Many people need to look up someone online. This could be to find a lost family member or friend or to give a background check on a prospective employee. Irrespective of the reason, there are internet sites where you can do confidential and anonymous background checks and sites that allow you to check for arrest warrants.

The big question is, can you trust the information from these sites? You don’t want to be embarrassed when presenting a report only to find that it is incorrect and you have been scammed.

Top Three Service Providers

Here are three sites to help you verify or find information about people. They are trustworthy, and you can believe the information on the end report.

First Advantage

This is our #1 pick for background checks, as it returns results quickly and offers international reviews where the data is available. If you want, First Advantage will undertake a full background check that includes contacting the person being investigated if they need additional information.

Their reports cover all the information accessible, including contact details, education and employment history, licenses, certifications, social media, judicial, criminal, and arrest records, traffic records, and other pertinent information.

The service offered by First Advantage is a boon to small businesses as much as international organizations, as the initial results are available within 24 hours. First Advantage can provide drug testing and will undertake a fingerprint check with the FBI if your search warrants that level of detail.

The length of time that it takes to return a full report depends mainly on any international searches that need to be undertaken. A First Advantage representative will contact you and discuss their plans and prices. To get started, you go to their website and give your details.

Truthfinder

Truthfinder is an online tool that can be used to find people that reside in the USA. You can search in many ways, such as with a name, telephone number, email, or physical address. Truthfinder trawls public records from anywhere in the USA and then compiles a report for the searcher.

Truthfinder will return information on the following:

Contact details
Addresses
Arrest and criminal record
Licenses
Social media accounts
Assets
Bankruptcy and liens
Education History
Employment history
Any other public records for that person.

You do not need a person’s name to search under Truthfinder. This site has a facility to do a reverse telephone or reverse address search. Using this, you can check if the person giving you a telephone number or address is the actual person that owns that asset.

Thai search is not free, and there are costs associated with undertaking an investigation. The Truthfinder site details the charges related to the different types of searches.

Using Truthfinder to run quick background checks on employees is simple, but reading the fine print is essential as it guides you on the legalities of using the information.

Intelius

Intelius offers a service very similar to that provided by Truthfinder. Intelius has been in business since 2003, so this is a company that you can trust to bring you all the information there is for your search.

Intelius will undertake a high-quality background check, finding in-depth data. They will provide information on the following:

Names
Addresses, both past and present
Telephone Numbers
Employment history
Criminal history and arrests
Any other data located.

Intelius has a fee structure, but advantageous membership contracts are a monthly fee to allow unlimited searches. Large organizations can use this to run preliminary checks on prospective employees.

Intelius also allows you to undertake a connection search. You can click on any connections and widen the search to include family members, business associates, and more.

Do Candidates Need to Sign a Waiver?

Signing waivers is unnecessary if you are searching for a family member or friend. However, if it is to be used as part of an employment process, then most states require you to have the candidate sign a waiver. Many states have precise requirements for what must be included in the waiver, and some prohibit background checks unless the person is to be employed in a position of trust.

If you are still determining the legalities around undertaking background checks, seek legal counsel before undertaking the assessment. Also, be sure to use an FCRA-compliant service provider.

Final Verdict

Background checks can help you to find the best employee or if you’re a landlord, an excellent tenant with no criminal or poor financial history. It can help verify a candidate’s CV and ensure that past education, qualifications, employment, licenses, and certification are valid.

Most checks are available within days, but some take many weeks to complete, and they can save you a great deal of angst in the long run. We recommend seeking the necessary legal counsel before embarking on a background check.