Personally, I’d much rather someone be an overthinker when welcoming someone new into their life than throw caution to the wind.

You will never know 100% of somebody’s true nature no matter how long you’ve known them, so this is why background checks are important.

If the phrase “background checking” itself intimidates you, know there’s no need to—depending on how you go about it, conducting a background check can be quite easy!

What does it mean to do a background check on someone; why is it important?

Running a background check on someone entails learning more about them, or specifically, learning the important stuff:

• Real first and last name;
• Occupation and place of living;
• History (employment, marriage, and alike);
• Criminal offenses.

And might I add that you don’t need this info on strangers, it’s all people you’re either close to or want to initiate a relationship with.

Let’s take online dating as an example—it’s not the safest way to meet people, but we can’t just swear off of it (seeing how technology is slowly taking over).

So what do you do? You try to confirm the identity of that cutie you met on Bumble so that you’re both safe AND not missing out on opportunities.

– When is doing this recommended? Whose identity should you try to verify?

As we established, running a background check on someone is the smart move if you’re thinking of involving them in your life.

It’s a great way to keep yourself and your peers safe from harmful individuals.

Doing this is highly recommended when:

• You’re in the process of hiring someone;
• You are falling for someone;
• Your child, friend, or relative is getting into a relationship;
• You are offering your services to someone (e.g. choosing a tenant).

These are some everyday examples, but as a rule of thumb, remember to confirm the identity of anyone new who’ll have a big involvement in your life.

This could mean romantic partners, employees, business partners, tenants, babysitters, or even new friends.

For example, if someone is notorious for money laundering, you’re better off not forming a partnership with them—something you can find out only through background reports.

11 free and paid methods of running a background check on someone.

Confirming whether someone is a sham or not doesn’t always mean sending a group of 5 reputable detectives to trail them. You can do it even from the comfort of your home.

In a lot of countries, such as the US, criminal records are considered public information—this way they’re easily accessible by people in need.

You can of course pay for this procedure, but you don’t have to.

1. Get your report online with the help of judicial state sites.

Criminal procedures are public info, so you can easily find them through the official site (usually ending in .gov) of the state where that person lives.

• DPS.Texas.gov for Texas residents;
• Ohiocourtrecords.us for Ohio residents;
• Alaskacourtrecords.us for Alaska residents
• Supremecourt.az.gov for Arizona residents, and so on.

These are some examples of sites containing criminal records in specific states, but you can also try services like StateCourts.org, which contains information on all states’ residents.

Depending on the site, you may be asked to pay a fee, but most of the time you won’t.

Disclaimer: not finding the name of that person in these sites does not mean they aren’t a threat—it’s possible for the case to have been removed or for the person to not have been convicted at all.

Don’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet!

2. Browse through National Sex Offender Registries.

Sometimes all you need to know about someone can be found in 2 clicks.

National Sex Offender Registries can also be accessed online to help save people from potential danger—some include:

• Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Website;
•  Family Watchdog.

Or you can visit state-specific sex offender registries, like:

• Maine Sex Offender Registry;
• Georgia Sex Offender Registry;
• State of Kansas Sex Offender Registry, and so on.

These kinds of background checks only weed out sex offenders and don’t cover other crimes types of crimes—keep this in mind.

3. Find and check their social media profiles.

Checking their social media profiles is a quick, free, and easy way to learn more about a person, but you probably won’t find any incriminating evidence.

Because let’s face it: people are NOT putting #scammer on their Instagram posts.

If you’re looking to scratch only the surface of somebody’s life, go through their Facebook and Instagram posts.

You’ll most likely learn what their name is, what they do, where they live, and their relationship status.

Tip: find their social media accounts if you haven’t already. You can do this by asking them, searching by name, or using search filters on Facebook.

4. Google their name (or find info using their name on Search Engines).

This is an excellent (and free) way to find out more about a person who refuses to tell you anything about themselves.

If they refuse to tell you their social media profiles, then first of all, that’s shady—second of all, you can find it yourself by typing this on Google or other search engines:

• Facebook.com [first and last name].

You’re going to have to scroll through multiple pages if they have a common name, by the way, but it’s sure to work considering Facebook accounts are public.

And if you find no results at all or results that don’t match the information you’ve been given, you were most likely catfished.

You may also type only their first/last name without any other prompts to see what else comes up—news articles and images.

5. Contact your local police department.

You can try requesting someone’s criminal record history by calling your local police department but know that you might also have to go down there for verification purposes.

This isn’t attainable for everyone, or in every state, so make sure you do your research as to what the limitations are before trying this out.

6. Online People Search Tools.

For a price, you can conduct a very thorough background search with the help of people search tools like:

• SocialCatfish;
• BeenVerified;
• USSearch;
• TruthFinder;
• Intelius, etc.

They all have the same premise and work pretty much the same way—you put the name of the person you want to run a background check on and pay the price.

Depending on the service you pick, you’ll either be requested to pay a fee (SocialCatfish, for instance) or a $20+ membership.

These sites gather public, online data from all across the web and compile them into one very useful report which may include details such as:

• Demographic data;
• Assets;
• And criminal history.

And a gentle reminder: not finding anything useful in these reports does NOT necessarily mean someone is innocent!

7. Check the FBI site just to be sure.

There’s no such thing as being too cautious, hence I recommend you check THE FBI’s online page:

• The Most Wanted list;
• Fugitives;
• Terrorists;
• Robbers, and basically any other section you deem worth checking.

You might think there’s no need for that, but you never know when you might have accidentally come across someone dangerous while swiping on Tinder.

8. Ask anyone who might know them.

I mean, there’s only so much people will reveal (or know) but it’s better than jumping straight into a relationship, right?

For one, if you’re crushing hard on your classmate, it doesn’t hurt to ask around your school what type of person they are.

Are they a player? A loyal person? Or are they an infamous cheater who can never have enough attention?

Gather as much information as possible until you can further assess their personality.

9. Get a private investigator all in their case.

Going into movie territory here, you can hire a professional to trail the person you’re looking for—it is legal in most countries, but I encourage you to Google your country’s laws just in case.

You can contact any reputable agencies you’d like online (e.g. Thomas Martin) or through other sources, but not before you read their terms and conditions first.

Private investigators are pretty pricy, however, going anywhere from $50-$200 per hour, but you can never go wrong with having a professional on the case!

They uncover crucial details about their subjects, such as private life and criminal history, so you don’t got to worry about being deceived by anyone.

10. Contact your applicant’s previous bosses.

Did you know that you, as an employer concerned about your company’s well-being, are allowed to call up your applicant’s former bosses and say something like:

“Good afternoon, Mr./Mrs./Ms. X. I am calling in the hopes of getting your opinion on a past employee of yours…”

From then on you can ask questions regarding their job performance, skills, drawbacks, reason for getting fired, and whatever else you find useful.

11. Try to get to know that person better.

Background checks don’t have to be intense, and their purpose isn’t always to expose criminals; many people simply want to know more about someone.

If you’re in the same boat, then I encourage you to spark up a conversation with someone and assess their personality yourself.

Ask them questions having to do with their character, private life, past, etc., but don’t always expect honesty—not everyone is upright.

It’s better than nothing, and if you’re a good judge of character, you’re bound to realize what kind of person they are (or if they’re the right person for you).

– Safety tips for going on a date with someone.

We live in a world where the unexpected should be expected and that you can never be too cautious.

If you’re going on a date with someone you just met, I got some safety tips you might find useful!

• Avoid going on dates with unverified users.

If you’re a fan of dating apps (Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and the rest), then it is recommended you give a chance only to the users who have undergone the necessary identity verification processes.

• Go to well-lit, crowded, familiar places.

There’s nothing more disorienting than being in an unfamiliar, dark place; in case of danger, you won’t know where to go, or whom to go to.

• ALWAYS let someone know beforehand.

Tell a trusted person where you’re going, who you’re going with, and what you’ll be doing!

• Steer clear of cars.

It’s best not to get inside a first date’s vehicle without knowing them too well as your chances of escaping will decrease handsomely.

• Invite your friends somewhere nearby.

No, I haven’t lost my mind! I am suggesting that your friends secretly trail you and your date as a safety measure because 2 heads think better than 1.

• Don’t forget what your alcohol tolerance is.

Consume as little alcohol as possible, ideally none, so that you have full control over your body and mind—also, don’t leave your drink unattended.

• Don’t give in to pressure, no matter what.

Always stick to your principles when it comes to dates: don’t do anything you don’t want to.

Does your date insist you get one more round of drinks? Politely decline.

Do they wish to take you somewhere far away? Once again, don’t hesitate to say no.

• Don’t hesitate to seek help.

If you feel you’re in danger, do not hesitate to seek help; there are many people more than willing to rescue you from the claws of an animal.

Whether it be the bartender or a stranger in the street, never forget it’s better to be safe than sorry.

And of course, don’t forget to do a background check beforehand.