If you're getting prank calls or if you find a number on you caller identification that you don't recognize, you probably want to find out who is behind that number. As long as you have the area code and the seven digit number, you should be able to locate any number's owner, if you know where to look.

Searching For That Number

Your first stop should be a free reverse phone number directory. Plenty of them are available on the Internet. At the site, you'll enter the entire number including the area code and hit Search. If the number is a published land line, you should get the information you want, including the name of the owner and the entire address of the owner.

If you're lucky enough to get results, then your search can stop there. In most cases, you'll need to try a slightly different approach.

Usually, the reason you'll run into problems is that the number belongs to a cell phone. Because there is no central database of cell phone numbers, free reverse phone directories cannot return information on those numbers. You also won't be able to get information on landline numbers that are unlisted or non-published. Don't bother trying multiple reverse phone directories in order to find the owner of a phone number, either. Most use the same databases, so if you don't score results at one then you won't fare any better at another site.

Find a Phone Number Owner

Instead, you may have to use a paid site. For a reasonable fee, you can access all of the information you need about the owner of a phone number. Some databases gives you accurate, up-to-date information using both land line and cell phone searches.

Other exclusive database includes broad coverage of the entire United States with better results than you'll find at most other sites. They also give you free search assistance, access to expanded people search databases, and more.