Be an Online Detective

Millions of American households have at least one computer with an internet connection. In today's day and age, cyberspace is connecting people across the globe. There are internet dating sites, chat rooms for the young and old, and forums on every topic and interest. I have found myself chatting with several different people. I have a friend in California, one in Minnesota, Australia, Germany, and the list goes on. One thing all of these people have in common- I have never met any of them. Many of my friends are in the same boat. We spend endless hours connecting with people we don't really know anything about. The funny thing is, how much do you know about the people you have come in contact with everyday?

I am usually the first phone call one of my girlfriends make once they have met someone knew. The most common question is- Can you see what you can find out on so-and-so? Personal privacy is a touchy subject. Aside from what someone tells you, what do you really know about a person? Armed with a computer, you can know just about anything you want. Does the guy you are seeing have a criminal record? Is he married, does he have children that you know nothing about? What about the late night calls he receives that you notice are the same number every night? Call it insecurity, or old-fashioned nosiness, but I have to know it all!

One of my favorite websites to look a person up on is Veromni. You can type in a name, city and state, and know everywhere someone has lived. That is all you need to get your investigation underway. The first step is to figure out exactly what it is that you want to know. Most major cities have public records listed and searchable online. Here you can look up criminal charges, personal property, birth certificates, marriage licenses and much more for free. I have never paid for a search in my life. Normally, where there is a will there is a way. While searching in some of the smaller cities, you may run into a roadblock or two. As long as you have an internet connection, keyboard, and determination, you can find exactly what you are looking for on anyone. Here are some basic terms to look for while researching someone. Google is a great search engine for this.

Real Estate Assessor- this term paired with the city and state you are looking in will usually return a public records website where you can look up personal property, real estate, etc. Once in that localities website you may be able to type in their name or address and receive a wealth of information. You can also try Real Estate Look Up with the city and state in google.

Inmate Search or Inmate Look Up- this term paired with the county and state, or city and state to perform a local search. If you are checking for a Federal record- try www.BOP.gov for the Bureau of Prisons. If you wish to search state records, try to look up the department of corrections for your state. Most have an inmate locator feature as well.

Register of Deeds- this term paired with the county and state or city and state will usually turn up marriage licenses, birth certificates, and death records. Some cities may list it as Registrar of Deeds instead. I'm sure you can find it using one of those two terms.

There are many websites that can aid you in your search. Watch out for websites that redirect you to Intelius.com. This is a site you have to pay to get the information that you want. I personally prefer www.freeprf.com. This site will direct you to exactly what you are looking for- and for free. Good luck on your investigation!