Not long ago, everyone had a standard phone in their home and finding a number or address simply required opening the phone book and finding their name. Things have grown more complex now that cell phones are widely used and many people do not even have landlines, and if they do their number may be unpublished.
Even with the widespread use of caller ID on most landlines, some numbers may come up without an identifying name and there are ways for callers to block their name from showing up. Reverse phone lookup services have stepped up to these changing times to offer a very valuable service to modern phone users.
There are two common functions for these services.
Finding Names
If you are getting calls from someone and only a number shows on your caller ID, or you want to figure out cell phone callers, reverse phone lookup services can assist in finding the name listed to the number in question. Just by typing in the number you will be able to identify whoever is behind those phone calls in question.
People needing this service include those wanting to check up on a number constantly texting their spouse or teenager's cell phone, since there is no public directory for cell phone numbers. Other people may use lookup directories when they need to know a name connected to a landline that may be unlisted. If you have a number but are uncertain who it is connected to, a reverse phone lookup service can assist you.
Searching for Addresses
another common use is to locate an address for someone, whether you know the name of the person or not. Once you plug into the information connected with a specific phone number most services will deliver additional information as well, which includes the address of an home phone or an address associated with a cell phone number.
This may not be a typical need for some people, but it does have its benefits in quite a few situations. For instance, consider a parent needing to track down a teenager who has run away or is still out well past curfew. If they can come up with numbers from the teenager's bedroom or cell phone a lookup directory could quickly reveal addresses and names of locations the teenager may be located.
Other situations may be searching for addresses to mail out party invitations to your child's peers. If you have a phone number you can get their address and easily deliver the invite without calling and tracking down other busy parents.
Lookup directories can also deliver access to other various types of information, such as income brackets and address histories, and one site even gives a map with an rough pinpoint of the most current location.
There is a nominal price for any relevant reverse phone lookup service, but if your business or personal life demands certain information it is more than worth the payoff in the end. The charge is unavoidable because this sort of information is not simple or completely free to research, compile, and protect, so issuing it on demand to consumers like you must also collect a charge to cover these working costs.
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 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 charge either to complete a one time number lookup or to join a lookup service if you will need to access the directory long term.