Be Aware of Reverse Phone Number Look Up Services

If you are the type who enjoys making prank calls, or thinking that the phone provides you with a shadow of anonymity, you need to think again. Not only can your information be found by the phone company or police, now the average person has access to powerful reverse phone number look up services which can quickly reveal exactly who and where you are. Even if you think what you are doing is a lark or a joke, you should know that not everyone will share your laughter.

In the past, knowing who was calling before you picked up the phone was impossible. Later, the *69 system was introduced, allowing those who missed calls or received harassing phone calls to find out the number that had most recently called. Of course, shortly afterwards, the capability to block caller ID and *69 was introduced. The victims of your jokes and pranks are no longer without effective weapons, however. There are a large number of reverse phone number look up services available online that anyone can access. By inputting a phone number, those called will be able to find out a vast amount of information about the owner of the phone number. That includes you.

Also keep in mind, while these services and directories used to provide limited information with large gaps in what was available, times have changed. Not only can someone trace your land line, but cell phone numbers are now included in many of the more comprehensive and quality reverse number directories. While prank phone calls and childish games may seem funny to you, many people take them much more seriously. With the new tools available to everyone, you should think twice before picking up the phone to ruin someone's day. A reverse phone number look up service can quickly reveal your games and bring down serious consequences.

Use a Reverse Phone Search to Report Telemarketers

A few years ago, everyone in the United States was given the option of adding their home and cell phone numbers to the National Do Not Call List. If you have opted to place your phone number on the list, telemarketers are forbidden from calling you, by law. While there are some exceptions to the rule, you should have experienced a precipitous drop in the number of unsolicited sales calls you receive. However, these telesales companies are becoming more and more crafty every day, and a reverse phone search can help you report these offenders saving yourself the annoyance and hassle of unwanted calls.

Even with the existence of the Do Not Call List, there are unscrupulous companies who will call you anyway; or, those who will claim they are an exception to the rule. Some companies will call under multiple different names, several times per day, until you are driven to the point of turning the ringer off your phone completely. It does not have to be this way.

There are legal consequences for ignoring the Do Not Call List, and one of many widely available reverse phone search directories will give you the information you need to find out the true owner of every phone number that calls your home. This can be especially revealing in the case of companies trying to circumvent the laws by operating under multiple names and approaches.

Using a reverse phone search, gather the reliable and accurate information provided on the owners of the numbers. From here, you can file a complaint with the FTC. Do not rely on the message on your voicemail to be correct and honest about the nature of the call or the company calling. Only a reverse phone search will reveal the truth, and that is the information the FTC will need to follow up on your information and dole out consequences, which can include fines up into the millions of dollars.