How to Find Out Who is Calling You

Find out who is calling you and get the name and address of the person behind the phone number.  It seems unusual, doesn’t it, to have the actual phone number of a person but still need more information about them? That might be because you are receiving calls from the same number over and over as a result of someone making prank calls or attempting to harass you. If that’s the case, you have only a few options.

• Call the number back and ask the caller for their name and information. Chances are that a prank caller is not going to answer, though, when they see the number they’ve been harassing show up on their phone. Even if they do, they probably aren’t going to give you their real name and address information, nor are they likely to stop calling just because you ask them to. Instead, they may escalate their attempts to annoy you because now they’ve gotten a response from you. They know that their efforts are doing their job and that you’re bothered by the calls.

• You could also try calling the number from another number you own or a friend’s phone and try to see if the person will either answer or if you can catch their name on their voice mail. Keep in mind, though, that many people only put their first name on their voice mail so this may not give you all of the information you are after. Sometimes these calls may be from a friend who thinks they are playing a funny joke that’s not so funny and, if that is the case, catching their voice or name on the voice mail may clue you in immediately to who is calling you.

This strategy could backfire, though, if the caller is really someone who is trying to bother you. By calling from another phone number, you may just be adding one more phone they will start to call repeatedly. You could be giving them more information about yourself, your friends, or family by calling them from another phone number.

Following are the most effective ways to find out who is calling you:

• You can file a complaint of harassment and report the phone number that is calling you. The challenge can be if the caller is really trying to reach you for legitimate purposes – a bill you forgot you owed, a potential job offer that keeps missing you for some reason, or a long lost family member who has been trying to reconnect with you.

• The fastest way, though, to find out who is calling you and get the information you want is to use an online reverse lookup directory and get immediate access to the information you want about the owner of a phone number. Some directories provide more than just the name and address but will also give the option of getting a background report or relative name and address information, if it is in their database.

If you go this route, use only a reverse directory with the most up to date information. If the reverse lookup service updates their records routinely, you will have a better chance of getting the most accurate information with just the push of a few buttons. If you find the caller is not someone you know or you are sure is someone who should not be calling you, the most reputable directories will even provide you the forms you need to file a complaint against that caller.

Find out who is calling and put an end to those harassing phone calls once and for all.