Everyone knows how a regular phone book works. Users will look for a residential or business phone number using the contacts’s name or address. With a reverse phone lookup service, the user will search using the contact’s phone number, the results giving him information related to that number. On the other hand, by using a reverse email service, you use an email address as your starting point.
If you were not aware, emergency services (like when you call 911) are the main users of this kind of service. If you call in an emergency, they will automatically trace where the call is coming from based on your phone number. The directories used by those services also include information on the non-listed numbers, making them restricted to internal use.
Reverse phone lookup first originated in the 1990s for customers to use for a small price, a bit like the regular 411 service. In the early 2000s it had grown to be at everyone’s hand, making some inhabitants worried about the violation of their privacy. To resolve the issue, they were given the choice to eradicate their number from such directories, minding a small fee ($0.80 to $1.50).
This kind of service is only effective with land based lines. Cell phone numbers are part of a different carrier, making it impossible to trace them in such way. To this day, they are still out of any reverse 411 public directory.
More recently, forums and communities have formed on the internet, to help consumers identify various telemarketers, fundraisers and other companies who use this service to contact citizens. They can now trace, from using the phone number that showed up on their caller ID, what company has been calling them, most of the time over and over again.
The reverse phone lookup service can be really useful if you have the phone number but not the name that comes with it. All you need to use those directories is to find on the web the provider for your local area. This kind of service is now available online without costs and available for all to enjoy.
Honest customer reveals all on reverse email lookup services. Learn about email address finder here.