Are online background checks accurate?
Online background checks, which can be paid for by anyone, are problematic because they are not usually accurate. They rely only on information in the public record. Think about the number of times you’ve received mail for a person who used to live in your house or apartment, or received a phone call intended for an old owner of your number. Online background checks rely on the same databases, so there is absolutely no guarantee that information they yield will be accurate.
Instead, it’s much better to hire a licensed background check agency to conduct the investigation for you. Thanks to their licensing, these companies will actually have permission to access information well beyond what is available to the layperson on the internet. In this way, the amount you pay for the check will be much better spent, since it is going towards a fully legal and accurate look at the person’s history. Note, however, that you need an individual’s permission to conduct a background check.