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Archive for November, 2008

The Importance of Background Checks

November 14th, 2008
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Twenty years ago it was safe to let your kids play out in the yard or run to a friends house just around the block. My how times have changed! Just how well do you know your neighbors or other people you come in contact with on a daily basis?

You can never be too safe or too sure when it comes to the safety of your family and loved ones. A large percentage of crimes these days are committed by someone you know or are acquainted with. Sure there are still many random crimes that take place but are you willing to take that chance?

You can’t just bury your head in the sand and wish these problems away. Be proactive in checking up on the individuals around you and your family. Your neighbors, teachers, coaches, co-workers, nannies, or any other person could be just waiting on an opportunity to strike.

Those that are around children should be the first ones you check out. Children are so trusting of the adults in there life that they might not notice what’s going on until its too late. Beat them to the punch! Run a background check on each and every person you believe may have a seedy past. At the very least, this may give you piece of mind and help protect your family in the process.

I know this article sounds a bit alarmist but this is the world we live in today. There is nothing more important than the safety of your family!

You can visit our web site to sign up for our to get the details on other free background check resources.

Shawn Background Checks , , ,

Background Check Methods

November 13th, 2008
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There are a number of ways you can conduct a background check these days. Some are expensive, some free, and others in the middle. This article will describe these methods to allow you to make an informed decision.

1) The first method is to use the old fashioned way: visiting all of the government offices and gathering the records one by one. Some people may be surprised to find that a simple request to the right person will yield a lot of public records on someone. Most of the time you can get these records immediately but depending on the backlog you may have to wait a week or two for them. Usually there is a small fee involved for the time to retrieve the records, paper, etc…

2) Another old standby is to hire a private investigator. This can be quite expensive and may or may not produce the results you’re looking for. If you have the money this may be the option for you but be sure to hire a reputable detective.

3) Probably the best solution for most people is to sit down at their computer and access public records online. This can be a reasonably cheap or possibly even free way to gather information on someone. It doesn’t require driving all over the place or the expense of hiring a private detective to do the work for you. There are a number of websites on the internet dedicated to this kind of searching. Most will require a small free but will generally provide all the records in one place.

Find more information on doing a free background check or see other free background check resources.

Shawn Background Checks , , ,

Why Free Background Checks Aren’t Really Free!!

November 12th, 2008
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You’ll see the term “free background check” get thrown around a lot when you start looking for information on doing your own background checks. However, this doesn’t mean you won’t have to spend any money! A better description for “free background check” would be “do-it-yourself background check”. “Free” really only indicates that you, “the searcher”, will be doing all of the work and not paying someone else to do it for you. Anyone, no matter who is doing the search, will be paying something to access records beyond the basic name, address, and telephone number!

Why Do Web Sites Say “Free” If They’re Not?

There is a reason web sites use the moniker “free background check” instead of “do it yourself background check”: nearly everyone searches for “free background check” and most assume it’s the same as the “do it yourself” variety. We’ve been building web sites related to and providing information on background checks and people searches since 2001 and we’re just as guilty as everyone else when it comes to using these terms synonymously. We receive e-mails, almost on a daily basis, that drive this issue home. Most say something like this:

Dear Sirs,

We clicked a link on your web site that takes us to whateversite.com but they want to charge money to access the records. All over your web site it says free, free, free but now we have to pay!

Thanks,

John Doe

And they are right; to a certain extent. Many of the web sites we link to and tools we recommend use public record resources that city, county, and state governments maintain. In fact, these resources are the only place you can get the information you seek outside of the national police database that IS NOT public accessible. While some of these public records are still freely available, most now require at least a small fee to gain access to them. Even if you were to visit the appropriate local agency they are going to charge you for their time, paper, ink used to print the reports, etc…

We want to provide our visitors with the tools and resources they need to conduct their own background checks cheaply and easily. Hiring a private investigator is too expensive for most, and may or may not provide the same information you can dig up yourself at a fraction of the cost. In certain situations a pi could be needed but most individuals just need bits of information and not a complete, in-depth life history of a person. So the next time you see “free background check” mentioned, remember “free” isn’t really free.

Shawn Background Checks , ,