FAQs
What is a background check?
There are several different types of background checks that can be done on a person. Most of the time, when someone requests a background check, it means a criminal records search. However, the phrase "background check" can also refer to Motor Vehicle Reports, Credit Reports, Verifications (Education, Employment, Reference), Social Security Trace and more.
How far back do your background searches extend?
Based on the criteria you want investigated our searches extend back exactly seven (7) years.According to the FCRA, all outsource criminal reporting agencies have a limit of seven years. Some states will allow access to records back further than 7 years, but only under certain circumstances. Contact us for more details.
How do I decide whether to run a County or Statewide Criminal Search?
Both of these searches involve criminal records, but the source of information and the focus of each search is very different. While it is possible for both products to yield the same case information on a subject, your chances of finding information will be greater if you follow these simple guidelines:
- If you know the subject has lived in the same county for the past 7-10 years, or if you think a subject was tried for a criminal offense in a particular county, choose county criminal search. This is where the actual records filed in that county will be physically hand-checked by one of our qualified court records researchers.
- If you know or think a subject was tried for a criminal offense in a particular state, but don't know the county, or if the subject has moved around within the state several times, you may elect the statewide criminal search. This search has a much wider geographical focus. However, the statewide search only maintains records on individuals that are currently or have served time in one of that state's facilities or have fallen under its jurisdiction at some point within the seven year search
window allowed by FCRA. - Not all counties are required to report to the state, therefore statewide information
may not be available in some states. - When a person is convicted, their trial goes through the county. This information can either be passedon to the state or left in the county. Therefore, if you know the county where the individual is convicted,your chances of finding information are MUCH greater than doing a statewide criminal search.
Why should I search for County Criminal Records if I can search the State Criminal Records Repository?
Unfortunately, the state repositories are databases of information only. These state repositories vary widely. Each repository relies upon the various agencies within the state to report information to the repository. It has been our experience that the information is less complete than the actual county court records.
I ordered a criminal search on Saturday and have not yet received my report on Monday. Why?
Courts are closed on weekends; therefore your search is not processed until Monday. Please
understand the turn-around time is only available on business days.
I know someone who has been arrested in the past. Will this report show that?
Arrests themselves do not show up on our reports. We can only report criminal convictions. If someone was arrested and then released without being convicted, this information will not be reflected in our reports.
I looked up someone who I know is in prison but was unable to obtain any information. Why?
Depending on the county, if a person was convicted outside of our seven-year time frame, it is possible their offense may not come up in our report even though they are currently serving time.
I know someone who was convicted of spousal abuse less than seven years ago, but that didn't come up on your report.
This may be because some crimes can fall into more than one court category. Where they fall depends upon the state or county where the offense took place. With a crime like spousal abuse, it may have been reported to the family courts instead of the criminal courts, and because family court records are not public records, it would not show on our report. This does not downplay the nature of the offense. It just means the record is stored in a different place. Another example of this (in some states) is if someone is convicted of a DUI. A DUI is sometimes reported in traffic court, which is not available on the criminal background report, but may show on a motor vehicle report (MVR).
Are your services completely confidential?
Yes. We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer any personally identifiable information that visitors voluntarily provide in any registration or order form. The information you provide to us is only used to support related transactions made on the site.
Do you charge even if no record is found?
Yes. If no record is found it is still considered finding of a person's record. About 70% of the persons we search have no record. As we need to access the database, we have to pay the cost of each search, so there is a charge.
Will the persons I request background checks on know I requested information?
Yes. A release form is required on all searches requested.
Why do some of the reports I receive look different?
The actual reports you may receive vary from search to search, court to court, county to county, state to state and person to person. Your final reports will vary because there is no industry-wide standard.
