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Background Check Wizard
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Finding
out if someone has a criminal background can be a complicated
process...
Before
we get into the details of how to run a background check on
someone online, let's talk about the records and information
sources that you'll actually be searching. (For starters,
nobody can provide you with access to official criminal/police
records.)
However,
what is accessible online are things such as court
records, sex offender records, civil records, property records,
arrest warrants, prison & jail records and otherwise documents
that make up the overall "public record". In other
words, since many criminal charges would be processed by the
court - and since court dockets, case summaries and in some
cases trial transcripts are public information - finding
a criminal track-record online is relatively simple.
So
then - how can you search court records and other public
records to run an accurate and comprehensive background check?
You
have two options:
1.
Do it Yourself for Free: You can use the SnoopStation
Wizard and our public
records directory to individually search each potential
records source. In addition, you may need to contact some
courts directly to obtain hard-copies of case records, as
some courts do not publish records online. The same goes for
some county jails & prisons.
Estimated
total search time: 2 - 8 Hours, depending
on the availability of records and the scope of your investigation.
OR
2.
Use an Information Broker: A legitimate public records
provider will compile, build & maintain their own databases
of public records so that you can simply enter a name, hit
"search", and see any relevant records that match
that query in a matter of seconds. Much like a "Google",
but for public records.
The
reason why there is a charge for access is because the database
of records is actually manually compiled and updated,
and in addition, some records are actually "bought"
in bulk by the info broker on a page-view basis. Their membership
fees or search charges are used to cover these costs (access
to paid records & database maintenance).
Estimated
total search time: 5 Minutes - 1 Hour,
depending on how many cross-searches conducted.
A
simple Google search for a term like "background check
search" will pull up several offers from different data
brokers. You need to be aware that very few services like
this actually live up to their claim. Some, in fact, don't
even offer as much search coverage as what the SnoopStation
Wizard offers for free.
