ConsumersGuides.net Blog

Most people do not know that popular social networking sites can also be used to search people. They spend money on paid people search services and get minimal benefits. Sites such as FaceBook and MySpace can provide good information about your missing friend’s whereabouts. Here is a step by step way to search for old school/college friends using MySpace:

Search Your Old School Friends Using MySpace:

Using the browse feature in MySpace to search for old and new friends is pretty simple. You just need to sort and filter to get quick results:

• 1. Log in to your MySpace account
  2. Select the MySpace profile page and click on the Browse link located on the top of the page
  3. There are two tabs to search for people: Basic and Advanced
  4. Basic Search Tab: you can find your friends using Basic Search through limited options such as a sex, age and relationship status.
  5. Advanced Search Tab: The advanced option can be a better tool for your people search needs. It has many additional options which range from education level to body type. If you know specific traits about your missing friend, then this is the best option for you.
  6. After selecting Basic or Advanced, just select a sort method and your browse criteria. To view the browse results, click on the update button. You will see a list of more than 3,000 users. If you find something familiar, just click on the user profile page and then send a friend request.

Other Ways to Search People Using MySpace:

You can use the search link on top of your MySpace profile page to narrow down your search. This link will help you search for people using email address, display name, school etc.

• 1. When you click on the search link, you will be presented different categories including Classmate Finder (Find a School), Friend Finder (Find a Friend) and a Personal Interest Search.
  2. Find a School Option: you can do a people search using the Classmate Finder search box by school/college name, state or country. This can be a viable alternative to find old school friends you know from your college or high school years.
  3. Find a Friend Option: search by display name, e-mail address or name using this search box.
  4. Search Profiles for People with Similar Personal/Career Interests: Using the Personal Interest search box you can search for your long lost friends on the basis of area of interest such as books, music, general interest, movies etc. By using career interests, you can find old and new friends having the same career interests as you do.
  5. Click on the Find button associated with the search box to see your results. Then click on the user’s profile picture and make friends with him or her.

Now, there is another way to find just about anyone you want with out.  All it takes in knowing their name and when you type it in you will be shocked by the amount of information that comes up. For reviews and results from these services, check out our people search reviews

Are you looking for a long lost friend or a former classmate? Maybe you are looking for your ancestor or some relative posted in a military service? If so, then you are amongst thousands of surfers you hit the WWW each day to search for missing people.

Most think that internet is a futile tool for searching missing people. Well, they are wrong. There are many strategies to find information about people. You can easily get a person’s name, address, occupation, phone number or any other data to locate his identity. Here are some of the best people search tips and hints to help you get the desired results:

1. Access alumni lists, year books or reunion sites:

If you are looking for your long lost buddy, you may check with the alumni association or school to see whether he or she is a member. Alternatively, you can contact the school directly to check whether your friend was a high school alumnus. You can also access the school website. The best way is to try the various online reunion sites or classmates forums.

1. The City Directory can be the best solution for your people search problems:

The City or household directory is an excellent resource for locating address. In US cities, these directories are published since the late 18^th century. City directories differ from normal phone directories because they provide detailed information about a person including name and address as well as office/company address.

Just like any other Yellow Page directory, City directories also have similar sections which include info about churches, schools, cemeteries and even businesses. There are two options to access city directories, either through internet databases or public libraries.

1. Web-based phone directories:

If you have any idea about a person’s whereabouts, better opt for phone directories on the internet. You can also search for an old address. It can enhance your search further by listing the names and addresses of neighbors. However, if you conduct a reverse-lookup by email address and telephone number.

1. Perform an online people search using church records:

Although there are remote chances of getting any detailed information about a person via church records, you can still use it as a people search tool. The only criterion required is the individual’s religious affiliation. If you know this, then you can contact synagogues or churches in your area to see whether your friend or relative is a member. There are many churches that have an online service. You can contact and get information from these sites.

1. Death index and social security records online:

The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) can be very useful to you if you have the social security number of the missing number. They can help you by locating the person’s address. There is also a free online Social Security Index that can provide information for deceased person. They will give you info about the person’s address, the date of death and the zip code. This will help you to locate the deceased person’s family or descendants.

With the proliferation of affordable and convenient online background check services, performing a criminal check is quick and comprehensive. Criminal check services reveal everything about a person’s history of crimes and so they are very important if anyone wants to research about an employee, individual, neighborhood or spouse.

For performing a criminal background check, you need to hire paid services that will investigate multiple federal and state databases. After performing a criminal check, these services will display vital information about warrants and arrests, history of convictions, incarcerations and other information including name and date of birth, address, telephone number as well as legal status.

Criminal Background Check Strategies:

There are many techniques to perform criminal checks apart from hiring pricier services. Use these strategies for conducting a criminal background check service:

1. Do a Criminal Check with the help of Driving Records and Credit Information:

There are fair chances of acquiring good information about an individual through his or her driving records and credit history.

Driving records are very easy to acquire since they are in the public domain. You can contact a suitable DMV or you can seek help of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators for a list of state departments.

However, reviewing the credit history of a person requires a written consent from him or her. The federal law allows a limited number of people and organizations including government agencies, employers, creditors and insurers. But, one can still do a credit check as part of his criminal check through popular credit bureaus including Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.

1. Perform a State-By-State Criminal Check:

It is very important to get information about a person’s criminal history where he or she has lives or has previously lived. Most laws fall under the authority of individual states in the US and so it is necessary to perform a criminal background check state-wise.

Always consult the National Center for State Records for a list of state courts. You can then easily perform a criminal background check by visiting these courts and obtaining the required information.

1. Always check for Federal Records on Your Criminal Background Check:

The federal law prosecutes certain crimes including crimes related to military, national security, the Post Office and federal taxes. It also takes legal action against crimes involving US mail, air travel, television and telephone as well as interstate commerce.

You can utilize the services of a government-sponsored service that can provide access to court records from the federal Appellate. These services also provide access to US case index, district and bankruptcy courts to help in your criminal background check.

1. Search Civil Records to Beef Up Your Criminal Check:

If you are performing a comprehensive criminal background check, you should also take civil records in due consideration. These include bankruptcies, divorces, civil lawsuits, business disputes etc. The National Archives will educate on how to access civil court records.

Warning:

Accessing criminal records for use in a criminal background check cannot be easy as the laws vary by state. Under federal or state laws, not everyone can use criminal records and so it is always advisable to consult your attorney before performing a criminal check.

Some employers also require background checks if government security clearance are needed. Most of them conduct checks to find out whether the references provided are true or to confirm that you have actually graduated from a college.

Information Contained in the Background Check:

It would be very crucial to know that the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) is responsible for congealing the benchmarks for conducting employment screening as it identifies a background check as a consumer report.

To comply with the FCRA rules, the employer has to ask for the employee’s consent by notifying him or her in writing. After conducting a report, if the employer finds something suspicious and decides not to hire the employee, he should give a pre-adverse action disclosure. The disclosure contains a copy of the employee’s rights and a copy of the report. The background check report contains information in the form of your work history analysis, you driving records, or criminal history. The check will also verify your SSN (Social Security Number) as well as a full credit report.

The employee also gets a notice that contains the contact information (name and address) of Consumer Reporting Agency and important information on the right to challenge the report.

Information That Cannot Be Included in Your Background Check:

Some information cannot be included in the background check. Laws on examining the criminal history of a prospect vary from state to state. Some state laws limit employers to scrutinize convictions and arrests beyond a certain point. Criminal history checks are conducted only for certain job positions. For example, if a person applies for a job in a bank, the employer has to find out if he or she has a history of theft or embezzlement.

Employers cannot check school records of a person, since such records are kept personal and can be revealed only after the consent of the applicant. Similarly, employers cannot make any distinction in hiring decisions on the grounds of an applicant’s disability. They are not allowed to request medical records, but can inquire for a worker’s compensation.

However, there are some records that can be acquired by the employers without consent. These include driving records and military records containing your name, salary, rank, assignments and awards.

Be Aware of Your Rights and Be Informed about Background Checks:

First things first, ensure your job application and resume are truthful and accurate. You will repent later, if your fibs are caught during scrutinizing records. To avoid getting fired and ruin your employment you must provide factual information about your previous experience and awards.

The best way is to be informed about how employers conduct background checks. Request a copy of your motor vehicle record from your state Department of Motor Vehicles and verify it. Acquire a copy of the credit report and discuss any issues with the creditor, particularly if there are some errors in the report. These minute things will certainly make you safe and secure.

Government records fall under the classification of public records. Real estate records, records on liens and judgments, court records, professional licenses, flings on intellectual property and business records such as UCCs, business and public company filings are public records.

Are All Government Records Classified Under Public Records?

There are some exceptions to this classification. In most states, juvenile court records are not considered as public records. In fact, public records are determined by state or federal records. For example, in the United States, the federal laws differ from state to state. So the definition and categorization of public record is different in each state.

For instance, you may search for your missing family member through voter registration records in the US state Maine, but this may not be accessed in other US states. Similarly, courthouses can requested to help you search records of felonies and misdemeanors, but a state’s criminal agency which maintains criminal histories, may not allow you to access the official records on crimes.

Which Records are Classified as Private?

Confidential or personal records are classified as private records. Such records include an individual’s medical and financial records, insurance information and most importantly, his or her Social Security Number. For companies, confidential information such as undisclosed business methodologies and practices, unpatented ideas, designs and formulas come under private records.

Do Private Records Become Public?

Private records can be made public through unethical or illegitimate means. There are many methods to leak private information about a company or individual. An expert hacker can trick a computer program and distribute information through the internet. So, it can become public, though unethically.

Some discontented employees also have the habit to share secret company information and make them public, which may result in huge company losses.

There are many other illegal ways that can leak your public information. If you are a job seeker and have the habit of posting resumes to public forums, chances are that your personal information including phone number and SSN may become public through an illegal identity theft business.

The above distinction between public and private records was meant to inform people who were of the opinion that ‘all government records are public’ and all ‘private records cannot be made public’. It is better to be safe than sorry and so one should understand the laws of each state before conducting any public record search.

If you would like to find out any of this type of information, your going to need a public record service proven to perform.  Check out our public record reviews for what we found to work the best.

A public record is a government document created and maintained be certain agencies to be made open for anyone who wishes to view it. There are billions of such documents required by law; from census related records such as marriage and divorce, death records to legal records like court records.

Public records are easily available online as there are numerous sites dedicated to providing information about anything. With the advent of internet, there is absolutely no need to spend hours looking for a piece of legal information in a government public record facility. Instead, the information is easily available by a click of the mouse button.

There are various uses of public records. People delve deep into many sites for various reasons: from searching for their lost forefathers to verifying their fiancé’s background. Some public search records are just rummaged around for research purposes, the reasons are plenty. Here are some common and uncommon uses of public records.

Public Records are Used For Conducting Research:

There are many statistics, facts and figures required about a particular location, which cannot be just found out by doing a Google search. In such cases, public records serve as the best information-base for research purposes.

Key information about maps, land use laws and policies, population stats, square miles of counties and states and any statistics can be easily available through public records. You can also search for data about US states and counties via various public record sites.

Using public records for research purposes serve many benefits. Homeowners may use a public record website to check any estate-related information about a county they wish to move or check whether a state‘s crime rate is high or not.

Public Records are Used to Trace Genealogical Information:

There has always been that intense curiosity among individuals to trace their lineage to find out who their forefathers were. Prior to the advent of the internet, such information was very hard to find. But, now there are many online databases that contain information about one’s ancestry. People can trace their genealogical records very easily. They can trace records that go back to 300 years or even date back to the 15^th century.

Tracing one’s lineage can be tad difficult if the person has limited information available with him or her. However, with online genealogical sites, it has become very easy to search. Just conduct a marriage or birth search in the state or county where your forefathers lived and you will acquire the required information within minutes.

Public Records are Also Used for Performing Background Checks:

Whether you want to trace your fiancée’s whereabouts or check your neighbor’s history, online public records offer information within seconds. You can log into a public record site and check for criminal and court records of your soon-to-be neighbor or divorce and marriage records of your fiancé.

The information will be available but differ from state-to-sate. However, if you are performing a background check on a particular person, the records will automatically show up in the search.