Saturday, March 30, 2013

Unclear about Your Neighbors? Do a Free Online Record Check!

By Camille C. Stasny


Looking for a free background check? You're not the only one. Each year, millions of people do a Google search trying to discover that one complete background check that is totally free. If you are one of those trying to find the elusive 100% free criminal record check, you can stop now. It simply doesn't exist. Hundreds of sites advertise free background searches; but they will not supply any info besides a name, a couple of basic identifiers and knowledge that a simple Google search provides. For "full" instant criminal checks, you'll generally need to subscribe to the site or pay a one-time fee.

When individuals do decide to pay for these immediate criminal checks, they usually expect the final results to be accurate. After all, the searches are simply taking information from a central public record information database right? Wrong! While the National Crime Information Center is accessible for law enforcement officers, there is never been a complete public records database open to the individual sector.

So where do internet background screening businesses obtain the information for their "free" background checks? They often end up searching free databases given by local and state authorities. The problem with these databases is that they're frequently incomplete, rarely maintained and also inaccurate. Even worse, court clerks in lots of regions of the nation don't post any kind of criminal history records online.

When instant checks do find criminal history records, the information are frequently for a person who has similar identifiers to the individual being researched. For instance, try performing an immediate criminal search for a person named "John Jones" in your area. Would you be certain that any of the records that show up actually belongs to the one "John Jones" you are investigating?

Before reporting a criminal record, professional background screeners attempt to match several identifiers like name, birth date and Social Security number, to make sure the record is made for the proper person. If the true court files lack some of these identifiers, the background screener may call district lawyers, probation officers and also jails to find matching identification. This service can never be provided by an instant background check.

Many people and companies who rely on free instant background checks would be shocked to learn how inaccurate and also partial they are. The Wall Street Journal lately did a review of several of the most popular "free" check services including InfoRegistry, US Search, Intelius, and NetDetective. The test subject was a middle-aged lady with no criminal history. Even though this should have been a simple search, every single instant background check returned results full of errors. The Intelius check even turned up 3 false civil judgments for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

These checks were not simply inaccurate, they were also expensive. They ranged in price from $30 for a 1-year subscription to $50 for 1-month access. Plus, like other "free" online background checks, they tried to get users to join numerous extra services that would bill their credit cards each month.

While instant checks might have their place, only human-run searches will regularly create full and also correct results. The entire process of browsing a county's computer records or visiting a courthouse may be time consuming, but it's also necessary for employers who want to avoid negligent hiring lawsuits.




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