Not long ago, everyone had a standard phone in their home and finding a phone number or address was a matter of opening the yellow pages and searching for their name. It is often more complicated now that cell phones are widely used and many people do not even have home phones, and if they do their number may be unpublished.

Even with the widespread use of caller ID on most landlines, some 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 responded to these changing demands to offer a very timely service to resourceful phone users.

There are two common uses for lookup directories.

Finding Names

If you are getting calls from someone and only a number is revealed on your ID, or you need to figure out cell phone callers, reverse phone lookup services can help you find out the name registered to the number in question. Just by entering the phone number you will have access to the person who is responsible for those bothersome phone calls.

People needing this service include those who need to identify a number constantly phoning 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 find a name connected to a landline that may be unlisted. Whenever you have a phone number but are uncertain who it is connected to, a reverse phone lookup website can assist you.

Searching for Addresses

another common purpose is to find an address for someone, whether you know the name of the person or not. Once you find the information linked with a particular number most directories will give other sorts of information as well, which includes the address of the landline 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 some situations. For example, take a parent desperate to track down a teenager who has run away or is still out well past curfew. If they can find phone numbers from the teenager's bedroom or cell phone a lookup directory could quickly uncover addresses and names of locations the teenager may be at that time.

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

Lookup websites can also deliver access to other kinds of information, such as income brackets and address histories, and one site even gives a map with an general pinpoint of the most current location.

There is a minor fee for any up to date reverse phone lookup directory, but if your business or personal life requires accurate data it is worth the money in the end. The charge is required because this kind of information is not easy or free to research, pull together, and store, so issuing it as needed to consumers like you must also come with a fee to make up for these working expenditures.

There more than likely will never be a public directory for cell phone 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 today. The best way to get access to these numbers is to put up a nominal charge either to complete a one time phone number search or to join a lookup service if you will be using the directory long term.