How can I find phone records for calls placed 20 years ago?

Question

Though the companies keep records for just five years, does anyone know any sources for older phone records or phone bills? I am trying to find proof that someone called me 20 years ago (don't ask why please) - please let me know if you have any info on obtaining hard-to-find phone bills.

The calls I am looking for were placed from both home and government offices in New York City and directed to a residence in Michigan - about 5 calls in total.

Answer 1

I hate to burst 'Blues' bubble, but computers have been around longer than twenty years...:-/

Computerized account records have existed for quite some time - the main carriers (MCI, AT&T, Sprint) captured this data and provided it to their customers for billing and call-tracking purposes. My company would receive a CD from AT&T monthly detailing all of the inbound calls to our 800 numbers and of course, you would also receive a monthly paper bill.

Records retention policies however did not require that this information be kept for longer than 24 months, though many companies expanded their own policies to 60 months or longer depending on specific rules enacted by their legal counsels.

If you do not have a specific legal reason for retrieving these records (and likely the statute of limitations would negate that now anyway) and the money to fund such a search and retrieval (e.g. class action lawsuit or other litigation) of those documents, it is unlikely you will find them easily. Not to mention that the company who originally held the calls records has probably deleted them along with any off-site backups.

You would either need to find the paper records from the originating party (who placed the call to you), the carrier they used to place the call to you (depends if it was local or long-distance -- remember how many freakin' phone compaies there were after deregulation???), or possibly a 3rd-party marketing firm that may have purchased the call detail records (CDRs) for research or marketing purposes. You didn't specify, but if it is the result of criminal activity, you could also contact local law enforcement or the FBI (as the calls involved government offices and crossed state lines). These offices may have some copy of these records as the result of other ongoing investigations.

If it had been ten years ago, you would have a much easier task. Twenty will be far less likely -- not because of the lack of computers, but simply the amount of time that has elapsed.

For the record, many companies are being tasked by Homeland Security to now keep these records indefinitely. This policy is also being enacted in the European Union. So at least take comfort in knowing if you have to do this again in another 20 years, it won't be so difficult! :-)

Good luck in your search!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

So I take it you've tried to contact the phone companies in both areas and ask them? You might also try the company in New York, sometimes their IT departments will archive phone records. Best of luck to you.

Answer 4

Unfortunately that was before computers.

Did you call the phone company? In the 80's some of them made microfiche copies of their files.

I recommend checking your Tax return files, you may have possibly kept your phone records there!

Good Luck!
Blue

Answer 5

See -- https://backgroundreports.im/phonelookup