| It takes more than a handshake and good | | | | background by checking if they live were they |
| intentions to establish trust and working | | | | say they do; if a person claimed to go to |
| relationships - it requires reliable information about | | | | Columbia University, it may be helpful to know if |
| the person you're dealing with. A people search | | | | he ever actually lived in New York. A good people |
| company can help fill in important personal - and | | | | search company reports on the last 10 years. |
| easy to miss - details, whether it's a simple | | | | • Criminal background. The first rule in |
| address history to track down lost friends to a | | | | dating is safety, and a simple criminal background |
| property or criminal history before initiating a | | | | check (including a sex offender search) is one |
| business transaction. | | | | form of protection. |
| Not all people searches give the same results. | | | | • Marriage and divorce records. Most |
| Basic address searches look up a current phone | | | | search companies don't do a nation-wide search |
| number and address; other searches focus on | | | | by default, so specify which states to check. If an |
| specific public records, such as registered sex | | | | address history reveals that someone has lived in |
| offenders, criminal and civil court cases, or | | | | Tampa, Chicago, and Portland, check marriage |
| property and asset ownership. High-quality people | | | | divorce records for Florida, Illinois, and Oregon. |
| search companies use nationwide records going | | | | • Asset checks. Most problems in |
| back 10 to 15 years. A people search company | | | | relationships come from money. An asset check |
| provides information that you can use to make | | | | looks for property and businesses owned by a |
| important decisions more safely and with better | | | | person, major assets like boats, bankruptcies, and |
| peace of mind. Know what to search for, so that | | | | civil judgments. |
| you get the information you need: | | | | Situation 3: Reconnecting |
| • What are you looking for? | | | | Most people have considered tracking down a |
| • What search includes that information? | | | | childhood friend, sweetheart, or military buddy, so |
| • What kind of personal information do | | | | it's natural that the most common type of people |
| you need to provide? | | | | search is an address history. A first step may be |
| • What kind of search report does the | | | | a fast white pages search using a name and |
| people search company provide? | | | | address, but most people move several times |
| Situation 1: Business | | | | over their life time, and frequently change their |
| There are a variety of business situations where | | | | names, such as a woman taking her husband's |
| it is important to verify a person's identity and | | | | name or a person going by their middle name or |
| credibility in advance, especially in two | | | | nickname. |
| commonly-overlooked areas: | | | | A people search company, unlike telephone white |
| • Before hiring a contractor, check if he | | | | pages, doesn't need current information to find |
| has a history of bankruptcies, claims against his | | | | somebody because they cover multiple databases |
| work, or tax liens - all indications that his business | | | | that include old records. A competent people |
| integrity is not worth your investment. Since a | | | | search company will be able to locate almost |
| contractor will spend a lot of time around your | | | | anyone by searching a variety of resources - |
| home and family, do a criminal or sex offender | | | | public records, military records, even boat |
| background check. | | | | ownership. The more information you can supply, |
| • When you buy a big-ticket item online, | | | | the easier the location search is, but you only |
| like a car or jewelry, make sure that the seller is | | | | need to know three things for a people search |
| who they claim to be (address history) and | | | | company to initiate a search: |
| legitimately owns those items (asset search). A | | | | • Name (first and last, even a maiden |
| good idea may also be to run a criminal | | | | name or alias) |
| background check, to look for red flags like fraud | | | | • Any city the person has lived in (not |
| or theft convictions. | | | | necessarily their current address) |
| Situation 2: Online Dating | | | | • Approximate age (an option to help |
| Online dating has become mainstream, but it is still | | | | narrow results) |
| difficult to determine someone's honesty through | | | | For instance, a person may know that Martha |
| pixels and email. Any kind of people search can | | | | Smith lived in Bakersfield in 1994. Using a |
| help identify potential problems; the more in-depth | | | | combination marriage records and old phone |
| searches offer even more peace of mind: | | | | directories, the people search company can |
| • Address history. An address history is | | | | identify her as Martha Jones living in San Mateo in |
| a starting point that sketches in a person's | | | | June 2007. |