Just How Accurate are Reverse Phone Directories Anyway?

There are dozens of different reverse phone directories on the web which make it easy to find out who is calling you. But, if you use a few of these phone number lookup services, you will find out that the results vary drastically. Some will give you extensive, accurate results about the owners of the phone number (past and present) as well as links to their social media pages, a job history, and even a criminal background check! But other phone lookup services can�t even accurately tell you whose number it is. Why is there such a disparity between these phone number lookup services - and how can you pick one which really gets results?

Reverse Phone Directories Use Separate Databases
A basic, free reverse phone directory (such as the ones Google and Yahoo have) rely on information from the phone companies and which is listed in the White and Yellow Pages. Google used to have a feature called �Phonebook� where you could type in a landline phone number. With just the click of a mouse, it would tell you whose number it was and also bring up a map to the address! This service created mayhem amongst internet users who were worried about their privacy. Most of them didn�t realize that reverse phone directories � and maps � have been publicly available in libraries for decades!

Google hid their Phonebook feature but there are plenty of other reverse phone directories online. Most of these are limited to just landlines because they only use information found in the White and Yellow Pages. That means cell phones won�t be included in the results.

Over the past 5 years, many intensive reverse cell phone directories have been springing up to fill in the gap left by landline reverse phone directories. These cell phone lookup services must build up their own databases and they go to great lengths to do so. They buy lists from marketing companies, credit bureaus, pollsters, and even comb through public records to get more accurate information. A lot of these reverse cell phone lookup services also compile information about work history, criminal backgrounds, and other people search tools.

Some Databases are Better than Others
Since the companies which offer reverse cell phone and people search lookups must buy their information, you can bet they will charge you for accessing their databases. The more extensive the information, the more they can charge you.

Do note that price isn�t the only thing you should look at to pick an accurate reverse cell phone directory. Look for ones which have a free trial period. Also, find the cell lookup services which offer a guarantee for results and make you pay monthly (as opposed to annually). These companies know that their cell lookup services are accurate and are confident that you will pay for the information you receive.