Strange calls at odd hours and when you answer there is no one at the other end of the line. Late night phone calls and you are consistently told it is a wrong number. A number you haven't seen ever before keeps popping up on the cell phone bill.

We've all been through similar situations. Sometimes it turns out to be a harmless mistake but other times, it may be more. Trust is a strange thing. It is necessary in every relationship but still you need answers to some questions. The key in these cases is - trust, but verify. The methods to find out the answers to your questions do exist. You can obtain such answers without a face-to-face confrontation which neither of you may be ready for. None of us wants to be accusatory without cause or to look completely foolish if we're mistaken in what we've probably been thinking. But how do you find out the identity of the person making all those calls.

The first thing to try will be to run a search for the number on WhitePages.com which will ascertain if the number you are trying to find is a listed residential phone number, in which case you have your answer. (It's his/her great Aunt Maggie and all is well.)

If you get no results from white pages, it is probably a cell phone or an unlisted phone number, which will require more efforts. Searching Google for the number, using quotation marks around it, will help you to find it listed on the internet in multiple places. The quotations will assure that only those numbers which are an exact match will be displayed in the resultant page lists. Occasionally this works and the identity of the number's user is obtained. Another place that you can try are the social networks such as Myspace, Kijiji or Craigslist. Even Live Journal or Yahoo Personals are places where you might find the number you're looking for. The search will yield the number if it is placed with any personal profile or a classified advertisement, either presently, or in the past. This kind of searching may be fruitful, but it certainly is tedious and time consuming. Most of the time, you aren't going to find what you're looking for.

One way to remain reassured is to simply call the number in question and ask filtered questions courteously. Using the phone that has the same number this person called is a good idea if you go this route.

Last, but most assuredly not least, if you want an answer in hurry, the constant searching and chasing leads across the internet isn't going to help you a great deal. If you'd like the scoop today, because you just don't want to wait for answers, stop the chase and choose a reputable premium reverse cell phone lookup database service. If you don't want to face a confrontation but still want certain answers, go with the database service. Granted, there is a fee involved but it is nominal and in most cases, worthwhile.

The quality databases that are online today will offer you a no-hit, no charge guarantee. The services are easy to use, in fact, nearly self-explanatory and the fee is usually nominal. A few dollars is a small price to pay to find out the real deal on your relationship and if there isn't a cost if they don't find further details on the number.

Regardless of whether the number belongs to a relative, an old high-school chum or perhaps, as a worst case scenario - a secret lover - you would likely agree in thinking that you're far better off knowing the truth than imagining the worst.

About the Author

Chris Rempel recommends using the initial free lookup at Cell Phone Reverse Lookup to see if further records exist for any given phone number. They offer a no-hit, no-fee guarantee if you wish to proceed for a full report.