By: Cristina | Last updated August 13, 2021 
Background check services are used to look for information about a person. By inputting details such as last name, address, or phone number, you can gather more data about them. This includes their marriage records, criminal records, and more contact details.
These services use information from publicly available government databases. They compile this information into one comprehensive report for their users.
US Search is one of these background check services. They were established back in 1998 and have been one of the best among its competitors.
How do you use it?
US Search is easy to use even among those who are new to background check services. The first thing you should do is to visit their website.
From here, you will have three choices where you can start your search: by name (requires last name and city/state), by phone, or by address (full details required).
A list of the potential people you are looking for will then be shown. From here, you can ask for a full report about them in case the details displayed are close to what you are looking for.
Here are other ways to use the background check service:
- Reverse Phone Lookup– In case an unknown number is calling you or your family members, you can insert the phone number to see their identity. It can also be used for contacts in your phone who do not have a name listed.
- Email Search– This lets you insert the email of the person. If available, names and addresses will be included for the information report.
- Social Network Search– Through the last name, city, and state of the person, US Search can search for a person. Supported social media sites include LinkedIn, Facebook, and MySpace.
- Property Records - Through the address, city, state, and ZIP of the person, US Search can use the database used by appraisers and lending institutions to get information about the person you are searching for.
- Criminal Records– By entering the last name, city, and state of person, you can look at his/her record of convictions, sex offenses, misdemeanors, and other forms of criminal offenses. You can use either a Nation-based or State-based search.
- Background Check– Through US Search, you can have a full background check of a person. Important information such as contact details, addresses, and relatives can be seen at the final report.
Putting more specific details such as the middle name of the person, their address, and their phone number can narrow down your search and give you more reliable results. Be reminded that the information they report may be late for at least 6 months (mostly addresses and marriage records).
After seeing the list of potential people that you are looking for, you can select one to get a final report. From here, you will be guided through the service’s pricing plans for you to subscribe to their service. They offer a single report plan, a subscription for unlimited searches for a month, and a subscription for unlimited searches billed quarterly.
Reminders
- Before using US Search, you must first know that the data published by the service cannot be used for tenant screening and employment purposes. This is according to the Fair Credit Report Act. A recommended service for doing this is GoodHire.
- Whenever you do a search, the person you are searching information about will not be notifiedin any way. However, if you are a resident of California and you wish to be excluded from their database, you can do so through their website.
- The people that you can search on the website are only those who live in the US. You can get information if a person from outside it has stayed in the US for some time. Further information about them will not be included, though.
- Some information such as crime reports, marriage reports, and more requires you to pay additional fees. This is whythey are not included in the standard report.
Overall we found that this product was a decent option but it was falling behind when compared to some competitors.
