Founded in San Diego in 2015, TruthFinder defines itself as a “people search tool”. That, of course, is a broad concept, but it’s also a compelling one. One of the founders of TruthFinder had remarked upon the fact that the ever-expanding digital landscape and our growing digital footprints meant that there was a potential market to learn more about the people in our lives. As we said, that’s a broad concept, and deliberately so. TruthFinder, as well as rival background check services, have thrived in recent years because many of us simply want to know more about the people we associate with. This could range from getting a little more detail on someone we are casually flirting with on social media to finding out whether a spouse has a criminal record.
Expert reviews of TruthFinder tend to focus on the fact that it is one of the most affordable background check services in the US, clearly a reason behind its explosive growth over the last five years. As of spring 2023, it has eight million monthly users who perform over 300 thousand searches each day. In addition, its ease of use and effectiveness in exploring the deep web are other reasons that so many people use TruthFinder services to find out about people, regardless if they are new acquaintances or people with whom we have had long-term relationships.
Why do People Use TruthFinder?
Millions of people are using TruthFinder and rival services like Instant Checkmate, but what makes them take the plunge? We can sum it up in a word – curiosity. That term carries a lot of weight, however, as TruthFinder cannot be used for activities that require FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) compliance, e.g., the screening of tenants, consumer credit, insurance, and so on. Thus, it is a people search tool that someone might use if they suspect their spouse is cheating, or they are curious about a friend’s criminal past, or they want to see if they were being catfished online, and so on. However, it should also be noted that TruthFinder promotes itself as a security tool, particularly with its dark web scanning. As such, people can use it if they suspect they have been victims of identity theft.
How does TruthFinder Work?
TruthFinder and similar services work by scanning the web, including public information and third-party databases, as well as information contained in the deep web and dark web. Technically speaking, you could do this yourself, although most of us lack the know-how. Moreover, TruthFinder pays a fee to access third-party data; thus, the information is not freely available online. Nonetheless, it scans the web using small pieces of information – phone numbers, names, addresses, social media – and then comes back with results. Those results can range from the relatively benign, such as a history of traffic violations, to the unsettling, including sex offender data. As previously mentioned, it is incredibly easy to use. You could, for example, start with the phone number of the person you want to find out about and then use the reverse phone lookup service to start compiling information.
In total, there are five types of background search you can perform:
- People search
- Background search
- Criminal records
- Social network search
- Reverse phone lookup
Note: Because your membership awards unlimited searches, you can, with ease, combine the searches to build up a fuller picture in your background check.
Is TruthFinder Legit and Legal?
The simple answer is yes to both. TruthFinder is a legitimate service that operates within the boundaries of the law. As previously mentioned, there are legal constraints on some searches, particularly those that revolve around consumer credit and employment. The service does not provide consumer credit reports. To reiterate, people use it to find out about other people in their lives, particularly if they feel that person is hiding something that would be damaging to a relationship. In addition, people use TruthFinder if they are worried about being hacked or a victim of identity theft. Using TruthFinder for these services is perfectly legal.
Is TruthFinder the Best Background Check Service?
That is a matter of opinion. While TruthFinder has over 60,000 five-star reviews from people that used it, rival services have also risen in popularity in recent years, and you will find that they all have strengths and weaknesses. TruthFinder is one of the bigger players in the sector with access to over 350 million records, is one of the most competitive in price, and has that strong selling point of being able to deep-dive into parts of the web, notably the dark web, that most of us won’t be able to navigate. Still, there are certain aspects that users might like to see improved upon, including the speed of the searches. But TruthFinder is one of the market leaders for a reason, and the fact that millions use it regularly is a testament to the results it delivers.
