How to Investigate Cell Phone Records
Early yesterday morning you called John Smith, a business competitor of yours, and spoke with him for 28 minutes from your Miami Beach home. At 11:43 a.m., you made a 12-minute call to Jake's Deli. That evening you spoke to Dr. Jane Doe, a psychiatrist, at her Coral Gables office. That call lasted 45 minutes, and you were in Sarasota when you made it. You can find this detailed data on whom you know and where you've been from your cell phone records.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Account at telephone service provider's website
- Cell phone numbers you want to access
-
-
1
Determine if you're legally allowed to use cell phone records. Do you want to clarify billing information? Are you a law enforcement official looking for a suspect? Perhaps you're an insurance investigator wanting to locate a claimant. Even if you fall into one of these categories and thus have a legitimate need for the data within cell phone records, you may experience still more legal restrictions. Debate exists, for instance, as to whether law enforcement personnel must show "probable cause"---which requires a warrant---or only "reasonable grounds" to obtain these records.
-
2
Access your cell phone service provider's website. Your cell phone company is the primary source for cell phone records. Here you'll find a complete listing of the telephone numbers you call, the places you call, the times you call, the calls' duration and your location when you made each call. The existence of this highly controversial location data means that your movements throughout the day can be traced through your cell phone records. Criminals sometimes pose as you to access these provider sites, an illegal practice called pretexting. If you've never used your online account, a criminal can gain control of it by setting up his own user name and password.
-
3
Use specialized Internet search services. Many Internet sites can obtain cell phone records for you for a fee. These include reverse directory listings, which work if you already know the cell phone number you want to search. Companies providing these searches include Reverse Phone Detective and Locatecell.com.
-
4
Seek professional assistance. Professionals are better equipped to search cell phone records than you are. If you're receiving harassing telephone calls, your telephone company will search phone records for you. If you're a victim of a crime, the police will also search phone records for you. Both of these services are free. You may also choose to hire a private investigator to conduct a search.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you believe your telephone calling information has been used illegally, you can file a complaint online with the Federal Communications Commission at no charge.
Laws governing cell phone records change rapidly. You may not be able legally to access information tomorrow that you could today.
Related Searches
Resources
- Photo Credit By Dimitri Neyt (Flickr Creative Commons license)
