People Finders & Background Checks???

[Hbom]

I'm looking for an online records checking service. But the ones I've been finding don't come out real impresive when I check their reviews. Most seem to be credit card scams rather than honest services.

I don't need anything very sophisticated. We're just trying to get birth, death, marriage & divorce info on family members. I thought one of those "Give us $25.00 and search as much as you want for a month." would be OK but when I check them out, it sounds like once they get a card # they keep charging even when you request they stop. I don't need those kind of hassles.

Any of you have any experience or advise?

Thanks

Doug

[Steve Haynie]

You can get a pre-loaded debit card for the amount you want to spend. Use one of those if you are worried you will not be able to cancel service.

A friend just paid for one of those services and only got basic information. The free searches were only one notch below what he got.

Sometimes you need a full name and a birthdate to search for the records you want. You might have to provide your information, too. For me to get a copy of a death certificate I had to state my relationship and provide a copy of my drivers license.

[Boomerang~Junkie]

If you know what state they were born in and passed in - each respective state should have those in the Bureau of Vital Statistics or their equivalent. If any of your relatives are from Utah, as I understand it, the Mormons (at one time) had/have one of the most detailed and accurate vital records systems of people in and from that state and region - period. It is/was enormous.

I've had a number of friends who've used "Ancestry" (dot com) like mad to do their family's genealogy and were quite pleased with the results. For what they are, they are absolutely a legit operation. I have no idea what they charge, but sometimes they offer a free trial weekend to search for your relatives etc.

A word or caution: I think you are talking about companies like Itellius, Zaba, Spokeo and the like. I'd probably avoid those since they will provide only raw data - names, dates and addresses - no images of birth or death certificates (the commercial equivalent of those are TLO, Clear, Accurint etc). Now they are usually fairly accurate - but they puke out a ton of useless and redundant data in most requests. In layman's terms, they are industrial grade data aggregators that routinely hit multiple closed and open source databases and pull the responses into one giant pile for you to search through. But there are no images to be had in those bad boys.

Good luck,

[crunchee]

Have you checked out Ancestry.com? They're advertised on TV a lot, and I think they frequently got plugs on the TV show 'Who Do You Think You Are?', when people were researching family trees. Of course, Enzyte and Smilin' Bob used to be on TV, too, so you can't believe everything that's sold there. Good luck!

[specialk]

The LDS church (Mormons) have an extensive database of this information, even on non-Mormons. You might give this a try, cuz it's free and you just might hit pay dirt. Good luck!

http://www.searchforancestors.com/mormongenealogy.html

[Studio Custom]

hire a private investigator in the area where the person resides.

[Hbom]

Thanks to all for your comments. Still undecided what to do.

You can get a pre-loaded debit card for the amount you want to spend. Use one of those if you are worried you will not be able to cancel service.

A friend just paid for one of those services and only got basic information. The free searches were only one notch below what he got.

Sometimes you need a full name and a birthdate to search for the records you want. You might have to provide your information, too. For me to get a copy of a death certificate I had to state my relationship and provide a copy of my drivers license.

Tried the pre-loaded card trick. They wouldn't accept it.

If you know what state they were born in and passed in - each respective state should have those in the Bureau of Vital Statistics or their equivalent. If any of your relatives are from Utah, as I understand it, the Mormons (at one time) had/have one of the most detailed and accurate vital records systems of people in and from that state and region - period. It is/was enormous.

I've had a number of friends who've used "Ancestry" (dot com) like mad to do their family's genealogy and were quite pleased with the results. For what they are, they are absolutely a legit operation. I have no idea what they charge, but sometimes they offer a free trial weekend to search for your relatives etc.

A word or caution: I think you are talking about companies like Itellius, Zaba, Spokeo and the like. I'd probably avoid those since they will provide only raw data - names, dates and addresses - no images of birth or death certificates (the commercial equivalent of those are TLO, Clear, Accurint etc). Now they are usually fairly accurate - but they puke out a ton of useless and redundant data in most requests. In layman's terms, they are industrial grade data aggregators that routinely hit multiple closed and open source databases and pull the responses into one giant pile for you to search through. But there are no images to be had in those bad boys.

Good luck,

No Mormons in the bunch but might try that anyway. Thanks.

Have you checked out Ancestry.com? They're advertised on TV a lot, and I think they frequently got plugs on the TV show 'Who Do You Think You Are?', when people were researching family trees. Of course, Enzyte and Smilin' Bob used to be on TV, too, so you can't believe everything that's sold there. Good luck!

I hear good and bad about them so was hoping to get better info.

The LDS church (Mormons) have an extensive database of this information, even on non-Mormons. You might give this a try, cuz it's free and you just might hit pay dirt. Good luck!

http://www.searchforancestors.com/mormongenealogy.html

No Mormons but might try it anyway. Thanks.

hire a private investigator in the area where the person resides.

I think that's a bit overboard for what we are seeking. But I've been wrong before, and it may come down to that. Thanks.

[velorush]

Thanks to all for your comments. Still undecided what to do.

You can get a pre-loaded debit card for the amount you want to spend. Use one of those if you are worried you will not be able to cancel service.

A friend just paid for one of those services and only got basic information. The free searches were only one notch below what he got.

Sometimes you need a full name and a birthdate to search for the records you want. You might have to provide your information, too. For me to get a copy of a death certificate I had to state my relationship and provide a copy of my drivers license.

Tried the pre-loaded card trick. They wouldn't accept it.

I'd call that a red flag: if a business refuses to allow you with the capability to at some point legitimately forgo their services, they likely are planning on hooking you up for life. Run away!

[Hbom]

Thanks to all for your comments. Still undecided what to do.

You can get a pre-loaded debit card for the amount you want to spend. Use one of those if you are worried you will not be able to cancel service.

Tried the pre-loaded card trick. They wouldn't accept it.

I'd call that a red flag: if a business refuses to allow you with the capability to at some point legitimately forgo their services, they likely are planning on hooking you up for life. Run away!

Thanks. That's pretty much the way we read it too.