Looking for reverse phone lookup services can get complicated. You may start out with a quick Google search, hoping it will quickly appear and you'll discover the information you desire with minimal work. Yet what actually appears are various paid directories which range from under a dollar for one number search to upwards of fifteen dollars for a long term subscription.
Changing your search to specify free reverse phone lookup brings even more pay directories hiding behind claims to be free. They sometimes allow you to enter the number for free and award you with very basic information such as the city or state, but if you need to see the useful details like a name or address you will then be asked to pay.
Totally free reverse phone lookup is not possible at this point. Providers of this information go to great measures and even money to compile information such as unlisted home phone numbers, cell phone numbers, and sometimes address histories. They have no purpose to collect this information other than to make it available to you for a minor charge.
whether you move forward from this point depends on how much you really desire to identify the name registered to that phone number. In the age of identity theft many people won't just pick the first site they find and reveal their private information. Finding the most reputable directories is just as necessary as when you shop for tennis shoes or purses through the web.
Getting the information you desire isn't very hard, once you locate a reputable lookup directory.
There are many competing websites all with different charges and offering different combinations of data. When you simply need to know the name connected to a strange phone number calling your home or want to determine exactly who your teenager is chatting with in the middle of the night, you probably don't have the desire to compare different directories.
The quickest solution may be to go with a brand that many of us have grown up with and use the online version of the yellow pages. There is a sense of legitimacy with a common household name that has been around for years. You can look up a phone number and get the most basic information here for free, including if the number is a cell phone or residential line and a map indicating the general location if it is a home or business. You won't find much more than that, especially if you are searching a cell phone or a residential number that is unlisted.
Be aware at this point because there are links on these pages that promise more information, including registered names and residential addresses, for a charge. These are links to other webpages, so you no longer necessarily have the familiarity of the white pages website so you must verify the legitimacy of these websites just like any other. White pages itself is not going to give you much information besides a general location; you will have to search elsewhere for anything else, especially if you need to know about a cell phone or unpublished number.
The best way to find reverse phone lookup services for basic information is to go to a proven database with a small one time charge collected through a secure payment system. If you just want a one time lookup then it is usually not worth the charge to commit to a more detailed directory. Look for one that offers a one time search for a small fee, often just a dollar or two.
Forking over a large fee for very limited information or being asked to secure information by sending financial information by email or other non-secure forms are obvious warnings of a scam.