seen strange numbers showing up on your teenager's cell
phone bill. Or maybe you picked up a number to call about
an investment - but you suspect a scam. Or maybe you found
a mysterious number in your wife or husband's things. For
dozens of reasons, we find ourselves with a telephone
number - but no name.
You're itching to find out who it is. Not just for
curiosity's sake. The safety of your family or the
security of your bank account could be at stake. You need
a way to discover just whose phone number you have.
There's good news. You've got options. I'm a professional
writer and researcher. I've discovered four different ways
you can find out who's hiding behind any phone number. You
can:
- Call, pretending to be someone else
- Look it up in a published crisscross directory
- Befriend (or trick) someone at the phone company
- Go online and search
Let's see what's involved with each approach and discover
when they work best...
Call the Number
It's the simplest thing you can do. Pick up the phone and
call. But pretend to be someone else to avoid recognition.
When they answer, ask for a person with an unusual name not
likely to be there. Say something like "Hello, is Lilly
Becky there? No? Are you absolutely sure? Well, who am I
talking to then?" Be a little forceful. Even sound angry,
as if you think they're lying to you. This approach can
rattle the other person and make them reveal their
identity.
Avoid this one if you're not comfortable acting. And make
sure you don't call from a number that can be traced back
to you!
Look in a Crisscross Directory
Crisscross Directories have been around since the late
1800s. They're like phone directories. But they organize
their listings by phone number, or street address, instead
of name. These directories are still available in print
form even though most of the information is also now
available by computer.
Such cross-references are primarily designed for business
use. Usually, sales departments rely on them to conduct
direct marketing, build lists of sales leads and gather
business intelligence.
The drawback is that they're expensive - costing in the
hundreds of dollars or more. Still, you can usually find
copies in your library, especially for the local area you
live in. If you're looking beyond your own town, you
probably won't be able to use the free version in the
library.
Get an Inside Connection
Having a buddy on the inside of the phone company was
classic approach for TV detectives. If you recall the
Rockford Files or Mannix or any other old private eye show,
they were forever pulling over to a pay phone and calling
their friend, Ginger or Susie or Maggie, at the telephone
company. The friend would dutifully give them whatever
information the PI needed to pursue the case.
Interestingly, this method actually works - even if it's a
little on the shady side. If you know someone at the phone
company, you can probably talk them into helping.
Unfortunately, they probably won't help you once a week
like on the TV shows. At some point your friend's better
judgment will take over. You'll be left with nothing but
numbers again. (Makes you wonder, doesn't it, just what
the detective had that you don't)
21st Century Answers - The Internet Search Solution
When it comes to finding out who's hiding behind a phone
number, the best way I've found is online search. Yet,
search takes time. And not finding what you want quickly
gets very frustrating.
To help, a number of businesses exist to make reverse phone
searching quicker and easier. These businesses have already
found the best sources for reverse phone searching. They
take you directly to the databases that have the
information you need. You can find out names, addresses,
and much more, starting with just a phone number.
Some of these Reverse Phone Lookup services are free. The
better ones cost a little. Quality always does, in my
experience.
If, in your case, it's not that important to get accurate
information fast, then give the free services a shot.
They're mostly supported by pay for performance
advertising, like Adsense, which doesn't earn them much.
That means the free services rarely have the money to
invest either in buying data access or in creating more
usable interfaces.
In my case, as a professional, getting quality information
quickly is important. I pay the small fee and get reliable
information.
But, even if I didn't write for a living and were just
casually looking up phone numbers from time to time, I'd
still go with a paid database service. The cost is
minimal. Often a small, one-time fee covers one to three
years or even longer. If I only looked up a number once or
twice a year, it would still be worth it in time saved.
Final Word
As important as it can be, finding out personal information
with just a phone number used to be nearly impossible.
Today it can be quick and easy. I've found four approaches
that work, but one proved the simplest and most effective.
It's using a quality, reverse-phone-search service online.
In a future article I'll talk about some of the reasons
reverse phone search can be so important in these times.
You might be surprised to hear how it not only can satisfy
curiosity, it could even save your life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About the author
James Yee is the owner of a free Online Marketing System – http://1richway.com
and a free People Search Engine – http://alotpeoplesearch.com.
To conduct People Search by State, People Search by phone, People Search by SSN
and Background Check. Click Here!
http://alotpeoplesearch.com
http://alotpeoplesearch.com
Free People Search
by phone
SSN
United States
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