Nowadays you can't be certain who you'll dealing with. Don't let the baby faced sitter fool you or the next contractor you're letting into you're house. Doing a little research on people can be done with a click of a mouse or tap of a pad. I'm going to show you how you can do this for free and talk about the other options.

What sources do I have for doing a free background check online?

The answer is simple; Local and state government websites. Pretty much all state, city, and county records can be looked at for free. The plus side is its free. But the downside is the records are local / location based. This might be enough for some but for a more complete background check you'll need a nationwide record check.

How To Do A 100% Free Local Background Check Online

Step 1. (Pick A Location and Record Type to Run Your Background In.) For this example I will be using the state of Oregon to complete our free background check: will be looking for court records. To do this I simply google "Oregon Court Records". Next I will locate the official Oregon courts webpage. When selecting a page be sure to look for websites that end with a .gov or .us. T his part can be easier by going to a site that has a directory of local resources already found for you. Visit Freepeoplescan.com and find the local directory link or google away. Like So.

Step 2. (Find The Records Search Box) In our case its pretty simple. State of Oregon isn't making this part very complicated. As soon as I clicked the link I was given two choices "Search Civil Cases" and "Search Criminal and Traffic Cases" who ever runs the Oregon background check portal is a hero. This wont be the case for every state. Sometimes you'll need to dissect the page, read long instruction, and click a couple links before you get to were you need to be.

Step 3. (Time to Run Your 100% Free Background Check) This is the fun part. Once you located a database start your background search. Just a little heads up; not all state record sites are completely 100% free. Some will require a small fee and some wont have an option for an instant search. Yes there are parts of the country were paperwork needs to submitted to check on a record. This wont apply to most but in case you find yourself in a dead-end. Don't feel bad its not you its the system.

Why Run a Background Check?

This is an important question. Often times a background check is done for fun and than there's times its done because we're feeling a little cautious. New boyfriend or girlfriend, babysitter, new landscaper, new neighbors, employee, tenant. Whatever the reason maybe. You need to be sure you have all your bases covered.

Sometimes searching just one portal isn't enough. What I mean by that is checking all possible record types and covering multiple locations. This is pretty difficult to do considering you would have to check multiple record agencies (Example: court, criminal, driving, civil, vital, property, social, etc record types) that's a lot of databases to check. Now add the twist of checking every state / county in USA. Most of us simply don't have enough time to manage a background check on such a large scale. When all we really need is a quick background check.

There is a solution for this. Using a professional background check company. What background check companies do is compile all the city, state, and county records into a single system. So with a simple search using a first and last name (Plus Phone Numbers and Emails can be used to do a reverse check) we can now look at much more background data.

Now I'm not trying to say a free local background search isn't enough in some cases. When we know what we need and/or looking for its easy to make that assessment. Just remember if you're hitting a wall with your search or feel you need more than just local data; a professional background check company is your best friend.

Online Background Checks Today.

A background check was once something that was out of reach for ordinary citizens. If such a procedure was possible at all, it consisted of meticulously scouring public records for any relevant information, a process that could take several days. Recent advances in information technology have made a criminal background check easier than ever for the average person. Users can now obtain an instant criminal background check online with nothing more than the subject's name. People have many purposes for online background checks. Anyone who hires a contractor to do a job, as is commonly done with babysitters or lawn mowers, may wish to have some extra assurance that this person does not have a criminal history. Likewise, small entrepreneurs who do not have an in-house human relations department require a background check service to vet any job applicants. They may also be used by private investors to investigate any potential business partners and protect themselves from con artists, who often have lengthy criminal records. Demand for background check services has been on the rise in recent years, possibly due to growing concerns about scams and fraud in a shaky economy. Many websites now offer paid and trial free criminal background check service for a very nominal cost. Some people have expressed concern about identity theft being facilitated by such easy access to background check services. However, many regulations are in place to prevent such abuses. Social security numbers, credit card numbers, and bank account information are all excluded from background checks conducted by private companies. So sensitive information isn't available. Typical online background check will consist of public records.