Free Reverse Search Phone Numbers – are Reverse Phone Websites Legitimate?
August 3rd, 2009
Ricky Lim asked:
As opposed to a normal telephone directory, which is referred to as the yellow pages, there is also something called “gray pages”, or reverse telephone directory. These telephone directories are markedly different from yellow pages in the sense that instead of allowing a person to look for phone numbers by looking at names, it features phone number listings that are used to look for people’s names.
There are two kinds of gray pages, which can be differentiated by the kind of phone numbers that they contain. The first kind only contains publicly accessible numbers while the second includes private services that are normally unlisted. The first type is usually accessible through telecommunications carriers in some countries while the second, restricted kind are reserved only for law enforcement agencies and providers of emergency services.
These past few years, a lot of websites have popped up offering the second kind of gray pages, and offering free reverse phone numbers to the general public. However, the term “free” is used very loosely, as they usually require a nominal fee and some of these offers are scams that seek to prey on people who try to dabble in legally dubious undertakings.
There are also listings of free reverse phone numbers that are made by phone phreakers who are looking for something to do with their skills. These phreakers usually just gather the numbers and info from publicly accessible directories and just code a search function into the database, so there is no harm in what they are doing, and usually within the bounds of law.
Although there are many free reverse phone number scams online, there are a few genuine and legitimate reverse phone number sites that provides detailed information on the person behind that phone or cell phone number.
I find paid reverse phone number directories to be better because they have a larger database and their records are kept more up to date compared to free reverse phone sites. Although you need to pay a fee, the cost is affordable and the results are more accurate.
As opposed to a normal telephone directory, which is referred to as the yellow pages, there is also something called “gray pages”, or reverse telephone directory. These telephone directories are markedly different from yellow pages in the sense that instead of allowing a person to look for phone numbers by looking at names, it features phone number listings that are used to look for people’s names.
There are two kinds of gray pages, which can be differentiated by the kind of phone numbers that they contain. The first kind only contains publicly accessible numbers while the second includes private services that are normally unlisted. The first type is usually accessible through telecommunications carriers in some countries while the second, restricted kind are reserved only for law enforcement agencies and providers of emergency services.
These past few years, a lot of websites have popped up offering the second kind of gray pages, and offering free reverse phone numbers to the general public. However, the term “free” is used very loosely, as they usually require a nominal fee and some of these offers are scams that seek to prey on people who try to dabble in legally dubious undertakings.
There are also listings of free reverse phone numbers that are made by phone phreakers who are looking for something to do with their skills. These phreakers usually just gather the numbers and info from publicly accessible directories and just code a search function into the database, so there is no harm in what they are doing, and usually within the bounds of law.
Although there are many free reverse phone number scams online, there are a few genuine and legitimate reverse phone number sites that provides detailed information on the person behind that phone or cell phone number.
I find paid reverse phone number directories to be better because they have a larger database and their records are kept more up to date compared to free reverse phone sites. Although you need to pay a fee, the cost is affordable and the results are more accurate.