Alert! PUBLIC RECORDS SCAMS!
Posted by Belle
Updated: March 7th, 2010
“Warning: Beware Of Online Public Records Scams!
I Can’t Believe The Hours I’ve Wasted On These So Called Public Records Sites……”
If there is one thing I’ve learned it’s that you can’t always believe what companies claim on their sites. It’s ridiculous and I’m frustrated to be honest with you! That’s one of the reasons why I created this site.
For The Job…
Public records are incredibly beneficial for a company. For instance, I work from home and have to hire people occasionally. When you work from home it’s harder to make sure people are doing their job reliably because you can’t see them. So, by checking people’s public records–county records, criminal, financial, and vital records–we can see patterns in their pasts that will give us a better chance of finding more reliable new hires. If you are bringing people into your office then you definitely want to know what type of person you are bringing into your environment.
So, I’m A Cheapskate… 
I tried to do the Cheap/Free approach at first. It’s kind of funny actually to think of how much time I wasted. Well, not really!?! So picture this…here I am doing a public records search on Google for this guy that I interviewed. Then, I think I found him. I click on the link and it’s another search box wanting me to search for him again. So, I do and they want me to purchase before I see anything. So, I keep looking and finally figured out that I’m not going to find zilch until I purchase one of these things. I went through about 10 of them before I finally found the data. Then, I start going through my list to get a refund. Do these companies even know what in the world customer service is????
Jump to my Top Pick for Public Records!*
* Includes Free Sex Offender Map! (effective. Jan 1, 2010)
And The Winner Is…(Drumroll please)
Anyway, that was a debacle and I learned the hard way. But, the site I found the data on was “Net Detective”. I was actually surprised because it was a fair price according to the other sites out there. I got Unlimited public records searches. Which, by the way, helps a lot because some of those guys charge you up front then want to charge you every time you search. Sheesh! One of the other things I thought was really cool with Net Detective was that they gave me a phone number to call if I had trouble. So, I couldn’t find this one person I was looking for info on and wanted to see if there was a better way. Rather than telling me the better way they actually looked up the record for me. Is that cool or what?
Click Here For Net Detective!*
* Includes Free Sex Offender Map! (effective. Jan 1, 2010)
Second Place Goes To…
In the runner-up spot, with very good customer care, great U.S. converage, and a big database is Complete Detective. I prefer the interface of Net Detective–seems a little easier to get around for a novice computer user. But between these two services, you really cannot go wrong.
There are lots of third place winners, too many to name here. You are welcome to search google for public records or public county records and go through the top 10 links you see. You can also look at the sponsored links on the side. But hey, don’t waste your time. 
I’ve already done that so you don’t have to!
So, thanks for listening to me ramble on… Anyways, I hope you’ll find this helpful when it comes time to do some effective public records searches online.
.. wwhat if you only have a phone number (that is unpublished) and you want to find out who this is that keeps calling and not leaving messages? Can you look people up other ways besides their name with net detective?
Hi Beth, I get that question a lot. The answer is Yes, you can look up people by phone number and address. I use Net Detective for this all the time to figure out which marketing agencies are violating the Do Not Call list. Then I report them!!! Good luck and let us know how it goes.
~ Belle
Hello Belle - I am normally not one to leave comments such as this. But I wanted to thank you for the help. I was able to find out that the woman of my dreams… so I thought… was actually married and living a “Double Life” in another state.! I easily found her marital status inside Net Detective. I have used other tools but this one is the best. You saved me from making another terrble decision! All my best to your and your family!
T.J.
Thanks T.J. I am glad you got something out of the site!
~ Belle
Just wanted to say thank you for all of the info. Net Detective is a great site with a great price too.
Chandra, I couldn’t agree more and I’m glad you found the site useful!
~ Belle
I’m looking for a used car. Unfortunately the Carfax report stated an accident with the following information: New York Police Report Case #32157379. Don’t want to pay for this public info. How do I find it for free?
Emma, what exactly are you looking to obtain? Details on the accident? Please elaborate.
~ Belle
I had a friend that got out for parole in ms but he is doing his parole in la. I had his location but lost it so now I’m trying to find out were he is at.
ok, i know this sounds crazy but I am trying to figure out if someone has died in my apartment. I am wondering how i can figure out who has lived here in the past and what happened to them??? Not sure if this is possible without many many hours in the hospital but i’m hoping so…thanks!
you do not have to have someone pass away where you live to be having problems of some sort. The reason i say this is because i live in a 90 year old home and it has been visited reguraly but has not hurt anyone.
I have been looking on the internet for several months trying to find the best company for a background check. I selected cisnationwide.com today and I am VERY disappointed. The reason I selected this company is because The BBB had this company listed as an accredited business. It was also my understanding that I could file a complaint with The BBB however that is not possible. I have to say that the Basic Background Report did not give me any information. The website is very misleading when it comes to unlimited searches everything costs additional money there is no unlimited searches and the information that I did get from thier site was not helpful! I am a victim of a serious crime and their site was not one help in the least bit. I want to let other consumers know about how unhelpful the site was for me.
Contact the cc company you used to pay for the service. Tell them u didnt get what u paid 4. They will usually refund your card. worked 4 me. gd luck
I am looking for a site that will list recent arrests by county, even if I don’t know the name of the person. Does anyone know of anything like that? I signed up for one that looked like it had it, but then you had to know the names, and that’s something I can find for free myself!
Thanks-
look at the local sheriff web site. many have inmate look up with pics. tye this one for example. BCSO.com click on inmate now. happy hunting
Can I find information online about a relatives probate papers, ie inventory and what other papers accompanied that besides the will. I am one of the beneficiaries, but live a long distance away from the country court where it was filed.
Probably not. Your best bet is to call the court clerk for the help you need.
The IRS says I owe them money from 2002, but I don’t in 2002 i filed a return and got a refund. Long story short is I dont have any records anymore, do you know how i can get copies of my return i filed with copies of the w2’s as well?
did you do your own taxes? If not, the company who did them MIGHT still have a copy.
call the 800 number or go to your local office and they give you Free returns, not sure bout w2’s
All you have to do is call the IRS and ask for a copy of the return you file