Sometimes when you really need to find a certain individual, the search proves fruitless. No address in the phone book. No phone number in the online search sites. Even calling directory enquiries services and delving into the classified database produces nothing. If that’s the case, it’s time to pull out the big guns. The last ditch attempt for the stubbornly persistent is the phone detective service.
* Note: I highly recommend exhausting every other research source before pursuing this option. It is more expensive and takes longer. However, if you have had no results from phonebooks, friends, social networks, search engines, or directory enquiries services, this is next step to take. Also, probably the last. Some people just don’t want to be found.
Detective services can be found online, although it is important to research and review each site to make sure that it is not a scam. Sites such as phonesearchcentral.com/uk promise that no fee is charged unless the search results in a successful find. Don’t trust any site that makes you pay first. Usually, for basic information such as a phone number or address, the cost of hiring a private detective is about £20, although for more extensive or difficult searches it might end up double that.
Detective sites will find a person’s phone number by going through public and private records such as court documents, DMV forms, and anything else where that information is required. For most searches, the process of finding a phone number takes somewhere between one and eight hours, as each case is taken on an individual basis. Depending on where you are in the U.K. it can take up to twenty-four hours. It can take longer, depending on how “hidden” the person is, but make sure you stay updated and check in through email and customer support. While the entire U.K. is covered by an agency, an international search may cost more, take longer, and have less promising results.
Depending on the information you have at hand, you may need a detective for the opposite problem, wherein you have a phone number but no identity connected to it. Phone detective sites will do phone reverse lookups as well, although there may be cheaper sites online.
While the sites for phone number discovery promise to be discreet, remember that people often keep their information private for a reason.
