Whether it’s phone calls from scammers you’re trying to avoid or a potential stalker using different phone numbers, doing a reverse number lookup could help protect you. It could give you detailed information about your unwanted caller. The problem is there are so many sites out there claiming they could trace the number only for you to end up with inaccurate information. The only way is to use the best reverse lookup services to keep you safe and secure.
In this guide, we’ve listed the best ones that actually work!
Inside This Article:
- What Is a Reverse Phone Number Lookup Service?
- 12 Best Reverse Phone Lookup Services That Actually Work
- How Does Reverse Number Lookup Work?
- What Kind of Information Can You Get From It?
- Why Do a Reverse Phone Lookup?
- What Not to Do With Reverse Phone Lookup Information
- Final Word on the Best Reverse Phone Lookup Services
What Is a Reverse Phone Number Lookup Service?
A reverse number lookup is a service that searches public and some private records to trace the owner of a phone number. It is used to identify the name and address of the owner. But the best reverse phone lookup services could give you more than that. That includes potential email addresses, social media handles, and sometimes, even information about family members. Some of them allow you to do a search for free, but you may have to pay to get more details.
Doing a reverse lookup can be an excellent security measure but it could also help you reconnect with family or old friends. You will find more about its other useful features in the latter part of this guide.
12 Best Reverse Phone Lookup Services That Actually Work
This list is focused on web-based services, meaning you have to use a computer or a laptop browser to do your search. While some of them may have mobile applications, it is highly recommended that you do your search using a computer so that you can download the files and save them.
1. Spokeo
Spokeo is an excellent reverse number lookup platform that offers tools that allow you to confidentially search for information about people. You can do your search in a number of ways. If you don’t have the person’s phone number, you can do a search by entering a name, an email, or a home or business address. They refer to their service as a “people intelligence service.”
The company has more than 12 billion records, which they pull from several data sources. It will provide you with an easy-to-understand report containing very useful details which may include photos and more.
2. BeenVerified
This site is one of the best and most popular reverse phone lookup services. Their tools include email lookup as well as address, vehicle, and username search. BeenVerified gives you access to billions of records and all you have to do is enter one piece of information. You can reconnect with loved ones or if you are a business professional, you can use the data to generate leads.
If you’re in the market for a used car, you use the vehicle lookup tool. This will allow you to see if there’s been any significant damage to the car so you can make an informed decision.
3. SpyDialer
SpyDialer gives you four options to look up a person’s information. You can search by entering an email, a phone number, address, or a person’s name. There is one caveat to using this tool. It will actually dial the number you entered and it will send a ring.
If the owner tries to call back the number, they will hear a recording that it was a spy dial. So there’s a good chance the person would suspect someone’s looking into them. However, you can get a good amount of information from it such as the person’s outgoing voicemail message and photos if available.
4. ZoSearch
This site is one of the few that returns extensive details from a reverse phone number lookup. It has a People Search feature where you can enter the person’s name, city, and state to narrow down your search. It also gives you access to the White Pages directory. You can do an address lookup and a reverse email lookup. With one successful search, you will get the owner’s name, current address and history, associated phone numbers, emails, and possible relatives. You may also get information on possible social media profiles.
5. AnyWho
Although it doesn’t have other search options like reverse email lookup, AnyWho is still very reliable in terms of reverse number lookup. All you have to do is enter a phone number and the site will search its database to identify who the number is registered to. It mainly uses the White Pages records. If it finds a match, you will be able to get the owner’s name and mailing address.
The site also has a People Search tool where you can narrow your search down by entering a city and state.
6. TrueCaller
TrueCaller is one of the best reverse phone lookup sites in terms of the variety of features. It does not only provide information, but it also offers an app that lets you block spam calls. Some users may be discouraged from using it because it asks them to sign in using a Google or a Microsoft account. Their premium service lets you record calls as long as it is legal in your state.
7. TruthFinder
This site lets you identify the owner of a phone number simply by entering it on its search tool. It will also tell you if it’s from a possible spam caller. You also have the option to upgrade your service to get a full background report on the phone’s owner. The great thing about this site is they offer other services like a dark web scan. This feature is more for self-protection. You can enter your email address to see if any of your information like your passwords ended up on the dark web.
8. Instant Checkmate
Instant Checkmate is one of the best and most reliable reverse phone lookup services. You can enter any phone number and do a quick search to see if there are any matches to your search before you pay for more information. If you opt to receive a full report, you will get information like the owner’s social media profiles, criminal records if any, and their address history. Your search is strictly confidential.
To access the full report, you must sign up for a subscription but you can do a trial which includes unlimited searches.
9. SpyTox
If you want an easy and free reverse number lookup service, you can give SpyTox a try. It searches the deep web to find information on the number’s owner. The details you will get are not as extensive as the others above but it will give you the basics. It also lets you do a search using the person’s email address or full name.
10. ZLookUp
ZLookUp works a lot like SpyTox and it is also free. One unique feature of this site is it also lets you call the number anonymously using their platform. This way, you don’t have to reveal your own phone number to hear the person on the other line or see if it is indeed owned by a person and not a bot. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer a background report but the service is completely free for basic reverse searches.
11. People Finders
The site offers reverse searches not only for phone numbers but also for emails, names, and addresses. You can search from any device including mobile devices and get deep reports including the owner’s background information and history. Know the owner’s mobile phone carrier and other details about their properties like houses, vehicles, etc. You will also get any aliases or other names that the person is using or have used before.
12. White Pages
White Pages also offers a reverse phone lookup service, which will give you the owner’s name, age, city, and state. You may also opt to get a full background report, which includes current and previous addresses, relatives and associates, criminal and traffic records, and so much more. To access this, you must have a premium White Pages subscription, which gives you access to unlimited detailed searches.
How Does Reverse Number Lookup Work?
So how do you do a reverse phone lookup and how does it work? First, it searches public records that may indicate who the number is registered to. This includes records from phone carriers like Verizon, AT&T, etc., as well as directories like White Pages. Some more advanced services have their own data sources and may even access the deep web to provide you with more information about the owner. But you don’t always get everything you need no matter how detailed the reports are.
You have more chances of getting extensive information if you do a reverse lookup of a landline number than of a mobile number. You may even get details about associated businesses with that number.
What Kind of Information Can You Get From It?
Depending on the service and the additional features you pay for, you can get tons of information using a reverse number lookup. Much of the information is obtained from public records, various service providers, and social media. You may even be able to gather more personal details such as family, co-workers, and others from premium services.
We’ve listed down some of the information you can usually find through reverse number lookup services.
- Physical address history (current and past addresses)
- Education history (schools attended)
- Other listed phone numbers, including family members
- Social media profiles
- Family members
- Workplace and possible colleagues
- Birth month and year
- Other listed properties (real estate, cars, boats, etc.)
- Neighbors
- Sex offenders in the location of the phone number
Why Do a Reverse Phone Lookup?
You may be wondering if doing a reverse number lookup is ethical and legal. The service is in itself, legal. You will not be breaking any laws by doing a reverse phone search even if you opt to get a full background report. The question of ethics comes in when you decide how to handle the new information that you will gain. Here are the good things you can do with it.
For Security and Anti-Stalking
Maybe someone’s been consistently calling you and you don’t want to communicate with them anymore. You can block their number but they can easily call you from another phone. You can use a reverse phone lookup service to identify other numbers that they are using and block those numbers as well. Of course, that doesn’t guarantee that they won’t keep trying but at least, you will have blocked the numbers that they most commonly use.
It is also an excellent tool for anti-stalking. If you can get your stalker’s other information before they can contact you using another platform, you’re one step ahead. Block their email address before they can email you. And if it gets to it, you will have their home address to report to the authorities if the situation escalates.
To Protect Kids From Possible Offenders
Your kids will be making new friends as they interact with more people. It’s always a good idea to get the phone numbers of the adults that they interact with and do a background check to make sure they are safe.
To Avoid Scammers
Some of the best phone lookup services will tell you straight up that the number you entered is a known scammer or spam caller. If you missed a couple of calls from an unknown number and don’t want to call back for security reasons, you can do a reverse lookup first to make sure. It will save you a lot of time and trouble along the way.
To Find Family and Old Friends
It could also be that you are actively looking for people to reconnect with. You may have an old number and no other information about them. If the old number has been registered to them for some time, it may still pull up important information including active numbers that they are using.
To Verify Legitimate Companies
Maybe you got a referral from a friend for this doctor or a company. You go online and can’t find any legitimate reviews about them. You can do a reverse search with their information first and verify their identity before going to their office.
What Not to Do With Reverse Phone Lookup Information
As mentioned, the question of ethics comes in when you decide what to do with the information you will get from the reports. The previous section lists very good reasons why you should use the service. Below are the things that you absolutely mustn’t do, no matter how tempting. They’re not only unethical, they could also get you into a lot of trouble.
Stalking People
Imagine if someone does the same with your information. You give someone your phone number and the next thing you know, you’re getting messages across all your social media accounts, emails, etc. This is enough reason for someone to report you to the authorities. It does not matter if you obtained their information legally—stalking is illegal. You may also be banned from using services like this in the future.
Consumer Verification
The best reverse phone lookup services will always ask you to e-sign an agreement that you will not use the owner’s information for consumer verification. This means you cannot decline a loan application or other service applications based on the information you gathered from the site. This is based on Fair Lending laws and Equal Credit Opportunity Act in the country.
Solicitation
Most of all, do not use a person’s phone number to obtain their address in order to visit their home and solicit money or anything else. It is unethical and illegal, and it most likely will not be a successful attempt.
Final Word on the Best Reverse Phone Lookup Services
Now you know how powerful a reverse number lookup service works. It can provide you with more than just a person’s name and address and can protect you and your family from possible security threats. Just keep in mind that not all reverse lookup sites out there provide accurate results and our list contains the ones that really work. So, try looking up a number and protect yourself and your family today!
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