Most background checks we run are not for employers. They are for people making a personal decision: whether to keep seeing someone, whether to go into business with someone, whether a relative's new partner is who they say they are. An investigative background check is research into a person for your own information, done by a licensed investigator, with a written report of what was found.
When people ask for one
Someone met online. Confirming that a match's name, age, location and story hold up before meeting, or before things get more serious. Our article on dating app verification explains why a verified badge does not answer these questions.
A prospective business partner. Checking lawsuits, judgments and court records before money or a signature is involved.
A relative's new partner. Often an adult child worried about an older parent, especially when money has started to come up.
Someone who has come back into your life. A person claiming a family connection, or someone you have not heard from in years.
A person on the other side of a dispute. Background on someone you are already in a disagreement or legal matter with.
In each case the question is a little different, so we start by asking what you are trying to find out. That shapes where we look.
How we do it
Investigative databases. Databases available only to licensed investigators, which draw together public and proprietary records about a person.
Public records. Court and other government records, checked at the source when it matters.
Open-source intelligence (OSINT). Tools and techniques for searching publicly available online information: social media accounts, usernames, photos, archived pages, and the connections between accounts on different platforms.
Cross-checking. Records often conflict, and two people can share a name. We compare sources to confirm which records belong to the person you are asking about.
Reporting. A written report of what we found and where it came from.
Three levels of check
Every check is one of three levels, agreed in writing before any work starts.
Basic. Identity verification, criminal records, traffic records and sex offender registry status.
Advanced. Everything in Basic, plus names and aliases, bankruptcies, judgments and liens, evictions where available, address history, telephone numbers and email addresses.
Comprehensive. Everything in Advanced, plus employment history where available, court records, social media accounts and professional licenses.
Some records can be added at an additional fee: a driving record, with the subject's written authorization, and marriage and divorce records on a Comprehensive check, where available. Marriage and divorce records are a standard part of our dating background checks.
Which level fits depends on what you are trying to find out, and we can talk that through at the consultation. Whatever the level, the report says what we found, where it came from, and how confident we are that each record belongs to the right person.
What it cannot include
Private financial and phone records. Credit reports, bank records, and call or text records are not available to us for this kind of check, and we do not obtain them.
Sealed and expunged records. These do not appear, and juvenile records generally do not either.
A complete history. Court records are kept county by county, and not every county's records can be searched the same way, so some gaps are unavoidable. Many people who have caused harm never appear in court records at all.
A clean result means nothing concerning was found in the sources searched. It does not mean a person is trustworthy, and we will not tell you otherwise.
How it differs from a people-search website
Instant people-search sites pull records together automatically and sell the result for a few dollars. They can be a starting point, but they often merge two people with the same name, show addresses that are years out of date, and leave you to work out which records are right.
An investigator does that work. We confirm which records belong to the person you are asking about, check court records at the source where it matters, and tell you where the gaps are. You get a report that answers your question, not a list of everything with the name attached.
What to have ready
The more you can tell us, the more focused the search. Useful details include:
The person's full name, and any other names they use
Date of birth or an approximate age
The city or state where they live, or say they live
Phone numbers, email addresses, usernames or photos
What you are trying to find out
A name and an approximate age can be enough to start, especially if the name is not a common one.
If the decision is about hiring
An investigative background check is not for decisions about employment, housing, credit or insurance. Those fall under federal rules and need a different kind of check. If you are hiring someone, see our pre-employment background checks.
Talk to us
Read more about our background checks, or contact us for a free, confidential consultation. Just the Facts Investigations, LLC is a licensed Texas private investigation firm based in Austin, available nationwide.