Benefits And Dangers Of A Reverse Phone Lookup
One of the best ways people are using to combat fraudsters and phone harassers is reverse phone lookup. These services provide useful information about a caller, and all you need is a phone number. With a simple click of a button, you can learn the name, address, phone number, age, and even the phone number owner's criminal record.
If the caller is harassing you or cyberbullying your child, you can forward the details to the police or their parents. In no time, the harassment or cyberbullying will stop. While this technology has proven to be useful, it's a danger too.
In this post, we discuss the benefits and dangers of a reverse phone lookup.
Benefits of Reverse Phone Lookup
There are several benefits of reverse phone lookup.
Detect Fraudsters
Reverse phone lookup is an effective way of detecting fraudsters and can save you thousands of dollars. Today, there is an increasing number of fraud cases. Research shows that 14.4 million consumers became victims of identity fraud in 2019. That's about 1 in 15 people in the US. Overall, 33% of US adults have been victims of identity theft and fraud. This is twice the global average.
With reverse phone lookup services such as E-referrer, Intelius, AnyWho, and WhitePages, you can stay safe. You can also protect your family from tax scams, fake calls, and fake lotteries. All you need to do is obtain the fraudster's phone number, and you can find out the person behind the lies.
Protects Your Child From Cyberbullying
Most kids use smartphones, tablets, and computers to play games, send texts, and share pictures and videos. Since they are always connected to the internet, cyberbullies will threaten, harass, and embarrass them.
Cyberbullying happens in different ways. It can be in the form of emails, text messages, online games, and even social media. For example, a cyberbully may send a message threatening your child or spreading nasty rumors online.
You need to know that cyberbullying can happen day or night. Victims of cyberbullying are at risk of depression, anxiety, and other stress-related disorders.
As a parent, you can take steps to prevent cyberbullying. If your child shows you a message from a cyberbully, memorize the phone number, Google it, write down the details and contact the child's parent.
If it's an adult cyberbullying your child, screenshot the reverse phone lookup details and forward them to the police.
Block Fake or Unwanted Calls
Many people receive fake, scam, or unwanted calls from persons unknown. In fact, scam and spam calls have been on the rise, and there is no sign of stopping. Phone harassers and scammers hide behind seemingly untraceable phone numbers. By doing so, they can bother you all hours of day and night.
In 2019, researchers predicted that Americans would be fending off over 4 billion spam and scam calls per month. This highlights how big the problem of spam and scam calls is.
In the same year, 40% of all calls in the US were spam and scam calls. Of these, 80% were using area codes local to the recipient. At the end of 2019, 80% of all spam and scam calls originated from mobile phones.
Reverse phone lookup can help you discover the mystery caller behind the spam, scam, and unknown call. It can also help you stay away from unruly customers and telemarketers too. Just run the number through a reverse phone lookup service to discover the caller and protect yourself.
Prevents Fraud
Are you planning on starting a business? Having a co-founder(s) increases your chances of success. Not only do you split the responsibilities, but you can brainstorm on ideas and take the business to the next step. Most people co-found a company with a family member or friend they went to college with.
On rare occasions, two or more people with like-minded ideas can meet at a networking event or startup incubator and decide to start a business. Before starting the business, it's wise to learn more about your partners. The best way to do so is via reverse phone lookup.
With just a phone number, you can find out about your partner's criminal background and fraud ratings. Remember, it's better to be safe than sorry.
Dangers of Reverse Phone Lookup
Despite the many benefits of reverse phone lookup, it can be a danger to you, your family, or your business. Here is how.
Makes You a Target of Spam or Scam Calls
Reverse phone lookup services obtain millions of records legally. They do so from data brokers, public records, and other sources. This means your personal details such as name, phone number, address, and even criminal record may be available online.
This makes you a victim of spam or scam calls. Fraudsters, telemarketers, and even unruly customers can keep calling you even at odd hours of the night. This is because they could find out your home or business phone number from searching reverse phone lookup sites with your phone number.
They can extend the harassment to your family, friends, and relatives from data obtained from reverse phone lookup sites. This means the protection you had is now gone.
Can Be Expensive
Free reverse phone lookup services such as Google may not have all the listed phone numbers. Alternatively, you may be looking for additional information about the caller. For example, business details, landline numbers, carrier information, and more.
Free reverse lookup services such as E-referrer will reveal to you the:
Name
Phone number
Current address
Landlines
Relatives
If you need more details about the caller, you need to use our services.
Our service offers access to more data than the free version. For $1, you can get a 5-day trial membership for 5 premium lookups
Our unlimited plan offers unlimited basic lookups. E-referrer Unlimited Plus offers unlimited basic lookups plus past addresses and mobile numbers. For the background report, you can access information such as:
Cell phone and landline numbers
Current and past addresses
Relative and associates
Criminal history
Property, financial and public records
This can be expensive in the long run.
Final Thoughts
Reverse phone lookup is a useful service in many cases. It's helpful if you want to prevent fraud, cyberbullying and block unwanted calls. The problem is, it can be a danger to you, your family, friends, relatives, and business.
The good news is, you can take advantage of these services to solve any issues but always use them wisely.