When looking to do a reverse cell phone lookup,
at some point (if you don't know this already) you are going to be faced with the reality that the only sure method for discovering a mobile caller's identifying information is to pay a reverse phone directory for this information.
Even though you may find hundreds of sites on the Internet which offer free reports in response to this sort of inquiry, invariably you are going to find that the only way to come up with a caller's name, address, and other identifying information is to part ways with some money.
This is the main stumbling block for easily coming up with accurate information.
Don't be fooled by websites that promise a “free report” when it comes to identifying a wireless number. No website that offers to provide a name, current address, past addresses, wireless carrier, family names, and so on without also charging a fee could do so without losing money on every single report they distribute.
Why, you may ask?
Because any reverse phone directory that is able to provide the most recent and accurate information behind a mobile number can only do so by procuring this data from the originating wireless service provider. And these wireless service providers do not release this data without first being financially compensated.
So the reverse phone directories are obligated to pass a fee on to customers searching for an identifying report in connection with a mobile number. It really is no more complicated than that. Mobile numbers are privately owned by the respective wireless service providers that issue and continue to service them.
What information can you expect to find for free?
At best, the most revealing information you can find out about a mobile number (without paying a fee) is the location from which the wireless number was initially issued and the wireless provider's name (i.e. Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon).
So if a website promises a “free report” in connection with a wireless number you want to identify, this is all you should expect to discover. To find out what you are really after - namely the caller's name and address - the directory will offer a more complete or “full” report that reveals precisely the type of information you may have thought was free, based on the promises that led you to the site to begin with.
At that point, do you really want to pay your money to a website for information you originally thought would be free? I know I wouldn't, and haven't. I'd much prefer to work with a company that lets me know - from the beginning - that this information is not free and why. So if I have need to identify a phone number that I cannot find in a free phone directory, I suck it up and take my search to a fee-based reverse phone directory.
What to look for in a good reverse mobile phone directory
Any good directory is going to first allow you to search its database to make sure it contains the number you are searching. If it does, you should be notified of the location from which the number was originally issued and the name of the caller's wireless service provider.
Here is where have to decide what purchase option to select. Most directories will offer you the option to simply purchase a report for one single search; or you can choose to sign up to the directory. The main benefit of signing up for what is either termed a “subscription” or “membership” is typically going to be the ability to run unlimited people searches and also the ability to perform unlimited searches on landline and business numbers for as long as the subscription or membership is in good standing.
Whether a continued membership or subscription is right for you is going to depend on the price, how long the membership lasts, what kind of information you can access, and how often you feel you will make use of such a resource.
