Geoff Dodd asked: If you are being harassed by telephone and getting rude, prank or nuisance calls from strangers, then you may have some recourse. Reverse cell phone searching online allows you to enter a cellphone number in a simple web form, and the database system returns you the associated name and address of the phone account holder.
What were the old methods of doing reverse telephone searches? There were a few shady techniques being used by private investigators decades ago, such as:
1. Simply ring up the offending number and pretend to be someone else, such as an information survey agency rep. Ask who resides at that address. This method may not always lead to much success.
2. Directories: CrissCross Phone Directory. There is a reverse lookup book available in the USA but thanks to The Internet, its days are numbered.
3. Having an inside contact at the telephone company. Due to the large number of phone companies and the dubious legality of this method, it is now hardly a practical option. Privacy laws may work against this tactic.
Computerization has clearly made a lot of information searches easier to do. Third party search tools like C.I.S., Complete Investigation Services, and Net Detective have now been online since 1995 when the original Web Detective first appeared. These services needed some refinement from the earlier versions and that came in 2001 with web based interfaces replacing the older e-Book like appearance of the application.
The uses of reverse phone lookup are many. Imagine you just had some shonky or substandard work done in your home and all you had to reference the tradesman was a telephone number. That number can be inserted in the web form to bring out more business name and address details.
In the case of abusive, prank or nuisance callers using a cell phone, there is one small problem with detecting them. The catch is that prank or nuisance callers must reveal their caller ID to your device so you can capture the number. If they are shown as ‘private number’ then your cell phone will not be able to record the incoming call’s phone number. However, in serious cases of abuse you should report the matter to the police with precise details of timing and the police through the powers of investigation would be able to reveal the identity of the abusive caller. Such is the reach of an official ‘ongoing investigation.’
Gail
