Background Check Website

Let me start out by saying that I don't have a problem with people doing background checks, and that I accept full responsibility for past indiscretions. I've done my time, paid my debt and most importantly learned from my mistake and will never make the same one again.

My girlfriend just told me that at the beginning of our relationship she did a background check on me. I actually told her to, and think that most people (especially women) should do a background check on someone. I told her exactly what she would find. A DUI. It was casually brought up, and she thought she had already mentioned it. She had, but when I looked at the website she used I was immediately angry (kinda thought she just Googled). Not at her, just the site.

The website she used is what upsets me. You pay $1 for a basic background check. Fine. Again, I would encourage people to actually do a background check.

What chapped my ass was the fee to have my name removed.

Pay the site $70 and my name and record would be removed. Ridiculous. This is preying on the stupid and desperate. How many other sites do the same thing and charge the same price? This is the weirdest form of extortion I've ever seen.

Take me and my situation out of the equation. Plug in a desperate person trying to find a job. They stumble across one of these sites, are unaware that paying the fine won't remove them from other background checks and they get swindled. Repeat that a few times. Someone could be out hundreds of dollars trying to remove a tiny mistake from 10 years ago.

Businesses shouldn't profit from public record. They should also not be allowed to swindle people.

originally posted by: Domo1

What chapped my ass was the fee to have my name removed.

Pay the site $70 and my name and record would be removed. Ridiculous. This is preying on the stupid and desperate. How many other sites do the same thing and charge the same price? This is the weirdest form of extortion I've ever seen.

Take me and my situation out of the equation. Plug in a desperate person trying to find a job. They stumble across one of these sites, are unaware that paying the fine won't remove them from other background checks and they get swindled. Repeat that a few times. Someone could be out hundreds of dollars trying to remove a tiny mistake from 10 years ago.

Businesses shouldn't profit from public record. They should also not be allowed to swindle people.

Exactly. I have seen mugshots of people on google and then you go to the site and it says that they may or may not have been convicted or found guilty of the crime. They then want 100$ to remove the person, with proof. Proof requires paying the county clerk for the record (which they should know anyway if it is public domain). They then own several sites that do the exact same thing and charge more or less the same price. Mugshots.com is 399$ per arrest.

Sorry the caps are their own... annoying I know...

DISCLAIMER NOTICE: ALL ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW. PUBLISHED MUGSHOTS AND/OR ARREST RECORDS ARE PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED PUBLIC RECORDS OF: AN ARREST, A REGISTRATION, THE DEPRIVATION OF LIBERTY OR A DETENTION. THE MUGSHOTS AND/OR ARREST RECORDS PUBLISHED ON MUGSHOTS.COM ARE IN NO WAY AN INDICATION OF GUILT AND THEY ARE NOT EVIDENCE THAT AN ACTUAL CRIME HAS BEEN COMMITTED. EVERY EFFORT IS MADE TO ENSURE THE ACCURACY OF INFORMATION POSTED ON THIS WEBSITE. HOWEVER, MUGSHOTS.COM DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OR TIMELINESS OF THE CONTENT OF THIS WEBSITE. IN ADDITION NAMES MAY BE SIMILAR OR IDENTICAL TO OTHER INDIVIDUALS. FOR LATEST CASE STATUS, CONTACT THE OFFICIAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY WHICH ORIGINALLY RELEASED THE INFORMATION.

UNPUBLISHING NOTICE: IF YOU WERE FOUND GUILTY; YOU STILL MAY QUALIFY TO BE UNPUBLISHED.

Employers see this when they google applicants and they do not presume innocence.

guys, you just have to file with the state AGENCY RESPONSIBLE for the source of the private sites arrest records. Once the state gets your paperwork and money the county for which the offenses are publicly recorded will remove it from public view. If the county takes it out of public record, none of the private websites can legally post your information online anymore.

As the previous poster said, many of the same people, companies own different websites all doing the same thing. I suspect the real reason being to extort money from as many clients at the same time as possible.

Rather than waste all your dough chasing the ghosts of these parasites and their endless websites, just eliminate it from the source.

a reply to: DYepes

I don't understand what you are saying? For warrants maybe? The mugshots are for anyone that has ever been arrested for any reason... guilty or innocent, fines paid or unpaid does not matter. The counties are not involved beyond providing original records when asked for them.

the mugshots on those sites are often direct mirrors of the agencies in those counties, or scans of various court filings from that counties clerk of the courts, the sheriffs department as an example. If you file paperwork with the state department of law enforcement, most benign or not convicted arrest records/charges can be removed from public record aka "sealed" . Once this happens your information is no longer public record, and it would not be legal for any private businesses to be posting this information as public record.

As many of the sites are merely direct mirrors of the arresting agencies' actual public postings, they tend to just disappear on their own once you have finished with the state requirements.

long story short, if you want your arrest record to be sealed from public eyes and deprive private parasites from gaining from your misery, contact your state law enforcement agency to see if your charges fall within the criteria for being sealed. this will obviously be difficult if you are/were a career criminal and not all charges can be sealed. But most harmless ones can.

if it is not public record, it becomes illegal for a private company to post it without your permission. The key here is sealing your record with the state, that would put the brakes on all the privately owned websites (many with same owners) from mirroring your record as that's usually what they do within a frame directly from the agency which has made the record public.

a reply to: Domo1

The company I work for (nothing top secret or governmental) does SIX background checks BEFORE you are even interviewed . I have seen time and time again someone not hired due to a felony charge on their record from 10 years ago or more. They have been in no trouble since then but, because of that ONE felony charge they are not interviewed. Now, the cases I am speaking of involved a quantity of drugs.
If there is a misdemeanor charge, generally you will be interviewed and depending on the nature of the offense or better yet, the mood of the interviewer on that particular day, you may get hired.
I think that it's a shame that people can't be forgiven and second chances granted if deserving...

Ewww I don't think I could be friends with a girl let alone romantically involved with one who felt she needed to background check everyone she met.

Just seems to encourage people to have poor judgement and not make the call themselves.

a reply to: Domo1

Congratulations, you've been "monetized" by the internet. I am sure there was a meeting somewhere and they used that exact term.

a reply to: TNMockingbird

I had a business, and interviewed a very attractive young lady for a manager position, and she was very impressive and presentable. I was about to hire her, but I had a nagging urge to do a background check (I usually don't). Turns out she had a long history of drug abuse, dealing drugs, identity theft, all kinds of felonies. Unbelievable. To look at her and talk to her you would NEVER suspect. She may have been trying to clean up her act, but why tempt her with MY till full of cash, ya know?

a reply to: Domo1

That is quite a scam they have going on.

As I was reading your thread the thought came to me that...let's say I check up on someone...and get their background information; now that website knows my name and some information that they may be able to gather on me and add me to their list...and so it goes.

a reply to: corvuscorrax

This was before we met in person. We met on eHarmony.

a reply to: ScientiaFortisDefendit

Yes I understand where you are coming form...

I just wonder if sometimes, if enough time has passed, maybe they really have cleaned up?

I do relate to you not wanting to be the one to "test" that though!