Criminal Report FAQ

If you can't find the answer to your question about our criminal background check reports, please email us your question using the contact form

Who does your data come from?

backgroundchecks.com has the #1 criminal conviction records database in the industry, based on a comparison of the number of sources of conviction data for online criminal conviction databases that make their source list publicly available. Our sources include hundreds of direct sources such as county courts, state administrative office of the courts, state department of corrections and many more. We also use third party data providers which allows us access to billions of records, thus improving the quality and volume of your results.

Is anyone notified of my search?

No one is notified that you have ordered a report on yourself.

How current is the data I am searching?

We collect publicly available information from hundreds of data sources which include county courts, state administrative Office of the courts, state departments of corrections and many more. We have limited control in their update frequency as it is set by and varies by each data source. However, data strength is one of many aspects that sets us apart from our competitors and we go to great lengths to acquire and maintain our data. We are continually evaluating our processes to ensure timely and quality results.

What are public records and publicly available information?

Public records is information that has been filed or recorded by local, state, federal, or other government agencies, such as corporate and property records. Public records include vital records, immigration records, real estate records, driving records, criminal records, voter registration, etc. Most essential public records are maintained by the government and many are accessible to the public. Availability is determined by federal, state, and local regulations.

Do you have information on juveniles in your criminal record database?

Juvenile records are not part of our coverage. Information on most juvenile offenses is not released and most courts and states do not provide information on people under 17.

Do your criminal reports include credit history?

No, we do not provide results on an individual's credit in our criminal reports. Credit history is not publicly available and is considered private information. For interested customers we can purchase credit reports from a credit bureau.

Do your reports provide Date of Birth and Social Security Number information?

No, social security number information is not usually publicly available. However, date of birth information is commonly found in public records. Many of our criminal record data sources include date of birth in the information they provide.

Do you provide financial records, such as bank account information?

No, bank account information is considered private and is not publicly available. However, we do provide reports that may include bankruptcy information which is publicly available and may be viewed as a financial record. For interested customers we can purchase credit reports from a credit bureau.

I didn’t get the records I was expecting to find on myself.

There are several reasons why 0 records might be found.

• You entered incorrect information like a misspelled first or last name and/or the incorrect date of birth.
• You entered a hyphenated name, middle initial in the first name box, a suffix such as JR, SR II, III, IV at the end of the last name or a special character in the first or last name box.
• The search was conducted by name and date of birth; but available public records do not associate this name and/or date of birth with the record.
• The subject searched is a minor and we do not search juvenile records.
• You entered a hyphenated name. Our database does not provide results for hyphenated names, therefore, you must enter the last name with a space rather than a hyphen (-) or you may use the last part of the hyphenated name for the best results. Do not add any generations such as Jr. Sr. II or III.
• You entered two first names. We are referring to names like Bobbie Sue, Amy Lynn and Billie Joe - please do not use them. Use only the first part of the two-part name as any extension of the name will be reported. Example, if you are searching Amy Lynn - Just use Amy and if there is a match with Amy Lynn it will come back.
• You entered a nickname. Court records use the subject's full legal name, not nicknames.
• You entered a middle name as a first name. Court records use the subject's first name, not a middle name that the subject goes by.

The information reported in your reports is wrong. Can I update it?

Yes, please visit our disputes page for this answer.