How Reverse Phone Lookup Services Work
Reverse phone lookup services are extensive public records search databases. Log on to a website like Instant Checkmate or Intelius, and enter the first name, last name, email address, or phone number of the person you wish to look up. Each platform will retrieve billions of records across public databases, proprietary databases, marketing opt-in lists, and thousands of other sources, curated and decimated as search results with a single query.
Today, there are many reputable reverse phone lookup services. For example, Instant Checkmate has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and has 1.5 billion searches and accounting. In turn, reverse phone lookup services like Spokeo curate more than 12 billion data records across more than 5,000 public sources, pouring over everything from consumer indexes to County tax assessments.
What Information Can I Get with Reverse Phone Lookup Services?
There’s no shortage of information you can get with reverse phone lookup services (not an all-inclusive list):
- Name
- Address
- Geographical area
- Phone type
- Social media profiles
- Email address
- Additional contact information (e.g., second and third addresses)
For a comprehensive list of all the information you can obtain with reverse phone lookup services, visit Intelius, BeenVerified, Spokeo, Instant Checkmate, or your preferred paid reverse phone lookup site for more details.
What is the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)?
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is one of the country’s four pieces of legislation regulating how consumer reporting agencies use consumer credit information. Regarding reverse phone lookup services, provisions under the FCRA mandate how information is used. For example, any search query cannot be performed for lending, tenant screening, hiring, and similar activities, as it can be considered discriminatory.
Note that Spokeo, BeenVerified, and other reverse phone lookup services may not necessarily be categorized as consumer reporting agencies. However, they contain information regulated under the FCRA that can be used for background checks and other forbidden activities under the Act. When using paid reverse phone lookup services, be mindful of the reason for any search query to abide by the law.
Tips on Finding the Best Reverse Phone Lookup Services
- Determine Your Needs: Are you looking to obtain criminal background data? Are you looking for your college sweetheart you haven’t seen in 10 years? From there, start researching services that offer the information you’re looking for.
- Accuracy: Perform primary and secondary searches and compare and contrast the results pages between at least two reverse phone lookup services. Test out loading times and ensure that there is as much information from multiple sources as possible.
- Study UI: Get a feel for the user interface. If it’s sluggish and challenging to understand, it may be time to switch to another service offering a mobile app or browser extensions to streamline the search query process.
- Data Privacy: Ensure that security protocols are clearly stated at the bottom footer of every web page. For example, BeenVerified collects three types of information: submitted queries, your usage, and information about the people you searched on.
- Remember Pricing Options: Most paid services offer limited preview searches with the option to pay for a full subscription on a monthly or bi-monthly plan with unlimited searches. Try to understand how much you will use it before deciding if purchasing a subscription is more cost-effective.
- Customer Support: All the better reverse phone lookup services have at least two ways to contact customer service, usually via email and phone number.
- Check Out Reviews: Review third-party websites like the Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot to understand what consumers are saying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are reverse phone lookup services legit?
Yes, reverse phone lookup services are entirely legitimate. Many have been in the business for over ten years with billions of search queries on them. Every year, they invest millions of dollars in infrastructure to help aggregate the billions of data points from public records.
How can I prevent spam phone calls?
We highly recommend caller ID and spam-blocking apps like RoboKiller and TrueCaller to prevent spam phone calls. They help intercept incoming unknown numbers by referencing extensive databases, preventing your phone from ringing.
How much are reverse phone lookup services?
Services have remarkably similar pricing models. Every search query returns an unlimited free preview with the option to enroll in a subscription or bi-monthly subscription that’s no more than $30 a month.
Can these services identify callers even using a blocked or private number?
Public sources that collect public and landline phone numbers are more accurate. The rate is much lower with unlisted or mobile phone numbers. Remember that landline phone numbers are more likely to be listed on landline phone directories, government records, and other large databases.
