Reverse phone lookup or reverse phone search is a directory that contains phone numbers and details about who the numbers are registered to. The main difference between this and a regular directory is that the phone number is used to get other information about the customer rather than using previously known information to get the phone number.
There are many reasons to undertake a reverse phone search. Some of these include identifying unknown callers, stopping spam calls, and avoiding phone scams. In addition to identifying a caller, a reverse phone lookup may also provide other information about the caller, including their address and criminal record. While a quick Google search may reveal phonebook information about a phone number, dedicated reverse phone lookup services offer more thorough searches, can find information on a wider range of numbers and provide deeper information about callers.
In addition to identifying a caller, a reverse phone lookup may also provide other information about the caller, including their address and criminal record. While a quick Google search may reveal phonebook information about a phone number, dedicated reverse phone lookup services offer more thorough searches, can find information on a wider range of numbers and provide deeper information about callers.
What are Pennsylvania Phone Numbers?
Telephone services and penetration in the United States have changed dramatically over the years. A 2020 report by the US Broadband Association found that 65% of American households only use wireless phone services. Of the remaining households, 8% use landlines, and 26% use a combination of landlines and wireless phone services.
Likewise, a 2019 report by the CDC showed that 43.4% of adults in Pennsylvania use wireless phone services only. Meanwhile, 4.3% of adults in the state use landlines only, a figure that has declined over the years.
Pennsylvania figures for the shift to wireless telephony lag behind the national average. That percentage is among the lowest in the country, with only six states ranking lower. This figure is higher among Pennsylvania youth. The slow transition to wireless telephony in Pennsylvania is also indicated by the state ranking 8th among the states with the highest percentage of households with only landlines and no cell phones.
There are five major carriers in the United States of America as of 2020. Below are the five phone companies and their national market shares:
- AT&T – 39.9%
- Verizon – 29.2%
- T-Mobile – 16.4%
- Sprint – 13.3%
- US Cellular – 1.2%
Apart from the traditional wireless and landline telephony, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is another method of delivering communication services. Voice and video calls, texts, faxes, and other forms of communication can be delivered over the internet. VoIP is a rapidly growing communications technology. It grew from 34.2 million subscribers in 2010 to 84.5 million subscribers in 2015. As of 2018, the number of VoIP subscribers in the US stands at 118 million.
Can I Search a Phone Number and Find Out Who it Is?
Yes. Before registering and assigning a mobile number, carriers have to collect identifying information about the subscriber. This information includes names and contact addresses. Such carrier databases help phone number lookup services find the identities of unknown callers. These services are increasingly popular as phone scams become more common and people learn to be wary of spam calls and unknown callers.
What are Phone Lookup Services?
Phone lookup services are usually online services and they allow anyone to identify callers simply from their phone numbers. The rapid expansion of telephone services has made regular phone books obsolete. Looking up the name of a caller is no longer as easy as looking in the phone book.
A Google search also often fails to provide the required information and may lead you down a rabbit hole of unhelpful websites and spammy ads. Phone number lookup services provide quick and easy lookups of phone numbers. They combine the long reach of an online search engine with the simplicity of a phone book. Knowing who a number is registered to will help in avoiding scammers and telemarketers who have a knack for spamming people’s phones with calls.
What Information Can You Get from a Pennsylvania Phone Number Lookup Search?
The four basic information delivered when using reverse phone lookup to search for an unknown number are:
- Full name
- Address
- Age
- Gender
Most phone number lookup free services deliver this key information. Paid services providing premium services provide more detailed results. For example, they can state the city and state of residence of the subject of a reverse phone number lookup search. Some paid services also scour social media platforms to find photos of identified subjects and deliver the most recent update about these individuals. Reverse phone lookup search providers offering paid tiers may also help users find public records of individuals registered to searched numbers.
Reverse phone lookups are also useful for verifying the identities of callers claiming to represent businesses and non-profit organizations. You can use the information obtained to find complaints about such organizations online and discover fake charities and organizations known to refuse to honor their obligations. Information returned by reverse phone lookup searches is also useful for unmasking impersonators, scammers, stalkers, and prank callers.
Ultimately, Pennsylvania phone number lookups play a pivotal role in various fields, especially within the criminal justice system, serving as verification, tracking, and connectivity tools. In law enforcement, these lookups link suspects and victims, helping identify connections or potential witnesses. They're instrumental in determining an individual's alibi based on call timestamps, which can verify their location during a crime. In the context of Pennsylvania inmate searches, phone numbers become a bridge for family reunification. Corrections facilities use phone databases to reconnect inmates with their loved ones or legal representatives. Authorities also monitor inmate communications, ensuring no illicit activities are coordinated from behind bars.
What is a VoIP Number?
VoIP numbers are numbers allocated to telephony services that allow subscribers to receive calls made over the internet. VoIP (voice over internet protocol) calls do not use the traditional mode of telephony. The connection is made over the internet with devices like laptops, smartphones, desktop computers, and tablets. VoIP calls work with virtual phone numbers. Unlike mobile and landline phone numbers, VoIP numbers do not need or use area codes that are not limited to certain locations.
Calls made via VoIP can look like they originate from any area code, which is one advantage they have over traditional phone calls. While this feature in itself is very good, scammers have taken advantage of it and used it for their benefit.
VoIP calls also have the advantage of being able to be used across multiple devices. One number can be used on different devices to call people. In comparison, traditional phone numbers are attached to one landline or mobile phone. Another advantage of a VoIP call is that one single phone call may ring on different devices simultaneously if the multi-device ring is set.
What is a Pennsylvania Phone Number Area Code?
Area codes are assigned to specific geographical regions to enable those on the receiving end to know where calls are coming from. They were developed in the 1940s by AT&T and Bell Laboratories but came into full effect in 1947. It was called the North American Numbering Plan and covered both the United States of America and Canada. Area codes were assigned according to the size of the state, with some states having just one area code while the bigger states with more populations assigned more than one area code. Pennsylvania had four area codes out of the original 86 codes that were rolled out initially in 1947.
The North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) is the body responsible for the management, administration, and assignment of area codes in the United States of America, while the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is the one to notify the NANPA about an area in the state that requires a new area code. The PUC also has the task of preparing and educating the citizens of the state about newly introduced Pennsylvania area codes.
What is a Pennsylvania Phone Number Prefix Code?
Prefix codes are the second block of three digits in a telephone number. They come after area codes and just before subscriber line numbers. Telephone numbers in the United States are arranged in three blocks, with the first two blocks consisting of three numbers each while the last one is a block of four numbers. This system was developed by AT&T in 1947. The second block of three numbers is known as the prefix code.
A prefix code narrows down the location of a subscriber even more than the area code. The area code will give us an idea of the state or region in a state where the call originates from. Prefix codes will narrow it down to a town or county.
For example, the telephone number (814) 509-6995:
- 814 represents the area code
- 509 stands for the prefix code
- 6995 is the line number
Sometimes, the international dialing code +1 might be written in front of a phone number. It is for those calling from outside the United States and Canada. In the number +1 (814) 509-6995:
- +1 is the international dialing code
- 814 still remains the area code
- 509 still stands as the prefix code
- and 6995 is the line number
Is There a Way to Lookup a Phone Number for Free in Pennsylvania?
Free phone lookup services are available and a quick Google search can even serve as an easy way to look up a phone number. However, most free services provide only basic information and do not cover as many phone numbers as paid services.
Generally, the results provided by paid phone lookup services are more accurate and comprehensive. You should consider using a free reverse phone lookup service for preliminary research or to corroborate details provided by a paid service. If you receive lots of robocalls, consider adding your phone number to the national and state Do Not Call registries to stop them.
Is Reverse Phone Lookup Legal in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania can legally use reverse phone lookup services to identify unknown callers. The state’s laws do not directly address using third-party services to investigate strange callers. Similarly, there are no government agencies overseeing the use of reverse phone lookup services or regulating those providing such services.
As long as phone number lookup service providers conduct their searches without flouting the laws of the Commonwealth, they are free to provide such services in Pennsylvania. Reverse phone number lookups do not constitute an invasion of privacy because the information they unearth is in the public domain. These services mostly search carrier databases and public websites when identifying individuals by their phone numbers.
