• Price
  • Accuracy
  • Support
  • Interface/Features

Summary

Intelius is a resource that allows you to search for information about an individual privately and securely. With a high accuracy rating, you can trust that the results are as thorough as it gets.

4.5
User Rating 2.53 (66 votes)
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Intelius.com: Overview

Intelius is a people search website that enables users to run background checks on any person, returning detailed background reports with personal information, phone numbers, address history, criminal records, and more. The company aggregates data from dozens of public sources, including federal, state, and local government agencies as well as private companies. 

Founded in 2003, Intelius is one of the longest-running internet background check companies in the business, and it offers one of the most reliable services in the data brokerage industry. Their reports are generally more accurate than those of competing sites, while Intelius’s subscription prices are lower than those of major competitors Instant Checkmate and BeenVerified.

Although it’s illegal to use Intelius for the purposes of tenant screening and employment screening according to the FCRA (they are not a licensed consumer reporting agency), the service is a great tool for tracking down long-lost relatives, learning more about new neighbors, and vetting people you’ve met on social media or online dating apps.

Is Intelius free to use?

Intelius allows users to perform one free people search that will return basic information about an individual, including a full name, location history, list of family members, and education history, but uncovering any further information requires the purchase of a one-time report or a full membership. 

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How does Intelius work?

Intelius collects data from a wealth of public sources, gathering it in a vast informational database. Users can search this database to retrieve detailed reports on any person in the United States. 

While all of the information found using Intelius is public record and available from other sources, tracking it all down individually could take months or even years, and you definitely won’t be able to find this stuff using Google or another search engine. The data is held by public records repositories and commercial businesses that are characterized by slow response times to records requests and often ask for lofty service fees. With Intelius, you can skip the headache and get the information that you need using a single service. 

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Where does Intelius get its information?

Upon scanning one of their comprehensive background reports, it may appear as if Intelius has special access to confidential information, yet all of their data comes from public sources, including:

  • Federal, state, and county public records
  • FBI and local crime data
  • Published phone directories
  • Social networks
  • Commercial business records
  • Financial institutions 
  • Court records
  • Lawsuit filings
  • Real estate deeds
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Is Intelius legit?

Intelius is a legitimate, accredited business with an A rating from the Better Business Bureau, and not a scam. While the company has experienced legal troubles in the past, they now include a disclaimer warning against uses of their service that are illegal according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a federal law regulating the use of consumer credit information.  

While there are some red flags: some of Intelius’ advertising is a bit sensationalized, and clear pricing information is difficult to come by on the website, these flaws are characteristics shared by all internet background check services, rather than specific issues with Intelius. 

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Key Features

People Search

People search is Intelius’ claim to fame, and their most frequently used service: a powerful search tool used for gathering detailed information on any person in the United States. 

How it works

Just type in a person’s name, along with their approximate location, and Intelius searches literally billions of records to deliver a detailed report on the individual.

What info does it return?

An Intelius people search report may include the following information:

  • Full name
  • Known aliases
  • Age and date of birth
  • Address history
  • Phone numbers 
  • Education history
  • Employment history
  • Possible relatives (along with contact information)
  • Social media accounts
  • Financial information

Background Check

A more in-depth look into a person’s history that goes beyond the standard people search.

How it works

Similar to the people search but much more detailed, an Intelius background check combs the database of public records to return an in-depth, full background check containing a person’s legal and personal history. 

What info does it return?

An Intelius background check will return all of the information that you’ll find with a standard people search, along with a closer examination of the person’s legal history and criminal record, including:

  • Arrest records
  • Warrants
  • Misdemeanor and felony convictions
  • Marriage and divorce history
  • Liens and bankruptcies 
  • Birth record
  • Death record
  • Court records
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Additional features

A number of additional tools complement Intelius’ primary background search functions. Here are a few:

  • Public records search – Search for public records in a person’s name
  • Reverse address lookup – Learn detailed information about a property, including physical details and ownership history
  • Reverse phone lookup – Search an unrecognized phone number for details about the caller
  • Identity protect – Identity theft protection, credit card protection, and public records monitoring ($19.95 monthly)
  • Phone directory – Search a directory of United States phone numbers 
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Intelius Pricing

As with other background-check companies, you won’t find a convenient “pricing” tab anywhere on Intelius’ website. Instead, you’ll have to commit to a search first, and then  wait ten minutes as the service combs through its database and asks a slew of questions aimed at limiting results. When the report is finally ready, you’ll be presented with subscription options. 

When we ran a people search, these are the monthly subscription options Intelius gave us:

  • 1 month of unlimited reports – $22.86
  • 2 months of unlimited reports – $38.86 ($19.43 a month)
  • Premier Plus Membership – $29.95 ($14.95 for the first month)

Compared to competitors like BeenVerified and Instant Checkmate, Intelius’ service offers relatively low prices, just beware of their “Full Access Trial Membership” offer for $1.99. Many negative customer reviews state, after agreeing to the trial period, their subscription was auto-renewed for full price without their knowledge. However, in most cases, Intelius gave them a full refund after they lodged a complaint. 

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Customer Support

Intelius operates a customer support phone line that’s open from Monday – Friday, 7 am – 5 pm PST, as well as a dedicated customer support email address where customers can send their questions and concerns. 

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Delivers the most accurate, up-to-date background reports in the industry
  • The website features an attractive layout
  • A subscription is more affordable than those of many competitors
  • Offers a mobile app for Android and iOS with most of the same features as the website

Cons

  • Difficult to find pricing information
  • Deceptive trial offer
  • Many services advertised as unique seem to perform a similar function

Bottom Line

Although Intelius searches won’t return 100% accurate information (no background check services do), they are among the best in the industry, producing compelling, comprehensive reports on anyone whose name you type into the search prompt. The company’s high-quality service–together with its fair prices and BBB accreditation–make it the top choice for those in the market for a background check service. 

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