In order to find out who a phone number belongs to, you should use a reverse phone number lookup. First of all, what is a Reverse Phone Number Lookup? Well, basically it's a website-based system where you type in a phone number, and it tells you the name and address of the person who the phone number belongs to. Simple as that. There are quite a few on the internet if you search for them, but like anything, some are better than others, and you usually get what you pay for. My Reverse Phone Lookup Review site (see link below) should help you decide which one is best for you - and the three I've reviewed are all good ones.

Why would I want to know who a phone number belongs to?

There are any number of reasons, but there are two main reasons why. Either you're receiving nuisance calls, and want to find out who's responsible; or you suspect that your partner is being unfaithful, and you want to check out some of the numbers on their cell phone, and maybe get enough evidence to challenge them. Both of these situations can be very stressful, and the longer they go on unresolved, the more stress they will cause you. You need to get them resolved quickly and get on with your life.

Why should I use a Reverse Phone Number Lookup?

There are a few alternatives to using a proper reverse phone search. You could simply try Googling the phone number. There's an outside chance that it may have been published on the internet, especially if the caller is trying to avoid detection by calling from a business address. It's a long shot though. I researched this once, and tried about two hundred numbers of various people and organisations. Only three came up, and only one had any useful information on page there I found it. So give it a go, but don't get your hopes up!

Another thing to try is get someone else to call the number, to try to find out who it is. Depending on how good an actor your friend is, this might work, but if the person at the other end won't play ball, there's not much you can do.

How do I choose the best Reverse Phone Number Lookup service?

First of all, please don't be tempted by a free search. It's free for a reason - usually because the data is incomplete, or even worse, inaccurate. Imagine what might happen if you searched for a number, and got the wrong name and address. This could result in embarrassment at best, or in extreme cases could damage your relationship for no reason, or get you into legal trouble.

You really need to use a paid service. They usually cost less than $10, although you may pay more for multiple searches. Make sure the one you use covers the area you want to search, and check that it has cell phone numbers included too.