Home >
Articles
Free reverse phone resources are provided below. Browse by popular topics or jump to a specific item. More free articles are being continually added, so be sure to bookmark this page! Phone Searches - Reverse Phone Lookups, Online People Search, and General Information
Unwanted Calls - Prank Callers, Harassing Calls, and Blocking Phone Numbers
Telephone Privacy - Privacy Concerns, Invasive Technologies, and Illegal Behavior
Are There Free Reverse Phone Searches?
Is there such a thing as a FREE reverse phone search?
You'll see "free phone lookups" advertised in various places online, but most are just no-cost directories of LANDLINE phone numbers-- NOT unlisted or cell phone number information.
That's because landline numbers are published very openly, and have been for a long time. Cell phone / mobile numbers are still largely private and not openly released by phone companies. To obtain owner information for cell phone numbers, you'll need to use a service like Reverse Phone Lookup.
Reverse CELL phone directories are created manually by large companies who collect the information from various sources. The process of compiling and creating these databases is very expensive and time-consuming, which is why the information is sold rather than given away for free (we have to pay our bills too, you know!).
Even with landline numbers, many free phone directories like Whitepages.com must pay high fees to maintain the accuracy of their landline databases. These costs are passed onto the consumer via banner advertising, pop-ups, etc.
Free Cell Phone Lookup - Your Options
Some free cell phone lookup websites exist, but they offer only limited information about a number. These sites "decode" cell phone numbers to help you determine the issuing location, carrier, and other publicly available information.
In general, you'll be able to find out whether the number belongs to a cell or a land line, what mobile service provides the number, and which city and state the cell phone number comes from without ever paying... but the actual name and address of the registered user of that cell phone number won't be available (unless you get extremely lucky).
A large number of sites have popped up on the Internet offering cell phone lookups for a fee. Considering the limitations of these services, the fees can be very steep. Some companies actually have tried to "skip" the process of building cell phone databases. These services just give you a list of services than sell these lookups and disappear when you ask for a refund.
That money will just disappear, and you'll be back to your search... so why not go "straight to the source" from the beginning?
Using A Real Reverse Cell Phone Lookup Database
Thankfully, you have options. Instead of paying NOTHING to get NOTHING (from free landline directories), or paying SOMETHING to get NOTHING (from the scam sites previously mentioned), you can conduct an instant phone lookup at ReversePhoneLookup.com.
The results you'll get from ReversePhoneLookup.com are more comprehensive than any other free cell phone lookup services or the paid results from the competition - because they include not only the most up-to-date databases available, but also include enhanced people search results such as possible family members, neighbors, background check resources, and more.
In addition, ReversePhoneLookup.com gives customers free search assistance and is backed by a 100%, no-quibble, no-strings attached guaranteed. You're either satisfied or you're not-- and if you're not, then you don't pay. Period!
While free cell phone lookup services may be appropriate if you're only looking for very general information (like the phone issuing location), you won't find much information that will help you. If you're serious about determining who is calling you, then ReversePhoneLookup.com is the most cost-effective and informative source.
Run a reverse phone search now!
Why Conduct A Reverse Phone Lookup?
A reverse cell phone look up can be conducted for a variety of reasons, whether it's to...
- Stop a prank caller
- Determine someone's exact location
- See who owns an unlisted number
- Research a "suspicious" number on someone's phone
- Locate an old friend from high school or college
- Research "missed calls" on your caller ID
...or whatever other reason you might have (as long as it's within the confines of laws and regulations).Back in the "old days" before the Internet, the only way to conduct a reverse phone look up was to hire an expensive private investigator.
But now, public phone and record databases have been organized and compiled so that you can instantly look up the details about any number from the privacy of your home.Our database coverage includes landlines, cell phones, business phones, and unlisted numbers. Click here now for reverse cell phone lookups.
In addition to world-class search tools and 100% discreet lookups, full phone reports will reveal the phone owner's name, address, possible relatives, neighbors, and even more background check resources.
Unlisted Phone Numbers
In the past, finding out how owned an unlisted phone number was a virtual impossibility. Today, things are different. If you need to find an unlisted, unpublished or cell phone number, you can by using Reverse Phone Lookup .
But before you search, it's important to know the difference between different types of unlisted phone numbers. There is a difference between unlisted phone numbers, unpublished phone numbers, and private phone numbers.Unlisted phone numbers are not included in your local phone book.
However, they may still be available through electronic databases and other public domain resources. Unpublished numbers are usually omitted from any of these databases. Most phone companies charge extra for having unlisted phone numbers or unpublished phone numbers.
Private Phone Numbers Vs. Unlisted Phone Numbers
Private numbers are a little different. When you receive a call and your caller ID lists the number as "Private," there are usually two reasons for that. One reason is that the person calling has requested the service from the telephone company.
Another reason is that people can manually block a number by entering a specific code. In both cases, the number can be manually unblocked by entering another code. Unlisted and unpublished numbers also sometimes come up as private.While having these options is a great way for us to protect our privacy, they can also provide a great way for other people to block their identities when they are using their telephones to harass you or to hide from you. Luckily in these cases, you do have some options.
Unlisted Phone Numbers: Custom Calling
A few telephone companies now offer Custom Calling services. With these services, any caller trying to reach you with an unlisted phone number will be prompted to enter a code, unblock the number, or say their name. While this service has potential, it is not useful to people who have already been harassed, who live in areas where the services aren't available, or who can't afford the cost. For these people, there are other ways of finding information about their callers.
If you want to know the person's phone number and you have an address, even an old address, you can use that information to find unlisted phone numbers. A more expensive method is to put a trace on your line.
Find Out More About Unlisted Phone Numbers
Luckily, Reverse Phone Lookup solves the problem of unlisted phone numbers. First, lots of people calling and harassing others are not smart enough to use blocked or unlisted phone numbers. In those cases, you only need to get the person's land line or cell phone number and Reverse Phone Lookup can find the caller's name and address.
Second, Reverse Phone Lookup has listings from public records and expanded databases-- making it easy for you the find the owner of an unlisted phone number and even more details, including: background information, criminal records resources, address history, possible family members, neighbors and more.
So if you've ever looked at your caller ID and it said "unlisted", you can feel confident knowing that Reverse Phone Lookup is on your side and will give you the information you need!
Elusive Phone Numbers No Longer Secret
Nothing is quite as frustrating as needing information and not being able to get it. Unlisted phone numbers and cell phone numbers have been the source of that frustration quite often.
Fortunately, that doesn't have to be the case. If you know where to look, phone number directory information for most cell phones and unlisted numbers can be accessed within 5 MINUTES.Imagine that a stranger keeps calling your home and hanging up. Worse yet, imagine they're calling your home and saying disturbing things that make you uncomfortable. You have caller I.D. so you know the number the person is calling from, but the name isn't showing up. You try calling the number, but you get no answer. What do you do?You can call the police, which is probably a good idea... but then again, no crime has been committed.
You can try to do a free reverse phone search online, but if the number is unlisted, you’re not going to get any information. The caller has YOUR information, but you know nothing about THEM. It's quite a predicament. What if you could get all information you want about the number those upsetting phone calls were coming from?
What if you could discover the name of the person who owns that number? What if you could get their exact address and other valuable information such as possible neighbors and relatives?Believe it or not, it is possible to get such information for unlisted phone numbers and cell phone numbers. Thanks to the Internet, you can access all of this information instantly.Need to perform a reverse phone number lookup? Not a problem. Need to get your hands on an unlisted number?
The tools are available. Trying to find out someone's cell phone number? It's easier than you may think.There are many legitimate reasons for needing information about a phone number. Whether you need to track down someone who keeps prank calling you or you're looking for a lost love or old friends, the phone records you need are there if you have the tools required to get them. In today's day and age, people have become quite concerned with privacy and getting access to the information of others isn't as easy as it used to be.
Many phone customers are choosing to have their numbers unlisted and others are utilizing cell phones so they can avoid having a landline altogether. While the basic phone number search sites are virtually useless and won't provide you with any of the information you need, comprehensive sites like Reverse Phone Lookup offer access to all the information you could possibly want. Instead of running around in endless circles searching for data that constantly eludes you, you can use ReversePhoneLookup.com to get instant access to the information you seek.
When using Reverse Phone Lookup, it doesn't matter if a phone number is listed or unlisted, you can get the facts you need. If someone's trying to hide from you, Reverse-PhoneLookup.com is going to reveal the details required to get in contact with the elusive person. If you've lost contact with someone you were once close to, ReversePhoneLookup.com is going to help you get back together.Stop searching endlessly for this information. Don't let unlisted phone numbers or cell phone numbers waste your time and energy. You don't have to wait another minute to get your hands on the information you need.
Run an instant reverse phone lookup now to find out who owns virtually any cell phone or unlisted number.
Searching Your Computer
Could the answer be right under your nose?
Before caller identification and cellular phones, most kept both business and personal phone numbers in phone books. These personal books range and vary in size, and many still use them. However, because it is easy to store numbers in a cellular phone, and we often use caller ID to save a number or store them for future use, we often forget to actually write the number down somewhere safe.
People may send emails with their numbers, and instead of writing them down, we just save them on the computer. If you are looking for the owner of a number, or a number for a person, are you really sure you don't already have that information? You may think you would remember something like that, but it is very easy to forget about getting and storing things like phone numbers and addresses.If you aren't sure, you have to search.
One of the first places you can look is in your email. Some emails have internal searches and others do not. If you don't have a search, you may have to go through your old emails one by one to see if you can find the information. Don't forget about other email accounts you may use for business or ones that you may have not signed into in a while.If your email brings up nothing, you can look through your computer files. You may have many of them, so this might take a while. Though some people are organized when saving and naming files, many are not. You may not be able to tell what is in each file without opening each one up.
Depending on how many files you have, this could take a while as well. Don't forget other forms of saving information. If you have saved information to a floppy disk, memory stick, or to a data CD, make sure you look through those as well.If you have too many files to search through effectively, or you just don't have the time, there is one great tool out there that you can use to search your entire computer. Some computers have a search, but they rarely work well.
You may want to download and use the Google Desktop search. This is something that is rather new, but can be used to find files on your computer that you have lost or misnamed. The search works in much the same way as the Google online search, so choose your search terms carefully. It may take a while for the search to be completed, but if the information is hidden away on your computer, this is one tool that just might find it.Click here to get Google Desktop - it's free.
Free Reverse Cell Phone Lookup
Looking for a free cell phone lookup that will tell you the owner of a cell phone number for free? Numbers are listed in the phone book for free, so cell phone numbers are going to be listed for free too... right? Well, not quite. Here's the deal. Traditional phone numbers are public record and are freely available so anyone can find them. This means a "reverse phone" lookup on one of these numbers will also be free. Here's a few of the most popular free reverse lookup services (remember, these are not useful for cell phone numbers):
Why aren't reverse cell phone lookups free? So, there are free reverse LANDLINE phone services... but what's different about cell phone numbers? Basically, cell phone numbers are not published openly the same way as landlines are. This means that the companies that actually organize reverse cell phone directories have to do much of the compilation manually.
The information often comes from opt-in services (where customers volunteer to be in the database) or other small databases. So, for there to be any sort of considerable coverage, reverse cell phone database designers must purchase the information they use from other companies.
Ultimately this means that reverse cell phone lookups cannot be offered for free. However, more popular reverse cell phone lookup providers are able to negotiate special volume discounts, create professionally written advice and search tips, and combine background check and people-search technology into reverse phone lookups. When you sign up for ReversePhoneLookup.com, you won't just get industry-leading reverse cell phone lookups, but you'll also get unlimited access to dozens of other investigative tools. In essence... there are no "free" reverse cell phone lookups, but this is the "next best" thing. Type in any phone number and hit "search" to get started.
Trace Cell Phones
There are two ways that you can trace a cell phone call: you can either use publicly available information to trace the issuing location of a phone number. Or, you can use a reverse phone lookup to access special databases that will give you the IDENTITY of the owner of the phone number. Below you'll learn how to trace a cell phone number's issuing location for free... but if you're interested in tracing the name, address, and background information about the owner, click here to run a search in our comprehensive Reverse Phone Lookup database.If you want to trace cell phone numbers, you first need to look carefully at the anatomy of the number itself. To keep up with the need for new telephone numbers, the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) was developed as a joint effort between AT&T and Bell.
The Anatomy of a Phone NumberAccording to the NANP, phone numbers are divided into three sections. The first three numbers are known as the area code. The second three are known as the central office code while the remaining four are the line number.
While the line number itself won’t provide you with much useful information if you’re trying to trace cell phone calls, the other two sets of digits can be very helpful.The area code can start with any digit between 2 to 9, but the other two digits can be made up of any numbers between 0 and 9.
Area codes are assigned to specific geographic areas. For example, the state of Indiana is divided into six area code sections; and all of the telephone numbers for the area around Indianapolis begin with a 317 area code, while the entire southern part of the state’s numbers begin with 812. The same concept is applied for all states.
Trace Cell Phone NumbersWhen you want to trace cell phone numbers, you can use the area code to narrow the number down to a certain area. In most cases, the area code covers a few hundred exchanges. These exchanges, like area codes, begin with a number between 2 to 9 and are followed by numbers that can be any digit between 0 and 9.
If you know which exchange represents which parts of that zip code area, then you can close in on the location of the number in question.If you want to trace cell phone numbers on your own, you can do so in a very limited way simply by finding out which part of the country is represented by the specific area code. However, that will only help you find a still relatively large area.
Knowing the section of that area covered by the exchange associated with the number you’re investigating might help you narrow your search down to a particular city or county, but will still not give you enough information to zero in on your target.
Who Owns That Cell Phone? To trace cell phone numbers, you need to access a reverse phone lookup that includes cell phone listings. Unfortunately, most of the popular directories do not contain these numbers and will, therefore, be useless to you as you try to trace cell phone calls. ReversePhoneLookup.com, on the other hand, contains hundreds of millions of records about cell phones within the U.S. population.
By comparison, most other sites in the industry (even those advertising "reverse cell phone lookups") only have a few million records (or none at all!).Furthermore, Reverse Phone Lookup also give all customers professional search assistance and has top ratings by many consumer reviews. Your membership is also backed by our 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee. Run a search now!
How To Find Addresses By Phone Number
Locating someone who has been calling you on a cell phone used to be nearly impossible without seeking assistance from the phone companies. Today, you can find addresses by phone number on your own by using Reverse Phone Lookup.
Phone numbers provide many clues to a person's location. The area code, for example, can help you narrow down the state and even which section of the state the call is coming from. If you received a call from a number starting with a 504 area code, then you'd not only know the call came from Louisiana but also that it came from the area around New Orleans.
Simply locating the state or section of a state can be useful in some cases, but if you really want to find address by phone number then you'll need to use a more powerful reverse phone directory.
Find Address By Phone - The Old Search Engines
In recent days, to find addresses by phone, you would enter the number into the search bar of your favorite search engine and hit "search." For the best results, you'd use the entire 10-digit number, including area code, and place quotation marks around the number to let the engine know you were looking for an exact match.
In some cases, this method delivered results, particularly if the call was coming from a business or from a person who has public information. Even if you didn't get their address from the search, you might at least be able to get their name.
You were also able to find addresses by phone number by contacting your local police. If you were trying to track down a caller who was harassing or threatening you, the police might have taken the phone number you gave them to determine who the caller is and where they are located. Unfortunately, if the number was coming from a cell phone, it may not have been correct.
Find Addresses By Phone - Reverse Phone Lookup
Reverse phone directories are one of your best options; however, most still have weaknesses. For example, most directories usually cannot provide you information on cell phone or unlisted numbers. Otherwise, they use "opt-in" databases (where you have to join the database). These databases have very few entries and since people choose what information to include, you generally cannot find people's addresses by their phone number.
However, ReversePhoneLookup.com uses a different method. We have compiled-- literally-- hundreds of millions of public records and specialized databases to create a reverse cell phone lookup program that surpasses any other.
When you register for membership, you'll get access to our reverse phone database, our special people-search database, and more.
As a ReversePhoneLookup.com member, you can search hundreds of millions of records-- far more than you'll find in most other directories. Plus, the records include information for cell phone and unlisted numbers. Membership also includes an ironclad, 100% money-back guarantee and professional search assistance.
To find an address by phone number, look no further than Reverse Phone Lookup. Run your search now.
Find People By Phone Number
Looking for information about someone based on their phone number? You've probably punched the phone number into Google or another free search engine... but you didn't really find what you're looking for. Right?
If it's an unlisted phone number or cell phone, you'll need to run a premium reverse phone lookup.
If the phone number is a landline, you can often find out owner information for free online. Here are two websites that might be helpful:
1.) FoneFinder.net - FoneFinder.net is a great place to find originating location based on phone number. You can run a free search at this site. It will use a free database from the government to tell you where a call is coming from.
2.) WhitePages.com - If you're looking for a phone number that's listed in the phone book, check out WhitePages.com where you can find the owner name and address of a phone number for free.
Every phone number is associated with a person or business. These details are kept in databases. Thanks to the Internet, you can browse these databases and find people by phone using a comprehensive reverse phone directory such as Reverse Phone Lookup .
To find people by cell phone numbers used to be impossible. When you go to Reverse Phone Lookup, you just enter the entire 10 digit phone number you’re interested in. You don’t need any other information to find people by phone numbers, not even the state where the person lives.
How The Search Works
The search, which usually takes less than a minute, scours databases for the phone number in question. When the record is found, the information is presented on the screen. You will see the full name of the person associated with the number, as well as the complete address.
Using a reverse phone directory like Reverse Phone Lookup to find people by phone numbers can be useful in a number of situations. For example, if you respond to an ad in the classifieds, you can use these directories to determine how close the seller is to your home.
Another use for these directories might be to help you track down the whereabouts of someone who has been harassing you, or of a long lost friend or family member. In any event where you have limited information, such as the 10-digit phone number, you can use this service to find people by phone.
Why Choose Our Reverse Cell Phone Lookup Service
Not all reverse phone directories are created equal. While all of them work basically the same way, the size and the content of the databases as well as the services provided are not the same. For example, if the number you’re using is a cell phone or unlisted number, you may not be able to find people by phone using most available online directories. However, Reverse Phone Lookup incorporates cell phone and unlisted numbers-- beating out most other reverse directories in cyberspace or otherwise.
Using some reverse directories, you may not always be able to find people by phone numbers because they do not include access to enough records (or don't keep them up to date). Obviously, the more records that can be searched in a database, like the one in Reverse Phone Lookup, the better your chances of being able to find people by phone.
Start Your Search Now
Reverse Phone Lookups’ database includes access to hundreds of millions of records for residents of the United States. In addition, Reverse Phone Lookup offers value-added services for customers, such as access to additional databases, free search assistance and advanced search tools. For this reason, using Reverse Phone Lookup is your solution to find people by phone!
Stop Prank Calls Now
Prank calls are one of the most annoying things in the entire world. If you have received one or two, you probably shook your head and wished that the caller would get a life and stop aggravating people. However, if you have received many, you probably started to get nervous. You may have wondered if this was really a prank caller or if it was someone that meant you harm. If the prank caller threatened you in some way, you probably definitely wondered if the caller meant you harm. It is not a light situation if you are afraid for your family or your children and your safety. This happens to many different people that have had to deal with this.
The trouble is that the police can't do much of anything unless there is a real threatening event that happens outside of the phone calls. This is enough to make you angry on top of feeling threatened. It's frustrating to know the phone number of the person but not the name. However, you can take action yourself and make the calls stop happening. Whether it's an unlisted home phone number or a cell phone number, it is possible to find out the identity of the caller without having the police trace the telephone calls.
Simply visit a website like www.reverse-phonenumber.com and enter the phone number of the person that called you. You can get the number from your phone bill or the caller ID. After you enter the phone number, simply wait a few seconds and you will be provided with the name and address of the person who is associated with the phone number. You can even assure yourself that they are not dangerous, or get enough information for the police to act by searching their criminal or arrest records which are also provided. Yes, you can find out if they have ever been charged with a crime, locally or nationally. You can see if it was a misdemeanor or a felony as well.
You do not have to deal with phone calls like this and be helpless. When you search their number at a site like www.reverse-phonenumber.com, you can get the truth about who is calling you. Then, either the police can take over, or you can answer the phone with their name and inform them that you have their address and more. Feel free to say it back to them. If you do this, chances are they will not call you back. If they are dangerous or do have a criminal arrest record, you should not answer the calls. Simply inform the police and allow them to do their job. They will consider the calls a priority and a threat if the person has a criminal record. If this is happening to you, don't take it any longer. Do something about it and show that prank caller that they have stumbled upon the wrong person's phone number.
Check for the Children's Sake!
Most parents drive their children around everywhere they go. Has your child ever told you to 'just drop them off here?' Most parents assume that their kids are too cool to be dropped off at the front door, or to be seen with their parents. It's one of those things we roll our eyes at and get over. However, what if your child is visiting somewhere he shouldn't be visiting. You just never know what kind of people your child can end up hanging around with. Next time you are asked to drop your child off in front of a house rather than walking him or her in, or next time your child wants you to drop him or her off down the block with no explanation, you may want to take note of the address. Here's why.
Your child could be visiting someone very dangerous or be placing himself in a terrible situation. You don't want to invade your child's privacy, however you don't want your child to become injured or hurt. As a good parent, you have to make sure that your child is safe and that you are doing all that you can in order to ensure that. If you would like to do this without making your child hate you, do it secretly! You can visit www.reverse-phonenumber.com and place an address or a phone number in the text box. You will instantly receive reports about who owns the house or the phone and what kind of person they are.
In fact, you can find out if they have ever been charged of a felony or a misdemeanor, you can have access to their criminal and civil court records and much more. You will instantly be able to tell whether your child is in danger or not from the people who live here. Your child will never know that you have checked, and neither will the people that you search for. Many times, parents have no idea how to check and make sure that their children are safe. This is one resource that watchful parents just can't live without.
If you have questions about where your child is going or who they are calling, all you need is the address or the phone number. All you have to do is type in either one and you don't have to know the name of the people who you are searching for. You can find out if they have ever been charged with a crime, you can see their marriage and death certificates and you can find out if they are a danger to your child. In this day and age, we can't afford to assume that our children are safe – we simply have to make sure. Utilize the tips and advice above along with this site or another site that allows you to search in this way, so that you can rest assured that your child is safe.
Is Your Spouse Hiding Something?
No one wants their marriage to fail. If they didn't want it to last forever, they wouldn't have gotten married in the first place, right? Well, many times things happen that we aren't able to control and sometimes, affairs happen as well. We all know this, so when we see suspicious behavior from our spouses, it can really make us wonder what in the world is going on. Maybe your spouse has stayed out later, perhaps they have ducked out of the room soon after a call came through on their cell, or maybe you found a number that had no name attached to it. Here are a few tips on what to do next.
If you have the number or if you have checked your spouse's cell phone and found strange numbers with no name attached, you can find out exactly who they are. There are many websites where you can enter a number, even a cell phone number and get loads of information back. So, get the number and visit a site like www.reverse-phonenumber.com. You will be able to enter the phone number into the text box and submit it. Once you have done that, you will receive access to their full name, home address, marriage information such as a certificate, arrest information, court records and much more.
This is a great idea because you are able to find out who the number belongs to without confronting your spouse and allowing him or her to know that you have been suspicious. If they have done nothing wrong, but find out you've been snooping through their cell phone, it could be you who is in trouble! You can maintain that trust unless you find out that something fishy is going on in your relationship. Another benefit to this is that it could be something completely innocent. You don't want your spouse to know that you've been suspecting him or her of cheating and they've been calling a work buddy or even worse – they have been orchestrating a surprise for you.
However, should you find out that your spouse has been calling someone that they shouldn’t; you will have the proof so they will find it very hard to try and deny. You can pursue that any way you choose, whether you wan to call this number and let them know just how you feel, or if you want to wait and ask your spouse what has been going on behind your back. Finding out that your spouse has been calling a strange number, staying out very late or working late in combination with other signs can be terrible. You will feel betrayed, angry, sad and much more. With the websites like this that allow you to find out the truth, you don't just have to wonder who the number belongs to. You can find out once and for all.
Purchasing Items Online from an Individual
The internet has made shopping easier than ever before. You don't have to visit a store or shop to try and find the things you want, and if you can't find an item in your hometown, you will probably be able to find it on the internet. It is a great convenience, especially to those who are strapped for time, however there are risks associated with it as well. When you purchase something from an individual online, you are not looking at them face to face. This veil of anonymity encourages criminals to try and scam innocent people. For those of you who shop online, it's important to check certain things before you give your hard earned money to just anyone. Scammers are waiting to snap it up and it could end up in a heartbreaking situation.
There are some tips you can use in order to keep your money safe from scammers. If you have the name of the person, simply use Google to search their name along with the word scam. If anyone has complained that this person has scammed them, it should pop up in the results page. Another thing you can do is visit a website which allows you to search the background of individuals. One example of a website like that is www.reverse-phonenumber.com and you can easily type in the person's name into the textbox. You will then be given access to important records such as if that person has ever been convicted of a misdemeanor or a felony. You will also be told where that person lives, what their phone number is, if they are married and whether or not they have criminal arrest warrants out for them. This is valuable information to those who wish to ensure that their money is going to someone who is not going to scam them.
There are countless cases of internet scam and it takes just one slip to give up what you have worked hard for. Another thing you can do to check out the individual and ask him or her for references. If they don't give you any references, don't buy what they are selling. Most people who are selling something online will have some type of reference. If you do get references, call every single one of them and ask what kind of service they received from this person and whether he was timely and professional. You may find out that he or she is the best, most wonderful salesperson there is on the internet. However, you may also find out some nasty little secrets that this person has been hiding. Regardless, it's important that you always check. Should you ever notice strange charges on your credit card, you need to contest the charge immediately and cancel your card so that no more money will be charged on it. Using the insightful tips and tricks above will help you empower yourself so that you can avoid being scammed and purchase the product that you really love from someone who is a great and honest person.
Have You Received a Disturbing Telephone Call?
We have all had a prank phone call at one point or another. Most of the time, we either laugh a bit and shake our heads, and occasionally we get annoyed but let it roll off our backs. What if the call was something that truly disturbed you though? Maybe it was a threat or something else that is really haunting you? You may worry about whether you are safe or whether your children are safe. Maybe you are wondering if the caller was just playing a sick joke or if they were very serious. This kind of think can keep you up at night and can make you worry to the point of not being able to work or even function properly. Luckily, there are some things you can do to relieve that worry.
If you don't have caller ID, or you do and the call was from a cell phone number with no name, you can still find out who made the call. You simply visit one of the reverse cell phone sites that are active on the internet and type in the phone number. After waiting a few seconds, you will be provided with valuable information on the caller. Your results may include different things, such as the name of the caller, the home phone number associated with the caller, the address of the caller and you can even find out if the caller has been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor. Yes, just by typing in the number of the person who made the disturbing call you can get access to their local and national court records, birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates and more.
You can simply choose to call the person back and ask what their intentions were for the call, or you can call your local police department. In cases of individuals who have received several threatening calls and have contacted the police, these resources would help immensely. Unfortunately, sometimes law enforcement agencies just don't have the time or the manpower to try and hunt down a prank caller unless there is more violent action taken. However, should you find out that your prank caller has been convicted of a crime or more than one crime; you can spur your police department into taking further action. While a teenager who is prank calling you isn't all that dangerous, there are criminals who call as well. If the police can catch a criminal who is harassing someone, they will absolutely go for it most of the time.
You do not have to live powerless and you can protect yourself and find out who has called and why they are calling. These websites can be an absolute lifesaver – in the literal sense. Take the time to check out what is going on and don't assume it's just a silly prank caller. Hope that it is, but approach the situation as though someone dangerous has called. Stopping this kind of thing can be easy if you follow the suggestions above.
Don't Recognize a Number?
Have you ever found a number in your wallet, purse, pants pocket or somewhere else that you don't recognize? It has happened to us all before; talking to a co-worker, friend, boss, or client and we are in a hurry. We scrawl the number down on a sheet of paper, a torn up napkin, or a piece from the side of the donut box and we don't add a name. Later, you find this number and you're totally confused and have no idea where the number came from. This can be a serious pain in the neck. Sure, you could call the number and find out who it belongs to, but what if it's someone you really don't want to talk to? What if you scrawled that number down with the intentions of tossing it into the garbage as soon as you were out of sight of its owner? What if it's important though? How can you tell if you should keep the number or not? Well, there is finally a way.
Many times you will find that this number is a cell phone number, so it's not as simple as doing a reverse land line lookup. However, with recent technology and the launching of a few different websites like www.reverse-phonenumber.com you can find out who a cell phone number belongs to as well. The thing is, you can also find out much more. You simply visit this site or a similar one and type the cell phone number in. Within seconds you will be provided with the name of the person who owns the cell phone number.
You will also be provided with other details, such as their home address. Not sure whether they are safe or not? No problem. You are also provided with their criminal and civil court records as well as local and national arrest records. You can find out if the person who owns the phone number has ever been convicted of a crime or been arrested for something. So, simply by logging in, you are able to tell who the number belongs to, what kind of person they are, where they live and what their home phone number is. It's very simple to do and you don't have to worry about the other person knowing that you have searched their number. So, if you don't want to call them back – no problem. Ditch the number and that's that. However, if it's an important number you can call them immediately.
See, you no longer have to worry about finding a number that you don't recognize. All you have to do is give it a quick look up and you're good to go. This is quite useful for people with busy schedules as these are the people who typically scratch down numbers like this. No more calling someone you don't want to talk to or throwing away important numbers. Follow the advice and tips above and you will be covered.
Has Someone Strange Been Calling Your Home?
A very good friend of mine recently began experiencing problems at her home. Usually around three in the morning, she would get a few telephone calls. When she answered her phone, there was either no one there, or someone would make a crude comment and then hang up. The first time she got a call, she woke up paranoid that something had happened to a family member. Why else would she get a phone call in the middle of the night like that, right? A few calls later, she imagined it was some teenagers trying to get a cheap laugh. Then, after a couple of weeks where she got the calls every single night, she began to get worried.
She traced the numbers with her tracing option through the phone company, but they came back as cell phone numbers and there were no names with them. So she had the numbers, but there was no one to point to. She did call the police but they told her that typically, calls like this would go away and that if they became more serious or threatening, they would check it out. She felt a little helpless. Refusing to turn her telephone off at night just in case there was an emergency with her family or something, she continued to get the calls.
At lunch just a few days ago, she was extremely tired and upset. As we were discussing it with a third friend of ours, that friend told us about a website. The address was www.reverse-phonenumber.com. Our friend said that since most cell phones are unlisted and that it's hard to find the name, there were few places where you could find information that would really help. However, he told us that through this website, you could simply type in the cell phone number and you would find out all sorts of information. You can find out everything from the full name and home number of the person that owns the cell phone, to the address and even criminal and civil information. So if the caller was a convicted criminal, you could find that out.
I went back to her house with her and we checked the number together. Our other friend was right. She got the full name and address of her caller and she was surprised to find out he did have a criminal background. We were both terrified for her, and I insisted we leave and go directly to the police station with the information we had found. Luckily, because the caller was a criminal, the police got serious about action and paid a visit. They arrested the caller and my friend was able to press charges. Thank goodness we could find the information. I dread thinking about what might have happened if we hadn't.
Need Information?
Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to check out someone's past? Perhaps you're an employer, a landlord, or just a person who has been in need of information. There are many different reasons why you might want to find out a little or a lot more information about a particular person. Whether you're checking to find out what kind of debt they have, what kind of criminal record they have, or even if they are married, it used to be difficult to find that kind of information.
Not anymore. There are several ways you can go about getting this information, even if you don't really know the person. In fact, you can get access to some very personal information if you have the need. It used to be that in order to get information like this you needed the person's name, Social Security number, address, age, and even more information all together. This can be hard to obtain from someone, especially the more personal information like the Social Security number.
You no longer have to worry about this. With just a tiny bit of information, you can find out practically anything. For example, let's say you met someone who you find very interesting. You talked to them for a few hours and when you parted, they gave you their first name and their cell phone number. Doesn't seem like you could find out much information with that does it? At www.reverse-phonenumber.com, you can simply enter their cell phone number and you will have access to a ton of records about that person. From their arrest records, if any, to their address, home phone number, and full name, the information you need is instantly available to you.
In another situation, perhaps you have been talking to someone online about doing some freelancing work for you. Maybe you want to see just what kind of person you may be hiring. However, the only thing you have is their e-mail address. That's easy. At the same website, you simply enter that e-mail address and you will have access to the same information. Whether you need to see if they have had judgments against them from past freelancing work or whatever the case, it's simply not difficult.
If you need information, all you have to do is visit this website with whatever small amount of information you have about this person. You can get access to tons of records with very little information. If you have ever needed information, this will prove to be a valuable resource to you. All you have to do is log into the system, place in whatever information you have, and wait for the computer to access the files for you. Then, you can simply browse through the relevant search information to find out whatever you need. It has never been so easy to find information before. Happy hunting!
Whose Number is That?
This is one of the most embarrassing things that can happen to you. You find a telephone number written on a piece of paper and you have no idea who it belongs to. It could have been that old friend you ran into and jotted down his or her number. It could have been the number of a house you were interested in, or it could be your boss's telephone number. You have no idea. So, most people might think, 'well just call it and find out who it is.' Think about that though. "Hello, can you tell me who I'm calling?" What if it is your boss, or an old boyfriend or girlfriend? How embarrassing would that be? You don't want to call the number back, but you really want to know who the number belongs to.
There is something else you can do to find out who the number belongs to. Until recently, you were unable to search a cell phone number and find a name and address for the owner. However, that service is now available to the public online on several different websites. The only thing you have to do is log in, type in the number and wait a few seconds. You will be given the most relevant search results on that number from the database. You can be provided with a name, an address and more. The great thing about this is that you don't have to call the number and find out who you're speaking to – and they will never even know you searched for their name from their phone number.
Another thing that sites like this are helpful for is if you find an unexplained number on a phone bill, or on your cell phone. Don't want to call and find out who it is? That's understandable. We all have people that we just don't want to speak to, or it could be someone you'd rather not talk to. Telemarketers are now able to call cell phone numbers to solicit. So, simply go online and type in that number. Find out who has been calling your home or your cell phone easily. Then you have the choice of calling them back or not.
Missed calls? If you were out and missed a call, this is very useful. If you have no idea who it was, you can utilize these websites to find that out as well. A lot of times if someone calls you from a cellular phone, your caller ID will display the number but not the name. When you have no idea who the number belongs to, but you don't want to call it back, this can drive you up the wall. These sites are great for that. It is a very easy thing to use, which can save you a lot of headaches and stress wondering who in the world was calling you. While it may not seem like much, it's a great way to save time and energy to find out who a number belongs to.
How Reverse Cell Phone Search Makes Your Life More Convenient
No, using a simple online search to look up the owner of a cell phone number is not going to be the key to your future happiness. It's not going to spawn world peace, slow global warming, or boost the economy. But using the reverse cell phone search capabilities now available online can make your life a little more convenient by helping you resolve some of those minor irritations that drain you during a long, hard day. For example, have you ever wanted to reunite with a beloved friend from high school or college, but have no idea where they are or what they're doing? Where do you even start? Some people have spent hundreds of dollars or more hiring a private investigator to locate someone using the shreds of evidence they still have at their disposal. But this may not be necessary.
Why?
Well, if they still have the same cell phone number, (which is more and more common these days, since numbers have become portable between carriers), you can look it up online and obtain an up-to-date address and other important facts about the person you are searching for. Have you ever run across an unknown cell phone number that keeps appearing on your bill, or pops up on your phone? Understandably, you may not want to just pick up an unknown number and start talking without knowing who is on the other end. Likewise, you don't want to pay anything extra on your bill without verifying it is a legitimate charge.
A few minutes online will tell you who is calling and may even give you some clues as to why. Now you can either pick up the call with confidence, or ignore it with peace of mind! You can use the information that you obtained to successfully dispute a charge, or you can pay it knowing exactly what it's for. Or, have you ever jotted down a number quickly, stuffed it in your pocket, then promptly forgotten about it? How embarrassing it would be to call that number cold and have to begin the conversation by saying, “Who am I calling?”
Maybe it's a job offer, or a hot date! Maybe the first impression is the only one you'll have a chance to make! It would be much more effective to know who you're calling first. To accomplish this, perform a quick reverse cell phone lookup and let it jog your memory regarding who gave you the number and why. This way, you can prepare yourself for the conversation and enjoy it! In all these cases, small conveniences help you to lower your stress level, and boost your self-confidence, opening the way for a more enjoyable experience and more fun.
Make Peace With a Reverse Cell Phone Lookup
Your boyfriend is acting strange. He's been late to pick you up a few times recently, and he seems withdrawn and quiet while you're together. He's always been quick with a joke, and talkative. But now, it's like he's eager to get the date over with. Then you begin to notice the phone calls. More and more often, his cell phone rings while you're together, and he needs to step away to talk quietly to the voice on the other end. He never used to do that.
Suspicions are growing, and you need to somehow put your mind at rest, or it's going to blow up into an argument. You've never had a real fight, and you don't want it to go there, but the more you dwell on the clues you've seen, the more you're wondering if he's seeing someone else. Where do you start? What do you do or say to relieve the stress? One of the simplest, and most effective actions you can take under these circumstances is to start with the “mystery cell phone caller.” Why? Because you can accomplish this without any confrontation at all.
Simply find out what number keeps calling, and write it down. Later, when you're alone, go to one of the sites online that offer a reverse cell phone lookup. These sites are becoming more common, although they didn't even exist a short time ago. By entering the number and paying a small fee, you are provided with the name of the cell phone's owner, their address, and many other pieces of information from the public record about the individual. If she's a potential home-wrecker, you have the facts to use as you see fit. If it's purely innocent, you have the peace of mind you were looking for.
This same technique can be very useful under the more serious situation of marital infidelity. If the same scenario described above occurs in a marriage, it can result in tremendous heartache and even legal action, especially when children are involved. Avoiding the rigors of suspicion and arguments and regaining peace in the home is truly important. If your spouse is giving you cause for concern, you may choose to use the reverse cell phone search for the same reason. Then, when you determine the mystery caller is a potential threat to your marriage, use the facts you have learned as a basis for discussion with your spouse. If you find the mystery caller is completely harmless, this too can serve as a basis for meaningful conversation, letting your spouse know how their behavior made you feel. In both cases, the simple use of an inexpensive online search brings peace during a difficult time. And who can put a price on that?
Using Reverse Cell Phone Search For Security Reasons
In years gone by, private investigators were able to call in some favors at the phone company and find out who owned a particular phone number. Police have always been able to obtain this information if necessary. The ability to search for the owner of a landline phone has been available to the public for years, but only recently has reverse lookup been extended to cell phones. Because the databases necessary to make this possible are in control of the individual cell phone service providers, obtaining this information is not free. But, for a modest fee, the information available would stagger your mind!
So why do people use this technology? There are many reasons, some of which are simple conveniences. But there are some very serious reasons you may want to consider to see if using this service may benefit you. For example, in some cases, people use reverse cell phone lookups to identify and stop prank callers from harassing them continually. In most cases, these prank callers are simply misguided kids thinking they are having fun. But in some cases, it's more serious than that.
Sometimes a prank call is just one step in a series of harassment or threatening behavior that is only seemingly harmless because of the anonymity of the prank caller. While some may view a prank call as an irritation, others are truly terrorized by the idea of a stranger calling to determine if they are home or to disrupt their peace of mind. By using reverse cell phone lookup, you can strip that veil of anonymity from the caller. This takes the fun out of it for those who think it's fun, and gets the serious callers a step closer to being caught by law enforcement officers.
Another serious benefit of reverse cell phone lookups is in determining who your children are speaking to on their cell phones. In most cases, especially if parents and children have good, open lines of communication, this will not be a big issue. But in the circumstance where a parent feels their child may be keeping something from them, or perhaps the child has been in trouble before, a parent may feel the need to keep a tighter hold on the leash, so to speak. By checking out your child's phone friends using a reverse cell phone search, you have the opportunity to cut off ties between your child and an unwanted associate. Or, you can use the information you receive to open up a dialogue with your child, helping them reason on the pros and cons of associating with so-and-so. Although the effort involved is potentially extensive, the results in this case are more than worth the effort. So, in both cases, reverse cell phone lookup capability offers a huge benefit in resolving potentially serious situations before they get out of hand.
Reverse Cell Phone Lookups Can Help Out in the Small Things
In this mobile society, everyone has some small electronic device vying for their attention: cell phones, Blackberries, PDAs, MP3 players, and all the combinations they can create. Without doubt, these gadgets have made our lives somewhat easier, or at least more connected. But, there is a whole new list of stressors in today's world that didn't stress out our parents a few decades ago. And if there's one thing we don't need, it's more stress. Fortunately, modern technology has provided a relief for some of these stressors as well, so we can get on with our increasingly hectic life without worrying about these little aggravators:
Missed Calls
How many times have you received a call on your cell phone or Blackberry with no idea who the caller is. The Caller ID just says the number and you don't recognize it. Now, some people are comfortable just picking up the phone and hoping for the best. Others have no problem calling back the number after they realize no voicemail was left, and saying something like, “Hi, you called?” But, for the rest of us, this could be an unnecessary stress. Who is this person calling? What do they want? And do I really want to know? Fortunately, we can go right to the Internet and use one of the dozens of sites that provide the service known as Reverse Cell Phone Lookup to determine who is calling, and some other interesting information about them. Now we can either ignore the mystery caller completely, or call them back with confidence.
Mystery Number
Have you ever written down a number on a crumpled slip of paper or a napkin and stuffed it in your pocket, only to find later on that you have no idea whose number it is? How frustrating that can be! Maybe it was that hot girl at the bar who let you buy her a drink but had to leave early. Or, maybe it was the guy who looked at the crack in your windshield and told you to call him back after he had a chance to call the manufacturer and figure out how much a replacement would cost.
Now, you're going to have to handle those calls differently. It sure would be nice to be able to know before you dial who's going to be on the other end. Once again, a reverse cell phone search will remove this stress from your life. Simply plug the number in and know in an instant who you're going to be calling using that number. It's encouraging to know that, even though we won't be able to live without these electronic gadgets any time soon, we can live without some of the stress they have created.
Do You Know Who Your Children Are Talking To?
Parenting is, no doubt, one of the most stressful, difficult jobs you will ever do. But, it can be the most rewarding as well, if you are diligent. The world, unfortunately, will do more to make the job harder than it will to help you. Sometimes, raising children feels more like being a bodyguard as we keep our eyes open and our head constantly swiveling looking for potential harm or danger. We never want to let our guard down, because it's so easy for our inexperienced kids to wander into trouble before they realize what they're doing.
Some parents have run into important ethical questions in the course of raising their children, and have had to decide where the line must be drawn between their kids' privacy and their own duty as parents. We know the importance of raising a child to make his or her own decisions and to learn from his or her own mistakes, but we also know that some mistakes can be too costly to allow our children to make them.
For example, what would you do as a parent if you stumbled across some unknown and unexplained number on your child's cell phone? You've tried to maintain an open line of communication and you think you know all of your child’s friends. They all come up on the Caller ID with their names and pictures, a feature your child is especially proud of.
So who is this mystery caller? Is it possible your child is mixed up in something he doesn't want you to know about? What if it's serious? Is it drugs, or cheating at school, who knows? Now what do you do? Well, the ethics of the situation leave room for deciding, and could paralyze you from taking action. But, if your gut decision is that, in this instance, your child's safety is more important than their privacy, you have a few choices about how to proceed. You could confront your child and demand an explanation. But this puts them in the position of needing to either reveal something they don't want to (and wondering how many other things you've snooped into,) or lying to you, growing the problem.
Another choice you have is to check out the number yourself. Go to the Internet and visit one of the many websites that now offer reverse cell phone lookups and plug the number in. For a reasonable price, these sites can tell you whose number it is, and some impressively detailed information about the individual who has been calling your child. Maybe it's nothing. What a relief that is, when you realize your child is making good decisions and wasn't intentionally keeping anything from you. But, if it's not, and if you now need to confront the child for their own good, at least you have the details you need to reach the child on his own level. Yes, parenting can be a difficult, stressful job. But, when it's done right, the rewards far outweigh the effort, and your kids will thank you for putting forth that effort.
Reach Out and Touch Someone, Even Years Later!
We meet so many people over the course of our lifetime, and forge so many varied relationships with them, that when we try to recall even a fraction of the faces and names we've learned, we fail. But all of us have a special catalogue deep in our memories, set aside for that special list of truly close friends that we will never forget. These people resonate with us nearly as strongly years after we last laid eyes on them as they did when we were hanging out on a regular basis.
And that's why, when we accidentally run into them, we think nothing of grabbing them into a big hug or a strong, hearty handshake and a slap on the back, and potentially spend an unexpected hour or more catching up on where they've been and what they've been doing all these years. Some people go to extensive measures to reach across the gap of years to try to locate old friends like this, even hiring private investigators to try to locate the person wherever they may be living in the country. This can be very expensive and time consuming, considering the time and effort involved in tracing someone's whereabouts.
But, many people are interested in finding out that the Internet provides dozens of websites that make this locating work much easier and faster. For example, since November 2003 the FCC has made it possible for individuals who switch cell phone companies to maintain their cell phone numbers as they move. This means that, at least for the last few years, someone's cell phone number is likely unchanged.
So how does that translate into locating an old friend? If you still have their cell phone number written down somewhere, or even still have it programmed in your phone (which you also haven't changed,) you can go to a reverse cell phone lookup site. For a modest fee, you can plug in the number and verify if your old friend still owns that number, where they live, and even some important facts about them through public records! This is just one example of the locating capabilities of the Internet. Imagine the joyful surprise reunion that could be planned using this technology!
Imagine two college friends, members of the same sorority, and inseparable until graduation when one heads out West to pursue her art in California, and one heads back home to Louisiana. They start with the best of intentions, writing every week, then once a month, then sending a Christmas card. Then life gets in the way. But both wistfully think back about the great times they used to have in college and the way the other person always seemed to bring out the best in them.
Moved to action one of them roots through all her old college papers, yearbooks, notebooks and textbooks until they locate a scribbled note from that dear friend from years ago. It includes a cell phone number and an order to “Call me!” But after this much time, how does she know the cell phone is still owned by her friend and not a stranger? She logs on the Internet, and in a few moments has her answers: her friend still owns the cell phone, and she is living now in Texas, only a few hours away! She calls, enjoys a long, joyful and tearful conversation with her long lost friend, and makes plans to get together on the weekend for dinner. In the modern world, it's more possible than ever to “reach out and touch someone,” even years after you last spoke.
Relieving Stress with Reverse Phone Lookups?
The stress of modern life is intense enough. The last thing we need is a pile of little complications that combine to make life just a little bit harder. As you're going over your finances near the end of the month, you open up your cell phone bill and glance through it quickly. But something catches your eye.
A number appears over and over again, and you don't recognize it at all. Was someone trying to get a hold of you for an important reason? Was it, perhaps a new job offer, following up on one of the forty resumes you sent out last month? Or, was it that cute girl you spoke to at the club that Friday night a few weeks back, who you thought never bothered to call? What if it's important? Shouldn't you call the number?
But wait. If it is important, shouldn't you be ready to speak to whoever picks up? Maybe jumping headlong into the call isn't the best thing you could do. Once again, the simple act of shuffling through your bills has brought unneeded stress into your day. Fortunately, this dilemma doesn't need to take up too much of your brain power. All you need to do is log on to one of the dozens of websites now offering reverse cell phone searching capability.
This is the same basic technology that has been available for years for land-line phones, and which has recently become very popular online. But, the same search capabilities have not been available for cell phones until relatively recently, since the necessary databases are controlled by the cell phone service providers instead of the large utility phone companies.
But now, you can feed that unknown number into the site and immediately discover who owns the phone, what their address is, as well as a potentially huge array of information about that person. The same sites can access tremendous amounts of public records information, and make these searches available at a very reasonable price. And, just like that, a mountain of stress has been reduced to a molehill as you are able to put your mind at rest and decide how to handle the “mystery number” dilemma.
This isn't the only common use of this convenient technology. Many people now use reverse cell phone lookup services to put an end to annoying prank calls, to locate old friends and schoolmates via their old cell phone numbers, even investigate potential infidelity on the part of their spouse or partner. In all of these ways, reverse cell phone searches do their part in making this topsy-turvy world just a tiny bit less stressful.
You Know My Number. . .
We've all been there. It's 2:00 AM and you wake from a sound sleep to the insistent ringing of your phone. You stumble out of bed, suddenly worried that someone may be sick, hurt, or worse. You reach for the phone, hoping that no one is hurt, and say, "Hello?" You're greeted with silence, a dial tone or a laugh. A million thoughts flash through your mind: Is this just some kid having a laugh at your expense? Could it be a disgruntled neighbor with a bone to pick, or something more serious, like a stalker or burglar?
Few things are more frustrating than a prank phone call. And they can become downright frightening if they continue. The feelings of helplessness and fear caused by prank phone calls have even led some people to violence! Maybe at one time, you were on the other end of that prank phone call. Do you remember calling a random home and asking if their refrigerator was running? Weren't you hiding behind the automatic anonymity that your phone supplied?
Wouldn't it be a relief to find a way to stop the harassment? Maybe it's just a kid having some fun, or maybe it's more serious than that. But it is your phone - your privacy - being invaded. For as long as there have been telephones, jokers and criminals have used them to terrorize and harass their victims with little or no chance of being caught. Only until recently has technology caught up to these prank callers and given them some pause by making Caller ID and *69 available to the public.
But, in many cases, cell phones have created a new and convenient way for prank callers to continue to harass you without giving away their identity. These days, technology has allowed us to strip away that cloud of anonymity and put a name to the number that identifies that prank caller! By using the Internet's ability to instantly scan millions of public records databases, you can discover the name, address, and many other interesting facts about the person calling you at 2:00 in the morning.
The use of reverse-search technology and the scores of public records available through these sites used to be the stuff of private investigators and officers of the law. But today, you can access this information on dozens of websites, usually for a modest fee. This has helped level the playing field in the area of personal security and investigations.
There are many other reasons why one may visit a reverse-search site to locate the person behind the cell phone, such as researching unknown numbers on your bill, looking up who shows up on your “missed calls” list, or even investigating suspected infidelity of a spouse. But, for good old peace of mind, the bringing to justice of annoying prank telephone callers ranks right near the top of that list. Imagine being able to answer the phone the second time with, “Hello Tom. I'd stop calling if I were you. I'd hate to have to get the police involved.” A good night's sleep awaits you.
Reverse Cell Phone Lookup – Saving Relationships?
The opening days, weeks and months of a relationship can be beautiful. But, they can also be stressful. As two people are getting to know each other better and learning what the other person likes or dislikes, what makes them angry, or cheers them up, they often run across little imperfections that make them pause and ask, “Is this guy really for me?” “Is this girl the one for me?”
During this potentially stressful time, a couple does well to eliminate every unnecessary cause for argument or suspicion as quickly as possible. So imagine yourself in this position: You are sitting in the car, waiting for your boyfriend to come back from the ATM so you can go to the movies together. He's left his cell phone on the dashboard, and it starts ringing. You steal a quick glance at the screen and see a number you don't recognize.
You think nothing of it that time, but later on in the evening, during the movie, his cell phone rings again. You see the same number again, and when he sees it, he immediately says that he has to take the number and steps out of the movie. Now you're seeing red. Who is this person that keeps calling? Is it another girl? Is he seeing someone behind your back? Is it a buddy of his looking to have him go do something stupid with “the guys?” Is it a drug dealer? Is your boyfriend really who he says he is?
Whoa, let's just relax for a moment here. Being the fairly level-headed girl you are, you know that the last thing your budding relationship needs at this point is a series of increasingly paranoid suspicions running freely through your mind over a simple telephone call. So how do you relieve your thoughts without causing an argument?
Here is where the wonder of modern technology comes to your rescue. With reverse cell-phone search technology, available on dozens of websites for a modest fee, you can immediately discover the name, address, and other details about the person who is calling your boyfriend! And he doesn't even need to know you were suspicious!
This technology has been around for years now for land-line phones, although many people did not even know this existed until online phone book sites began offering reverse look-ups as part of their standard services. Before then, it was often used by private investigators and people in law enforcement. But today, reverse look-ups are common place, and advanced public records searching is becoming more common as well. Only recently, however, have the largest cell phone companies made their databases available to the public in this way. That means the reverse search technology can now be applied to cell phones just as it has been for land-lines.
In this mobile world, that fact dramatically expands the peace-of-mind factor for anyone who is suspicious, but doesn't want to start a fight. Who knows? Maybe you'll find it's the florist calling back to let him know his order will be delivered later today!
How To Block Incoming Calls
From a landline telephone:
1.) Get a caller ID. A caller ID is the device that attaches to your phone to identify the phone number (and frequently the name) of who is calling you. Don’t pick up phone calls from numbers you don’t recognize.
2.) Is it from a telemarketer? The single most useful tool to prevent telemarketers from calling you is placing your number on the Do Not Call Registry. You can place your cell phone and/or landline number on the list in one of two ways:
a.) Visit https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx and be sure to acknowledge the confirmation email
b.) Call (888) 382-1222 and follow their directions
All persons with a U.S. phone account are allowed to have their phone numbers placed on the Do Not Call Registry. Please allow 31 days from registration confirmation before telemarketers to cease calling. Registry enrollment is valid for 5 years.
3.) Get an "inbound call blocker". This is a screening tool that allows you to select who you receive phone calls from by giving them a special code along with your phone number. There are also numerous similar products that screen and block inbound calls. Check out some products at http://www.commandcommunications.com/index.php and http://www.privacycorps.com/products/.
4.) Also, call screening custom services may be available from your local telephone company. Be sure to confirm the company’s prices for any such services, as they may be expensive if they charge per call. It may be cheaper if, rather than renting on a monthly basis; you just purchase any hardware or device from the phone company (e.g. a one time fee of $85.00 rather than $9.95 per month).
5.) Set up a "call screen": Your phone can reject calls from specific numbers with a Call Screen. Once the number is screened, it will reroute the call to a message saying that this phone number is not accepting calls from your phone number. The most recent call on a telephone line may also be screened, should you wish to block the caller who had just called you. Again check for monthly or usage prices.
From a cell phone:
1.) View the caller ID and if it’s from a number that is harassing you, don’t pick it up. Reminder: Save the voicemails if the calls are from a harasser or a stalker.
2.) If the call is from a telemarketer, inform them that the number is a cellular phone and inform them that telemarketers may not call cell phones unless requested or consented by the phone owner.
3.) A cell phone works quite differently than a landline. Unfortunately, there are currently no methods for blocking specific calls from the user end of the cell phone. However, should you by stalked or harassed, many cell phone companies have corporate security departments that will work with you to stop the disturbing calls.
Block Your Phone Number On Outgoing Calls
Landline phone instructions:
Your cellular or landline phone company sends your phone identifying information with every call. One of your account privacy features allows you to block your phone number when calling others. If you have it set to blocked, your phone number will actually be transmitted to the other person's phone, but it will not be presented on their caller ID. Instead, the recipient will see "private call" or "anonymous" on their caller ID.
The two non-permanent blocking options are:
1.) Selective Blocking (also known as "Per-Call Blocking"):
To block your phone number and name from appearing on a recipient's Caller ID unit on a single phone call, dial *67 before dialing the phone number. Reminder: you must redial *67 each time you wish to place a blocked phone call. Your local phone company will assign you Selective Blocking unless you specify Complete Blocking.
2.) Complete Blocking (also known as "Per-Line Blocking"):
To block your phone number and name from appearing on a recipient's Caller ID unit for every phone call, request caller ID blocking from your phone company. If you want to show your number if it's blocked, you can dial *82 to unblock it.
Yet another option is caller ID spoofing. This allows you to call from the masked number of your choice. Learn more about caller ID spoofing.
Who can see your caller ID even if you have your settings blocked?
- 800 Numbers. 800, 866, 877, 888, and 900 numbers can see caller information whenever you call them.
- Emergency services. When you call 911 or the fire department, they can view your caller information, including the address you are placing the call from (unlike everyone else discussed).
Do you want to change your call blocking features?
Call your local phone company's customer service department. They'll forward you or give you a toll-free blocking selection number. You will receive a letter from your phone company to confirm your selection. Again, if you don't specify which of the two you want, your local phone company will assign you Selective Blocking.
Cell phone instructions:
1.) Blocking Permanently:
You can request a "line block" from your cell phone company. You can do this by calling their customer service department and simply requesting it. This will block your phone number to everyone you call (except of course Emergency Services and 800-type numbers). Should the need arise for you to share your phone number with a party you are calling, you can dial *82 to reveal it.
2.) Blocking Temporarily:
Occasionally you simply don't want to share your cell number with a specific person. Maybe it's someone you're dating, and you don't want to reveal that you called them 23 times. Well, good news. You can do this by entering *67 before dialing the number.
Threatening Phone Calls
It's a scary world we live in... and threatening phone calls don't make it any less scary.
If you've been the victim of a scary phone call, you're probably still pretty shaken up about it. Okay, so let's look at the situation and figure out the best solution.
If you've received a HARASSING phone call, then you've got the option to take legal action. For your protection, call the local police and let them know exactly what happened. Give as much information about the call as possible.
It's also a good idea to give a quick call to the local police department where the call originated. Our "free scan" gives you this information instantly. Just type in the phone number on our homepage and our website will instantly return the phone number's issuing city and state.
To determine the OWNER of the harassing phone number, you can purchase a full phone report directly from our website. Membership includes additional people finder tools and resources to help you protect your safety and learn more about the situation.
Cybertalking And Online Harrassment
Cyberstalking, online harassment, online abuse and online bullying are all very serious offenses that have a great deal of overlap in their definitions. They are all essentially harassment and/or stalking over the internet or another digital communication device (e.g. cell phone, instant message).
The labels generally refer to a scale of harassment: online bullying is relatively "mild," cyberstalking is "severe," and online abuse/harassment are somewhere in the middle.
Stalking refers to repetitive behavior that is intrusive, harassing, or threatening. Harassment is communication that is unwanted and aggressive, disturbing, or vulgar in nature. Harassment makes the subject feel uncomfortable or even in danger.
It's hard to get an idea of how frequently cyberstalking occurs, because a lot of it goes unreported. The U.S. Dept. of Justice and Centers for Disease Control released a study called "Stalking in America" in 1998, concluding that:
- Eight percent of women will be stalked at some time in their lives. That is one in 12 U.S. women.
- Two percent of men will be stalked at some time in their lives. That translates to one in 45 U.S. men.
- About one million women and 400,000 men are stalked each year in the U.S.
It is likely that these numbers have increased since 1998, based on the simple fact that there are now many more internet users, and there is more personal information available on the web than ever before. Remember that this study was done for stalking, not just cyberstalking. There have been no comprehensive studies on cyberstalking.
There are, however, laws in most states governing cyberstalking. The most comprehensive list on the World Wide Web can be found at: http://www.haltabuse.org/resources/laws/
If you feel you are a victim of cyberstalking, here are some things you can do:
Online concerns:
- Cancel old email, instant message, or online community accounts. Create new ones. Make the new account name non-identifying or random.
- Make all online accounts private if given the option. Don't list yourself in account service directories.
- Only give the new account information to trusted friends.
- Minimize the information you present on social networking sites, message boards, and similar sites.
- Never use actual pictures of yourself if you're having problems with a cyberstalker: now they know what you look like.
- Use a strong password for every account you have.
- Use and keep up to date with anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, as computer viruses and spyware could allow another user to access or view information on your computer.
Phone concerns:
(This is cyberstalking as well, because it occurs over a digital device)
- Get your number unlisted and ensure it stays unpublished. Decline the input of your phone number into directories whenever possible, and get it unlisted as an alternative. Always look for the opt-out box whenever you are signing up for a new service that requires your address, phone number, or any of your personal information.
- Have your name removed from existing phone directories, including reverse directories.
- Get an alternative number for when you do need to give out a phone number to a person or company (e.g. a voicemail box or an additional cell).
- Do not print your phone number on your checks.
- Get "Per Line" blocking or "Complete Blocking" through your phone company so you number isn't displayed while you make outgoing calls.
Cyberstalking can occur alongside general stalking, in that case you should consider:
Really important ideas:
- File police reports for any stalking activities. This will make the restraining order process easier should it become necessary.
- Keep a log of every stalking incident (including date, time, type of communication, and a transcript if possible).
- Keep a log of every conversation you've had with law enforcement and/or communication company representatives (e.g. Internet Service Providers for an online stalker) including date, time, name, and position of the person to whom you've spoken.
- Act to diffuse stalking situations. Take even borderline threats very seriously and respond to them clearly. Tell the aggressor, "Do not contact me again" in a firm and commanding tone. Do not respond to any messages after that. A stalker gets pleasure through their ability to make a victims react with distress. By not responding, you're taking away that victim. They'll likely move on.
- Be protected at all times. You may feel empowered if you take a martial arts class, or just carry a can of pepper spray with you at all times.
- It goes without saying that if you are uncomfortable with it, you should avoid traveling alone.
- Always have a way to communicate in an emergency situation. The easiest way to ensure this is to carry a cell phone.
- Get a cell phone with a digital camera installed, that way you can document stalking with images as proof.
Mail:
- Get a P.O. Box and use it for all services that request your address, including bills.
- Don't use your home address when you subscribe to magazines or get shipments.
- Do not accept packages at home or work unless they were explicitly ordered by you, it will confirm your existence at that address.
- Only give your most trusted friends your true residential address.
- Don't file a "Change of Address" form with the U.S. Postal Service if you should move.
- Make sure your mailbox has a lock on it.
- Enlist in your state's address confidentiality program (this program protects information for victims of stalking and domestic violence). For contact info for your state, please visit: http://www.sos.state.ok.us/acp/confidentiality_programs.htm
Some other ideas:
- Let people know that contact information you give them should be held in confidence. Tell them not to make them available in public places or on any medium that can be stolen easily.
- Avoid using your middle initial or the suffixes of your name if you want to blend into a crowd.
- Whenever you are filling out a profile with any company or government agency, only answer the questions that have an asterisk on them (or whichever symbol tells you it's necessary to fill out) and don't give them any more information than that which they absolutely must have. Ask or find out if the company has a confidentiality option you can choose or opt-out of any selling of your information.
- Use a P.O. Box on your driver's license rather than your home address (consider that it will show up on your DMV records).
- Don't put your name on the directory list of tenants in your apartment, condo, or community's front gate.
- Be extremely protective of your social security number. This is an important piece of the puzzle for almost all of your personal information. When you lose your social security number, it's like losing a key that works on many safes filled with your personal information.
- Don't hesitate to alert the major credit bureaus (Experian, Transunion, and Equifax) with a "Fraud Alert" if you think someone may be trying to steal or look into your identity fraudulently.
How To Stop Prank Callers
Dealing with a prank caller is one of the most frustrating-- and often scariest-- experiences you can go through.
What's interesting is that you never would have thought it'd be such a challenge until you've had to actually deal with a prank caller yourself. Here are some "real world" tips for how you can deal with a prank caller-- and how to STOP them once and for all:
Tip #1: Report the prank caller
First things first. It's not uncommon for break-in's, kidnappings, and even violent crimes to begin with a seemingly "innocent" prank call.
Even if someone just keeps calling you and then hanging up-- that's reason enough to file a complaint, and it only takes a few minutes...
After all, better safe than sorry. Just call your local police and explain the problem. They have standard procedures for dealing with prank callers. (By no means are you the first person in the world who's dealt with this!)
Tip #2: Trace the caller
If you think the caller might just be a silly friend-- or you don't want to involve the police yet-- the next best thing to do is TRACE the caller's phone number to find the owner.
The fastest way to trace a call is by simply using caller ID. Almost every phone these days has caller ID, so this step should be easy... if the phone number isn't listed, or if the call is coming from a cell phone number, you'll need to run a special lookup.
Tip #3: Run a reverse phone lookup
If you have a number but no name/address, it's time to conduct a reverse phone lookup. Your results will tell you WHO is calling, WHERE the number is located from, the PHONE COMPANY the number belongs to, and the ADDRESS of the owner (when available).
Reverse Phone Lookup is your destination for fast, discreet, and instant search results. Utilizing proprietary data sources and state-of-the-art technology, we'll help you find the information you're looking for. Period.
Our phone reports and members area are used by detectives and professional private investigators around the country. And in addition to your search being strictly confidential, your membership fee is backed by our 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee.
Stop prank callers and get started now! Run your reverse phone search.
Trace Phone Calls To Stop A Prank Caller
"Trace phone call" is the command many telephone companies used to receive in response to their customer's efforts to stop annoying and harassing prank calls.
Being able to trace these phone calls is important because you're not going to learn much from your Caller ID service, since most prank callers use an unlisted number-- but by using ReversePhoneLookup.com, you can trace phone calls and stop prank callers dead in their tracks.
There are multiple ways to trace phone calls, but they are not all equal...
Trace Phone Calls Through Your Phone Company
One way to trace phone calls is by using a service provided by the majority of telephone providers. The service, known as Call Trace, is easy to use. When you receive a prank call, you immediately hang up on the caller. After a minute, pick the receiver back up to make sure the line is clear (you'll hear the dial tone again), then press *57.
Most phone providers will give you instructions, but the important thing is the provider will find the number that called you. Generally, to trace phone calls, the service costs around $5 each time you use it, although some providers set a maximum monthly charge.
While convenient, this service has serious disadvantages. For one, you have to receive several prank calls from the same number before action will be taken. Qwest, for example, will not do anything until you've traced the number three times. That means if you're dealing with a halfway intelligent pranker, he or she is just going to keep switching phones.
Another weakness is that the number or name of the caller won't be given to you. Even though the prankster has violated your privacy and the peacefulness of your home, the telephone provider is not allowed to violate their privacy by letting you know who the culprit is. If the calls persist, the provider will turn over the information to the police but never to you.
Sometimes, the phone company will go further and will provide another method to trace phone calls. This method is Time Synchro Tracking. The telephone provider gives you a clock that is synched up with their clocks. Then, when you receive the prank call, you stop the clock and contact the phone company.
With the exact time of the call, they can use their computer to track down who made the call. You'll probably only get them to provide this service if you're having a serious pranking problem - and you're willing to pay for it.
Trace Phone Calls Using ReversePhoneLookup.com
If none of those methods to trace phone calls impresses you, then try the following. Telephone companies offer another service known as Last Call Return. When you get a call, you can hit *69 and you'll get the last number that called your phone. You can then use Reverse Phone Lookup to track down the caller and his or her address.
Another reason that using Reverse-PhoneLookup.com to trace phone calls is that you can find out more about the prank caller-- ReversePhoneLookup.com gives you access to public records, expanded databases, background check resources and more. If the person harassing you is up to no good, you can finally put a stop to it PERMANENTLY.
To run a trace for any phone number and quickly and easily stop an annoying prank caller, just type in the phone number and hit "search now" to run your trace.
Caller ID Spoofing
Caller identity changing allows a caller to input or choose the number that they wish to appear to be calling from. So for example, if someone were doing a good impersonation of the U.S. President and had the phone number for the White House, one could input that phone number into their caller ID spoofing product and appear to be calling from the White House. That is, the prankster's unsuspecting victim will see the identifying number on her telephone caller ID, and it will be the U.S. White House identifier.
Caller ID spoofing originally developed for businesses wishing to appear to be local when in fact they were not. This is because customers tend to be more comfortable with local or regional folks than customer courtesy calls from, for example, Malaysia or India.
What has happened unfortunately is that harassers, stalkers, scammers, and fraudsters use it for their bidding as well. This might be as simple as putting in a fake number to annoy someone without being found out, all the way to being something to aid in illegal activity like identity fraud and theft. For example, a fraudster get their hands on a customer list from a-- say Charles Schwab representative, they can call with mock Schwab identifier, assume the identity of the Schwab representative, and scam even more information out of customers.
The good news is that Congress is currently working on a law that would make it illegal to modify caller ID information with the intent to "defraud or harass another person, or to use another person's caller ID information without consent."
So basically, this law will not take caller ID changing technology off the market, but it will create criminal consequences for people who misuse the technology. The law would not make all "joke" or "prank" calls illegal, only those that include the caller assuming someone else's phone number.
To learn more about the Act that makes masking your caller ID illegal, check out the Preventing Harassment Through Outbound Number Enforcement Act (H.R. 740). Also, there is another bill that is very similar to H.R. 740 called the Truth in Caller ID Act (H.R. 251). Remember these aren't laws yet, they're just bills.
Cell Phone GPS Tracking
There are several ways someone can track you with GPS:
- Your phone
- External GPS Hardware
- GPS software on your laptop or phone
Your phone: Cell phone networks have been designed to identify locations of cellular users since the late 1990's. This was part of a federal mandate to help find citizens in emergency situations and has already saved many lives. At the same time, it introduces a potential tool for invasion of privacy.
The law is called "E911" or Enhanced 911 Wireless Services. To learn more, visit the Federal Communication Commission here.
Realistically, there is little you can do to avoid the Enhanced 911 Wireless Service law. You always have the option of turning off your cell phone or not carrying it with you.
GPS hardware and software: This technology has flooded the market in recent years, creating a much more realistic concern. These GPS trackers (uLocate Trackem, Whereify Wireless) allow a third party to physically install software or a chip on your cell phone and then monitor your geographic location from any PC with complimentary software.
More specifically, some programs will not only allow for mapping of location, but will create a real time map or a summary of your movement including stop duration, etc…
The GPS Tracker feature is becoming increasingly common in the market, as a safety feature for individuals wishing to know the whereabouts of their children, partner, or family members. Similar to "E911", as a safety feature or as a tool of convenience GPS technology is truly useful. However, it introduces a real tool for the invasion of privacy.
A Word on Privacy and Employers:
In a recent American Management Association (AMA) study, employers have been slow to adopt emerging monitoring/surveillance technologies to help track employee productivity and movement. Employers who use Assisted Global Positioning or Global Positioning Systems satellite technology are in the minority, with only 5% using GPS to monitor cell phones; 8% using GPS to track company vehicles; and 8% using GPS to monitor employee ID/Smartcards.
So if you have a company-issued telephone, it is possible there is GPS tracker software pre-installed. They could be monitoring your locations during and after work. Your consent would be implicit in your working for them and accepting a company issued phone. Yikes!
You can minimize the threat of someone using GPS to track you by:
- Monitoring any new or unknown software on your phone or laptop. If there's something new or unknown, research it. Although some spyware will not show up as a program on the phone, some will.
- Monitoring any new or unknown hardware on your phone or laptop. If it's a physical GPS tracker, check under the battery cover or in the "nooks and crannies" of the phone.
- Check with your phone service provider if your account is set up with a tracker/monitor feature. Perhaps a spouse who has access to the account (or manages the finances) set it up, or a third party impersonated you to add the feature to the account.
- If you think someone is interested in tracking you, be smart and don't physically leave your phone for too long. Many of these programs need arm's reach installation to get onto your phone.
- If you think a loved one or friend is interested in tracking you: try talking to them about whatever issues revolve around them possibly wishing to track you! ("Good communication" often equals "peace of mind".)
- In regards to a work phone, leave the phone at home when you're not "on-call".
- Turn your phone off. (Warning, this will not work for GPS hardware, only software!)
Phone Records
"Phone records" contain call logs (also known as "call records") and text logs (also known as "text records"). Cell phone records contain essentially the same information as landline phone records.
A call log typically includes:
- Date
- Time
- Recipient phone number
- Recipient geographic location
- Duration of call
A text log includes:
- Date
- Time
- Recipient phone number
Reverse Phone Lookup does not condone and is in no way affiliated with the sale of or misadvertising of selling phone records.
Many sites claim they can provide phone records, but that's just not the case. In addition, the sale of phone records to third parties is ILLEGAL.
Who has my phone records?
- Your phone company and affiliates: your service provider and their billing partners
- You
Your phone company and affiliates:
Of course they have your phone and text records. The real issue here is: who are they sharing them with, right? Well, if it's an affiliate company-- say the paper printing company they outsourced your bill printing to-- then that affiliate will have your information. That's just part of life. Good news: that affiliate has to put the same protection standards on your information that the parent company does.
Generally speaking though, phone records are considered Consumer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI). This is essentially their "top shelf" data with the most safeguards. It is a highly regulated area of the industry.
Don't expect CPNI information to be sold by your phone company with identifying information about you. That is, they may "sanitize" the data and remove any personally identifying information to sell it to a third party (for example, a marketing analysis firm).
The good news here is, again, this is highly regulated by law-- the phone company must always allow for the consumer to "opt-out" of this type of information transfer. Now this "opt-out" may be in the fine print of a user agreement: as simple as a box you check (or don't check), a verbal "yes" or "no" response to an approval announcement.
So keep an eye out, if you tell your phone company or anyone that they cannot sell your information then they absolutely cannot (unless it's directory/public information).
Historically, your phone company must submit all of your call and text records if subpoenaed by a government agency. Your phone company's cooperation is a must or else they get stiff fines and charges brought against them.
This brings us to our next category...
Who can get my phone records?
- Government agencies: federal agencies like the Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI) and the National Security Agency (NSA), as well as local-level agencies like the police department.
- Third party persons: anyone who accidentally or knowingly seeks your phone and text records. This includes family, friends, employers, and prospective thieves. This is illegal.
Government agencies:
Historically, if you are involved in a lawsuit or if some lawsuit involves your phone and text records... then they will be handed over to the appropriate court. If you are part of an investigation, then a law agency can obtain your records.
Here's what many consumers find disturbing: The FBI and NSA can subpoena the phone company for phone records without a prior warrant or any obvious reason as a result of the 2001 Patriot Act. The pretense here is to "aid in the halting of terrorism."
The reason the Patriot Act raises many eyebrows is because it makes it illegal for any phone company that has delivered records to a government security agency to make it publicly known or even discuss it. That is a red flag for the potential abuse of civil liberties to many people.
Summary:
You, government security agencies, and your phone company have lawful access to your phone and text records. Third party persons cannot obtain them legally but may do so with available tools in the marketplace and old-fashioned stealing.
Pretexting
What exactly is pretexting?
Pretexting is the act of falsifying identity or lying to persuade a target to release information or perform an action. Pretexting is most commonly done over the telephone.
Pretexting is more than a simple lie as it often involves prior research and set up, using pieces of known information (e.g. date of birth, last bill amount) to establish legitimacy in the mind of the target (e.g. a credit card company representative).
The pretext is usually an invented scenario constructed by the assailant. The assailant may call the actual owner of the information saying they are the representative from the credit card company confirming some identifying or personal information.
For example, the "representative" may be confirming a knowingly false change in address, when the customer corrects them by giving them their correct address. Then, the "rep" asks the customer to confirm their identity by revealing the last four digits of their social security number, date of birth, and/or mother's maiden name.
The complimentary part of this pretext is then for the assailant to call the credit card company claiming to be the customer. With this personal information, they may access or enable other account features and even get another credit card issued.
Pretexting is a type of social engineering. Social engineering is any collection of techniques used to manipulate people into performing actions or divulging confidential information. Phishing is another type of social engineering. The term typically applies to trickery for information gathering or computer system access. In most cases the perpetrator never comes face-to-face with the victim.
Third parties-- whether your family members, friends, or prospective thieves-- aren't supposed to have access to your personal information. The only real exception to access of your personal devices is an employer who issued you a company phone or any device; they have the right to ensure you are not abusing company resources.
Reverse Phone Lookup does NOT condone pretexting for personal information, telephone numbers, and/or phone records in any way. Our records in no way, shape, or form come from pretexting. Companies and persons that use pretexting should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Know the law:
Under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (or Financial Services Modernization Act), it is illegal for anyone to:
-
Use fictitious, false, or fraudulent statements or documents to get customer information from a financial institution or directly from a customer of a financial institution.
-
Use forged, counterfeit, lost, or stolen documents to get customer information from a financial institution or directly from a customer of a financial institution.
-
Ask another person to get someone else's customer information using false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or using false, fictitious or fraudulent documents or forged, counterfeit, lost, or stolen documents.
Scandal alert!
In a recent public relations nightmare, Hewlett-Packard's Chairwoman Patricia Dunn, Ethics Officer Kevin Hunsaker, and several private investigators were implicated and accused of using pretexting to get private phone records of board members, journalists, and HP employees in an attempt to identify who was leaking restricted company information to the media.
Hired private investigators also put spyware on at least one reporter's computer. Charges have been dropped, but not before the State of California reached a $14.5 million dollar settlement with HP to fund investigations into pretexting and similar types of privacy rights investigations.
(You can read more about this story here.)
Private investigation companies:
Until recently, many private investigation companies were supplying call and text records on virtually anyone!
For less than a hundred dollars, these companies would use pretexting and other illegal tactics to gain these records. Tactics included calling the phone companies impersonating the actual phone customer and requesting physical phone records (under the pretext they had changed addresses).
The issue gained national attention when a Washington D.C. blogger bought former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, former presidential candidate General Welsey Clark's phone records from www.celltolls.com for $89.95 USD. The only information required was "General Clark's cell phone number and our credit card."
In 2005, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) counted 40 companies that were illegally selling phone records.
Some companies are even still advertising call and text records online even though it is illegal! They are breaking the law by doing it. For more information, check out the Federal Trade Commission's page on pretexting.
Reverse Phone Lookup in no way permits, endorses, or supports pretexting or the sale of phone records. Our services are designed to help you find directory information only (name, address, carrier, line type) about cell phones and unlisted numbers. Click here to run an instant reverse phone lookup.
Telemarketing And Cell Phones
While the idea of having our cell phone numbers bombarded with telemarketing calls is horrific, the good news is that it isn't true. Cell phone numbers are not only published publicly the way landline phones are, but telemarketing to cell phones is also illegal.
Several phone companies been discussing the idea of creating a 411 database for cell phone numbers. Such a database already exists for other telephone numbers, which makes it easy for people you want to talk to to get your number. The assumption was that with such a database for cell phone numbers, telemarketers would also be able to quickly access the information.
Even if such a database is ever created (and at this time, companies say the concept is only an idea being considered), telemarketers could not legally make unsolicited calls to cell phone numbers. Most telemarketers use either automatic telephone dialing systems and/or pre-recorded voice messages.
However, it is illegal to use either of these methods to contact cell phone numbers, pager numbers, etc.
You don't have to be on the Do Not Call list to receive legal protection for your cell phone numbers. However, it's still a good idea to be careful about passing out your cell phone numbers. When you're signing up anything through the Internet, you should avoid entering your cell phone number if at all possible. In most cases, this information is optional - and you want as little of your personal contact information floating around the Internet as possible.
While you don't have to add your cell phone numbers to the Do Not Call list, adding your land line phones to the service is a good idea, especially if you're frequently harassed by telemarketers. Keep in mind that you have to be registered on the list for 31 days before you can make complaints about any unsolicited phone calls you have received.
Additionally, you need to remember that any company that you've done business with in the last 18 months is allowed to call you, as are non-profit organizations and telephone surveyors.
The down side of the protection that cell phone numbers have by not being publicly available is that it can make it more difficult for us to track down people who call us, particularly people who use their cell phone numbers to harass us. You can find these individuals using their cell phone numbers by using Reverse Phone Lookup.
Run a reverse cell phone lookup now. |
