RichardHarlos.com

It sounded almost too good to be true: free directory information calls just like 411. I checked it out and it’s true:

The way it works in practice is that a caller who requests a business number is first presented with a short (about 12 seconds) audio advertisement for a sponsor who operates a competing business in that area; the caller is then given the option of being connected to either that competitor or the business he originally requested. If no sponsor operates a local competing business, then the caller hears no advertisement at all. (In the latter case, if the caller accepts the option to connect to the desired number, the business receiving the call hears a short message at the beginning advising them that the call was placed via Free-411, and a Free-411 salesman may follow up with them a few days later to solicit them as a potential advertiser.)
-from Free 411 on Snopes.com; also seen on digg.com.

So the next time you need directory assistance and don’t mind listening to a 12-second commercial, 1-800-FREE-411 could be your answer.