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Discovering
the source of a phone number is drastically easier these days,
thanks to the internet.
In
most cases, looking up the registered user of any given phone
number is as simple as using your local WhitePages (phonebook
or online directory) and doing a reverse lookup. And in the
event that the number isn't listed, you can always do a quick
search on Google to see if it's published on the web somewhere
(ie. a company's website).
Be
sure to try parts of the number - or the entire number - in
quotation marks to isolate exact results. For example, "555-555-5555"
or 555 "555 5555". For your convenience, here are
the main reverse-lookup search engines and directories that
include registered phone numbers:
•
WhitePages
•
Switchboard
If
that yields no results, you've got a few options...
One
thing is for sure - if it's a US
area code, you're either dealing with a wireless
number, an unlisted number that's been unlisted for the purpose
of discretion (not being found), or a number that's simply
a "place-holder" for a re-routed call, such as with
a calling card or "Skype" call. Just so you're aware,
it may be impossible to retrieve any information about
an unlisted number.
If
the unlisted number is a business number or toll-free
number, there's a good chance that sites such as 800Notes.com
and WhoCalled.us
may have further details about the number's origin. Wireless
numbers, in contrast, aren't as easy to track down, because
there simply is no centralized wireless number database available,
and nobody can legally provide actual phone records
(from a company like Sprint™ or AT&T™, for example).
Reverse
Cellular Phone Lookups:
If
you run a Google search for a term like "reverse cell
phone lookup", you'll come across many sites claiming
to offer registrant details (for a price). Our experience
has been that in most cases - it's not worth the money. Some
commercial "search" sites do provide accurate
results for some numbers, which are sourced from other public
records, but the majority of these services are nothing more
than an embellished area code, prefix and carrier company
search.
From
our own testing, few services provided any results for the
actual user data (name & address). One service that we
have found to be relatively more reliable than its
competitors is Reverse
Phone Detective. However, only a few of the cell
phone numbers we tested turned up actual user-specific results,
such as a name or address. Nevertheless, it may be worth a
try, being as you can run a search starting at $14.95.
For
your convenience, you can run a quick search with Reverse
Phone Detective directly from this page:
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Reverse
Cell Phone Lookup
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This
search pulls up preliminary results from a commercial records
provider. They may have details about a particular unlisted
number. Review their guarantee statement and terms & conditions
about searches that return no results. SnoopStation acts as
an affiliate for this service.
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Now
let's take a look at other methods of recovering user information
if you're armed only with a phone number...
Getting
Creative:
Really,
all you're trying to do here is connect a number with a name
- or some other sort of detail that you can then add to your
"searching arsenal". Here's what you can do aside
from the online searches and commercial services:
•
Call and Ask. Yes, it really might be that simple - too
obvious, perhaps?
•
Search Classifieds & Other Local Sites. It's a stretch,
but after figuring out the number's area code origin (using
a site like Area
Code Lookup USA), search the web for local communities,
classified sites and otherwise places where they may have
placed an ad, along with their mobile number. Also search
places like CraigsList.org and Kijiji.com
•
Try Your Own "Records". Maybe you're getting
stressed out over nothing. This mystery number could just
as well be your friendly old Aunt Ruth calling to wish you
a happy birthday - so double check your own address books
and rule out that possibility.
The
Final Option:
If
the number belongs to someone who is harrassing or threatening
you - then stop reading this article (or trying anything
else) and contact the police. They can access actual
phone records, and they can protect you. Don't waste your
time or potentially endanger yourself by trying to figure
it out on your own - call the police!
However,
if this number is something you want to investigate for personal
reasons - and if you simply need to know - then
your remaining option is to simply hire a private investigator.
Warning:
You
may be tempted to call the number under a pretense - pretending
to be someone else, or under the guise of "accidentally"
calling the wrong number to fish for information. Please understand
that in most cases, this is classified as pretexting,
which is illegal.
Pretexting
also includes calling the carrying wireless company and pretending
to be the registered user. This is a federal offense in the
United States. Police officers (detectives) do use pretexting
for the purposes of catching criminals and fighting crime
in general, but that does not make it "okay" for
you to do the same thing.
So
before you get too creative - contact a legal professional
to see what you can actually do in order to attempt a reverse
unlisted phone number investigation.
