Using Reverse Lookup for Telephone Numbers

Reverse Lookup Has Modernized - Image by Robert Linder

Back in the good old days, if someone called you via telephone, you got their voice and no other information. Then came "Caller ID," a feature on phone systems that allowed recipients of phone calls to know the telephone number, and often the name, of the person or business making the call. In today's 21st century rush of technology, though, what can you do if you didn't have caller ID? Reverse lookup is the answer.

Benefits of Caller ID

From corded landlines to fancy smart phones, Caller ID changed how we communicate via telephone. From avoiding an annoying relative to evading aggressive bill collection agencies, Caller ID affects everything from dating to family relationships to personal finance. But even this low-tech feature has its limits in a high-tech world.

Some businesses, especially robocalling telemarketing firms and those previously-mentioned collection agencies,tweak identification programs to their advantage, leaving call recipients with information that points to generic business names designed to be as non-identifying as possible.

In other cases, these businesses change phone numbers frequently, or use no-reply phone numbers; they can call you, but you can't call back. In other cases, companies and individuals use "spoofing" techniques to display deliberately misleading identification information.

Frustrations With Phone Technology

If you're trying to get on a "Do Not Call" list but can't let the business or person know that you want to be added to their Do Not Call registry, when businesses take Caller ID measures designed to evade, what can a consumer do?

And how can you outsmart them?

White Pages Reverse Lookup

In the old days, reverse lookup directories were the tool of choice, but consumers didn't have access to them. Thick tomes like telephone books, these directories were ordered by telephone number, so a quick look at the ten-digit number that called you would tell you the person, or business, associated with the number.

Government entities such as police stations, fire departments, and ambulance squads used these books the most, but now you have a powerful system at your fingertips: the Internet.

Using systems like a white page reverse lookup site, or even a simple search-engine search, can give you an answer in seconds, saving frustration and time. Once you know who or what owns a telephone number that has been calling you, you can take appropriate action. Even in our cutting-edge environment, where tech is king, simple tools can make the most robust problems, like reverse lookup, easy to solve.

References:

Caller ID and Spoofing. FCC.gov. Accessed January 9, 2012.

White Pages People Finder. AnyWho.com. Accessed January 9, 2012.

Melanie Zoltan - Melanie Zoltan is a former college professor and administrator who has written for About.com, PCWorld, Brain Child, Thomson Gale, and ...

• Consumer Education
• Online Shopping
• Consumer Protection and Rights
• Product Recalls
• More

• Consumer Responsibility