| I see a lot of people searching for "free" | | | | Don't have a middle name, but know the person's |
| nationwide background checks on the internet, | | | | first and last? In that case, you need to know the |
| and it makes me want to pull my hair out. Most | | | | address, or at least a past address, of the person |
| people just do not understand the complexity | | | | you are looking into. Armed with an address, you |
| involved in putting these records together. | | | | can really get some good information on people. |
| I am a licensed private investigator. I have | | | | Third - Search County Records |
| performed hundreds of these background checks, | | | | This is where nationwide background searches |
| so let me show you what it takes to perform a | | | | turn into nightmares. ALL records are kept at the |
| simple background check. | | | | county level. That means, you have to physically |
| First - Get Full Name | | | | search the records housed in the various county |
| This is important, because a lot of people have | | | | agencies. This means a trip to the courthouse, the |
| similar names. I ran a simple search on myself, | | | | tax assessor's office, the tax appraisers office, |
| and came up with around 87 different people with | | | | the sheriff's dept, and the county courthouse. |
| the same name. I need to know which person is | | | | That is a mess. Since most counties do not have |
| the one I am looking for. The way to do this is | | | | a centralized record keeping system, you have to |
| by identifying middle names. | | | | physically check each of these sources to see |
| Second - Get Addresses | | | | what records, if any, are held on your subject. |