Intelius Review
Looking into somebody's background? Intelius can help. Read on to learn how it works, plus, its benefits and drawbacks.
Overall Score | 4.2 | ||
Price | 4.0 | ||
Mobile App | 4.5 | ||
Customer Service | 4.0 | ||
Ease of Use | 4.5 | ||
Trustworthy | 4.0 | ||
Pros and Cons
- Multiple data sources
- Simple to use
- Unlimited searches
- Confusing pricing
- Not always updated
Bottom Line
Solid background check service for personal use
Hoping to reconnect with an old loved one? Or maybe you just met someone new and want to know if this person's trustworthy?
Intelius may just have the information you need. You won't have to scour the internet for different sources, making it convenient.
However, don't rely so much on its detailedness. In any case, you should be able to know if it's worth it by the end of this article.
What Is Intelius?
Intelius is a people search tool that individuals willing to pay for the service can access. It collects personal background data from public documents and consolidates them in one comprehensive report.
Here are some information you can discover:
- Phone numbers
- Past and current addresses
- Family members
- Social media profiles
- Employment history
- Bankruptcies
- Lawsuits
- Marriage and divorce records
- Previous arrests
- Criminal or traffic records
- Sex offender status
Having said this, what would be the right use case?
Who Is Intelius Best For?
Intelius is great for those who want to:
- Assess a person's trustworthiness
- Trace relatives, old friends, or debtors
- Identify prank callers
In general, Intelius can be beneficial for individuals who need to access public records for personal reasons. By leveraging its comprehensive sources and advanced search capabilities, you can access information quickly and confidently.
It is legal to access Intelius services for personal reasons like locating individuals or satisfying one's curiosity. That said, you should not use it to screen applicants for credit, jobs, and rental property.
Based on the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you will need a consumer reporting agency for that purpose,[1] which Intelius isn't.
Given Intelius' convenience, what are the upsides and downsides of using the service?
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Multiple data sources
- Simple to use
- Unlimited reports
- Responsive customer service
- Reasonable cost
- Versatile membership plans
- Long industry experience
- Membership trial offer
- Identity Protect option
- Opt-out for your own listing
Cons:
- Confusing pricing
- Information isn't always updated
- Limited to personal use only
- May take 10 minutes or more to see results
- Auto-renews to a monthly membership
- Extra charge for downloadable reports
How Does Intelius Work?
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As a leading provider of background check services, Intelius works by aggregating personal records that you may otherwise have to find manually.
When you run a basic search, simply input the person's first and last names, and wait for your full report. The system will encourage you to provide additional info to narrow its search results. But it's not required, especially if you don't know much about the person.
Note that you will only find U.S. residents over the age of 18 on the Intelius website.
Once Intelius has successfully provided any pertinent information, you will be directed to the payment page, after which the results are presented in one comprehensive and digestible report.
Intelius works great because it can provide that missing piece of a puzzle. However, it may not always provide the most updated and extensive data — let alone, find anything at all. It is best to contact their Customer Support if you think this is the case or if you need further assistance.
How much does Intelius charge?
Intelius has 3 types of membership with the following prices:
| Membership Plan[2] | Benefits | Price Per Month |
|---|---|---|
| People Search | Unlimited person and address reports | $25.11 |
| Phone Search | Unlimited phone, person and address reports | $35.30 |
| Address Search | Unlimited address and person reports | $34.95 |
People Search also comes with a 2-month plan, which costs $42.69 (or $21.35 per month). Nonetheless, all membership plans have trial offers at varying prices and duration, which can be confusing.
First, you need to run a search since the trial is not posted on the Pricing page. Once you get to the Payment page, you'll see a prompt to input your credit card number or opt for PayPal. Don't budge. In less than a minute, a pop-up window appears with a trial offer invite.
This is an off-the-menu option since the website makes no mention of it. Thus, it may be available only for a limited time.
Additionally, Intelius offers Identity Protect to any plan member at $9.95/mo. It comes with monthly credit monitoring, a one-time credit report, and an identity theft insurance coverage of up to $1 million.[3]
Keep in mind that the total cost may surprise you. For example, Intelius doesn't show the price for an email address lookup request when you actually need to pay for one.
Furthermore, you're automatically enrolled in a monthly membership after a 5-day or 7-day trial. This is a common pain point for most customers. It's all in the fine print, so don't forget to read it or cancel before the trial ends.
Intelius Services
To provide the background checking services you need, Intelius offers the following:
People Search
This is the basic search using a person's name. It's best to provide supplemental information if dealing with common names like Dave Smith or Mike Johnson. You'll be asked if they are over 30, have a sibling, or the state where they live.
Reverse Phone Lookup
You not only discover the name behind the unknown cell phone number, but you may also get bonus information such as the social media profiles and email addresses attached to it.
Reverse Address Lookup
You can get fine-tuned details on a particular address or location. Your report may contain property records pertaining to its value, floorplan, past residents, etc.
People Directory
Intelius maintains a large online directory that lets you access certain information. This includes a person's age, aliases, possible relatives, and last known phone number and address.
Email Report
This report can be generated when you use an email address as your data point. However, it is only available as an add-on purchase to existing subscribers.
Identity Protect
With this add-on, you will be notified any time it picks up your personal data on the dark web. When your identity is stolen, Identity Protect can assist you in the identity recovery process.
Although Intelius' background check is detailed, there may be instances where they aren't 100% correct. According to Intelius, there may be counties that are unable to release some of their data to the public, which can affect the results.[4]
Is Intelius Worth It?
Intelius is worth a try, especially if you plan to make multiple searches in a short amount of time. However, it's only as good and useful as the information it can find about a person.
Use this handy calculator to see how much time you can save with Intelius.
That said, Intelius has the potential to unearth a wealth of information given its use of multiple data sources. Its unlimited reports for any membership plan at a reasonable monthly fee makes the platform stand out.
Without a cap, you can look up as many people as you want at no additional cost. Just don't use it for tenant or employment screening because that would require FCRA compliance.
How to Get Started with Intelius
Ready to find what you're looking for? Follow these 3 easy steps:
- Begin your search
You can begin a search on yourself on the website's homepage and see if you'll get correct details. After all, who would be better to assess the credibility than you? - Choose from different search categories
You can choose from People Search, Criminal & Traffic Records Check, Background Check, or Public Records Check.Regardless of the search category you use, you will get the same comprehensive report which may or may not contain the details you are expecting.
For example, if you click on Criminal & Traffic Records Check, you will not only get details about any felonies, misdemeanors, DUIs, traffic tickets, etc. You will also automatically get other background info like marriage & divorce records, or any public data that is available, which is very efficient. - Pay to get the full report
Realistically, there isn't much info you can get without paying. You'll have to get a trial or a plan to discover a full report. Payment options include credit cards, debit/ATM cards, and PayPal.
Can Intelius be trusted?
Intelius is generally a trustworthy background check service. It derives its data from multiple federal, state, and county public records, as well as other public records sources such as social media and dating sites.
These sources are cross-referenced to ensure detailedness in the background reports generated on their platform.
Additionally, criminal, arrest, or traffic records are compiled from state and local sources nationwide. These may include county clerk websites, state department of corrections websites, and state sex offender registries, to name a few.
Customer Service
Like many background check providers, Intelius offers live customer support on weekdays only. Thus, you can call them at (877) 564-3253 from Mondays to Fridays (no weekend calls).
Support is available from 7:00am to 4:00pm PST, or 10:00am to 7:00pm EST.
There's also no 24/7 chat facility or a customer email address. But you may use the Get in Touch form on the website, especially during weekends when they don't have live agents.
For common questions, there is a Help Center that covers basic info and quick instructions to maximize your use of their services.
Customer Reviews
| PLATFORM | AVERAGE RATING |
|---|---|
| ConsumerAffairs[5] | 2.5 out of 5 ★ from 584 reviews |
| Better Business Bureau (BBB)[6] | 1.15 out of 5 ★ from 82 reviews |
| Sitejabber[7] | 2.20 out of 5 ★ from 101 reviews |
| Trustpilot[8] | 2.30 out of 5 ★ from 353 reviews |
Intelius customer reviews are generally average across several third-party review sites. Some were happy with how accurate their results were, others thought otherwise.
Waylon, from West Virginia, states:
On the other hand, here's what Blake thinks:
Meanwhile, the Intelius app, which is available on IOS and Android devices, enjoys a high customer rating of 4.5[9][10] on both platforms.
Intelius Alternatives
Below is a side-by-side comparison of Intelius with 2 of its closest competitors, TruthFinder and Spokeo:
Intelius | TruthFinder | Spokeo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search Options | Search by Name Search by Phone Number Search by Address | Search by Name Search by Phone Number Search by Email Address Search by Address | Search by Name Search by Phone Number Search by Email Address Search by Address Search by Username |
| Monthly Fee | People Search: $25.11/mo Address Lookup: $34.95/mo Reverse Phone Lookup: $35.30/mo | Reverse Phone Lookup: $4.99/mo; People Search: $28.33/mo; Reverse Email Lookup: $29.73/mo | |
| Number of Reports | |||
| Downloadable Reports | |||
| Dark Web Monitoring | Yes (for Spokeo memberships with Spokeo Identity Protection benefits) | ||
| Mobile App | |||
| Customer Service | Phone: (877) 564-3253 Monday - Friday: 7AM - 4PM PST Web Form | Phone: (855) 921-3711 Monday - Friday: 7AM - 4PM PT Web Form | Email: customercare@spokeo.com Phone: (888) 906-0849 Monday - Sunday: 5AM - 8PM PT Online Chat Web Form |
- Features
- Accuracy of results
- Limits to frequency of usage
- Purpose of search
- Cost
Intelius vs. TruthFinder
Intelius and TruthFinder share many features. When you do a person search, both tools run at similar speeds.
That said, TruthFinder has more validating questions than Intelius. It also provides a percentage of how much info it managed to find.
Additionally, you can try the address lookups on the Intelius website. You only need to pay to discover the full report. On TruthFinder, you need an existing plan for this feature.
Conversely, only Intelius members can access email address search, while it is available on the TruthFinder site for people to test-drive.
Lastly, Intelius has a wider coverage involving dark web monitoring through Identity Protect ($9.95).
Intelius vs. Spokeo
Intelius provides more comprehensive reporting with its plans. While Spokeo is cheaper, you don't get historical and court records by default. There's an additional fee to discover them.
Meanwhile, Spokeo's lightning-fast retrieval is impressive. But that may be because it employs a superficial search on mostly social media profiles. In comparison, Intelius crawls all of its data sources from the get-go.
Also, Spokeo has a much cheaper single report fee. But it usually comes with a 7-day free trial. That means, it will be subject to auto-renewal, which makes it no different from the usual trial offers of Intelius and other providers.
Both tools strive to provide credible information, but the detailedness and recency of their sources may vary. Hence, you might find that one platform got a particular result right and the other didn't.
Bottom Line
Intelius provides a robust platform for accessing public data and background information in one place. Thus, you can get a more comprehensive report, which makes the process more efficient.
However, running a search usually takes a while and the pricing can be confusing. If you don't mind waiting for 10 or more minutes for the results, and if you're good with the $25.11 to $35.30/mo price range, then it can be a good option.
This is especially the case if you plan to conduct background checks frequently, since you can make unlimited searches in any plan.
References
- ^ Federal Trade Commission. Fair Credit Reporting Act, Retrieved 4/10/2024
- ^ Intelius. Intelius Pricing & Membership Information, Retrieved 4/24/2024
- ^ Intelius. Protect Yourself by Monitoring Your Identity with Identity Protect, Retrieved 4/24/2024
- ^ Intelius. How Reliable Is Intelius?, Retrieved 4/9/2024
- ^ Consumer Affairs. Intelius Reviews, Retrieved 5/13/2024
- ^ BBB. Intelius, Retrieved 5/13/2024
- ^ Sitejabber.com. Intelius, Retrieved 5/13/2024
- ^ Trustpilot. Intelius, Retrieved 5/13/2024
- ^ Google Play. Intelius Background Check Pro, Retrieved 4/24/2024
- ^ App Store. Intelius Search, Retrieved 4/24/2024
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