Trace Telephone Numbers Back To Their Location

These days there’s tons of area codes.  You used to be able to quickly figure out where a call is coming from (or where you need to call) by the area code.

(212) is New York City

(310) is LA

(202) Washington D.C.

But these days, with the proliferation of telelphones, fax machines, cell phones, and now VoIP viritual phone lines, area codes are being created left and right.  Sometimes it is truely dizzying.

There are times where you just want to know where a call is coming from.  Thanks to the information age and the Internet, there are ways to help your cause.  Here’s how:

YouGetSignal is a webpage that quickly looks up the area code and telephone prefix (1st 3#’s in a telephone number) to match it to the assigned geographic location.  The great part about this site is that it offers a GoogleMaps mash-up to show you the location visually as well.

Another great look-up tool is the good ol’ standby: Google.  Google Phonebook offers publicly listed phone numbers, but more importantly it will provide reverse look-ups as well.  Enter the telephone number and if Google has it in it’s database, it will bring back the owner’s information including address.

To look-up any US residence for example, you can type in:

• phone number, including area code — REVERSE LOOK-UP FEATURE!
• first name (or first initial), last name, city (state is optional)
• first name (or first initial), last name, state
• first name (or first initial), last name, area code
• first name (or first initial), last name, zip code
• last name, city, state
• last name, zip code

 

There are other reverse look-up sites out there as well – some of them found in the portal directory listings.