Doing a background check on someone for free use to involve just asking friends and family members. Although unreliable, it was all that was available for doing a free public background check. If you harbored any deep suspicions, you would hire an expensive private investigator to dig up some dirt. Nowadays, you can perform free background checks online by just using the Internet. I am going to show you exactly how to find a free background check online.
You do not even have to search for sites to do free criminal background checks. All you need is access to a search engine such as google or yahoo. Simply enter the name of the suspected perpetrator and see what pops up. Either nothing will pop up, or perhaps too many will pop up. If you are trying to do an absolutely free background check on somebody with a popular name, you can narrow the search by adding quotes around the name and adding their location. This will narrow your free background check so that it includes more relevant results.
Many States also offer an online 'sex offender registry', the most powerful tool available for a free criminal background check. Sex offender registries are a free public background check service designed by the government to help keep communities more safe. If your State offers this, I recommend using it. Using this free tool, you can type in the name of the suspected perpetrator and find out if they are a convicted sexual predator. Simply type in their name and location (city, state), and then hit enter. Of all the sites to do free criminal background checks on, this is the most highly recommended.
Another option for a free criminal background check is to try searching for a Department of Corrections inmate locator form. For instance, Indiana offers one that allows you type in a person's name, and then the form produces a list of all convicted DOC offenders with that name. Once you click on a name, you will see all the charges filed against that person. The only problem is that although this person may live in say North Carolina, they may have charges from another State such as Ohio. The only way to be sure that they are clean is to go State by State in one's search.
Another option for a free online background check is to check out a social networking site such as myspace or facebook. If the suspected perpetrator has a profile, take an intensive look at it. These profiles often give you a glimpse into the mindset of a person. Although not as objective as a free public background check such as the sex offender registry, it can still help you determine whether a person is good or bad.
Worst case scenario, you will have to ditch a free background check and opt to pay for a professional background check. Before you do though, make sure to try out all the options listed above.
