Gone are the days when you must answer the phone to find out who is on the other end of the line. With the invention of caller ID, you often receive a name when a number comes though on phone.

Telemarketers and bill collectors, however, often block their names. You may only get the name of the city or state the call is coming from. Sometimes you may not get any identifying information.

When someone is trying to hide their identity, it is often a warning that the call is unwanted. You may feel pressured to answer the phone, just to find out who it is. There is a way to find out without answering the phone.

Save the Phone Number

When the phone is ringing, simply leave it alone and let it go to voicemail. Sometimes you can get some information from a voicemail. Messages may be vague, however. Unwanted callers often only ask for a certain person and tell them to return the call.

They do not leave any identity. Save the phone number on your phone or write it down so you can enter it easily on your computer.

Look Closely at the Number

You may notice that the number you see looks like other numbers you have received. When you block a number, a bill collector may call you back from a different number. The area code and first three numbers may be the same, however.

If you notice that many calls are coming from the same area, be sure to check all of them with a reverse phone lookup. This can help to confirm they are all coming from the same organization or if they are all spam calls. You may be able to block several numbers from your call history if you find out about the area

Look up the Number

Once you notice a lot of unfamiliar numbers on your phone, you need to enter them on the reverse phone lookup tool, which will typically return their name and address. The site can help you find out different types of information. You may be able to get the name of the person or business that is calling you.

If this cannot be found, you may still get some helpful information. The results sometimes show if the number is personal or business. The results may also show if the number has a high possibility of being a spam number. Most times you end up with enough information to decide if you would like to return the call or not.

Reverse phone sites allow you to make an informed decision about how to deal with unknown phone numbers. It an be incredibly frustrating to see mysterious calls on your call history, especially the ones that happen daily.

Without a proper message, it can be difficult to figure out where these are coming from. You may not want to answer them, as you may end up dealing with a bill collector or telemarketer. These calls can interrupt you at work or when you are having family time. Use a reverse phone lookup to solve the problem.