Many people mistakenly think that an SSN search is only for those conducting business. In fact, a SSN search is beneficial to a wide range of people, including you. Since your social security number is an essential part of how the world sees you, it is important to search yourself to find out what is out there.

The information contained in social security records is invaluable. Not to mention, it is also a good way to protect yourself against identity theft.

How does a Thief Steal Identity with a Social Security Number?

A thief who knows your social can easily steal your identity. By knowing some basic information about the victim, the thief can use that as proof they are the victim. Once they have your personal information, the thief can then claim with proof, they are who they are claiming to be. The victim has no way of knowing their identity is even compromised.

Protect your ID with Regular Monitoring

Your best protection is vigilance. If you regularly monitor your SSN records, then you will know immediately when someone tries to steal your identity. The second they open a bank account, you will know where they are and what they are doing. There is no better protection against identity theft than catching it before it starts.

How Else Can a Social Security Search Help?

Since the social security number is directly related to a given person, it is easy to track someone through the social security number. Even after a person dies, the social security number is updated. Many professional and amateur genealogists use the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) to trace records of the deceased.

The SSDI contains the basic information on the person. Looking through it, you can find:

• Name
• Birth Date
• Birth Place
• Place of Death
• Date of Death
• Last Known Address

This is great information for anyone trying to trace lineage or find family. Once you have a name, date of death, and place of death you can easily find obituaries that list surviving family members. Of course, you can search death records without all that information but it does make it easier.

Curious about your social security number? You can conduct your own SSN search now and find out what information is out there about you. You might be surprised by what you find.

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When it comes to looking up information on people, you can never go wrong with an SSN lookup. A person’s social security number is about as individual as you can get. In fact, if you have a person’s social, then you can rest assured knowing that all the information you find will be on that person.

Why do an SSN lookup?

Employment Check – There are many reasons to use an SSN check. The most widely used reason is for an employment background check. Whether you own a large business, want to hire a crew for your home, or simply want to hire a nanny, a social security check will provide you the information you need on anyone.

Nosey Neighbor - Sometimes people just want to be nosey. They are curious about co-workers, neighbors, and other people in their lives. Then they get their hands on this juicy piece of information and cannot resist. They just simply must look up all the information they can. (This is another reason to keep you SSN well-guarded.)

Finding Someone - If you have a social security number, tracking down a lost loved one is super simple. You can check all kinds of records to find out where they are now. Parents often have their children’s SSN. Ex-husbands and ex-wives can find the SSN on old tax records. If you shared a bank account with someone, it might be there as well.

The SSN gives more info than you think

It is a little known fact, that you do not even need a search to find some valuable information from a social. Since 1973, all social security numbers have been given from a central office and that number is based on where you live. Even before 1973, the numbers were based on where you live but it was given by a district office.

This means that if you have the first three digits of the SSN, then you now know what state they received their SSN. This is crucial anytime you are trying to locate someone. Any information you can get is good information.

You can find a complete list of the states and their corresponding numbers at the Social Security Number Verification Service website.

Where to conduct a SSN search

Since the SSN is very private, you will not want to trust the number to just any database. You will want to make sure they keep the searches confidential and private. For a quick and easy SSN lookup try a professional that guarantees your satisfaction.

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When doing criminal background checks or searching through various other records, you may come across court judgements. This happens quite frequently when you are trying to find adequate help, especially since you will always want to run a background check on babysitters, nannies, housekeepers, or anyone else that enters your home.

Of course, you can run a check on anyone you like. Some people look up neighbors. Others look up the records to find judgments against exes. Since they are so easy, people everywhere are looking them up.

Background checks are simple to perform
Once online, you can find several companies that will provide a background check for a fee. This is great since you used to have to hire a private detective to do these kinds of checks. Now, you can do it all online if you have enough personal information on the potential applicant.

The more information you have on the applicant, the faster and the more reliable your results. You will want a first and last name at the bare minimum. Birth date and previous last name is also helpful. If you can get a social security number, then that is even better.

What you can expect to find with a criminal records lookup?
The criminal background check should give you basic information such as the person’s home address. It will also give you some basic family information, schools, and some previous employers.

Of course, any criminal history will also turn up. Both major and minor criminal offenses can show up as well.

Is it legal to do a people search on anyone?
Since so much information is out there, it is only natural to think it can’t be legal. This is not true. It is perfectly legal to search the criminal background of anyone you choose.

• If you have a neighbor that acts a little shady, then check them out.
• If you want to know about the handyman coming into your house, then check them out as well.
• Someone you know dating a creep…check them out.

Word of warning on criminal background checks
Once you search, you find out information you may not want to know. It happens that people do a “curiosity” search on a boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse and find out things they wish they didn’t. These files are very thorough and very accurate.

If you do not want to know the background information, then please do not search. However, if you do want to know everything, then by all means start searching and see what court judgements turn up.

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Personally, I know four people expecting babies in the next couple of months. As my personal gift to all of them, I am searching through court information for them. Now, some may wonder what babies and court information may have in common, but it all comes down to safety.

Court Records Search for Child Safety

When the baby is born, every mother I know will need to go back to work. This means that they will need someone to watch the baby. We do a variety of checks to make sure the babies are in the best of care while with the babysitter.

How to Investigate a Nanny/ Babysitter

You will need:

• First, get the full name and any previous names of the babysitter.
• Ask for a birth date as well.
• If you feel comfortable, ask for the social security number. (While not required, it does make checking easier.)

Criminal Background Check:

You will want to start with a criminal background check. This way you can find out immediately what kind of past your potential sitter has. Personally, I do not eliminate nanny’s and sitters just because they had something on their record. However, if they have a history of shoplifting, then I am careful not to leave them in my house.

Driving History Check:

If you plan on letting the sitter take your baby anywhere, then you will definitely want to do a driving history check. You want to know if they have speeding tickets or have a large amount of accidents. Again, I don’t disqualify a person based on one accident but I do check.

Employment Check:

Many people skip over this step thinking it is unnecessary. For me, I want to know what kind of work history this person has. Do they tend to flop around jobs at will? I want someone to stick around with the children and not someone that is flaky and can leave at the drop of a hat.

Verifying References with Checks

Since references can easily be faked, I do reverse phone look-ups to see where the number comes from. I want to see if the name matches the one given. Cell phone records may be on a family plan but even this should tell you something. The numbers should be different and not all connected to the same person. I then do a quick search on the person to see if the information matches what the reference says. They couldn’t watch someone’s kids if that person does not have any kids.

You too can search court information and find out everything you need to make sure the Nanny or sitter is safe. The searches are completely confidential and can be done in the privacy of your own home.

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Recently, my friend wanted to hire someone to help her out around the house but she was nervous about having some there around the kids.  I suggested we do an online background check since they are quick and easy. This way she could set her mind at ease, and she would know whom she was hiring.

Finding Help through an Agency
When you want to get help in your home, the easiest thing to do is go to an agency. They do a preliminary background check for you. You can think of this as a pre-screening process. You tell the agency what kind of help you are looking for and they will match them up to meet your needs.

Things to Remember:

• Laundry
• Windows
• Cooking
  • Number of Meals
  • Grocery Shopping
• Cleaning
• Babysitting
  • Infants
  • Toddlers
  • Children
  • Teens
• Pets (Cats, Dogs, Reptiles, Birds)
• Other
  • Driving
  • Personal Assistant

Finding Help through Personal Ads
If you plan on finding help through ads like the newspaper, Craigslist, or by some other means, then you will need to list the exact nature of the job. Be sure to mention that a background check will be a requirement of receiving the job. This will help weed out unacceptable applicants.

Also, be sure to include a way to contact you. Personally, I do not like giving out my home phone number or my personal e-mail account out. Therefore, I create an alternate e-mail for this purpose. As part of my yahoo account, I can create a hidden e-mail that goes directly to my account and I can delete it later. If you cannot, then Google and Yahoo offers free e-mail that you can delete afterwards.

Screen the Applicant with a Background Check
Once the applications start coming in, you have two options. You can either start screening applications through the background checks before interviewing or you can interview and then screen through a background check. Both ways work, and it really is a personal decision.

You will need:

• Applicant’s First Name Last Name
• City
• State
• Your Credit Card or PayPal

Doing a background check online could not be simpler. All you do is go online to a website with a social security background check database. Then you enter the applicant’s social security number along with the last name. You click search and it will pull up a list of files. Then you select the background check. At this point, you will be asked to enter a credit card or PayPal information. Once you do that, you can read the information online.

Long gone are the days of relying on someone else to do a background check for you. You can do your own background checks quickly and easily just like the professionals. If you hire anyone to come into your house, then you need to be doing background checks on everybody that you hire. Start protecting yourself today and run a background check online.

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If you have young children and need to go back to work, the only way to ensure that the nanny you use has never been in trouble is to pull a background report.  Police are reluctant to discuss criminal cases with the public.  Unless there has been a very public trial, most such criminals remain hidden from plain sight.

Nanny Surveillance
You can chose to hire someone to watch your kids without running a background check and place hidden cameras all around, but by the time you watch a video it could be too late.  Children are not capable of defending themselves against adults, which is why we, as parents, must protect them ourselves.

The best way to accomplish this is to get your potential nanny to fill out an application that includes their name and social security number.  The easiest way to search for someone is by using the Social Security Number, but it isn’t mandatory.  A name can be searched for as well as a number, and while it might take a bit longer, it is just as easy.

Running the Background Search
Pick a good search company; one that doesn’t falsely advertise free reports and then still wants to charge your card.  Apply for an annual membership; if you are looking for a nanny you will want to run several names, not just one.  Enter the name and, if you have it, the social security number of the individual in question.  In a matter of seconds you will have your reply.

It feels good to know that you are protecting your children to the best of your ability.   When hiring people to work with your family, it is always best to err on the side of caution.  Get a complete background search done in mere minutes, and relieve at least one worry from your mind.

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If you’re shopping for a home, now is the time to buy, with real estate prices and interest rates still fairly low.  At the same time, there are things you need to be aware of, such as what a bad tenant can do to the livability of a property.  So, if you’re buying a place that may have rented in the past, do your homework.

Foreclosed Property Needs a Property Search Before You Buy

It’s not always easy to determine whether someone was or had a bad tenant without physically inspecting the property.  If you can’t immediately view the property, there are things you can look into.

Do a property record search for that area and find out if you’re buying a foreclosed property.  Finding out a landlord wasn’t paying his bills and you’re being kicked out can cause otherwise reasonable people to do serious damage to a place before they leave.  The same thing can happen if the property is being sold due to divorce, so looking into divorce records might provide some clues.

What is the Property Value?

Knowing if the tenant had a criminal history can also be helpful as the home might have been the sight of illegal activity that lingers.  Your real estate agent should have run some sort of background check, but if you need to go further, there are sites that can do deeper checking for you.

The last thing you want to do is buy a property and find out a bad tenant has ruined the value.  Find out if a bad tenant has ruined your property value here.

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While it is probably over the top to run a background check on everyone your child dates, knowing about a person’s criminal records can be a figurative or even literal lifesaver.  The guy with the Mohawk and all the tattoos may just be expressing himself.  Or he may be that escaped con the news was warning about last month.

Background Check Someone You Trust

People pass into and out of our lives on a regular basis.  Many we have very limited contact with and don’t really need to know the history of.  Others become close to us and our families and as much as we’d like to trust them, there are days when you just can’t shake the nagging feeling that there’s a reason they know so much more about the penal system than you do.

The Best Time for a Background Check

When do you check someone out?  Because it seemed like a good idea at the time isn’t usually the best reason, but worrying that you or your family might be at risk, probably is.

A Background Check is Worth the Money

Running a background check on everyone you or your child dates is going to break you financially and alienate you from a lot of people.  However, if you can’t stop wondering about the person who keeps “borrowing” money or acting strange around your child or grandchildren, the investment is well worth it.

Even if you’re wrong, doing a background check on someone you just can’t bring yourself to trust can bring peace of mind.  And what if you’re right?

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Criminal records can present an interesting conundrum.  There are times when you may be invading someone’s privacy; there are others when you’re protecting your own..

How to Investigate Criminal Records

The good news is that criminal records aren’t as easy as some things to get into.  They aren’t necessarily open to the public – unless you live in a small town like the one I grew up in where the local paper, dubbed by a friend “The Weekly Astonisher” publishes every incident from traffic tickets on up – which keeps the idly curious from investigating their neighbors for no reason.

Finding Out Criminal Records of People Around Your Money and Kids

This means that you generally need to have a reason to do such a search and then hire someone to do it.  By the same token, there are a lot of good reasons for searching criminal records.  Anyone you’re going to have looking after your children or handling your money should be thoroughly vetted to see if they have a questionable background.

Who Do You Trust?

Nor is a criminal history necessarily something that will ruin someone’s employment chances.  You aren’t going to want to hire a former “professional” car thief as your chauffeur, but he’s probably safe to mow your lawn or paint the outside of your house.  As long as you’re home.  There’s trust and then there’s trust.

Do a background check of a person’s criminal records to keep you, your money and your family safe.  There’s no need to risk hiring an embezzler to handle your lottery winnings.

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Private investigators are adept at background checks but if you’re planning to hire one, who can you ask to make a background check on them? Thankfully, such a need has been foreseen by various organizations and agencies. With their help, you’re sure to get the ideal P.I. on your case.

Government-Appointed Investigator Associations
The government has certain branches tasked to enforce requirements from private investigators. The California Department of Consumer Affairs, for instance, has the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services to ensure that all investigators in the state are of legal age, have the required educational qualifications and experience for the job, and passed the background check and requisite written examination.

Background checks are commonly performed by the FBI as well as certain state departments.

National Association of Legal Investigators
NALI was established in 1967 and its members are required to have a minimum of 24-month-employment as a legal investigator. It is the premier association in the legal investigation industry and if you’re looking for an investigator proficient in litigious cases, you’d do well to find one who’s also a NALI member.

National Council of Investigation and Security Services, Inc
NCISS, on the other hand, is the product of combined efforts of various associations and companies in the business of offering private security and investigation services to public and business sectors. The main goal of NCISS is to obtain solutions for the growing problems in the industry, including but not limited to the validity of restrictions and requirements imposed by the government on private investigators as well as the various misconceptions of the media and the public regarding PIs in general.

National Association of Fire Investigators
This association of fire investigators is particularly concerned with upholding NFPA 21. It believes in using NFPA 921 as the standard for all fire and explosion investigations brought to the court. Members of NAFI can participate in sponsored training programs, an asset for any PI and which is why NAFI membership is yet another good thing to look for in a fire investigator.

Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
If you are involved in a fraud case, you should look for a PI with ACFE membership. Members of this association have to comply with stringent qualifications and adhere to a strict professional code of ethics. The ACFE often acts as an international representative as well on behalf of all certified fraud examiners.

These are just some of the associations you can approach when searching for the best PI to hire. As such, remember that help is readily available and it’s yours when you ask for it.

image credits to sxc.hu edits by blogger

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