how to do a proper and free background check and research on yourself and others?
Long gone are the days when we used to live in small societies, where everyone knows each other and has an idea of what to expect. Nowadays, the situation is quite different! We live in a globalized borderless world, and hitting into people we’ve never met before is part of our daily routine. So, we need to socialize and assess them quickly, using just what we have at hand.
Fortunately, the digitized era of innovations allows us to get all sorts of information instantly. One way or another, everyone leaves tracks in the virtual reality. In this article, you will find out how to track down anyone online, or metaphorically, how to be a good digital hound.
Research on people, or personal background check is often carried out for security reasons, and don’t fool yourself, maybe someone has already dug into your past. Only a few years ago it would have taken a private investigation or break-in to access personal information, but today it takes nothing more than having a computer.
There are companies, such as CheckThem.com, that have specialized in the area of personal background checks, offering affordable services to help you find information in an easy way. These services are really time-saving and effective, because they do not just provide you with information, which as you are going to see, is not small in volume, but also organize it, and deliver it to you in the form of extensive reports. All you need to do to run a background check on somebody is to type in the search box a name, an address or a phone number.
Whether you are an employer, an employee, a curious neighbor or a bit of paranoid, there are at least
10 essential things you can find about anyone online:
- Criminal Records – The screening services allow you to find out whether the people in your circles have criminal backgrounds. Almost every state’s institution has an online database where you can check a person’s file – a tedious and time-consuming process. By using background check services, you don’t need to check in FBI’s Most Wanted to see whether your next tenant, job applicants, business partners or secretive neighbors are drug dealers, pimps, or robbers. Relying on professional check services you can avoid frauds and weed out people you don’t want around you.
- Court Documents – If you want to dig deeper into a particular case, you can always obtain court records. However, bear in mind, that some of the documents are sealed and the information provided is limited.
- Speeding Tickets – if you are a transport company, or need a personal driver, before entrusting your expensive vehicle to anyone, this check is a must. Many states have made traffic tickets public available information, so you can get it with a single click.
- License Search – by using the online license verification services you are able to search on doctors, lawyers or other professionals for license information. You might as well find a complete professional biography of the person you are interested in. Being aware of the quacks hanging around can save you a lot of trouble.
- Property Records – you might normally think that these won’t be available online, don’t you? Wrong! Property records not only are available in internet, but also are very valuable piece of information. You can search for any property to get detailed information about property price, ownership, residency history, location description, photos, maps images, etc. These records are especially useful if you want to sell or buy home or if you work as a real estate agent.
- Phone Numbers and Contact Information – You’ve lost a connection with an old friend or a relative? No need to worry! You can check in this genealogy collection of US Public Records for people between 1970 and 2009. You as well can rely on specialized search engines. Enter the name of the person you want to contact with and immediately get his/her currents. You will receive an up-to-date and accurate report, containing their location, e-mail address, date of birth, and other available information. A reverse phone lookup is another handy service you can use to find out who’s the owner of the phone number constantly bothering you.
- Sex Offender Registries – the majority of sex offenders look kind and shy people who you will never suspect to be criminals. Under the illusion that their intentions are good, we allow these people around our children, placing them at risk of becoming a potential victim. How to prevent our families and the people we love becoming victims of crime? Take precautionary measures by digging into people’s history. You can look for the official state or FBI registries online, or you can use FamilyWatchdog. However, the most effective way to find whether the person smiling at us is not just another sex offender is to conduct a criminal background check.
- Marriage certificates, birth certificates, obituaries – need to know something more personal about someone or just want to confirm whether their story comply with the actual facts? Look for sites with vital records or state public records, such as the National Centre for Health Statistics. The search engines will be of great help here, too. The data provided by the search reports supply you with substantial amount of information about a given person, including marriage and birth certificates. If the person you are looking for has passed away, you can get church, cemetery, obituaries and other death-related information.
- Activity on social media –You are familiar with the saying “You could be doing yourself more harm than anyone else”. This is more than valid in terms of social media. Although, people are getting more and more educated about online privacy and know how to restrict the access to their personal data, still they share important pieces of information, obtainable just by checking out their profiles in Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. So, do not underestimate the social media.
- Google – O, really? Of course, this is where you actually check first, but my experience has shown me that it isn’t the best place to make a research, if you are looking for an extensive collection of personal information. It can sometimes fool you that the info you need is not available on the net, even if you try using all possible criteria and all the fancy ways for search that Google allows.
Our Advice – we recommend that you should start with yourself. Conduct a Background Check on you to see what information is available about you and whether it won’t affect your reputation when you most need it – for starting a new job, renting a house, taking out a loan, or who knows – for finding a spouse?
May the force be with you and use this knowledge wisely and responsibly.
