Sunday, June 13, 2010

#8 Can I find a person in Mexico and their address with only a phone number?



I get asked this question a lot. The idea is based on the belief that you can do a reverse phone lookup with a Mexico telephone number. If you are unfamiliar with a reverse lookup, it means you go to a database or website (there are several) and enter in a telephone number. The system will go through its database and, in most cases in the U.S., you will get the name and address of the person who has that specific telephone number. This reverse lookup is free and works very well in the U.S. so many people assume that this will happen for Mexico. They couldn't be more wrong!

Here's the reality for Mexico. There is no reverse look up in Mexico meaning there is no database online or offline where you can enter a phone number and get the address. We know there are thousands of sites that claim you can do a reverse lookup with telephone numbers, but they do not apply to Mexico. I have already written about this in the blog post dated Tuesday, May 18, 2010 entitled "Want to find family or friends in Mexico for free? You must read this before you spend hours online." Articles that claim that you can do a reverse lookup for Mexico are wrong and misleading. A few even try to sell you on their product to do a reverse lookup. Don't waste your money!

I also wrote about this topic on Monday, May 10, 2010, in the blog "#7 Is there a website to find people in Mexico with only a phone number?" I commented that you can just call the person and get their address, but I realize that there are situations where this is not possible. 

Recently a woman wrote that she wants to find her ex-husband who is living in Mexico so she can get child support. The Mexico police will serve him papers, BUT they need his physical address. The woman only has her ex-husband's phone number. Of course, she knows his name, but that hasn't helped her to find out where he's presently living, and he isn't offering to tell her where he is.

Now just because you can't do a reverse lookup for a Mexico telephone number doesn't mean there are no other options to find out more information that can help you find people in Mexico. You can take the city code and find out where the person lives barring that they have a cell phone, which means they could be living and calling from anywhere in the world. To see a listing of the most popular cities with their area codes, go to www.findrelativesinmexico.com/resources.html and click on the link under "Area Codes for Mexican Cities". 

Once you know the city and state, you can take your information and go online and do a search to find the person. I recommend using several search engines because they all give slightly different results. 

If this doesn't work, and about 96% of the time it doesn't (but you should try anyway), then you will need professional service. For instance, our company doesn't rely on telephone numbers to find people in Mexico. We have our own databases and access to thousands more throughout Mexico. 

Bottom line: reverse phone lookup does not exist for Mexico telephone numbers. You can still use the number to learn more so you can find a person in Mexico. If you can't do it on your own, then take your information to an expert so they can get you the rest of the way to finding that person in Mexico for you. 

Saludos,

Richard Villasana
Richard Villasana

Richard Villasana
The Mexico Guru
Leading expert and international authority 
    on finding relatives living in Mexico

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