Where does the information come from when I do a people search?
All the information provided by people search tools is sourced from public records. In other words, it’s publicly available from places like county, state and federal courts, government departments, police records, and so on.
(You can actually source the information yourself, if you’re willing to invest the time, effort and money required to do so, and you’re good at research. But remember, a good people search site scours literally billions of database records across dozens of databases. Some of these databases require you to pay for access, and some are very difficult to access and use.)
Different people search tools source their information from different public records, and there are way too many to list them all. But here’s a selection of typical data sources that the better people search tools use…
- Most wanted lists
- Police & court records
- Debarred lists
- Denied Persons List – Commerce Dept
- Drug Enforcement Admin. Fugitives
- Enforcement Actions – Federal Reserve
- Enforcement Actions – Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
- Enforcement Decisions and Orders – FDIC
- EPA – Compliance Actions
- EPA – Enforcement Actions (ECHO)
- FBI Most Wanted
- FBI Organized Crime Site
- FBI Unknown Suspects
- FDA – Enforcement Report
- Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator
- Federal Firearms License Validator
- Immigration & Customs Enforcement/Most Wanted
- Missing & Exploited Children
- Most Wanted Lists – Federal Agency Links
- Most Wanted Lists – State, County, City Agency Links
- Most Wanted Terrorists
- National Sex Offender Registry Dept of Justice
- NCIS (Naval) Most Wanted Fugitives List, Missing Persons
- SEC Enforcement Actions
- SEC Filings (EDGAR)
- SEC Litigation and Opinions
- Secret Service
- Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- U.S. Marshall’s Most Wanted
- U.S. Tax Court – Docket Inquiry
- State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMVs)
- Vehicle manufacturers
- Police & court records
- Car dealerships
- Rental & fleet companies
- Vehicle & salvage auctions
- Auto body mechanics
- Vehicle service, maintenance & inspection workshops
- Automotive insurance companies
- Automotive extended warranty companies
- Import / export agencies
The methods in this article provide you with easy access to public record information, but without a guarantee for accuracy and may include links to websites not listed as a Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA). Information acquired from these bodies is illegal to be used for employment, housing, credit, and other purposes alike, according to laws such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). If you’re not sure whether your use of our methods is appropriate, click here for details.
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