Best Background Check Site For Dating
Online dating services have made it easier than ever to connect with new people. But are they trustworthy? A good background check site might help.
 |
Consider these sites when you want to know your date more than they let on:
- Intelius for unlimited searches
- BeenVerified for multipurpose needs
- Spokeo for quick searches
- SearchQuarry for more bang for your buck
- PeopleWhiz for social background checks
You've met someone new and the conversation is going great. Things seem to be moving in the right direction.
But before you pull all the stops, ask yourself, "How much do I really know this individual?"
These online background check tools can provide valuable insights about your date—from verifying their identity to discovering deal-breaking information.
5 Best Background Check Services For Dating
Don't just take their word for it. These background check sites could help you verify details and dig deeper into your date's past. Just make sure they live in the US.
Intelius: Best For Unlimited Searches
| People search cost: | $25.11/mo.[1] |
|---|---|
| Trial offer: | $0.95[1] |
| Reverse lookup: | Name, phone, email address, and address |
| Reports may contain: | Criminal and traffic records, government watchlist and property records, and more. |
| Retrieval time: | Around 8 minutes |
Why Choose Intelius:
If you knew there was a much simpler (and safer) way to check someone's background, wouldn't you do it?
Intelius is a thorough background check service that allows you to search as many people as you want and get reliable results. At the same time, your date won't know you looked them up unless you tell them.
With a user-friendly interface, this tool is great for:
- Assessing a person's trustworthiness
- Tracing relatives, old friends, or debtors
- Identifying prank callers
You can use Intelius to search for individuals living in the US with a monthly subscription. But if you want to test the waters first, you can also opt for a trial of their services.
Pros + Cons:
|
|
Intelius: Reverse Phone Lookup + People Search
- $0.95 for a 5-day trial and then $35.30/month
- Unlimited Phone Reports
- Unlimited Person Reports
- Unlimited Address Reports
- Phone Reports may include owner's name and address, photos, social media profiles, address history, related persons, and more
Intelius: Address Lookup + People Search
- $0.95 for a 7-day trial and then $34.95/month
- Unlimited Person Reports
- Unlimited Address Reports
- Address Reports may include residents, neighbors, location details, ownership history, property value, evictions, neighborhood demographics, crime stats, nearby sex offenders, and nearby entertainments, restaurants, etc.
Intelius: People Search
- $25.11/month (monthly) or $21.35/month (bi-monthly)
- Unlimited Person Reports
- Unlimited Address Reports
- Person Reports may include email addresses, address history, employment history, educational history, related persons, business ownership, assets, criminal and traffic records, court records, and more.
Intelius: Reverse Phone Lookup + People Search 5-Day Trial
Get a 5-day trial for only $0.95. If you do not cancel, you will be charged $35.30/month after the trial period.
Intelius: Address Lookup + People Search 5-Day Trial
Get a 5-day trial for only $0.95. If you do not cancel, you will be charged $34.95/month after the trial period.
Planning for more diverse searches? Try this next all-in-one solution.
BeenVerified: Best For Multipurpose Needs
| Cost: | $36.89/mo.[2] |
|---|---|
| Trial offer: | ✓ |
| Reverse lookup: | Name, phone, email, address, username, and VIN |
| Reports may contain: | Criminal/traffic records, death records, social media, associates, and more. |
| Retrieval time: | Around 4 minutes |
Why Choose Beenverified:
BeenVerified lets you check your date's background for any criminal records or legal issues, giving you peace of mind. It uses billions of public data from federal databases and county records that may not be available through the usual search engine query.
Additionally, BeenVerified accommodates different data points to get all sorts of information. For example, if you want to verify their email address, key it in and let BeenVerified scour the social media accounts linked to it.
Pros + Cons:
|
|
BeenVerified: 3-Month Membership- $71.94
- $71.94 + applicable sales tax
- Up to 100 reports per month
- Membership benefits include background reports, contact information, phone lookups, email lookups, address lookups, and criminal records
- Faster searching in seconds
- Seven ways to search
- Get notifications when reports change
BeenVerified: 1-Month Membership- $36.89/Month
- $36.89 + applicable sales tax
- Up to 100 reports per month
- Membership benefits include background reports, contact information, phone lookups, email lookups, address lookups, and criminal records
- Faster searching in seconds
- Seven ways to search
- Get notifications when reports change
Want something more affordable? This next background check site only costs less than $20 a month.
Spokeo: Best For Quick Searches
| People search cost: | $19.95/mo.[3] |
|---|---|
| Trial offer: | ✓ |
| Reverse lookup: | Name, phone, email, address, and username |
| Reports may contain: | Address history, phone numbers, email address, education level, and more. |
| Retrieval time: | Less than 1 minute |
Why Choose Spokeo:
If you don't need a lot of information, use Spokeo for a quick and affordable basic background check.
Although a regular subscription may not provide details as in-depth compared to other background check services, you can also use Spokeo beyond just verifying your date's info.
For an additional fee, you can get premium reports that contain public records, civil records, licenses, properties, liens, and more.
Pros + Cons:
|
|
Spokeo: 1-Month Membership - $19.95/Month
Results may include full address, email address, family members, birth month/year, phone number, and location history.
Pay $19.95 upon sign up and you will be billed every month after that until the subscription is canceled. Cancel anytime.
Spokeo: 3-Month Membership - $14.95/Month
Results may include full address, email address, family members, birth month/year, phone number, and location history.
Pay $44.85 upon sign up and you will be billed every three months after that until the subscription is canceled. Cancel anytime.
This next background check company combines flexibility and affordability.
SearchQuarry: Best Bang For Your Buck
| People search cost: | $14.95/search or $24.91/mo. or $35.40/yr. |
|---|---|
| Trial offer: | $5.05 for 7 days |
| Reverse lookup: | Name, phone, license plate, and VIN |
| Reports may contain: | Arrest records, criminal background, marriage/divorce records, and more. |
| Retrieval time: | Around 1 minute |
Why Choose SearchQuarry:
SearchQuarry offers a more thorough search. It retrieves various public records using a single platform, including legal issues and driving violations.
So if you run a search on your date and it reveals a history of lawsuits, it may prompt a deeper conversation, especially when you're contemplating taking your relationship to the next level.
And since you can use this service on practically every person in the US, you can pay the 1-year plan. It costs slightly higher than the regular monthly subscription price, but you can take advantage of multiple searches for much longer.
Pros + Cons:
|
|
PeopleWhiz: For Social Background Checks
| People search cost: | $27.99/mo. or $22.95/mo. (3 months) or $14.95/mo. (6 months) |
|---|---|
| Trial offer: | $1 for one week |
| Reverse lookup: | Name |
| Reports may contain: | Social media profiles, arrest records, sex offender status, licenses, and more. |
| Retrieval time: | Around 4 minutes |
Why Choose PeopleWhiz:
PeopleWhiz pulls billions of records from its extensive database, making it a comprehensive background check tool for personal use.
It helps you find social media profiles connected to your date, offering a glimpse into their online activities and behavior. Results may reveal photos and personal details that may not readily appear through a simple Google search.
PeopleWhiz also provides a digital sex offender map, so you see the distance and whereabouts of the registered sex offenders. God forbid, your date isn't one of them!
There's no way a person will know if you look them up on a background check website, especially if done for personal use. It doesn't send alerts to the individual, unlike some social media platforms that tell you who viewed your profile.
Pros + Cons:
|
|
Now that you know what background check sites can do for you, here are answers to common questions.
What does a background check provide?
An online background check report may provide these details:
- Personal info
Get the full name, age, aliases, and photos. Their social media accounts and dating site profiles indicating their relationship status may also be revealed. - Contact details
These may also include a record of your past addresses and dates of residence. - Criminal backgrounds
Get in on the details about arrests, convictions, and lesser crimes like misdemeanors and traffic violations. - Court records
These pertain to previous and ongoing legal cases, bankruptcy filings, and judgments. - Employment history
See the person's list of known employers and job positions. - Education
Some background check sites may provide information on schools attended. - Marriage and divorce records
If your partner claims to be single, these records are worth checking out.
Should you background check before dating?
You don't need to run a background check on every new person in your life. However, doing so before going out with them seems reasonable. Knowing the person is clear of any negative findings can help you feel more secure with them.
Even when you are already dating, a background check service could help you:
- Verify their honesty
- Identify dating red flags
- Gain a better understanding of the person's character
Dating apps don't usually conduct background checks on their members. However, some dating sites offer premium memberships with extra layers of verification procedures. This helps prevent online catfishing and bad players.
How do I do a background check on my date?
To run a background check on your date, or anyone actually, all you have to do is key in their name on the search field of a background check website like Intelius or BeenVerified. You'll see the full report after paying for a trial or subscription.
Alternatively, conduct a reverse image search on a people search tool like Social Catfish. Use the person's picture and uncover the social media profiles attached to it.
If you want to look them up without paying, you can use free background checks, too. But of course, you can't expect much, especially in terms of accuracy and comprehensiveness. Or maybe you can just run a basic Google search on them.
You can look up your boyfriend using any background check website. This may help you discover details that may or may not corroborate the ones he has already shared with you as well as provide some new information.
What is the safest way to date?
Aside from using dating background checks, the safest way to date, especially if it's your first with that person, is to do it in a public place. Choose a well-populated location, such as a cafe or park, where you can easily get help if needed. And of course, do it during daytime.
Meanwhile, here are more safety tips and tricks on dating.
- Tell someone where you're going.
Share details about your date like who you're meeting up with, where, and when, with a friend or family member, and keep them posted. - Avoid oversharing.
Remember, this is just your first encounter. You can be engaging without providing too much information. - Stay sober.
Don't exceed what you can handle to remain alert and exercise good judgment. - Have an exit strategy.
Arrange a distress call with a friend so they can bail you out when the date isn't going well. - Trust your instincts.
If something's off, don't ignore it. You'll thank yourself later.
It's not illegal to run a background check for personal consumption. It only becomes one if your purpose is to screen job applicants, property buyers, and creditworthy individuals with a provider that is not FCRA-approved.
How to Choose a Background Check Site for Dating
For a specific purpose such as online dating, see if the background check site offers a free trial. You are likely just looking up your date, so you might not want a monthly subscription.
Additionally, not all background check companies retrieve marriage or divorce records. Choose one that provides this info, which is crucial when assessing a potential romantic partner.
Other factors to consider are data accuracy, cost, and customer support.
Methodology
To create the list of the best background check sites for dating, we ensured they were from reputable providers with a high number of users. This usually tells you that the service is somehow a good one.
At the same time, we tested each tool and checked how fast it retrieved the records and what was in their sample report. We made sure it could provide marriage and divorce records.
Lastly, we looked at the value of money. Some websites may be more expensive than others, but that's usually because they come with extra perks.
Bottom Line
Intelius tops the list as the best background check site for dating. Its ability to unearth crucial information like public records and criminal and traffic records can help you avoid potential danger.
If you want more data points, BeenVerified is your best bet. It has multiple search tools that make a monthly subscription worth it.
Overall, you have at least five great choices that can give you peace of mind about who you really are dating.
References
- ^ Intelius. Intelius Pricing & Membership Information, Retrieved 9/25/2024
- ^ BeenVerified. Value Plan, Retrieved 9/25/2024
- ^ Spokeo. Activate Your Account and Unlock Your Report!, Retrieved 9/25/2024
Penelope Besana is a research analyst at CreditDonkey, a internet comparison and reviews website. Write to Penelope Besana at penelope.besana@creditdonkey.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for our latest posts.
Note: This website is made possible through financial relationships with some of the products and services mentioned on this site. We may receive compensation if you shop through links in our content. You do not have to use our links, but you help support CreditDonkey if you do.
|
|
| ||||||
|
|
|
