Like the caller ID and the star 69 service, reverse phone number searches have gained popularity as a means to get information to the name or address of the phone or cell number that you have. You may have gotten the number from your caller ID or you may have seen it on your spouse's or child's cell phone, for whatever reason, you are now able to find the information you need through the internet. Unfortunately, even though cell numbers are increasingly becoming the primary phone for many people, they are not publicly listed therefore often are not contained in reverse phone directories.

The good news is there is a solution. It's very simple actually, with the number you have, you can find out the information you need in a matter of hours. Here's how to search by cell phone numbers and unlisted phone numbers on the world wide web.

Firstly, you need to find a reputable reverse phone search website. You can do this by doing a search with your favorite search engine. Check out their rates, guarantees and turn over time. Some sites may claim to provide free services but it is highly likely to be a scam. You will most likely either pay for the guaranteed results of the owner of a number or to join a service where you get unlimited searches for a monthly or annual membership fee. The prices usually run about $15 per search or $39.95 for an annual membership depending on which option you choose.

After choosing a site and your preferred method of search, you then will need to provide the cell phone numbers or unlisted phone numbers that you have and want to do a reverse search on, then you pay for their services. And that's it. All you need to do is to just wait for the results. This is usually emailed to you or you can have it sent through fax, depending on which you prefer.

If these types of sites do not work for you, another option is to contact a local or national private investigative service. This will cost you more, but should be able to guarantee you results in a rather short turn around time. A private investigation service will usually charge around $80 for a guaranteed hit on an unlisted or cellular number. This can really provide peace of mind if you need to know who is calling you for security reasons.