How to Find a Phone Number Online: Eight Ways

Toll-free phone numbers are free to call and can be your instant gateway into a company's inner workings. There are quite a few toll-free number directories on the Web that give extensive 1-800 number listings; however, you can also use your favorite search engine to track down nearly any toll-free phone number. There are a couple of different ways you can accomplish this:

• 800 number for company: Simple yet effective. Type "800 number for company", substituting the name of the business you're looking for for the word "company", and sometimes you'll get lucky.
• Contact us: This is often a very successful method of finding contact information. Type "contact us" (yes, in quotes) plus the name of the company, i.e., "contact us" microsoft.

Millions of people all over the world use cell phones on a daily basis to communicate with each other. However, most of these numbers are not found in phone directories, which makes them difficult to track down online. However, if you know a few Web tricks (like searching by username) you can potentially uncover anyone's private mobile phone number. 

Search engines abound on the Web, but there are niche search engines out there that focus only on finding people-related information. These can be very useful resources for when you are looking for a phone number. These search engines look at only information that could be tied to individuals, such as a phone number, an address, social networking updates, and business contact resources.

Since every search engine returns different information than the next, it's definitely worth a try to type your person's name and/or phone number into these search engines to see what comes back. Learn more about using alternative methods to find a phone number online.

If you've ever placed personal information anywhere on the Web, whether that be a phone number, birth date, or physical address, Zabasearch is sure to have it. Controversial yet completely legal, Zabasearch collects information from all over the Web and places it in one convenient place for public access, including (some) phone numbers.

Don't use their "search for a phone number" search tool since it gives you information they want you to pay for. Instead, search by name and see what comes back. Read more about how you can use Zabasearch to find people-related information. 

Using just a name, an email address, or a common connection (like a workplace, college, or organization), you can uncover a surprising amount of information at Facebook, the world's largest social networking website with hundreds of millions of users.

There are many ways to find people on Facebook, and depending on how public people have made their personal information, you can actually be quite successful finding a phone number here as well. Learn more about using Facebook to find a phone number.

Bing makes finding business, government, and other organizations (non-profits, schools, etc.) very easy. Simply type in the name of what you're looking for and hit "search"; local listings will appear with addresses, phone numbers, websites, and directions. Not sure of the exact name? No problem – just type in what you know, for example, if you're looking for your local Department of Motor Vehicles, type "dmv", and Bing will return relevant local results.

There are a wide variety of specialized phone directories on the Web, however, not all of these are reliable, trustworthy, or even safe to use. Try places like this (but don't ever pay for these services!):

• Who Called Me?: Ever get a phone call from a number you don't recognize? This is the place to find out who it is, where it originated, even comments from other people who have dealt with the same number.