Background Checks: Understanding The Source

There are many firms that offer online background checks.  The price for these checks normally range from $9.00 to $99.00, or more.  Background searches can also be obtained by hiring a local private investigator who will physically contact neighbors and associates of your subject to evaluate their credit worthiness, moral character and standing in the community.  These reports can cost thousands of dollars.  However, most requestors of background searches are interested in obtaining a general overview of their subject to determine if any “red flags” are apparent.  If you go this route, make sure that you are aware of the source and particularly, the age of the information.

The vast majority of online background checks we found advertised are provided by subscription software outfits like Internet Detective or Net Detective.  Their names change like the days of the week but they all have one thing in common:  They promise “instant” results for a small recurring fee.  Be aware that anyone offering instant results is only providing stale data obtained by searching outdated public databases.  And because they are so generalized with limited personally identifiable information, you can never be certain if the name returned in the results is actually your subject.  These outfits also claim that their software is used by law enforcement agencies and private investigators.  We can assure you that this is an unsubstantiated lie!  No self-respecting law enforcement agency or reputable investigator would be caught dead using Net Detective, or similar software.

State licensed private investigators have access to proprietary databases exclusive to them and law enforcement professionals only.  Some, such as Docusearch Investigations, combine several of these proprietary databases and are able to return current public and non-public information such as:

• Email addresses associated with subject
• Subject’s aliases & A.K.A.s
• Subject’s age & date of birth
• Addresses associated with subject
• Phone listings for subject’s associated addresses
• Relatives of subject at each address
• Subject’s driver license information
• Vessels registered to subject
• Real property owned by subject
• Civil actions against subject
• Court actions against subject
• Additional persons associated with the subject’s addresses
• Known relatives of subject by name
• Known relationships with subject
• Vehicles registered to the subject
• Criminal records check
• Corporations associated with the subject

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