Janelle Elizabeth asked:
You have probably heard of reverse phone directories if you have research the options for finding information about a caller. Not just caller ID – I’m talking about way more information about the person who actually owns the number.
Now where did that data come from, and why is it that some services charge for the information? A few different things are involved in answering those questions. First of all, land line listings are part of the public domain and are considered to be pieces of information free for anybody to access. These listings are just like a phone book, only they allow you to access name and address by looking up the phone number instead of the other way around.
Cell phone listings, however, are different. Cell phone listings are considered to be the property of the companies who provide the cell phone service. However this doesn’t mean that the data in such listings is private. Instead, cell phone companies can choose to sell the information to other businesses who then charge customers to access these purchased databases.
Why Pay For This Service?
So what do you get for your money if you subscribe to one of these services?
Well, for starters you’ll get a lot more information about the owner of the phone number than a free service will provide. There are actually many reverse phone directory services that claim to provide free services online. The information that you receive from these free searches is suspect at best.
I entered my own phone number into one of these free searches and the results that I got back did locate my number in the correct state, but listed the town listed is a town about 25 miles away.
If you need to look up a phone number that has an area code and exchange that you recognize as either the town you live in or a town nearby, then you already know more than these free searches can provide for you. If all you need is the name and address of a land line number, go to the website of your local phone book and you’ll get all you need at no charge. But, if you want to get information about a cell phone number, then be prepared to pay.
OVER 200 MILLION PUBLIC RECORDS & GROWING!
XXX You have probably heard of reverse phone directories if you have research the options for finding information about a caller. Not just caller ID – I’m talking about way more information about the person who actually owns the number.
Now where did that data come from, and why is it that some services charge for the information? A few different things are involved in answering those questions. First of all, land line listings are part of the public domain and are considered to be pieces of information free for anybody to access. These listings are just like a phone book, only they allow you to access name and address by looking up the phone number instead of the other way around.
Cell phone listings, however, are different. Cell phone listings are considered to be the property of the companies who provide the cell phone service. However this doesn’t mean that the data in such listings is private. Instead, cell phone companies can choose to sell the information to other businesses who then charge customers to access these purchased databases.
Why Pay For This Service?
So what do you get for your money if you subscribe to one of these services?
Well, for starters you’ll get a lot more information about the owner of the phone number than a free service will provide. There are actually many reverse phone directory services that claim to provide free services online. The information that you receive from these free searches is suspect at best.
I entered my own phone number into one of these free searches and the results that I got back did locate my number in the correct state, but listed the town listed is a town about 25 miles away.
If you need to look up a phone number that has an area code and exchange that you recognize as either the town you live in or a town nearby, then you already know more than these free searches can provide for you. If all you need is the name and address of a land line number, go to the website of your local phone book and you’ll get all you need at no charge. But, if you want to get information about a cell phone number, then be prepared to pay.
OVER 200 MILLION PUBLIC RECORDS & GROWING!
Tags: Different Things, Finding Information, Phone Book, Phone Number, Public Domain