Reverse cell phone lookups tend to be the subject of a lot of confusion and misunderstanding. This confusion probably stems from some reverse cell phone directories operating as little better than scams and thus promising more than they deliver. Furthermore, many people assume that all reverse cell phone lookups function more or less the same way, which leads to issues with one reverse directory being mistakenly applied to all directories. To help clarify matters, below we will look at the four most common myths surrounding reverse cell phone lookups and why they are wrong.
Directories don't list cell phones
This is a myth that has some basis in fact. Traditional telephone directories, such as the white pages of your local phonebook, indeed only list landlines. As a result, relying on the normal telephone directory in order to find a cell phone number will probably be a fruitless endeavor. A lot of reverse cell phone directories, however, have gotten around this problem in a number of creative ways, such as by relying on publicly available information, third-party data, and crowdsourced data.
Reverse cell phone directories are illegal
Looking up a cell phone number is completely legal, just as finding a person's name in the phonebook is also entirely legal. Remember that just because you search for a cell phone number online that doesn't mean the owner of that number will know you have done so. Of course, what you do with the information you find through a reverse phone directory may be subject to civil rights and privacy laws. You can't, for example, use a reverse cell phone lookup for the purpose of harassing or spamming an individual.
Reverse cell phone lookups are scams
Again, this is another myth that has at least some basis in fact. Unfortunately, it is true that some reverse cell phone directories operate essentially as scams. In other words, they offer to find any number you are after but, once you pay their fee, you quickly find out that the information they provide (if any) could easily have been obtained for free. While it is impossible to protect yourself from scams 100 percent of the time, you should always check online reviews concerning the reverse phone directory you plan to use before you hand over your money.
All reverse directories are the same
This myth is just flat-out wrong. As mentioned above, reverse cell phone directories use a variety of methods and sources to keep their databases up to date. Some databases may rely primarily on crowdsourced data while another database may primarily get its data from social media networks. How a directory collects its information can have a big effect on the results it returns.
Reverse cell phone directories are certainly subject to a lot of myths and while some of these myths are based on a grain of truth, others have no relation to reality whatsoever. Hopefully the above list will help clear some of the confusion about reverse directories and allow you to use these directories more effectively.
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