to put up a small fee either to do a one time phone number search or to join a lookup directory if you will need to access the service long term.