There are many reasons why you may need to know who a phone number belongs too. You may be receiving repeated prank calls from an unknown number. It may be spilling over into blatant harassment. You may be suspecting that your spouse is cheating and need to confirm those suspicions using a phone number you have in your hands. Whatever the reason is, mobile phone technology has advanced to a point where now it is both quick and reliable to do online searches for phone numbers.

Here are a few tips on identifying who a phone number belongs too:

1. Call them- One of the first things you can do is to call up the person yourself or have a friend you trust call up the number. The purpose of the call is to clue you in on who the person is so it may be wise to conceal your identity. You can also call from a pay phone to make sure you do not disclose your phone number and identity.

2. Google Search- Another strategy is to use a search engine like MSN, Google, or Yahoo. Searches like these are very useful in identifying businesses and telemarketers. There are many people logging online to find the same phone numbers and have the same problems. I've personally, Googled phone numbers on a few occasions very successfully.

3. Free Phone Directory- One of the easiest strategies is to use a free phone directory like Anywho, 411, or the Whitepages. This is basically the online version of your bulky phone book at home. This will help you identify numbers that come from a landline or from home phones. Again, not too useful in helping you with cell phone numbers.

4. Membership Cell Phone Directories- This is another option if you are sure the phone number comes from a cell phone. You basically pay a fee to access a database of cell phone numbers. This strategy is hit or miss. Most the cell phone directories are poorly updated and not very comprehensive. I wouldn't recommend using these unless you've used up all your options because it becomes costly and time-consuming subscribing to more than one service to find your number.

5. Reverse Cell Phone Lookup- This is your best option in my opinion. If you want to skip the google search and phone directory lookup or know that the phone number definitely came from a phone number then use this. You type in a phone number and a report comes back showing you the name, carrier, address, and other information regarding that individual.

If you have the time, I'd suggest you go through the first three strategies to find the number. If you have exhausted those options or just want to get the best results right away, then use the reverse cell phone number lookup. It helps you identify both landline numbers and cell phone numbers.