Wednesday, June 7th
2023 Background Check Service Reviews
Intelius
- "A+" rated and accredited by the BBB
- In business for nearly 20 years
- Search by name, address, or phone number
- Options for unlimited basic monthly searches or a one-off report
- 5-day trial for $1.99
If you've ever tried US Search, Truthfinder, or Instant Checkmate, you won't find any surprises with Intelius - because they're all owned by PeopleConnect and use the same databases to run background checks.
Run a basic background check in five minutes
Intelius lets you start your search by name, city and state, phone number, or address. During the search process, you'll be prompted to answer clarifying questions about the individual being investigated: places they may have lived, whether or not they're an only child, approximate age range, and so on. You can skip this step if you happen to be doing a background check on someone with a relatively unique name, because you'll be taken directly to the page for requesting their report. The whole process takes about five minutes, and you'll be asked for your name and email address to save the results.
Different options for pricing and reports
Out of the four PeopleConnect background check platforms, Intelius is the second-most affordable in some cases. The monthly fee for unlimited, basic background checks is $24.86, or pay $42.25 for a two-month subscription. When we hesitated on the site for a few minutes, a pop-up offer gave us the opportunity to choose a five-day trial for $1.99 (more than the other three sister services). Waiting even longer led to yet another offer, this time a one-off fee of $29.99 to access a single report, and no monthly subscription.
Is that all?
We suspect that there's more than meets the eye with Intelius' background checks. The way most of the PeopleConnect sites work, the basic fees only include basic details like locations, addresses, relatives and so on. You'll definitely get that here. But you should also expect that to get a full report that reaches the level of detail most people require from a true background check, Intelius is going to hit you up for more money, probably on a per-report basis. There's no FAQ here and no way to see in advance what to expect in this regard.
Costs
- $24.86 for one month of unlimited basic reports
- $42.25 for two months of unlimited basic reports
- $1.99 for a 5-day trial
- $29.95 for a single report
- Extra fees for comprehensive background checks
Not bad, not great
We don't have any big concerns about Intelius' overall reputation. The BBB gives them an "A+" , which can be counted on as an indicator that the company isn't conducting any shady business or tricking consumers. And, if all you need is the kind of information rendered in a basic search, you might not be completely disappointed here. But, since there's probably another shoe left to drop (namely, the extra fees for in-depth information common in a background check), we suggest using the higher-rated, non-PeopleConnect platforms in our evaluation.
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Where Can You Get the Most Accurate and Affordable Background Checks?
You're already well aware of the fact that you can find out lots about people with a simple Google search, but what if you need to know more? There are plenty of reasons to pay for a background check, from vetting your newest love interest to making sure a childcare provider doesn't have a criminal past.
These paid platforms can access records that won't show up in a traditional search - and they save you time by pulling together information from thousands of databases into one place. When you run a background check, most services will give you two tiers of pricing: basic and "premium" . What's the difference? A basic search typically renders results showing a person's known aliases (like maiden names) and relatives, address history, phone number, email addresses, and possibly social media accounts.
Background Check Service FAQ
Continued from above...
To get to the kinds of records you've probably got in mind, like criminal and court proceedings, you'll have to upgrade to the premium service. That may be included as an add-on to a monthly subscription cost or as a one-off fee each time you conduct a search.
As you consider whether or not to conduct a background check, it's important to understand that some uses are strictly prohibited - and every service will require you to acknowledge those limitations at some point during the process (usually with an "I accept" or "I agree" checkbox). Identified as FCRA (short for Fair Credit Reporting Act), this regulation means that you can't use a background check service to influence decisions on employment, tenant applications, insurance, and several other scenarios. There are a small number of services that offer FCRA compliant searches, but expect to pay accordingly.
No matter which background check service you ultimately select, there's one good reason to visit more than one site: to protect your privacy by requesting that your own records be removed from their listings. Look for a link at the bottom of the site that says "Opt Out" or "Do Not Sell My Information" . From there, you'll either conduct a search for your own records (at no cost) or provide the URL you got when you looked up your own profile previously. Once you click the link sent in a confirmation email, it can take several business days for your info to be deleted (though we've seen it happen almost instantly as well).
With so many platforms offering background checks, which one is right for you? Keep in mind these criteria as you make your decision:
- Accuracy of Information. Background check services don't guarantee that their reports are accurate: public records can have errors, and with common names it's not unheard of to have incorrectly-attributed results. However, some services have a better reputation for quality data. You may want to search for your own report to get a feel for how on-target your results will be if you do a background check on someone else.
- Value. What will you get for what you spend? Is there a trial period that lets you test out the background check service before committing to a paid plan? How does that monthly fee compare with rival services?
- Reputation. What do other customers say about their experience with running background checks with the service? Has the Better Business Bureau given the provider a favorable rating?
- Customer Support. Some background check services let you get one-on-one help to find the information you need. Are support reps easily reached if you have questions or issues with billing?
To help you get all of the information you need. TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked the most popular background search providers available today. Are you ready to find out more about your neighbor, date, or coworker? Choose one of our highest-ranked services and see what you discover!
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