Chicago, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/15/2012 -- "We have added more private phone records and a few service enhancements that will help our users find the information they need fast..." - claimed Andrew Collins - R&D director of FreeCellSearch (http://FreeCellSearch.com) - a data acquisition company that specializes in sourcing hard-to-find public and private people records. And tell me what is harder to find than the accurate information about the owner of a cell phone number? According to the recent white paper on consumer trends in telecommunications, over 60% of phone calls in today's U.S. are made to mobile phones. On top of that, PEW findings suggest that almost a quarter of American households do not have a land line subscription, relying exclusively on wireless communication. Unfortunately, in spite of these mobile trends, locating someone by their mobile number is not an easy task.

In the past, criss-cross directories could help locate a person by the phone number. And standard public phone books were good enough for looking up someone's phone number by name or address. Nowadays, the age of mobile technology has made it much easier to get a hold of someone but only if you know their cellular number, in most cases. The opposite problem is to find out who is calling or to whom a particular mobile number belongs in the absence of a free caller ID service for all. Reverse phone directories fill in this gap by providing access to public and private phone records to their subscribers.

Mr. Collins reports that his company introduced many improvements over the past two years by adding "advanced tools" that can be used to track unlisted phone numbers.

MORE PRIVATE DATABASES

While using free public reverse directories may be a good place to start one's search, these directories come short of listing unpublished phone records which include mobile numbers. These numbers are gathered from private and public sources manually. A private database may include information about the phone owner's name and address. A free search will also provide the line's issuing location for any U.S. mobile or land line number. Different reverse directories use different private databases and the number of these also varies. According to Mr. Collins, more such data sources have been complied by his company than any other service. In his own words: "We work with several data brokers - the best in data business, actually, who keep our records fresh and as complete as possible".

If you need to locate a long lost friend or track down an unidentified caller - check if the FreeCellSearch directory can help track it down. A reverse cellphone lookup can be used in many situations. For example one can use it to:

- Obtain the name of a caller;
- Get an address;
- Run a background check;
- Obtain restraining orders on prank callers and stalkers;
- Remember the name of an acquaintance;
- Identify a strange number on your phone bill or caller ID;
- Screen your phone calls;
- Investigate someone for personal or work-related reasons;
- Connect with a long-lost friend or relative, etc.

Businesses may also find the phone data useful in their operations.

CARRIER DATABASE LOOKUPS

While premium automatic databases can be up to the task of locating a match for the number you are trying to track down, no such database can guarantee 100% accuracy of the supplied information. Due to constant cell phone changes, many numbers get "recycled" by mobile operators so the person who used to own the number, may not own it now. The cell phone carrier may also differ due to number portability. Historic databases are great for locating past owners of phone numbers, if, say, one needs to find a lost connection. They are an inexpensive first choice for many users. But for real-time searches, one may want to use a carrier database check. A carrier database lookup basically pulls the info from the cell phone company's record. It is accurate - 100%. FreeCellSearch now offers such lookups to its members for a nominal fee. Can any mobile number be located through this gateway? According to Mr. Collins, the success rate approaches 98% - "We can't trace numbers issued on some prepaid plans - Straight Talk, for example..."

At the same time the service has been a big hit among its members, so far.

MOBILE GEO-TRACKING

If one needs to locate a lost phone, track the whereabouts of a family member, they can use mobile GEO-tracking or, GPS-tracking. Now, one can take advantage of this service via FreeCellSearch advanced tracking tools. The service basically allows to opt-in any phone and create a tracking profile for it. Say, one needs to keep track of the movements of their child or spouse, this tool will do it. It is being gradually deployed at this point to get users' feedback and make the necessary improvements.

BLOCKED NUMBERS

Another great addition allows users to track blocked calls via TrapCall technology. Blocked numbers can't be traced through a free caller ID so the technology that allows to unmask such numbers requires to forward the call to a toll-free number first. There is no software needed to install and it works on any mobile number. Currently supported carriers are AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and MetroPCS.

ANONYMOUS SPY DIALING

"We have also added an anonymous spy dialing tool for our users." Now, one can submit a mobile number to our system to get it dialed up in order to retrieve the voice mail greeting (if available) set up by the phone owner. While there is a free service that allows to accomplish the same, FreeCellSearch makes these dial-ups anonymous.

About FreeCellSearch
A pioneer in cell phone number database management, the website was founded in 2011 to help users locate information about unknown mobile numbers in U.S. and Canada. The company has established connections with many independent data brokers and public databases including WhitePages, Intelius and many others. Our mission is to provide accurate and reliable people search data to our members at the most competitive price.

About Cell Phone Directories
As more people use cell phones to stay in touch, a mobile directory was at one time panned. The carriers, however, decided not go ahead with the plan due to privacy concerns. Making cell phone number records easily available to telemarketers was among the primary reasons why a public mobile directory had never been created. Most people do not wish to share their mobile number with everybody so the privacy of mobile phone owners is another issue that prevented progress on establishing such a directory.

About Reverse Phone Lookups
Reverse phone lookups are completely legal - you can look up the number that called you and know more about the person or organization on the other end than your nameless caller ID can show. You may need to find out the identity of the caller to help prevent the continuation of unwanted phone calls. In contrast, when performing a forward cell phone lookup, you are asking for the phone number of the person you wish to call. The mobile telephone number is considered private, and a cell phone lookup by name for the number would constitute an invasion of privacy.