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Best Free Background Check Sites
The value of safety can’t be overstated, and it’s essential to understand who you are entrusting with the security of your family, life, or finances. Moreover, it’s also important to know what someone else who’s looking into you might find. Therefore, it’s no wonder that background checks are becoming so common. Luckily, there are plenty of free or affordable options available.
Best Free Background Check Sites in December 2024
Spokeo
Fortunly's Rating: Our editorial team determines the rating based on a set of evaluation criteria developed for each product and service category.
Spokeo
- iOS and Android apps
- 12 billion documents in the database
- Unrestricted PDF access
- Block unwanted calls
- Affordable pricing
InfoTracer
Fortunly's Rating: Our editorial team determines the rating based on a set of evaluation criteria developed for each product and service category.
InfoTracer
- More than one million satisfied users
- Advanced searches, including dark web, IP, car license plate, and others
- Business solutions
BeenVerified
Fortunly's Rating: Our editorial team determines the rating based on a set of evaluation criteria developed for each product and service category.
BeenVerified
- Affordable monthly membership
- Unclaimed property search tool
- Used by more than one million users
Top Free Background Check Services - Our Picks for 2024:
Spokeo - Best for low-cost individual reports
InfoTracer - Best for variety of search options
BeenVerified - Best for unclaimed money search
How To Do a Background Check for Free
Have you ever wondered what details about you are accessible to the general public? If you have, multiple online resources will allow you to do a personal background check for free. We'll show you how to use these tools to get the most detailed personal information report for yourself or others.
Most people are aware that their criminal history is public information, but did you also know that other details about you are also open to the public? Here’s some more publicly available information:
- Home and property ownership records
- Financial records
- Employment history
- Educational history
- Professional licenses and certifications
In some cases, your state's or county's website will offer access to this information online. In other circumstances, you'll have to ask for it from the relevant government agency.
While there are some resources that provide completely free background checks, keep in mind that they may not be comprehensive. If you want a complete picture of someone's background, we recommend using a professional background check service such as the ones we reviewed here.
These firms have access to a wide range of public and private records, and they can often provide a more detailed report than you could. Furthermore, rather than having to visit multiple government institutions, you will save a lot of time and find all of the information
Why Use a Professional Online Background Check Service?
A background check can provide you with the information you need to reconnect with a family member you've lost contact with, check out a potential date, find old friends, or simply learn more about someone in your neighborhood.
Even if you can find one, a free background check is not recommended. More than likely, such services will provide incorrect or sparse information. Most of the services we discuss here will only provide you with partial information and allow you to test out their functionality for a few dollars during a brief trial period. Otherwise, you’ll have to subscribe to get anything useful.
It's crucial to select a professional online background check company with a solid reputation and a proven track record. You should also make sure the service you choose provides the kind of report you need.
For instance, some services only offer criminal history reports, whereas others also offer data on financial transactions, property ownership, etc.
Details Available in a Free Background Check
These services can provide a wealth of information, including criminal records, bankruptcies, liens, and court verdicts. In addition, many services also offer credit reports and background checks on businesses.
It's important to choose reputable services that use reliable sources. Otherwise, you could end up with inaccurate or outdated information.
FCRA vs. Non-FCRA Background Checks
Both paid and free background checks on people might be subject to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
FCRA-regulated background checks can only be conducted by a Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA). CRA companies include credit bureaus, tenant screening services, and companies that collect medical information.
Non-FCRA background checks are not subject to these same restrictions, which means that they can be conducted by anyone for any purpose, except for employment, tenant screening, and verifying eligibility for insurance or credit.
Criminal histories, credit reports, and other details may be included in background checks that are both FCRA-compliant and non-FCRA-compliant. However, only background checks that are subject to FCRA regulation come with certain protections, such as the right to know if the data was used against you and the right to challenge any errors. Such measures can’t be taken when you conduct background checks for free.
Therefore, if you are renting your property and want to make sure your potential tenant has a clean background, you will need to use a licensed tenant screening service.
These companies will provide you with a report that includes criminal history, credit reports, and other information that will help you make a decision about whether or not to rent to the applicant.
Response Period
Since online queries don't require as much information or verification, turnaround times for background checks are usually much quicker than official investigations.
Search requests can be completed quickly by a service that has access to government data repositories. With a potential match in their records, the providers we tested can take up to 10 minutes to put together a report for you.
Background checks that adhere to FCRA regulations are typically much more thorough and take much longer to complete. To make sure that the information can be used for other purposes, it may be worth the extra time, though.