How to Find a Reverse Phone Directory

If you have ever received a phone call from a number you are unfamiliar with, you may need to use a reverse phone lookup directory. With a reverse phone look-up, you can generally locate the name and address of the person calling you. This can be very useful, especially if you are receiving prank phone calls. You may obtain information for free on a landline telephone number. However, this may not be the case for a cell phone number. Often you must pay to see records for cell phone numbers.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Determine whether you are looking up a landline telephone number or a cell phone number. If you are unsure, always try a free landline search first. Often the landline searches tell you whether it is a landline or a cellular number. Often, they even give you the name of the cell phone carrier.
2. Perform a search on a search engine like Google or Dogpile. Type reverse phone look-up in the search bar and press enter.
3. Sift through the information. Inevitably, you will get pages of information relating to reverse phone look-ups. This is the hardest part. Open pages you think may be useful to you and examine them. Pay close attention, because most of the reverse look up websites are free; while others appear to be free until you try to get detail information and find out there's a charge.
4. Try some pages. Choose a few pages that look promising and try them. Try your landline search first. If you get no results from a free landline search, move on to a paid cell phone look-up. This likely costs money. You need to determine whether knowing the caller's number is worth paying the fee.
5. Check out websites like White Pages.com and AnyWho.com, which are always free and reliable. See links in Resources.
6. Verify your information. Call the number and verify that the information is correct. If the information is not correct, most sites have an area where you can dispute information.