Who Is This? Why Reverse Phone Lookups Matter

We’ve all had to deal with strange calls we can’t identify. Even in the age of caller IDs and smartphones, it isn’t always easy to know whether a stranger calling is someone you can trust or not. While one call might be from the hiring manager from the job you applied for, another might be a telemarketer who’s trying to sell you a vacation home or a con man trying to fleece you out of thousands of dollars.

            In any case, you may be wary of answering any calls from people or organizations you don’t know and that’s perfectly understandable. So how do you know whether or not a phone number is a legitimate one? You may want to consider using a free reverse cell phone lookup service.

            A reverse cell phone lookup allows you to see the approximate location of where a caller is based out of. Some services, although not all of them are free, allow you to also find out what the name of the person or organization calling you is. All these services share one thing in common though: they’re very simple to use and you can find the owner of a suspicious cell phone in seconds.

            You don’t necessarily have to answer the call before you do this either. If you’re really worried about how legitimate the caller is, you may want to conduct a search before you actually pick up the phone. For one, many aggressive con men and telemarketers may keep you on your calling list if you answer the call. By ignoring the call, they’ll usually take your number off of their internal lists, allowing you to skip suspicious calls in a flash.

            After all, you’re under no obligation to be pressured into answering a call. Your privacy and peace and quiet matters too.

            But let’s say the caller is a legitimate person. Maybe you gave your number to a potential date. Or you’re getting offered a job interview. Generally, you would hope that they would leave a voice mail. People can’t be expected to answer every call they get. Leaving a voice mail if whoever you’re calling isn’t available is just common courtesy.

            If you look up their number and realize they’re someone you’re expecting a call from, take a deep breath. Simply give them a call back and apologize for missing their call. You’ll be good to go.

            Remember, you’re not stalking someone by reverse searching a cell phone number. What you’re doing is using publicly available information to stay safe and keep your best interests in mind. After all, many con men and annoying telemarketers use the phone as a way to talk to you and wear you down to either convince you to give them money or sell you something.

            You don’t have to bow down to suspicious calls anymore. Remember, your peace of mind matters. Don’t let your Saturday evening be ruined by endless calls you can’t identify. If it’s really important or it’s someone you want to talk to, using a service to be sure their number is legitimate is a good way to know whether you should pick up the phone or not.

            Don’t let annoying calls be the boss of you. Be the boss of them. These services are easy to access, usually free or cheap, and allow you to allay your concerns without spending a lot of time and energy fretting about who owns the number. It’s time to be smarter about how you use your time and life is too short to answer calls you didn’t want to pick up anyway.