What It Is

• Reverse phone number lookup is a service provided by agencies that supply information about an individual or company based on a phone number. Reverse phone number look up is like using a phone book backward. You supply the phone number, and the agency will find the name, address and other details about the phone's owner.
  
  

How It Works

• Agencies that provide reverse phone number services utilize a combination of public records and proprietary resources. Utility records, cell phone carriers and proprietary databases are all sources from which search agencies can legally gather information about a given phone number. Keep in mind that the information retrieved will be about the person whose name is on the service contract for the phone number you are researching.
  
  

Free Services

• There are free reverse phone lookup services available. I found one by entering my personal cell phone number into my favorite search engine and was surprised by the results I got. The free service identified my cell phone carrier, the city, county and state in which I live, and whether there have been any harassment complaints filed against my number. But, that is as specific as the information got. The free service did not provide my name or address. That information is reserved for paid searches.
  
  

Paid Services

• The service that provided the free research on my cell phone offered specific information about me and statistical information about the area in which I live for a small fee. I was given the option of signing up for a monthly membership at an introductory rate, or requesting a one-time search at a higher cost. In exchange, this company would provide my name, address and average income and property values in my neighborhood. They also offered to identify other members of my household, other phone numbers in my name and the names of my neighbors. For an extra fee, they would even run a criminal background check on me and tell you if I had ever filed for bankruptcy.
  
  

Business Phones

• I also ran a search on a phone that I knew belonged to a local company. The information I received for the company phone was similar to what I got for my personal cell phone. The report gave me the mobile carrier, city and state of the phone's owner. Because the reverse lookups only provide information for the registered owner of the phone, a paid search would provide the name and address of the company that owns the number, but not the individual to whom the phone is assigned.