Are you looking for a long lost friend or even a relative that you've fallen out of touch with? If so, online People Finders are one way to help you get started with your search. But with so many online services out there, it can get a little overwhelming. And you don't want to get ripped-off either if you decide to go with a pay service.

One of the problems, even with the 'free' people finder services, is that they'll supply you with a city of residence, but not much else; if you want more information, you have to pay for it. In some instances, the name of the town they live in may be just enough information for you to call the local information service in that area, and if your party doesn't have an unlisted number, you'll at least get a phone number.

WhitePages.com is one site that will actually give you the street address and telephone number for free when you enter the person's first and last name. City and/or state is helpful here, and as long as your party has a listed number in their local phone directory, you'll able contact them this way.

Peoplefinders.com is another 'free' online services that provides you with a current city of residence and actually every location that person has lived in for more than the past ten years. By entering the person's first and last name with middle initial and birthday if you know it, the site responds with their present city of residence and even any AKAs they've had in the past like maiden names or original last names if they've ever changed it. It also supplies you with their mother's last name and age.

Usa-People-Search is a site that is similar to PeopleFinders where you can go to enter the person's full name in the search window, and the site will then supply you with all of people matching that first and last name, their age and what town they live in. You'll have to pay to get exact address here also but at least you've got a starting point with the basic info they give you.

If you've browsed around at some of the people finder sites and just can't seem to get anywhere, you may want to think about an online service where you pay to get more data. But do yourself a favor first and take a look at one website called the OnelineReviewBoard that has researched this subject at great length to get some advice about what to do and not to do to protect yourself. The link to their 'Truth Behind Online Investigation Services' page is: http://www.onlinereviewboard.com/bestonlineinvestigation2005.htm. Good Luck!