Tuesday 24 February 2009

ACCESSING PUBLIC RECORDS FROM HOME


We all seem to be a more cautious these days, and with all of the violent events that have occurred in the past few years, there is a certain need to protect ourselves.

The crucial details you are eager to learn are available, more readily now than ever before. Perhaps you are curious about the neighbor who runs back and forth to his car at all hours of the night, or suspicious of a state representative's background. Though it is unknown to most people, local, state and federal agencies have been storing increasing amounts of public database records online, a process that began in the mid 90's.

Driving records are accessed more frequently, based upon insurance policies and certain jobs. Criminal background and employee checks have without a doubt been performed on a regular basis since 9/11 and the recent Iraq war. Seemingly harmless individuals in the community make the news for acts of violence we never new existed within them. Government officials we elect are not holding true to their claims, as we learn more unsettling facts about their past.

Finding public records

Public records in each state can easily be accessed from your very own home. A computer and internet connection helps you access these public records in two ways: Jurisdictions may post records on government powered sites, making them available for a reasonable price or sometimes even for free. Many states have websites that provide you with almost instantaneous access of all the public records, court records, driving records, and criminal backgrounds of their residents. The second way to accessing public records is through comprehensive databases, where agencies and court officials also negotiate public records to online information compilers and
brokers. The latter method is generally more in-depth, as well as easier in saving you time and energy.

Access information while you still can

The freedom of public records is created on the general public's behalf. Criminal records and background checks were made available for citizens and businesses to stay abreast of the reality of other people, ranging from elected politicians down to modest civilians. As these public records splurged onto the internet, the public has even more opportunity to hold others accountable with documented proof.

However, the act of accessing public records via the internet has recently been debated. These records can expose a great deal of personal information about individuals. Here are a few examples of how public access records attained through the courts may not appear partial.

- Family court battles can be accessed through public access. This could expose sensitive information about children. Heated debates amongst spouses are typically fueled by emotion and may or may not be true.

- Crucial information from high profiled criminal cases can be leaked via public records. They contain documented statements from witnesses and victims that could possibly put them in the risk of danger.

Government and court officials are said to be working diligently on solutions to regulate the access of public files. Limiting the content online is where they wish to start, but there are some public records that should be accessible by the general population for security purposes. When it comes to the security of your family, accessing public records online is a great way to empower yourself with knowledge and information.

Monday 23 February 2009

Earn Money from Your Own Niche Search Engine

One-third of all searches on Google and Yahoo are related to this topic!
(That's about 20 BILLION searches monthly.) Search engine experts agree it is one of the most popular search topics - and growing. Except, even Google and Yahoo DON'T have the specialized results people search for in this niche! I saw the opportunity, and decided to build a search engine around this topic to "supply" the demand. Two years and $100,000 later, my niche search engine was born.

It works like any other search engine: People enter keywords and get free results. But here's the difference: Every time users get results, I get affiliate commissions! Imagine having a search engine where you get paid every time users get results! There's no big secret about the affiliate products themselves - they're promoted by many affiliates. What's unique is the TECHNIQUE my search engine uses to generate HUGE profits. (A good thing, since it costs $25,000 a month just to maintain its database!)

With a third of all online searches related to this lucrative niche, it's not surprising that there is FIERCE advertiser competition in Google and Yahoo. And the advertising is dominated by multimillion-dollar corporations promoting their own products. Yet I've been able to advertise my niche search engine in Google and Yahoo, thanks to its rapid-fire ability to generate sales. While other affiliates have faltered, I've consistently run with the "big boys" in Google and Yahoo, reaping millions in commissions!

You Don't Need $100,000 in Start-up Money:
I'll Give You Your Own Niche Search Engine IDENTICAL to Mine!

At this point, you should be asking yourself: "Why on earth would he want to share his secrets?" It's a great question, and I wish more people asked themselves that before buying the latest guru's "get rich quick" program. Because usually, it's only the people selling the program that are getting rich quick! I mean, think about it: If you had figured out a way to make tons of money, would you share it with the world? Of course not! So why am I willing to share MY secrets?

Simple: Because the more money you make with YOUR niche search engine, the more money I will make. Let me explain: Because my search engine generates such tremendous sales volume, the affiliate networks recently agreed to pay me "2nd-tier" commissions for sales referred by other affiliates as well. So in addition to the hefty commissions they will pay you, they will also pay me a second, smaller commission for every sale you make!

Are you beginning to see the incredible opportunity here? You will have your own niche search engine, IDENTICAL to the search engine that has generated MILLIONS of dollars in commissions for me. The same search engine that took two years and $100,000 to develop, and costs $25,000 a month to maintain. All you have to do is send Web traffic to your search engine, and you'll be paid hefty commissions whenever people get their free search results!

And the best part is.....I'll help you send Web traffic to your search engine.

Friday 20 February 2009

Who is Emailing Your Child?

The internet is amazing these days. Your child can go online and find information for any kind of school project they may be doing, homework, and study information. It opens doors for kids the way nothing ever has. Of course, it is also a favorite way for your child to keep in touch with friends and make new friends. With social networking sites like Zubby, MySpace, and Friendster, your child can keep in touch with all of their friends and have some fun while they're doing it.

In fact, social networking sites like these are amazingly popular with kids. Email is another way your child can keep in touch with friends or with family that live far away. However, with all the benefits of the internet, there also comes a ton of risks. Children talk to strangers online all the time. Unfortunately, there are predators who will go online and look for children to converse with. So, while your child may think they are talking to a 13-year-old boy from another state, they could actually be talking to a 56-year-old man very close to your home.

This is an extremely scary situation and idea to think about, but it happens all the time. The more you know, the easier it is to ensure the safety of your children. If your child is getting strange emails or is conversing with someone online that you don't know, it might be worth checking out. You can first talk to your child and find out where they began talking to this person. Predators often search for children who have low confidence or a low self-esteem. This is one of the ways they trap children; they work to earn your child's trust, and they exploit that trust.

Luckily, there are several new websites where you can check to see exactly who is emailing your child. That's right. All you have to enter is the email address of the person you're trying to find information about. You don't need to have their name, Social Security number, or address. By typing in their email address, you can find their name, address, phone number, and background records. These background records are extremely important because they contain arrest records for federal and state correction facilities. They also contain the facts about misdemeanors and felonies this person may have been convicted of, and whether or not they are a sex offender.


Parenting is the hardest job you will ever have, and it's also the best and the most rewarding. Take an active role in your child's online activities and check out suspicious people right away so your child will never fall into the trap of a truly dangerous person.

Thursday 19 February 2009

Find Out Hidden Secrets about Your Partner's Past

It sounds like a storyline of a bad movie: you meet your partner and fall in love, preparing to live happily ever after. Perhaps you even manage to live out your fairy tale life for an extended period of time. Maybe you get married and have children, or take off together to explore the world.

The hidden secrets your lover's heart holds:
Suddenly one day, your whole world comes crashing down around you. Perhaps you learn your partner was involved in some shady business dealings and now has the law after him. Maybe he or she was married before, and you find yourself confronted by a jilted spouse. Or perhaps your lover owes a tremendous amount of money to his debtors.

Every day, people learn life-altering facts about their spouses. Secrets that have been hidden for years come roaring back with a hearty vengeance. In a matter of a moment, everything you believed to be true has changed.

How do you handle such situations? Better yet, how do you prevent them from happening to you in the first place?

You can always try a search of your partner's name on the Internet, but will it really give you the information you need?

Protecting yourself and your heart with a private investigation:

A simple background check can be done through the use of public records. These checks reveal important information about someone's past. You can easily find out if your lover has ever been married or owes child support, has ever been arrested, or was sued in court.

By playing sleuth on your own, you can find out important information that will ward off any future surprises in your relationship. The most effective way to do this is to enlist the power of the Internet.

The biggest obstacle you will run into during your online investigation is determining where to begin looking to find the information you want. Rather than spending hours searching thousands of websites or databases, simplify things by utilizing one of the online services for personal background checks, such as Net Detective.

With a specialized product such as Net Detective, you can access millions of records from all over the country. Even if your partner fled another state to escape his or her problems, you will be able to easily and quickly uncover those secrets.

Save yourself from becoming entangled in a situation that could prove to be costly, heartbreaking, or downright dangerous by unearthing your partner's secrets now. After all, knowledge is power, and knowing your partner's past gives you the power to plan for your own future.

Wednesday 18 February 2009

Beware Online Predators

There is something very frightening going on that most parents don't know about. While most people do realize that there are internet predators, they really don't understand how many and what kind of organized groups they hang out in. The fact is that there are pedophiles and sex offenders all over the internet. Many of these sex offenders and pedophiles are very proud of their actions and thoughts; in fact, there are groups of these offenders trying to change laws in order to be able to indulge their sexual desires. Most of them are convicted criminals and travel in circles of other convicted criminals – doing what? They are looking for vulnerable children online. This is a terrifying thought, isn't it? As parents, you need to be very proactive to keep your children safe. Here are some important tips to keep your kids safe online.

• Do not allow your children to post pictures of themselves online. Do not post pictures of your children on any social networking sites. Predators have been known to take pictures from online albums and post them on pedophile websites.

• Pay very close attention to the people that your children communicate with online. Many pedophiles and sex offenders try and lure children into conversation. According to many experts, pedophiles will speak to a child or adolescent for weeks or months before trying to set up a meeting with them.

• Should you find a suspicious person is e-mailing, chatting or instant messaging your teenager or child, you should find out who it is. There are some very easy ways to do this.

The first thing you should do is visit one of the websites that allow you to perform an instant background check on someone – even with just their e-mail address. One of these websites is www.InfoRegistry.com. With this website, you can enter an e-mail address and find out if that person has ever been convicted of any sort of crime. You will also find out their name, address and phone number along with local and nationwide arrest and conviction information. This will tell you if you should be worried about this person that your child is speaking to. Obviously, if it is an adult, you should be nervous. There is no reason for an adult to chat, message or e-mail a child that they have met online.

Should you find that the person you are searching has been convicted of a crime, especially a sex offender crime; you should report them to your local police as well as your FBI immediately. A large percentage of sex offenders will commit another crime, talk to another child, view pictures of children online and many more horrifying things. Reporting these people to the proper law authorities is imperative. They are violating the law if they are talking to your child. Check them out. Find out who they really are with the method explained above. Make sure your child is safe. Unfortunately, a parent cannot be too careful if they want to keep their children safe from harm.

Tuesday 17 February 2009

Long Lost Friends

Kayla Martin and Danni Grisso were inseparable through school. When Danni moved to the neighborhood in fourth grade, the bus was full of kids that could be kind of harsh. As children often do, the children on the bus teased Danni for having braces and glasses. She felt alone and alienated for an entire week until Kayla caught the bus one morning. Kayla asked if she could sit in the seat next to Danni and instantly, the two were best friends. They shared lunch, secrets and sleepovers from fourth grade until their junior year. That year, Danni's family moved again. Because her father was in the military, they were lucky to have lived there that long.

At first, Kayla and Danni exchanged letters and phone calls, but as things got busy after graduation and life got hectic, the two lost touch. Danni married and had children and Kayla entered college, training to be a teacher and also ended up marrying and having children. Although the two of them lost touch, they often thought of each other and wondered how they were doing. After Danni's divorce, she realized that she had been too busy with married life and work to make many real friends and she had no one to talk to or to identify with. This is when her thoughts continuously went back to Kayla.

One day, while browsing the internet, Danni came across a website that claimed to find addresses and phone numbers simply by entering a name. Danni began to wonder if this site could help her find her friend. She doubted it because she assumed that Kayla had married and her last name had changed. However, just for kicks she decided to type in Kayla's name and old address. Within seconds, a new address and phone number popped up, along with Kayla's new married name and more. She was able to find out who Kayla had married through her marriage license.

The strangest thing was that Kayla only lived 120 miles from Danni! With nervous fingers, Danni called up her old friend. When she heard that old, familiar voice, Danni was mentally transported to the past; a time years and years ago when the two of them would laugh and giggle well into the early morning hours. Kayla was absolutely thrilled to speak with her old best friend. Just like that day on the bus, the two of them instantly became best friends again. They talked very often on the phone and planned visits. Their children became quick friends as well. Danni soon left her old house with the memories of her husband and marriage and moved within 20 miles of Kayla. It was just like old times! If not for www.InfoRegistry.com, Danni and Kayla may have spent the rest of their lives wondering about each other rather than enjoying their old friendship once again.

Monday 16 February 2009

Who Am I?

Haley loved her adopted mom and dad to pieces. However, they were not the people that made her, and she always felt a need to find out who her biological parents were. She had tried for years to find information about her birth parents. Her adoptive parents only knew the name of her mother and where she used to live. The adoption agency that her adoptive parents went through was unwilling to provide her with any other information. She searched and searched the internet and the name of her mother. She couldn't find any information anywhere. She had started to think that perhaps she would never find out who her birth parents were. She had so many questions to ask them.

She wanted to look at them and see if she could find a resemblance. She wanted to know the reasons that she was put up for adoption and she wanted to thank them for giving her the opportunity to have the life that she had led with her beloved adoptive parents. She just couldn't get over the need to talk to them, to see them, to at least know that they were alive and where they were. Haley gave up for a while because she was out of resources and out of leads. However, upon another trip to the adoption agency, she found that there was a new girl working.

She wondered if this woman would give her the information she needed. As she asked, the woman began to shake her head before Haley even finished her question. Apologetically, the woman told Haley that she couldn't give out any information. Then, to Haley's surprise, the woman leaned closer to Haley and said, "I was adopted too. I can't give you any information about your birth parents, but I can give you the URL to a website that helped me out a lot." Then, the woman wrote a website down on a sheet of paper and handed it to Haley.

Back at home, Haley went to www.InfoRegistry.com and saw that there was a space for a name. She thought for a moment about the woman at the adoption agency and she typed in her biological mother's name. Within seconds, the website provided her with a new address and phone number. Haley absolutely could not believe it. All these years she had searched and within seconds, she had found out where her real mother was. After coming to terms with the situation, Haley finally dialed the number that had popped up on the website.

When the woman's voice answered, Haley said, "Hi. My name is Haley and I am looking for my birth mother. Did you give a baby girl up for adoption thirty three years ago?" There was a long pause and the woman on the other line began to sob. Haley couldn't believe that she had finally found her birth mother. Since then, she has gotten to know both her birth mother and half siblings. Her father had passed away some time before that, but Haley was thankful to know the rest of her family. She could never have found the information without www.InfoRegistry.com.

Saturday 14 February 2009

CONDUCT A REVERSE CELL PHONE SEARCH

A phone chirps loudly in the background, with its ring tone revealing that it is your mobile.

More than likely, you are preoccupied with several tasks, ranging from returning business emails to finishing dinner for your family. By the time you have an ability to reach for your cell phone, you missed the call, and the person on the other end did not bother to leave a message.

Much to your dismay, you find that your cell phone's highly advanced caller ID service was unable to detect an identity. Could the call have been from a stranded family member? Perhaps simply a wrong number? Let us hope it is not a probable client who came across your company's brochure!

Thanks to modern technology, you no longer have to sit in wonder about the unnamed call to your cell phone. Even if you do not have access to cell phone records, there is a proven way to match a number with a face or place. Perhaps you may want to investigate who is making prank or threatening calls to your phone, or you may want to look into suspicious phone numbers appearing on your spouse's cell phone bill. By performing a reverse cell phone search, you may be able unravel the mystery and get the answers you need.

The overall process of reverse cell phone searches is rather straight forward. With this method, you use a cell phone number to find a person, instead of using their identity to find that number. Since cell phone numbers are not typically listed in your local directory, performing a reverse search on a land line is often easier. However, this is where internet enhancement comes into play.

Those looking to conduct a reverse cell phone search online to obtain cell phone records have several different options. The first one is very simple, effective, and will not cost you a dime. Through the popular search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and Homepages, you can use their databases to derive cell phone and identify information.

View it from this perspective. New content is frequently placed online and detected by the search engines, which includes cell phone numbers and records. For example, most newspapers will publish classified ads or even entire editions on a website. If someone lists their phone number, there is a great chance that the phone number has been indexed within the internet and is now available for search.

Try conducting a reverse cell phone search by playing with the search box of your preferred engine. Many websites have different criteria of how a phone number should be entered into their database. Be sure to try a few different variations. Some may enter a cell phone number in the manner of 1112223333, while others may prefer a format such as (111) 222-3333. Exercising a bit of creativity in your reverse cell phone search will certainly assist along the way. Using the search engines as free tool is a great way to begin your own reverse cell phone number search.

However, to achieve more accurate and detailed cell phone records, you may wish seek professional assistance. Several online experts specialize in reverse cell phone searches, with services ranging from affordable to very expensive. The quality and the depth of the information they provide your reverse cell phone search is very valuable, as you obtain access to their entire database of information and records. In fact, their cell phone records databases can give you a myriad of relevant information, such as personal information, address history, current location, and wireless provider. Paying a fee that quickly produces accurate, detailed information may
prove worthwhile in the end, especially in terms of saving you time and energy.

A reverse cell phone search can be used for many reasons, such as checking up on your teenager or merely tracking down that phone call you missed. Gathering personal information from a cell phone was once perceived as impossible, but it now can be discovered with speed and accuracy when you access the power of internet databases for reverse cell phone searches.

Friday 13 February 2009

Stop Prank Calls Now

Prank calls are one of the most annoying things in the entire world. If you have received one or two, you probably shook your head and wished that the caller would get a life and stop aggravating people. However, if you have received many, you probably started to get nervous. You may have wondered if this was really a prank caller or if it was someone that meant you harm. If the prank caller threatened you in some way, you probably definitely wondered if the caller meant you harm. It is not a light situation if you are afraid for your family or your children and your safety. This happens to many different people that have had to deal with this.

The trouble is that the police can't do much of anything unless there is a real threatening event that happens outside of the phone calls. This is enough to make you angry on top of feeling threatened. It's frustrating to know the phone number of the person but not the name. However, you can take action yourself and make the calls stop happening. Whether it's an unlisted home phone number or a cell phone number, it is possible to find out the identity of the caller without having the police trace the telephone calls.

Simply visit a website like www.InfoRegistry.com and enter the phone number of the person that called you. You can get the number from your phone bill or the caller ID. After you enter the phone number, simply wait a few seconds and you will be provided with the name and address of the person who is associated with the phone number. You can even assure yourself that they are not dangerous, or get enough information for the police to act by searching their criminal or arrest records which are also provided. Yes, you can find out if they have ever been charged with a crime, locally or nationally. You can see if it was a misdemeanor or a felony as well.

You do not have to deal with phone calls like this and be helpless. When you search their number at a site like www.InfoRegistry.com, you can get the truth about who is calling you. Then, either the police can take over, or you can answer the phone with their name and inform them that you have their address and more. Feel free to say it back to them. If you do this, chances are they will not call you back. If they are dangerous or do have a criminal arrest record, you should not answer the calls. Simply inform the police and allow them to do their job. They will consider the calls a priority and a threat if the person has a criminal record. If this is happening to you, don't take it any longer. Do something about it and show that prank caller that they have stumbled upon the wrong person's phone number.

Thursday 12 February 2009

Do You Ever Think About the One That Got Away?

During our lives, we all meet that someone that makes our lives different forever. They are the ones that we refer back to in order to compare someone new. They are the ones that we find ourselves thinking about at the strangest times. They are the ones we feel as if we will never get over, and they are certainly the ones that we will never forget. All of us have someone like this. You may be married to this person, you might be engaged to this person and you might even not like this person. However, the worst thing that can happen is to have lost touch with this person when you really didn't want to.

This is what is referred to as the 'one that got away.' They are the ones that you always thought you would be with forever and suddenly you don't even know where they are anymore. Do you ever think about this person? Do you assume that you will never see them again? Have you thought about contacting them? Perhaps you have even tried to find them but have been unsuccessful. Well, now it is possible for you to find them easily and quickly. The truth is that if you never talk to them again, you will never know what might have happened or what might happen in the future.

All you have to do to find them is to visit one of the websites that allow you to do a reverse lookup, like www.InfoRegistry.com. You can enter the name of that one that got away and hit the submit button. Almost instantly you will be provided with the most up to date telephone number, address and more. You will even be provided with a marriage certificate if they have gotten married. Imagine being warned so you know whether or not you should really call. You will also be provided with several other things, like criminal and civil court records, information about family and friends and more.

If you don't want to spend the rest of your life wondering what happened to the one that got away in your life, simply find out! There have been many cases where high school or college sweethearts have gotten back in contact only to fall in love and create a new future. While this may not happen for you, at least you can find out what is going on with that person and if they are doing well in their life. There is an old saying that the greatest link to our past is the people that lived in the past with us. If you have always wondered what happened to your first love, your first real friend, or someone else, find out now. Follow the tips and advice above and find out what happened for real so you can stop wondering! After all, we only have one life.

Wednesday 11 February 2009

Search Police Records

Have you ever wondered if someone was a criminal, arrested for violating the law? Generally, police reports are a matter of public record and can contain a wealth of information. A public record is simply information maintained by a government agency that can be linked to a specific person. You can complete a thorough background check of someone just by researching these records.

What type of information is in a police record?
Examples of police reports may include but are not limited to: domestic disputes, traffic accidents, thefts, fraud, assaults, burglaries, and stalking incidents. Other information that may be available includes crime surveys, crime statistics, calls for service, and traffic accident surveys.

Information that can be obtained from police reports includes identifying information of all involved parties and witnesses, such as full name, address, phone number, date of birth, social security number, driver's license number, and any other identifying information. The report can also contain motor vehicle information, as well as specific details of the incident being documented, including any evidence recovered.

Where can I find a police record?
Access to these records varies greatly from one jurisdiction to another. In some areas, the information may be freely available, while in other areas the information may only be accessible to the parties involved in the incident or their agent (such as a lawyer). It is also possible that the record of a specific incident is readily available, but the identifying information of involved parties has been removed.

All requests for copies of police reports are made through the records division of the reporting agency. Some have online services, and you can receive the information directly over the Internet or through your personal e-mail. Other agencies require you to appear in person to request the information. They will normally charge a nominal processing fee to provide you with a copy of the report. The originating agency may also require a form of written disclaimer stating the information contained in the report will not be used for solicitation purposes.
If you wish to request a copy of a police report, you will normally be required to provide the first and last name of at least one of the involved parties, the location, date, and time of the incident, and in some cases, the incident or case number.

Some jurisdictions have regionalized their crime information into a joint database. Such information systems allow citizens to research crime statistics, view crime maps, see who is currently in jail, search for arrest warrants, and retrieve information about sex offenders living or working in a given area. Much of this information is readily available via the Internet.
Whatever your reasons for requesting police records, begin by researching the requirements of the police agency responsible for the jurisdiction in which the incident occurred, then follow their exact protocol for requesting and receiving those records.
Finding police records across multiple jurisdictions

Conducting your investigation can become complicated if you need to do a background search on someone who has lived in multiple jurisdictions. To simplify things, an internet-based specialized investigation company, such as Net Detective, can provide a comprehensive, multi-state search in one easy step. This allows you to search multiple records from all over the country quickly and easily, without the hassle of tracking down individual records from various government entities.

Whether you want to find out what someone's criminal past contains, or you are trying to locate someone who was involved in an accident with you, a background check using police records will likely give you the results you seek.

Tuesday 10 February 2009

Just in time for Valentine's Day...How Much Do You Know About Your Lover?

No matter how well you might think you know someone, all of us have a past. Everyone has secrets they hold near and dear to their hearts, without revealing them even to the most important people in our lives.

What secrets does your lover hold?

When it comes to your lover, you hope those secrets are innocuous secret crushes, a wild weekend in Vegas, or little white lies that harm no one. But what if they are big secrets?
Perhaps your lover has been married before. Maybe he or she spent time in jail. There may be serious financial difficulties, tax evasion, bankruptcies, or a string of lost jobs.

Your lover could be hiding secrets that could have a profound effect on your life together. Unveiling those secrets at a later date could erode any trust you have in each other, and cause the relationship to crumble.

Break open the box of hidden pasts through the internet
Wouldn't it be better to find out sooner rather than later, if there are any questions about your lover's past?

A simple background check will give you the answers you need, giving you the knowledge to continue in your relationship with confidence. Knowing if there are any obstacles up front will give you the ability to decide if you want to try to fix them, or if they are so serious in nature that you need to move on from a shady lover.

There are several ways to go about discovering your lover's past. You can search public records for tax information, lawsuit decisions, liens, divorces, even criminal histories. You can find out whether your lover owns any significant amounts of property, or has ever had property repossessed or foreclosed upon. Find out if the IRS is going to come knocking at your door looking for taxes owed to them. Or if there is an ex-spouse who will show up unexpectedly seeking alimony or child support.

Quickly, simply, and easily find out about your lover's past.

An easier way to discreetly play detective and find out the information you need is to conduct an online background check of your lover. Specialized online services, such as Net Detective, have large databases, allowing you to find all of the above information in one convenient location. A simple search from your own computer will allow you to access public records from all over the country, providing you with the facts you need to put your mind at ease.

Many of these databases can also cross-check any aliases, so you will get the information you need even if your lover is not being honest about his or her true identity.

If you do learn your lover has been involved in less-than-desirable behavior, you will have the tools you need to decide how you wish to handle the situation.

No matter how well you think you know your lover, you will be amazed at the useful information a thorough online background check will give you.

Monday 9 February 2009

Do You Know Who Your Children Are Talking To?

As a parent, you have to be concerned with every person who has contact with your child. From friends at school to their parents, as well as teachers and strangers met on the street, each individual has the ability to profoundly affect your child. Paying attention to your child's interactions becomes even more important with the realization we live in a society full of predators.

The dangers that lurk around your children:

It is fairly easy to keep tabs on your children's communications when they are young, and when they interact with people who live and work in your own community. As long as you keep your eyes and ears open and pay attention, you will generally know who they are talking to and what they are talking about. If at any time you become uneasy about someone your child is talking to, trust your gut instinct and find out why. If necessary, stop your child's contact with that person.

The existence of the Internet complicates matters. Online video games and chat rooms draw our children into the world wide web, sometimes entangling them in dangerously formed liaisons. Many of the people your children meet online use screen names and live out of state, making it difficult to identify them.

Teenagers are especially vulnerable, since they tend to be far more social online than younger kids. They frequent websites designed for social interaction, and much of their computer time is spent privately, without the supervision of an adult. Most often, parents are completely unaware of their teenager's online activities, In fact, many of today's teenage runaways are girls who are lured away from their homes to meet with someone they have met on the Internet are usually an older male looking for an illegal tryst.

Keeping your children safe from the perils of the internet :

Luckily there are measures you can take to protect your children. If you have young ones who love to play any of the myriad of online video games, especially the ones that allow interaction between players, do some research on the sites, and choose ones that have 24 hour monitoring. Every day, new game sites are emerging that have full-time monitors, and they will ban players who ask any personal information from other players. It is not a foolproof system, but it is far safer for kids than the unregulated sites.

Parental controls are available on most computers, allowing you to block your child's access to certain types of websites. There are also several software programs that will allow you to monitor your child's Internet activities, including being able to see every website visited. It may feel like you are spying on your child or betraying their right to privacy, but it is far better to pry than to have your child fall victim to an online predator. If you have ever watched Dateline, you know these predators are out there in abundance.

Find out who your children are talking to when they are online. Some websites may not allow the exchange of actual names, but then some might. If you can get a name and a location from those your child is chatting with, a people search can reveal important information about them.

Research the people who surround your children:

Whenever your child has ongoing interaction with someone, especially a nanny, day care provider, or teacher, it is important to know as much as you can about that person. After all, they will be responsible for the care of your child, and they will be spending a great deal of unsupervised time with your child.

An easy way to keep your children safe is to conduct a background check of the person in question. Just by using a name and date of birth, you can discover significant information regarding the person's past history. Criminal arrests, judgments, and restraining orders are just a few of the important things a background check will reveal. You will be able to find out quickly if your child's caregiver has ever had any kind of inappropriate contact with children, or has ever been abusive towards them.

Much of this information is available through public records, or you can use an online investigation service such as Net Detective, where all of the records you want to search are consolidated into one database. These investigative services are typically available for a low fee, and they are significantly more thorough than research you would conduct yourself in public records. Completing a background check on your child's caregiver or online friends is quick and easy, giving you peace of mind and your child safety.

Sunday 8 February 2009

Become an Online Investigator

How many times have you watched your neighbor across the street through closed drapes or blinds? Something about him seems suspicious, and your instincts are on the alert regarding this shady neighbor. You see strange people coming and going at all hours of the night, and his house has been broken into three times in the last month. You find yourself wondering why.

Your best friend calls you, distraught, and tells you she thinks her husband is having an affair. She desperately wants to know the truth, but is afraid of a confrontation with him. Another friend was involved in a traffic accident, and the other driver fled the scene. She has his license plate number, but is incredibly frustrated because the police do not seem interested in her case.

If you have ever found yourself in one of these situations, and had an overwhelming urge to find out the answers, you may make a terrific online investigator.

Discover the truth through legal investigations online

Imagine being able to search local police records for your neighbor's address, only to find he has been arrested four times for narcotics violations. Or, you can search the motor vehicles database and local police reports to locate the name and address of your friend's hit-and-run driver. You can also find out where your friend's husband has been going after work, and now you must decide whether or not to tell her the truth.

Having the ability to investigate these relatively simple situations online is easy. Many reputable databases can provide you with unlimited access to millions of public records from all across the country. You have nationwide access to documents that might otherwise never be seen.

Search court documents to find out if your next door neighbor is really a deadbeat parent, or perhaps a convicted child molester. Or search pending foreclosures to get that once-in-a-lifetime deal on a bigger home.

All of this can be done by searching public records legally.

Conveniently protect your family and friends with the power of knowledge

You could go to the courthouse or to the recorder's office, and search all of these records by hand. Or you could use an affordable online service, such as Net Detective, that will immediately transform you from a neighborhood busy body to seasoned investigator. You can have the inside scoop, allowing you to protect yourself, your family, and your friends.

You can have confidential information on your neighbor's private lives, or you can check out a new neighbor to make sure they are not a threat to your children. You can find out about your friends' and lovers' past histories, and learn how to prevent others from finding out your secrets. Run your own credit check to protect yourself against theft or fraud, especially in this day and age of forgery and identity theft.

Whatever your motivations are, you can become your neighborhood's online sleuth. Within a matter of minutes, you can discover the truth behind your investigations, protecting you and your loved ones with insider knowledge.

Friday 6 February 2009

Protect Your Children

Protect Your Children

Don't let them go to Parties or Sleepovers until You Know Who They will be Spending Time With

One of the most important aspects of raising children is to ensure they are well socialized. This process usually begins early in life and is one of the main driving forces for parents to enroll their children in preschool. Play dates are also a big part of the early socialization process.

As they grow older, children forge bonds with other children from school, church, and sports. Part of the social learning process is for them to take part in parties, sleepovers, and other group activities.

How can you keep your child in a safe environment?

Every parent wants their child to grow up happy and healthy, and to have the companionship of friends. As they develop an increasing amount of independence, their need to have mom or dad close at hand diminishes. As difficult as this is, it is a necessary part of growing up.

However, it is important as a parent to ensure we know as much as possible about our children, especially when they are out of sight - how they are spending that time, and with whom they are spending it. This period of early social activity occurs during some of the most impressionable years of children̢۪s lives, and we want to ensure they have nothing but nurturing experiences. We want all of their childhood memories to be good ones, which evoke memories of safety and security.

Be a smart parent; know exactly what type of people surround your child
Before letting your child out of your sight for a slumber party, team pizza party, or any other type of gathering, make sure you know everything you can about the people with whom your child will be socializing.

A simple, computer-generated background check can tell you right away if it is safe for your child to attend the function, or if it would be wiser to keep him at home. For example, Net Detective, an online background check service, makes it easy for you to delve into the personal history of the parent or parents who will be watching your child.

In a very short period of time, you can find out a great deal about virtually anyone's criminal and financial history. Learn whether there are any civil actions pending against the parent, or learn of the existence of any restraining orders. Find out if the family has a violent history, or a peaceful one.

The main idea is to review the private life of anyone who will be responsible for your child's care, and ensure the person is qualified for the task. After all, you would not want to unwittingly place the care of your child into the hands of a hardened criminal.

Wednesday 4 February 2009

Background Checks: How They Can Help Better Protect Your Small Business Against Crime

Background Checks: How They Can Help Better Protect Your Small Business Against Crime

If you run a small business, you've got a lot of worries. Besides all the normal concerns like competition and pricing and location and customer service... now security has become increasingly important. You face the threat of theft, fraud, embezzlement, scams... the list seems almost endless.

When you're in business, you can run up against...

- Suppliers who provide shoddy goods that you don't discover until after you've paid for them
- Customers whose orders you promptly fill but who wiggle out of paying
- Employees who rob you of everything from supplies and equipment to cash and services.

The Federation of Small Business - a British business group reported that over half (58%) of all small businesses in the UK suffered at least one crime during a recent two year period. They concluded:

"Crime, and the fear of crime, can directly impact on day to day business activities. It can damage a business image, resulting in the loss of existing customers and deterioration in the quality and range of services offered by the business, which will limit turnover (profits) and
restrict business development."

When you run a small business, it's up to you to look out for your company. But how?

Background Search Services on the Web Provide an Economical Answer

Many of the problems that small businesses face in trying to deter crime can be helped with information available on the Internet. You can use 21st Century technology to get the better of the crooks and thieves and scam artists.

But if you're not familiar with whats available, you may not realize all the important things you can find out with a good background checking service.

It used to be expensive to check into someone's background to see if they were hiding anything. You had to hire a private detective or pay big bucks to an investigative agency. Not today - not with Internet databases so readily available to us. Some of the services are free. However, a business will benefit most from the more in-depth background checking services.

These higher quality services usually charge a fee to subscribe, but it's smaller than you'd expect - especially considering the volumes and usefulness of the information they provide. A year of service is often less than what you'd pay to bring in lunch for a staff meeting. Plus, the paid services are kept more up-to-date and are typically faster and easier to use.

Sometimes referred to as Internet Detective sites, or Personal Search sites, the website based services give you the low-down on all kinds of formerly-hidden information.

Here are the types of things you can and should be looking into for the protection of your business...

Criminal Background Checks

Any time your business is dealing with someone you don't know, you should run a quick check to see if they have any history of criminal activity. It's very simple to find out about:

- Criminal Records
- FBI Records
- Prison Records
- Sex Offender Status

You have access to their entire criminal history if there is one. With violence in the workplace such a major issue, a simple criminal check can be a very effective way to avoid problems before they happen.

Background Check for Employment (Pre-Employment Screening)

If you've got a small business, you should be pre-screening each person you consider hiring. No matter how professional, or how harmless, they appear.

A small print shop franchise in Florida hired an especially friendly fellow as their bookkeeper after the owner got too busy to handle it himself. The new employee didn't offer much in the way of references but he sounded like he knew what he was doing and - big plus - he agreed to work cheap. The owner figured he would save money hiring the guy. He figured wrong.

The bookkeeper drained more than a hundred thousand dollars out of the company before they found him out. Turned out he'd previously been charged with embezzlement. Something a criminal background check would have quickly turned up.

Background Check Existing Employees - Make it a Condition of Employment

You shouldn't check only new hires. Over time, employees can develop habits and get involved in activities you'd never suspect. So you should regularly check on existing employees. Note: this is something you should get legal advice for - but generally if it's a condition of employment and you let them know in writing, it's not invading privacy. You entrust employees with company funds or materials that can be stolen, or negotiating and purchasing power that can be abused. Keeping an eye on existing employees is just being prudent.

Too many small business owners think of their company as an extension of their family. They don't want to think ill of the people they give jobs to. Truth is, most employees are trustworthy. They just want to do a good job and get paid fairly - but they see you as the boss, not their daddy. Even in real families, the black sheep will have absolutely no conscience about turning your good will to their good fortune. Don't be so kindly that you end up getting taken for everything you own.

Background Check Each Company or Individual You Do Business With

You should investigate every supplier or contractor who serves your business. If the possibility of harm exists, then you need to know if someone you're in business with is likely to harm you. You can check credit, check backgrounds of the owners and managers, check the company itself for any past criminal or questionable activity.

Also check customers if your dealings with them permit. Most non-retail businesses will have the opportunity to look at their customer's backgrounds for any warning signs. Don't get left without payment for your products or services when a quick look up on the computer can resolve questions.

Check both suppliers and customers out. It's just good business.

Real Estate Business Transactions Are Often Easy Targets for Crime

Real Estate often involves significant investment, both initially and over time. Whether you're a landlord or a tenant, you need to check out those with whom you're doing business. Using a background check service, you can:

- Check Credit and determine if Social Security Numbers provided are valid
- Check Tenants for past problems or criminal activity
- Check Landlords for tenant actions against them or other legal problems

Charity and Other Community Support

Businesses frequently get called on to support their community. Charitable organizations often solicit donations, many times in sizable amounts. Before you give money freely to anyone, be sure they're legitimate by running a background check on their organization and the principals involved. Otherwise the help you think you're providing could turn around and hurt your business.

Final Word

Running a small business is more of a challenge today than ever before. Use online database search services to help you protect your business and keep you, your customers and your employees more secure.

Tuesday 3 February 2009

Reverse Phone Search: How You Can Find Out Who's Hiding Behind Any Phone Number

Reverse Phone Search: How You Can Find Out Who's Hiding Behind Any Phone Number

Got a phone number but don't know who it is? Maybe you've seen strange numbers showing up on your teenager's cell phone bill. Or maybe you picked up a number to call about an investment - but you suspect a scam. Or maybe you found a mysterious number in your wife or husband's things. For dozens of reasons, we find ourselves with a telephone number - but no name.

You're itching to find out who it is. Not just for curiosity's sake. The safety of your family or the security of your bank account could be at stake. You need a way to discover just whose phone number you have.

There's good news. You've got options. I'm a professional writer and researcher. I've discovered four different ways you can find out who's hiding behind any phone number. You can:

- Call, pretending to be someone else
- Look it up in a published crisscross directory
- Befriend (or trick) someone at the phone company
- Go online and search

Let's see what's involved with each approach and discover when they work best...

Call the Number

It's the simplest thing you can do. Pick up the phone and call. But pretend to be someone else to avoid recognition. When they answer, ask for a person with an unusual name not likely to be there. Say something like "Hello, is Lilly Becky there? No? Are you absolutely sure? Well, who am I talking to then?" Be a little forceful. Even sound angry, as if you think they're lying to you. This approach can rattle the other person and make them reveal their identity.

Avoid this one if you're not comfortable acting. And make sure you don't call from a number that can be traced back to you!

Look in a Crisscross Directory

Crisscross Directories have been around since the late 1800s. They're like phone directories. But they organize their listings by phone number, or street address, instead of name. These directories are still available in print form even though most of the information is also now available by computer.

Such cross-references are primarily designed for business use. Usually, sales departments rely on them to conduct direct marketing, build lists of sales leads and gather business intelligence.

The drawback is that they're expensive - costing in the hundreds of dollars or more. Still, you can usually find copies in your library, especially for the local area you live in. If you're looking beyond your own town, you probably won't be able to use the free version in the library.

Get an Inside Connection

Having a buddy on the inside of the phone company was classic approach for TV detectives. If you recall the Rockford Files or Mannix or any other old private eye show, they were forever pulling over to a pay phone and calling their friend, Ginger or Susie or Maggie, at the telephone company. The friend would dutifully give them whatever information the PI needed to pursue the case.

Interestingly, this method actually works - even if it's a little on the shady side. If you know someone at the phone company, you can probably talk them into helping.

Unfortunately, they probably won't help you once a week like on the TV shows. At some point your friend's better judgment will take over. You'll be left with nothing but numbers again. (Makes you wonder, doesn't it, just what the detective had that you don't)

21st Century Answers - The Internet Search Solution

When it comes to finding out who's hiding behind a phone number, the best way I've found is online search. Yet, search takes time. And not finding what you want quickly gets very frustrating.

To help, a number of businesses exist to make reverse phone searching quicker and easier. These businesses have already found the best sources for reverse phone searching. They take you directly to the databases that have the information you need. You can find out names, addresses, and much more, starting with just a phone number.

Some of these Reverse Phone Lookup services are free. The better ones cost a little. Quality always does, in my experience.

If, in your case, it's not that important to get accurate information fast, then give the free services a shot. They're mostly supported by pay for performance advertising, like Adsense, which doesn't earn them much. That means the free services rarely have the money to invest either in buying data access or in creating more usable interfaces.

In my case, as a professional, getting quality information quickly is important. I pay the small fee and get reliable information.

But, even if I didn't write for a living and were just casually looking up phone numbers from time to time, I'd still go with a paid database service. The cost is minimal. Often a small, one-time fee covers one to three years or even longer. If I only looked up a number once or twice a year, it would still be worth it in time saved.

Final Word

As important as it can be, finding out personal information with just a phone number used to be nearly impossible. Today it can be quick and easy. I've found four approaches that work, but one proved the simplest and most effective. It's using a quality, reverse-phone-search service online.

In a future article I'll talk about some of the reasons reverse phone search can be so important in these times. You might be surprised to hear how it not only can satisfy curiosity, it could even save your life.