Where should I go if I’m looking for a free reverse look up directory?
Very first step is to go through the 411 online phone directory to see if the number is in it, if not try the white pages.
How reliable are those directories in terms of the information that they provide?
The common flaw that these services share is the fact that you cannot look up cellular and unlisted phone numbers. We cannot expect much from a free “charity” service like that. So if you’re looking up a mobile telephone number or a de-listed number you will most certainly not find it there. There are better alternatives which are described below.
Landline telephone numbers are all over the place, they’re as easy as uzor polosa
Land lines can be looked up and stored by anyone, otherwise we wouldn’t have phone books in every other phone booth. Due to illegal telemarketing practices the telephone numbers have become a little bit harder to come by, but not by much.
Why is it so hard to discover information on cell phone numbers for free?
We don’t see unlisted numbers in the phone books, because these people have specifically asked to have their numbers de-listed. Cell phones are not found in the 411 directories because it’s hard to assemble them in one place, since they don’t get automatically posted into the phone books, but there are also other reasons for that.
Telemarketing issues
If a group of telemarketers gets a hold of your number you might end up paying for the minutes that you spent talking to them over the phone. This is why many phone carriers try to keep the cell phone numbers away from the public view. If one day you discovered that it’s your phone carrier that’s been giving away your number to peddlers you might end up confronting them about it and it’s not in their interest that you do that.
Unsolicited SMS messages
SBMS (extra B is added for Bulk) is a real concern in several developed Asian countries. Since many carriers make you pay for SMS messages even if you’re on the receiving end, SBMS might hurt you financially as well as mentally.
Where to go to find a record on a cell phone number?
There is a couple of good places where you can look up cellular and unlisted numbers. Their web-sites should specifically indicate that they have access to the information that you need and have a preview search function that will tell you if a given phone number can be located in the database.
