Reverse phone book lookup services are a great way to find out who is responsible for the calls from a certain number. You may be receiving prank calls from an unlisted number. You may be getting calls that are blatant harassment. You may simply just want to find the name and location of the person behind a phone call.

Whatever the case, reverse phone book lookup services are gaining widespread popularity because they are both quick and accurate.

One of the first things you can do is to call up the person yourself or have someone else you know call that person up. Make the phone call inconspicuous. You don't want to give up your identity to the person behind the phone call. You might even consider calling from a pay phone.

There are a few steps you can take before using a reverse phone book lookup that are quick and easy.

1.Google Search- Use an online search engine like Google or Yahoo and type in the phone number. This will help you find out whether the phone number comes from a telemarketer or a business that uses mass phone calls.

2.Free Phone Directory- Similar to a whitepages book, you can look up landline and home phone numbers online. Go to sites such as Anywho, 411, and the Whitepages and you can search the directories to find numbers. The drawback is that they only list landline and home phones, so again, it would not be very useful for search cell phones.

3.Paid Cell Phone Directory- Yet another option is to subscribe to a paid cell phone directory. You simply type in the phone number you want to search for and the site will show you who is behind the number. The drawback is that these services are often incomplete and inefficient. Most people need to subscribe to more than one service to get information on the phone numbers in their possession. This makes it both a costly and time consuming task.

4.Reverse Phone Book Lookup- The best option is to use a reverse phone book lookup. These services are different than the cell phone directories. They are better updated and more comprehensive. You simply type in the phone number and a report comes back with the name, address, carrier, and other information regarding that person.

My recommendation is that you try the free methods in steps 1 and 2 then use a revere phone book lookup. If you have reached this page, chances are you have exhausted those options, so opt for the reverse phone book lookup. It identifies both landlines, unlisted, and cell phones numbers. For a small fee of under $10 you can run a comprehensive report on that number.