Intelius
About Intelius
Intelius is an online people search tool that provides background checks and access to public records. Intelius provides information about individuals, and their connections to others, by searching through public records from government and other public sources to create a detailed background report that compiles information for you. With a monthly subscription, users can access unlimited records and instant search results.
Overall Satisfaction Rating
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Pros
- Mobile app for Apple and Android
- Unlimited reports
- Can pay monthly or per search
Cons
- Cannot buy one-time service
- Auto-bills after 30 days
Bottom Line
Intelius is a search service that provides information about people by compiling information found in public databases. It can be used for personal-use background checks.
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I purchased Intelius to find property owners for buyers that were interested in purchasing their properties. Intelius was by far the best source of information relating to the pro...
Read full reviewIntelius was easy to use, and searched an incredible number of records in a very short period of time. Accurate, very reliable, and my search found the person I was looking for ju...
Read full reviewWhat is Intelius?
Intelius is a search engine for personal data. The company uses public data to provide customers with a wide variety of information. This includes criminal records and other information for background checks.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) doesn’t classify the company as a consumer reporting agency, which means you can’t use it for tenant or employment screening.
How does Intelius work?
Intelius pulls data from a variety of public sources, including:
- Commercial business records
- Court records
- FBI and local crime records
- Federal, state and county records
- Phone directories
- Real estate deeds
Intelius doesn’t provide any information you can’t find on your own by searching public records, but the company saves its customers time and effort by pulling all the public data together in one interface.
The information Intelius provides typically isn’t readily available on Google; you’d have to comb records and often pay fees for access. With Intelius, you pay a single fee for the information you request.
Intelius subscriptions and features
Intelius offers a variety of search options based on your needs. Some of the features the company offers include:
- Background checks
- Criminal records
- People directory
- People search
- Phone directory
- Public records
- Reverse address lookup
- Reverse phone lookup
Though Intelius used to offer tiered pricing, it now only offers one plan that lets you access unlimited reports and instant search results. This plan is either a monthly or bimonthly membership. You receive a discounted rate If you opt for the bimonthly membership, which gives you two months of access.
How much does Intelius cost?
Intelius memberships cost $24.86 per month, with a discounted rate of $42.25 for two months. However, the company has occasional online offers for additional discounts or opportunities to pay for a five-day trial period.
You can pay for your Intelius account by using a credit card, debit card or PayPal. Keep in mind that your account will automatically renew every 30 days unless you cancel it. To cancel, contact customer service or do it online.
Intelius FAQ
Is Intelius free?
Is Intelius safe?
Is Intelius accurate?
Where does Intelius get its information?
Is Intelius legit?
Intelius is a legitimate business that offers several search options, and it saves customers the time and effort that would otherwise be spent digging through public records. Intelius offers a mobile app for both Apple and Android devices. Though you cannot use Intelius for just one search, it offers affordable subscription plans on a monthly basis, with five-day trial periods available during certain promotions.
Intelius can be used for background checks, but it’s important to know that you can’t use it for screening potential tenants or employees.
Intelius Reviews
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You buy a single search and they charge you for a pricey subscription service you didn’t ask for - very questionable and tricky billing practice. Efforts to get a refund went nowhere. Any time I have used the reverse phone service there has been no useful information. Avoid this company.
We appreciate your feedback regarding our membership plans and/or billing policies. In order to complete the enrollment process, each user is required to check a box to agree to Intelius’s billing terms. We’re sorry you didn’t find the information you were looking for. We’re always working with our data providers to ensure that the information in our reports is as up-to-date and complete as possible, but sometimes the data just isn’t available to us. A senior member of our member care team will contact you privately to help resolve this issue as soon as possible.
Sincerely,Intelius Support
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The resolution was quick and easy.
I went to the site for a day, some friends and I were messing around searching each other and our parents up. At the time they had an off $.95 for 5 days, if you don’t cancel, it’s $35. My friends and I forgot about it until I was charged. iIasked for a refund and explained what happened and they declined it. They didn’t even send a reminder or anything about the trial period ending.
We appreciate your feedback regarding our membership plans and/or billing policies. In order to complete the enrollment process, each user agrees to Intelius' billing terms. We try to make these terms as clear as possible on our register page. A senior member of our member care team will contact you privately to help resolve this issue as soon as possible.
Sincerely,Intelius Support
I wanted a background report on an individual and made the mistake of choosing Intelius for this report. The information was so outdated as to be useless. There was nothing in the report to show Intelius checks current records when preparing their reports. Something as simple as hunting license information was 10+ years out of date. A total waste of $28.
We’re sorry you didn’t find the information you were looking for. We’re always working with our data providers to ensure that the information in our reports is as up-to-date and complete as possible, but sometimes the data just isn’t available to us. A senior member of our member care team will contact you privately to help resolve this issue as soon as possible.
Sincerely,Intelius Support
I requested a ONE TIME look-up of 'unknown' phone number; via 'fine print' and deceptive marketing tactics, they roped me (and I'm sure MANY others) into a $35 'persisting membership fee' that was NOT requested, desired or specified in any obvious detail. This kind of manipulative/deceptive business practice is not only antisocial, unethical and pathetic--it's shocking that it isn't illegal.
We appreciate your feedback regarding our membership plans and/or billing policies. In order to complete the enrollment process, each user is required to check a box to agree to Intelius’s billing terms. A senior member of our member care team will contact you privately to help resolve this issue as soon as possible.
Sincerely,Intelius Support
I just used this website for a 1$ service. And they took an extra $38 from my bank account. I would like to get my money back immediately. And delete all my information for your system. By the way, their service sucks even for 1$.
We’re sorry that you were unhappy with our billing system. Intelius provides all of the billing details to its users before they sign up for our services, and these terms can also be reviewed at any time in our Terms of Use. If you have any questions regarding our billing system, please contact the Customer Support team at (888) 245-1655.
Sincerely,Intelius Support
A representative from the company reached out to me and resolved my issue. Thank you.
Last June I was trying to find someone so I ran his name through Intelius (we'll call him John Doe). I found him another way before I actually ordered the report, so I never did order a report. For the past ten months, all day, every day, I have pop-up ads on my computer screen telling me that I won't believe what's in John Doe's report, I need to see what John Doe has been up to, etc. Apparently it does not occur to Intelius that if I haven't ordered a report in ten months I'm probably not going to.
I have repeatedly emailed Intelius asking them to stop sending me these pop ups. They are spam, and quite likely illegal under federal computer abuse laws. Nevertheless, the pop up ads continue. They take up space on my computer screen, are annoying, and won't go away. Lawsuit is being filed since apparently it is the only way to get Intelius to stop spamming my computer screen with pop ups.
Thank you for reaching out. We are sorry to hear that you were frustrated with our site, but we want to let you know that we’re committed to making things right. A senior member of our member care team will contact you privately to help resolve this issue as soon as possible.
Sincerely,Intelius Support
I paid $3.99 for a one time look up and it actually totaled about $7. Then 5 days later they charged almost $32 that I NEVER agreed to and refused to reimburse me. I only looked up ONE number. That I overpaid for in the first place. On top of that the information that they gave was YEARS OLD and outdated. It was useless actually. Buyer Beware. Save your money. Don't fall for their deceptive practices.
We appreciate your feedback regarding our billing system. Please be aware that all of our trials and memberships are subscription-based and automatically renew until canceled. When a user activates their account, they must provide an electronic signature authorizing Intelius to charge their card as described, including for the automatic renewal of their membership.
Additionally, we’re sorry you didn’t find the information you were looking for. We’re always working with our data providers to ensure that the information in our reports is as up-to-date and complete as possible, but sometimes the data just isn’t available to us.
A manager from our member care department will contact you privately to help resolve this issue as soon as possible.
Sincerely,Intelius Support
Thanks for cancelling the fee per month. I may restore it in the later on. Your help gal when I called was very good at communicating the options and pleasant to work with. Thank you for having such a gal answering your clients calls. Also, for your services you provide. I will recommend you to anyone.
Lisa is an excellent customer service agent whose first language is American English, who solved my problem immediately, and signed me up for the program that is a perfect fit. Please give her a raise.
I am 77 years old. Adam had patience for an old man. He treated me with dignity. He was very knowledgeable and answered all of my questions. I was very slow and it did not bother him!!! He is a keeper.
Intelius Company Information
- Social media:
- Company Name:
- Intelius
- Year Founded:
- 2003
- Address:
- 500 108th Ave NE, 16th Floor
- City:
- Bellevue
- State/Province:
- WA
- Postal Code:
- 98004
- Country:
- United States
- Website:
- www.intelius.com