Not long ago, everyone had a landline phone in their home and searching for a number or address was a matter of opening the white pages and finding the name. It is often 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 unlisted.
Even with the widespread use of caller ID on most landlines, many 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 demands to offer a very valuable service to modern phone users.
There are two typical functions for lookup directories.
Finding Names
If you are receiving calls from someone and only a number shows on your caller ID, or you want to identify cellular phone callers, reverse phone lookup services can help you find out the name registered to the phone number of concern. Just by entering the phone number you will be able to identify the person who is initiating the bothersome phone calls.
People in search of such services include those wanting to check up on a number constantly calling their spouse or teenager's cell phone, since there is no phone book for cell phone numbers. Other people may use lookup directories when they want to find a name registered 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 directory can deliver the information.
Finding Addresses
another typical use is to identify an address for someone, whether you know the name of the person or not. Once you plug into the contact information connected with a particular number most directories will deliver additional information as well, such as the address of an landline or the address associated with a cell phone number.
This may not be an everyday need for some people, but it does have its uses in quite a few situations. For instance, consider a parent desperate to track down a teenager who has run away or has not returned home well past curfew. If they can get access to numbers from the teenager's belongings or cell phone a lookup directory could quickly tell them addresses and names of locations the teenager may be located.
More common situations may be looking for addresses to send out party invitations to your child's classmates. If you have the phone number you can find their address and easily deliver the invite without calling or tracking down other busy people.
Lookup directories can also give you access to other various types of data, including income brackets or previous addresses, and one site even gives a map with an rough pinpoint to the business or home's location. There is a small charge for any relevant reverse phone lookup directory, but if your business or personal situation demands certain data it is more than worth the payoff in the long run. The charge is required because this sort of information is not easy or completely free to research, compile, and store, so dispensing it as needed to consumers such as you must also come with a charge to cover such working costs.
There more than likely will never be a phone book for cell phone numbers, and even if they were compiled most likely a lot of the numbers would be unlisted as is the case with many home phone numbers right now. The only way to gain access to these phone numbers is to pay a small charge either to do a single phone number lookup or to join a lookup service if you will be using the service on a regular basis.