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Legal Student’s Guide To Background Checks
Website Reviews • PeopleSmart Provides Easy Opt Out
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Tracing an unknown number that appears on your phone’s Caller ID is not as difficult as it once used to be. For most landline numbers simply looking the number up in the local White Pages is the best option, or you can also search the white Pages online, using the reverse number lookup option. At
times the number may not be listed; this is probably because
the registrant of the number wants to remain anonymous. If
this is the case a simple Google search might be able to yield
a few results, usually if the number is published on a website
or in a forum, this technique might give you some insight
as to from where the number might have originated from, or
if it belongs to a business. When
researching a number on either Google or the white pages,
it would be a good idea to enclose the number in quotation
marks for instance: “885-456-8598”. If
you still come-up empty then there are still a few more options
open. Now if it is a US area code, then the number either
belongs to a wireless subscriber or an unlisted number, the
number can also be used as a place holder for calls that are
re-routed, such as from calling cards and VOIP services such
as Skype. However if the number unlisted number belongs to a business, such as if it is a toll-free number, there are chances that business has a website, which you can visit to get more information, or you consult sites such as Whocalled.us and 800Notes.com for further information about that number. On
the other hand it is almost impossible to track down wireless
numbers, since wireless numbers don’t exist in a centralized
number database, and no phone company can legally provide
you with actual phone records. You
can run the number against a database of cell phone numbers
using a reverse cell phone lookup service. A simple Google
search for cell phone look up services will yield quite a
number of websites that claim to offer cell phone number registrant
details. You will however need to pay for these services.
In most cases these websites are not worth the money they
charge, however on the other hand there are a few websites
that will provide you with some accurate results, usually
from public records. However don’t expect much from these
services and it is probably just a waste of time and money
as many may just do an embellished area code, and carrier
company search based on the number you enter. When
we actually got down to check out these sites we were not
surprised to learn that these websites didn’t provide
any information in the way of actual registrant information,
such as a name or an address. We found Reverse
Phone Detective to be a bit more reliable that
the other services that we checked out, but the results were
mixed as only a few cell phone numbers that we entered turned
up any registrant’s information. However for $14.95 it
may be worth a try, just to see what may turn-up. Well at this point if you still turn up empty, there are a few desperate measures you can opt for. However bear in mind that these methods may not be legal in your area, and are not advisable until you have confirmed that it is not against the law. Now
besides doing online searches and using various paid databases
you can always fish for information. This is also known as
social engineering. Just call up the number from a payphone
and ask who it is at the other end of the line, at times it
may be just that simple. This may work for unregistered numbers,
but may fail if the number is being used as a place holder
for VOIP calls, most voice over internet protocol calls don’t
show up as the number they belong to. This can be a bit confusing,
and each time a call is made from a VOIP number the place
holder number may vary as well, which is the case with Skype.
Now
here is another long shot if you are desperate. The first
step would be to first figure out the number’s area code
and determine where the number originated from in the U.S.
Then search the internet for classified sites and communities,
such as craigslist.org or Kijiji.com to see if the number
appears in any classified ads. Also
try to search your own phonebook, this may just be somebody
you know. Many times you may not recognize a number since
the caller just probably calls you once in a blue moon. If
the person who is calling you sounds dangerous, in the sense
that you are being harassed or threatened, then your immediate
action should be is to call the police. Since the police have
access to phone records and they have the ability to protect
you, this is the best move you can make. You can also opt to hire a private investigator, if you just simply need to know. However this can turn out be quite an expensive option. As you can see that there are many ways to trace back a phone number back to its origins, as long as you know your way around the internet. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Conduct a 100% Free Background Check Below... Yes, it's actually free and won't cost you a dime. Use the SnoopStation Wizard (on the left, below) to perform a 100% free background check and public records search for any individual or business in the United States. Our wizard will configure a customized "search path" based on your criteria, showing you exactly which resources to use to find what you want, for free! Or, you can use the premium search (on the right, below), which is a paid service that gives you access to a proprietary records database where you can search millions of documents, all at once and instantly...
All information & resources made available on this site fall under the category of "public records", and are completely legal to access for US citizens. However, some restrictions apply - for example, you cannot use SnoopStation.com to investigate celebrities or juveniles. See our terms of use for full details on how you can use this site. |
