Instant Checkmate Reviews

After signing up for Instant Checkmates services for a full 6 months, I realized immediately that I have been scammed! I typed in eight people in my family and myself, and I am disappointed to report nothing and I mean nothing came up other than addresses, a few related people, and in several cases that was not even correct or the information was outdated! Divorces, marriages, births, phone numbers and apparently arrest records are all for an extra 19.99 per person. So what am I paying for... nothing! Save your money! I really don't even want to give it one star.

I signed up for 6 month service. This was so useless. Any information that I got was old. You can get more information from internet Google search FREE. I even did a Premium for $19.95 (for only 1 person) more for info I should have been able to get that was nothing. Called to cancel. They would only return half of my 6 mo. fee, none of premium. That was after I was furious at their service they provide. Anyway, they are a complete scam! Do Not Waste Your Time or Money With INSTANT CHECKMATE!!! Scammers!!!

I responded to their ad on aol and thought it looked like a legitimate service. I was doing some background checks over the web in public records and it became tiresome so I lazily signed up for this service, one site for all. Well when I paid for a month, did the name I was checking, it came back with address's which I already knew and his zodiac sign. To get anything of substance you had to pay another 20 bucks right then I knew it was a scam. One field they had I was interested in was licenses, it came up with none when I know he had several but this site only gives you faa and dea. I called immediately to cancel and told them it was a farce. Well after checking with them I got a 50% refund. It's a crooked site and I think all the positive remarks on yelp for this company is done by instant checkmates agents or employees. Pay attention to the negative comments on yelp. They all complain about the same thing crooked company.

I inadvertently got directed their website, so I decided to to see what information was available about myself for free. It turns out ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! So I decided to pay the monthly charge of $22.95 and you receive a basic report that tells you who you are, where you live, your address, date of birth, astrological sign etc. All simple and basic information that anyone can obtain for free. So I thought I would upgrade to the premium report for an extra charge of $19.95... this is just as weak and bad... They don't provide you with any information that one couldn't easily obtained for free. Plus it claims it will provide traffic ticket info and criminal history... it DOES NOT! Plus if you want to print out any of this worthless information there is another charge of $1.99.

As others have said, wrong info, no actual useful or new info on the person I looked at. I paid for what was supposed to be a one time report, and ended up being charged this amount every month, which I did not sign up for. Never use this company!

Against my better judgement, I tried this service and as I suspected it was a complete waste of time and money. Scam. No information you couldn't obtain from a Google search.

I paid their one time monthly fee of 22 dollars, and found all the little information they give you to be very generic and useless, and all I already found on my own. So I thought I'd buy a premium report for 19.99, STILL NO USEFUL INFORMATION!!! They gave very little info, so disappointed that I wasted over 40 dollars on this crappy site. DO NOT USE, ALL THEY DO IS RIP YOU OFF AND THEY PROVIDE VERY LITTLE INFORMATION!!

I was told by a INSTANT CHECKMATE REP that I COULD obtain Police Reports if I signed up and paid the fee. That was inaccurate. It ended up that I paid 50 plus dollars for information that I already had and NO POLICE REPORT as promised. I do not recommend this site to ANYONE.

Instant Checkmate gave me the information I needed to not only verify the identity of online contacts, but to insure they were not criminals! It gives me peace of mind about the individuals I am in contact with! Thank you for the service you provide!

This site is a complete rip off. You can get the same information found on it at Peoplefinders, they just export your search for the "basic product" from Peoplefinders. It has warnings saying you may be shocked! How stupid, and how stupid I was to give the ** 22 dollars for what I could find out for free....

I signed up for the $1 for 5 days. I was looking for additional information on friends I have lost contact with. The initial report didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, from free searches. It ask if you want to know twice as much, I clicked below that. They did state that they had to pay for the extra service or searches. They stated I would be charged a small fee. I was thinking a couple dollars. The next search I went through same process. The 2nd time the screens were different. I noticed the $19.99 (small fee). I checked my online banking account, it was there. The hidden records were completely worthless. Contained an old phone number that belongs to someone else and 2 worthless email accounts that no longer get checked. That I already had.

I was interested in reviewing my background information. I knew going in that it was probably too good to be true. My birthday was just wrong. Not a little wrong. Wrong month, wrong year, wrong age. Where are those public records supposedly pulling from? Don't do it. It's not worth it.

Very frustrating experience. After going thru all their steps I was informed of their pricing tiers. Wasted my time as I didn't see a price tier that applied to me. Seems unfair. They should post their pricing tiers at the start of the process, not when your report is dangling in front of you, just out of sight, waiting for your price selection. There should also be a price for just one report, which is what I wanted, not lots of reports. May or may not come back to this site for what I want. May check another site first.

Well, it seems they tried to checkmate me this morning. I paid for a one dollar trial. It explicitly states, "All the searches you want", for the trial period. Well, I viewed relatives. So I clicked on one - which was to the right of the webpage. An "attractive color banner" drew my attention. Well upon clicking back to my right on my browser, I noticed "now appearing" in faded grey letters, fine print of $19.95. You mean to tell me every time I click on a relative banner I would have been charged this fee!? I immediately closed the website off my browser. In summary, the NAVIGATION of their website is very misleading. I called explaining I had been there for a minute. They would not refund my $19.95. I explained just what I wrote here and asked for a supervisor and was granted the refund. Only to back in my account in 5 business days. In closing, the initial report I was seeking was for myself. There was nothing there and they had all the wrong information about ME. What they did have was my RELATIVES! Oh now I get it! The odds are, most people WILL CLICK on their relatives. Then be charged $19.95! I feel sorry for you if you have a big family. Glad I am a chess expert. Nobody is check-mating me! Thank you!

Checkmate advertises that for $22.86 you will have unlimited access to criminal records for a month. Once you sign up, it then implies that to get anything beyond minor traffic violations you must pay an additional $19.99, which I did, only to find out that no additional information was provided on anyone about any arrests. When I called to inquire they finally admitted that they provide no information beyond basic information which is public. They advertise as finding out "Shocking and graphic information that may be disturbing", what a crock, this is a total scam, don't waste your money!!!

I signed up for Instant Checkmate and everyone I checked either didn't have ANY information or the information was incorrect. When I asked for a refund I was told NO because the disclaimer said some of the information may not be correct.... But ALL of the information incorrect.

Although I am not satisfied with the way the web site works, I am satisfied with the resolution of my complaint. The gentleman that called me was patient and listened to my concerns regarding the web site, he said he would forward my concerns to the company. Instant Checkmate refunded all monies that were charged to my credit card as a resolution to my complaint.

I am very angry. I originally read an advertisement stating driving records available online. I proceeded to attempt to get a driving record of a specific person but was only given the person's birthdate, which I already knew, and a list of addresses the person has lived. The report also indicated very specifically, all the names and addresses of sex offenders that lived around the person. That was it. This person has been married twice and divorced once, but that information was not available for the report. They have been married for 37 years most recently!!! I will be sure to pass my experience on to others and warn them not to waste their money with this site.

Basically all that this did was confirm information that I already knew or provided. Name, DOB, Last known address. No marriage or divorce records, criminal history...NOTHING. Useless, you can accomplish this pittance of a service for free in the same amount of time that they took.

It allowed me to find my previous addresses, nice to see for nostalgia sake, thus, upgrade from 1 to 1.5 stars. Like many other reviewers, doesn't have wedding information. It also lacks arrest reports. It posts red exclamation marks and gold stars besides possible names, but does not explain what the red marks imply... since it contains no negative information upon deeper inspection. Once inside, it provides disclaimers, suggesting federal records require full names and many state locations do not release certain records (for marriage and divorce). Unfortunately, you can only enter a person's middle initial; so even if you have the full name... you will not get access to federal records via this service.

Instant Checkmate has promised a refund of my money. It will take several days. They found out I was dissatisfied twice - once from my direct report to them and twice when I posted here.

I'm highly disappointed in your service. All you have given me is people’s address and birthday. I could have found that without paying $60.00. All you did was continually ask me to pay more money. One person I searched I know has a criminal past but you don't even have that info. Very disappointing and I will not advise others to use your site.

I Paid $22.86 for the 1 month subscription (unlimited access). I begin my search inquiry on a particular individual and basically get their first, middle, last name, other aliases, and possible relatives. Okay, interesting. I click on the "Arrest Records" tab and type in their name only to get nothing. The page did not specify whether or not the subject had any arrest records??? At the bottom of the page I type in the subjects name again and get directed to a page with a number of possible subjects. I click on the subjects tab "Access Report" located under the "Full Report" column and get directed to a new page that only shows their names and aliases along with birth information, AGAIN.

I joined to get information; ya'll tried to get more money for premium info., I declined and opted for standard program. I've been married three times, arrested at least 10 times and spent 5 years in prison, but this lousy service didn't have any info on me except address, kin, and zodiac sign. That really SUCKS for someone who brags about their background gathering abilities.

I was intrigued by the ad stating complete background checks - price looked rather reasonable for a 1 month trial period. Claimed to provide arrest history, as well as the usual address history, possible relatives, etc. I ran several checks after signing up - thought I was doing something wrong as it kept leaving out pertinent data - I then ran a check on my sister, and it claimed she was deceased. At that point, I clicked on the PDF so I could see the whole report without trying to navigate through the site - it gave the same erroneous information and again left off what I come to find is "premium" data, and it also charged me an additional fee to see the same data in PDF format. I tried to call to cancel my subscription several times, but was unable to reach a representative. Do not waste your money.

I've been wanting to cancel my membership with them for 3 days. I either get the telephone tree or am offered to receive a callback if I leave my number. I never do.....I guess I'll have to report fraud with my bank due to them not answering and me wanting to cancel their services........I guess that's why they have one star....

Consumer Affairs has contacted me and assured me that they would refund my money in full. Further, they accepted my request that my account with them would be cancelled.

Do not use this website. It provides zero extra information and charges you at every turn. It annoys you with its series of download screens. You can feel yourself being ripped off by this rude, ugly, early internet style marketing tactic and today, this is no longer acceptable. Why do companies think they can get away with such charlatan tactics? I mean you see stuff like this in vaudeville routines recreated in old movies, except with the huge difference that these actors had talent and charm and knew how to entertain and how to sell. I'd buy a magic elixir before I'd buy a word of information from these people. A huge insult goes to the ** at CNBC for providing a link and a positive byline to the nonsense described above.

I joined their plan, and all they do is just try to upgrade you. They are not upfront with you at the start. I called them and all they could say is the cell phone number could be on the do not call list. This company should be barred from doing business.

I am thankful they resolved this respectfully.

My previous review submittal was deleted while I was typing? As you can now see I am a senior citizen and not really computer literate. I pushed the premium button on the Checkmate search page without realizing that the small print had an entry for an additional $19.99 charge. After a few more tries I was told by a friend that every time I pushed the premium button asking for additional information there would be an additional charge. The information that they reported on the standard account search was incomplete and some information was erroneous which is the reason why I pushed the premium button. My best advice to seniors or anyone with poor vision is not to subscribe to the Instant Checkmate service. I did cancel as soon as I realized my mistake. I have also been advised that there are more reputable companies available that will provide accurate information for less than half of what Instant Checkmate has to offer.

I paid them for a background check. They only provide information you could find online by using Google. They lure you in by telling you there is graphic information on this person blah blah. Then after you pay, you have to pay again just to see it. Then, on the report - there is nothing other than address, age, where they work and phone number. I called and demanded my money back in full. Everyone should do that! They will ask you if you indeed received the report and try to convince you that you should pay them. Keep demanding your money back and they will pretend to speak with a manager to get their approval. Once they do, they agree to refund the charges in full but they have a 1.99 charge to you that they won't mention. Be sure to look at your bank statement carefully. Don't let them get away with this. It's fraud and they need to be in jail themselves!

Just want to let everyone know that www.instantcheckmate.com is not very reliable. We signed up to use the service and when we tested it with a name that we knew had a very long criminal history, it came up with nothing. Since we could not see the results until after we paid for the service, we had to call and cancel the service. They finally did refund part of the payment but would not the additional we paid to get the premium report which still did not have any information on it other than the name, address and age of the person we entered. This website does NOT do what it says it will do. I will tell everyone I know to NOT use this website. It is a scam and not worth your time or money!!!

I was trying to get history on an old HS friend and tried this service. I had previously been searching the internet and had gotten quite a lot of information already. I signed up for this service thinking they would be able to add additional information that would fill in the blanks which was truly not the case. I had found a ton more information on my own than they provided in their "report". What a waste of money! Just the fact they did not discover this person had died some years back shows the lack of information they are getting. The premium service which cost an additional $19.99 in my opinion provided no more information than the basic service. $1.99 upgrade for a PDF copy? Come on! I just want my money back...

My experience with this company is exactly as others have posted. This company is engaging in bait and switch tactics. It claims that it will provide you with information with your initial payment, but ends up charging you for each step including the issuing of reports in PDF format. None of the information that I knew existed appeared on their reports which consists essentially of nothing more than name and address, zodiac signs and nearby sexual predators. This company is nothing short of a FRAUD, and I support those individuals who mention reporting this to their state attorney's office. This company needs to be investigated pure and simple. I join the list of those who have been blatantly ripped off.

I signed up and paid to get a report on my son. He had forgotten to pay a parking ticket, and I wanted to see if a warrant showed up after we had cleared the situation. It is my belief that this website is bogus because I was given inaccurate information about the very basic detail of his date of birth. I can get more information from a free Google search than from this website. I was very upset that I wasted my money.

I decided the $1 5-day trial was worth my time to see what they provided. The 3 reports I ran contained the same information you can google. At each turn on the website, there is continued harassment to pay more money to do basic features including ability to download the pdf file generated. I missed the fine print of the auto renewal (that I assume is there somewhere). ~6 days later I receive $29.63 charge on my visa. I called customer service and requested a cancellation of the account and full refund. After the technician talked with a supervisor offline, there was a prompt reply to refund 50% of the charges. I declined and replied that I would contest the charge with my credit card company, go online to write numerous reviews of my dissatisfaction, and contact the state Attorney General.... I've been on hold for 30 minutes now while the supervisor is consulted.

From the initial Bulletin, "WARNING. This site contains REAL police records (driving citations, speeding tickets, felonies, misdemeanors, sexual offenses, mugshots, etc. ), background reports, marriage/divorce history, address information, phone numbers, a history of lawsuits and much more. Please BE CAREFUL when conducting a search and ensure all the information you enter is accurate., to the testimonials about Aunt Sally's driving record." The site was EXTREMELY MISLEADING!

I also fell for the bait of Checkmate. It started with the hook of "Graphic" information. After entering my email and credit card info for their "recommended" $22.86, I got a report that was absolutely worthless. Then started the charges for additional information that was so incredibly "private". It cost another $19.99. I decided to go for it, since the previous report had zero information that I didn't already know. I was shut down, and referred to customer service. I called, and she admitted that their information (that I paid $22.98 for) could be obtained for free, but they stated that in the disclaimer. In our discussion, she graciously, as a "courtesy" refunded half my money. I paid $11.00 to learn what I already knew for free. I am extremely angry with this dishonestly presented website.

Several years ago, my wife paid for a one-time report for an individual who was attempting to contact her mother in an online relationship. No problem, except they don't give you any information that you can't get in a free Google search. Today I just noticed on our online banking an odd charge for $22.86. After some investigation I found that they had been charging us this for the last 12 months. After asking my wife about it, she had no idea except for the one-time report made years ago. I went online to research and found the company website. We couldn't log in to the site at first, but remembered that we had a different internet provider at the time and tried the old, now canceled, email address.

In using their services and doing a search on a person, I decided not to continue with the process due to the high price of one report. As I tried to exit the page, it offered me a "promotion" of $1.00 for the services. STUPID me, I took the bait and after the charge was charged to my card, the deceitful practices started by charging me $1.99 for anything else I wanted to see or print. You want to see the address? $1.99, you want to download the report $1.99, you want to print the report? $1.99. Please don't be so stupid as I was and fall for this SCAM COMPANY.

I received three exact e-mails from Plexo (a networking group that I once used it years ago). Under the message it said "View your background check". I thought, that meant it would be free and followed the short online process entering just my name. I waited for about 5 minutes until all the reports were generated. At the end, I was asked for a download and then my credit card information was requested for options from ~$10-$26 a month. If I knew that in the beginning, I would have not invested my time. Because of that I am dissatisfied. Angry, may not since I failed to specifically identify the e-mail as a fishing for subscription.

The website and the whole establishment is meant for one thing only namely to separate you from your hard-earned cash and to give NOTHING in return. BEWARE of the so called "Graphic Information" about an individual. It's just a trick and a bait to rip you off. When calling them to get refund BE PERSISTENT to get a FULL REFUND not partially. In this website they are only in the receiving end and not giving any info that you'd expect to get from them. AVOID THEM AND WARN YOUR FRIENDS NOT TO FALL FOR THEIR SCAM!!!

The company has since called to apologize and has given me a full refund.

First of all this is a fraudulent website produced to get money anyway possible! Even if you get $1 from 1 dummy that's $100 and they are getting 20 or more so yes they are committing FRAUD!!!!! First they tell you how much information you are gonna get and it will shock you are you sure you want to continue! WELL OF COURSE!!! SURE SHOCKED THE HELL OUT OF ME! All I got was phone numbers!!!! I have that!!! The 2 people I looked up had records I found through Google for FREE!!! But nothing showed up on this fraudulent site! To tell you how bad it was, I called literally 30 minutes later after paying to cancel and informed how fraudulent they were and I was very polite considering I just got robbed in less than 30 seconds!

I have received a full refund. They were very polite and even called me to resolve this issue.

This is a total waste of time! I spent $50 for a name and birth date. Address and phone numbers were wrong. I had to fight customer service to get a partial refund.. I spent almost an hour on the phone and only got back part of the money, I basically threw in the trash. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY.

I clicked on a pop up (I think) for this organization and it sounded like a smart way to check on a guy my daughter is dating. I realized I had 5 days to cancel before they charged me 29.95 for a month. What happened is I could not figure out how to get the report. I tried several times to get the report to download, and the instructions were not clear. I don't have time to get onto the Internet every day. Tonight, I had time to call their customer service line. The gentleman walked me through the process, and do you know how much information they give you for $30.95? Name, address and phone number. THAT'S IT! Expensive, eh? Since it is now January 30, and I initially signed up for the five day $1.00 deal on December 20, the phone person offered me a half refund ON THE SECOND MONTH!

I had never heard of this company until it popped up on AOL. I am always concerned for my personal information because of my job, so I wanted to see if info on me was on this site. First of it all I was suppose to get a trial offer and had to pay a fee of $20 something dollars and then it keep saying that the information could be graphic to be aware. I pulled myself up and it gave my address, phone number, but no horrible information on me. It was a hoax!!!!! Do not use this company!!! Then when I called to cancel they told me I would have to pay one more month at the end of my 30 days. Why??? I also had to ask for instructions to get my information off this site. Misleading, hoax, fraudulent claims. Should be shut down.

I signed up for Checkmate services in search of a missing relative and it seemed like a professional and adequate company; OH WAS I WRONG! When I was conducting my first search, I had to choose a payment method, whether it was a month or annual subscription. I paid $28.86 for my 3 month subscription in order to find ABSOLUTELY NOTHING available to look at, only an address and name. It charged my account $19.99, 3 consecutive times to conduct a different search!! When we called the company, the customer service staff was unwilling to listen and kept saying that "all this information is available on the website." Unfortunately, the website does not mention what a piece of crap this website really is. Eventually, I spoke to my bank about this dilemma and they were able to comply with me in order to refund my money. Lesson learned and my tip to you: ACCESS THE RATINGS AND REVIEWS OF A COMPANY BEFORE INVESTING ANYTHING IN IT.

This is a ripoff site. I search for someone I wanted to hire. The free result shows that ALL information is available and I can get it. I register and surprise, NOTHING was available. NOTHING... They took my credit card info and my email. NOW I GET SPAM LIKE CRAZY and I see credit card transaction from Las Vegas, Nevada. I had to cancel all my credit card information and change my email. DO NOT TRUST THAT SITE.

The way the site was first set up it makes you feel like you're actually getting good information for free (for once) but of course, that would be too much to ask. Obviously I searched myself first and signed up for the $1 5-day trial and the information that came up is about 22 years old. At first I thought the site was just plain confused, but then I realized that the address listed for myself was the address where I lived when I was a NEWBORN. Really? I'm definitely calling them to cancel that tonight. I'm tempted to pay the additional $20 for the "Premium Report" but from what I've read, it's not going to be useful and it will be a waste of money. Whatever you do, don't give them your money, because they won't give you anything valuable in return that you can't find elsewhere more easily.

Useless. Totally, totally useless. I got incorrect information and was able to get more information via google. AVOID. AVOID. AVOID.

AVOID ~~ AVOID~~ AVOID: When you decide NOT to pay their high prices, they offer you 5 days for $1 and collect your email address and credit card info. Then you get to see the report - no info other than name, address and land tel. YOU MUST CALL THEM to cancel monthly billing that will start in 5 days!!! Then for the person for whom they provided no info, they want you to pay $19.99 for premium info on that one person.

Thank you. I appreciate the refund very much.

The site initially appears as a free site to locate information on people. Completely and deliberately misleading statements on this website that lead people to believe that they will receive up to date and accurate information as if doing a "background search". After I found a charge of 29.99 on my debit card, I called customer service and was told that after 5 days they automatically charged me 29.99 for the first month because I did not call back to cancel after 5 days.

Don't! They do not have any meaningful information. Don't believe their claim. I want to cancel within 10 min test. Total garbage! Does not worth anything! Trap!

As many people before me, paid $22 - monthly fee for unlimited access. Ran the report on myself. The only "shocking" thing was that the report was practically empty. The only information was my address and the phone. And, of course, if I wanted more, I could pay another $19.99 for "even more shocking information". I called them back and requested full refund. Of course, I was twice put on hold, while the operator talked to her manager. On my saying that this is a fraud, the response was, it's not, that I got the basic information, other information may be closed by a particular state and all this BS. I said that they have 2 options: 1) give me the full refund or 2) I'm calling my credit card which has a fraud protection program and they will deal with my bank, which will file the criminal complaint.

Just like everyone else, paid what I thought would be $9.86 for a phone number I already had. When I called to cancel membership the very next day, was told I had been charged for 6 months and would be given 20% credit if cancelled. Was adamant. I wanted full refund but finally due to time constraints and stress levels going through the roof I settled for 50%. Scam artists extraordinaire!!!

Unbelievably incomplete and then they say you were warned. BS. Finally offer 50%. Reject the offer and tell them you will have your credit card co charge back. They will give full refund. If they don't have your CC co., Charge back and then file a complaint here and on yelp???

I found this service trying to locate a friend in the midwest. The site initially appeared as a free site to locate information on people. It brings you through the entire search process with enhanced progress bars and warnings about how disturbing the findings may be. I was just looking for a phone number and address information. After several minutes of adding information it asks you to see the information. Then the fee options pop up. In big bold font it provides options for monthly to annual memberships. The smallest amount was "$9.86 / month". In very small print it says (you will be billed $59.16 today). I admit, I didn't see the fine print. After looking at the reviews for this rip off site, it seems I fell into the same trap as dozens of others. The report came up and I called immediately after seeing the charge total. The report itself was the same as you could google in 411.com.

BUYER BEWARE! Completely and deliberately misleading statements on this website that lead people to believe that there is potentially critical information they will receive when doing a "background search." Past phone numbers and a list of people with similar names who have received traffic tickets neither warrant a RED warning that information contained in the report will be graphic nor critical. Buyer beware. Read their "disclaimer." The information provided and possibly more is available as public record at no cost to the public.

These people in Las Vegas Nevada are just like their counterparts in the gambling casinos. Crooks! They do exactly what they say they won't do.. They increase the cost of their service at each step of the way forward getting the information you asked for.. Avoid at all cost.

I ordered a 3 month unlimited subscription to Instant Checkmate and cancelled the same day because the information was absent unless I spent more money. I spoke with Chrissy or Christy who first advised that, "by law she could not cancel before the three months were up." I said I was willing to pay the $1 trial that I was not aware of until much later. She went to her supervisor and then advised the subscription would be cancelled after 1 month. I told her this was fraud and I would not pay for anything and would notify my credit company. She then went to a second supervisor and came back and told me the whole subscription would be cancelled. I checked with my credit card today and found that the total charged was credited to my account. Sometimes, it pays to be persistent.

AFTER BEING COMPLETELY SCAMMED I CALLED UP CUSTOMER SERVICE, WHICH I WAS SURPRISED TO FIND SOMEONE ANSWERING ON THE OTHER LINE. QUOTE: "Hey buddy, just tell me you are a fraud and you scammed me and you can keep your 50% refund. I've been burned before. I can take it. But I would rather you admit putting one past me, than tell me your providing a service." LESSON LEARNED.

Upon contacting them to cancel and asking for a refund for what I deemed to be false advertising I was told that all that was available to me was 50% refund! I jumped at the chance. Half the money back as opposed to none of it is something right!

I was trying to look up family members I haven't seen since I was 5 or 6. I have children of my own and want correct medical info as well letting me know where we come from. Was offered a $10 deal and then they wanted another $20. Then they told me I had to have a PC instead of a phone to get my information! I live by Yosemite. Closest town with computers is an hour away in one direction!! At first, they wanted to only refund me half of what I had already paid which was darn near $30. I asked to speak with a supervisor and that changed the tune but I am now out of one area looking for my family. That crap hurts. Soooo close yet still so far away!!!!! Yeah and I can't afford legal help. If I could, it would already have been done!

I was foolish enough to sign up before I read the reviews. I canceled my subscription and asked for a refund. They offered 50%. I refused and asked for a full refund stating I am going to make a complaint to the state attorney general for false advertising. That's the way things were left, but I intend to do it.

After subscribing I was shocked to find out I can find out more info from a FREE Google search. Information was inaccurate at best but mostly non-existent. Told more info was available by purchasing a Premium Search. I fell for that a couple of times and found out less to NO info was available in the Premium Search. Total waste of time and money!

They don't tell you that there's a charge for a trial. Then they try to explain that you're wrong for thinking this is legit. How do you charge for public information? I hope everyone reads the reviews and don't get suckered into this **. They should give refunds with interest. If I could give them negative stars I would.

I was very disappointed with this site. They make you think you are getting reports you are looking for.....after paying for the unlimited month... They ask you for more money to get criminal reports...when you pay another 20.00...then they tell you some departments will not give out all the information...very misleading!! They took my money for nothing... Wish I had read other reviews before throwing it away.... Just look at the us census reports...same information Instantcheckmate will give you.

I raised my review score because of the prompt reply to my complaint. After writing my original review Checkmate responded and we very quickly resolved the issue to my satisfaction. They obviously wanted to satisfy me in every way possible.

I did not even pay these people to complete registration. However, I was dumb enough to give my email address. When I figured out the service was terrible, I backed out without even completing registration. This company clearly told 3rd parties what my email address is because within two days I started receiving multiple, unsolicited emails from companies trying to sell me cell phones.

Read other reviews, not a good move to not check out reviews first!!!!!! Ditto to the reviews. Total waste of money. You can get much more from searching free sites for public information!! Also, no supervisor available when you ask the phone answering minion to chat with a person in charge!? He isn't in right now is the reply...ha it's pitiful!

Sucks you in by showing green line "searching". Gets you hooked by waiting with claims that "what you find may shock you," then gets everything ready to go and then wants twenty bucks. You say no then it give you option for 1.00 for a 5 day trial. I fell for it. But all that membership gives is the name and phone number. In this case, the phone number was 5 years old and disconnected 5 yrs. ago. To get the real news, you have to upgrade the trial membership for another 20 bucks. Unscrupulous, deceptive, they should have the longest rap sheet of anyone in their "system." Do not fall for their gimmicks.....

They get your billing information to provide you with a free service so that they may bill you later. I wanted to run one background check and didn't learn anything new from this service. In fact, known convictions one year earlier weren't even picked up by this service. The accuracy of these checks is poor and their billing policy is even worse. I wouldn't recommend this company to my worse enemy.

This is the worst background service I have ever seen. I started out with having to pay $22.48 thinking that would cover everything as it said but every time I went to another page, it was asking for more money to get more information. The funny thing is the information they give is information I already know. Wish I had done some checking on them before I signed up.

Im very satisfied with the resolution.

Instantcheckmate.com told me I had one mark against me for a criminal arrest record. For a one dollar trial fee, they offered to show it to me. I turned down the offer. Then I read dozens and dozens of complaints against the company about credit card card fraud and incorrect information reporting. As a freelance writer with a doctorate in English literature on Jonathan Swift and Samuel Johnson, with 20 Google blogs and a Google g+ rating, I decided to write a satirical novel on checkmate and to hire a defense attorney to see if an alleged arrest record against my name can be removed. I'm hoping you can refer a lawyer to me.

I signed up for INSTANTCHECKMATE.COM to determine if it was a tool we could use in working with, hiring and determining who we could allow on job sites or even working in our facilities. We use two other sites for background checks but we were so impressed by the claims of this website that we wanted to determine if we could just use one site for all. It was lacking so much information that is readily available on the other websites that it was obviously not worth the time to sign up for it. We immediately called the help line for them and they would not give us a refund. This in my mind is a scam. There is no way they can make the claims of being so great at finding information. It was lacking two thirds of the three background checks we made on individuals we have already reviewed by two other sites that had more information by far!

I was trying to do a background check and this business offered the service at a very low price (the bait), but as I cont'd thru the online instructions on how to get info on them, this company Instant Checkmate kept asking for more and more money (the lure) or I would get no info for them without paying more. Every little bit of info they gave to me, afterwards they'd ask for more $$ if I wanted aliases, info about a police record, reports of questionable behavior, etc. I found out NOTHING beyond their names, birth date, possible relatives or addresses. For instance, to 'see' a report, they asked for a PDF fee, then to open and read the PDF and had to sign that I was over 18 and could handle any possible shocking or disturbing information that will show up. I'm talking $20 bucks and higher for each little topic of info, and it kept going on and on, pulling me in, charging me more and still telling me nothing. I finally 'woke up' as to this being a bunch of BS and a scam after being charged 4 'fees' when the very first 'bait' was how cheap their service was for all that I would learn.

I tested it with myself. They found my address... that was it. They weren't able to determine my date of birth, my real name, or my most RECENT address that I changed about 2-3 months ago. I then tested with a random fake name, and they still claimed they found all those information. A scam, don't bother.

I was not happy with this service. Signed up for my free trial and was charged 25.00 the day after even though I tried to cancel over the phone. They expect you to pay extra for information that SHOULD come primary in any report! Ripoff! Never again! Waste of money!

Wish I had read reviews in advance. Agree with them. No additional information than what is freely available on the internet. Lots of information promised, but all at additional cost beyond initial price. Local State website had more accurate information on sex offenders.

So I thought I was signing up for like $20 but when I looked at my bank account, they took out fifty something. The information I looked up was outdated and I mean by more than 3 or 4 years. I called to cancel and fortunately customer service was really great. They are reimbursing me the difference in the price because I told her I was pretty sure I did not click to pay fifty something dollars. Will wait to see if I get the money...hopefully I will.

Instant Checkmate has responded and refunded 3 months worth on my credit card. I appreciate the refund, but still think that this program is misleading. When it asks if you want 1 month or that 3 months is a better deal. I chose 1 month. That is all I wanted and expected to pay for. I consider this resolved.

This company promises so much information for a basic set price but delivers what is already known by the consumer in order to start the process. They then offer more detailed reports for increasing monetary reward. Unless someone hires an attorney to peruse and analyze the fine print, the average consumer could be easily misled by this company's inflated claims of how much information is gained for one price. Furthermore the basic information contained numerous errors and when I called to complain and explained my reasons and pointed out their deceptive business practice, I was only promised half of my money and told this would take several days to receive. How this company operates may be technically legal but they have a long way to go to learn how to be ethically and morally right in their business practices and customer satisfaction.

They hook you, they charge you $22, then the report didn't even include marital information!

Incomplete information... No records of divorces and there certainly was divorces involved on the name checked by InstantCheckMate.com! Basically, I gave away $22. Do not recommend this site at all. Also, they want an upgrade to get more information.

InstantCheckMate.com claimed they had found data listing 10 criminal accounts under my wife's name. I know without a doubt that this is completely untrue. I'm glad I never signed up for this bogus service. These people need to be shut down; bloody rip off artists.

I needed to find out some background information on a former business partner. Prior to paying for the service the instant check actually brought up locations in the state, that I recognized where this individual had lived. After paying for the service, those locations didn't show up (I'm sure had I upgraded my account... Possibly 5 times or so). I would have finally the individual I was looking for. I think the company is very misleading in their terminology to " hook you". Then, once you have paid them, thinking you are going to receive the background information on a particular person; they ask you to "upgrade" for a complete report. It's a ripoff, don't waste your money!!!! Wish I had read the reviews first, I knew I should have. Listen to your gut. I'm going to cancel. It's been less than a week. I signed up for three months. I wonder if they will provide a refund.

This company does not provide any information that you cannot acquire over the internet on your own. Further, I went to cancel my subscription and they will not refund the entire amount. They claim I agreed orally to only half of the subscription amount. When I asked to hear this recording they say they have, I cannot. I do not believe they are an above board, helpful organization, but rather a scam to induce you to sign up and then they deliver to you information that is easily accessed on the net. Don't waste your money; don't waste your time. Their dubious business practices in dealing with your money is a big red flag that I am going to report them to the FCC. Save yourself the stress and avoid them.

The reports were empty and did not even have my marriage certificate. They will have to account to God for ripping people off. Do unto others as you want them to do to you! Thou shall not steal! Make sure that you call to cancel the service.

Not worth the money. Information was out of date and inaccurate.

They took money out of my account two days in a row which I never authorized; I never got any emails from this company - BEWARE!!!! DO NOT I MEAN DO NOT GO TO THIS WEB SITE- because they will rip you off. So if you are a senior citizen living on social security and are in a wheelchair, be careful because they don't care... They will take your money and you get nothing in return... I never got a report after I found out how much it was... I left the website... They kept my information and billed me. For something I did not use.... Again beware. This is scam...

I ran a check on a person who I know has an arrest record a mile long.... came back CLEAN. Ran one on myself. I have been arrested more than once and guess what... clean as a whistle. So I see this as MONEY FOR NOTHING!!! They did agree to a full refund after offering a 50% refund. I will let you know if this happens. This is a Scam Company.

The website is full of toys and lights that do nothing but sell their empty "reports". It tells you only the most basic information of a person, age, birthday and some recent mailing addresses where utilities were paid for. Pretty expensive to find out what day someone's birthday is on. Useless site.

On 6/24/2013 I signed up for $22.86 to do a one time search. They have been billing my credit card monthly, but I did not notice it until yesterday... I called their number, and was told that somewhere in the process I clicked a button that meant I agreed to the terms of becoming a member and having to call and cancel membership when I want to stop. Maybe I missed it, but I think I would have remembered to cancel if I noticed it. This is not a decent way to conduct business. I will make sure to discourage others from using their service.

I must add to my complaint published yesterday that I called their customer service guys to ask them to cancel the transaction because I did not get the information I cared for and was advertised on the website...marriage status/divorce records...and I was told by a young male voice that they get their data from public records and divorce records are NOT public in all states... I said that's a first... I live in Arizona...how about that? All this sad experience reminded me of the movie BIG FAT LIAR... This is what they are and their place is behind bars...and I did file with BBB as I mentioned earlier. Somebody needs to do something about this company.

I got ripped off for 29.63. I called to cancel from a $1.00 deal for a 5-day trial two days early. This company billed me anyway. When I called back, they said they never got the call.

I signed up a background check for my personal use, paying for a one month membership fee $22.86 on 12.03.13 EST. Next, I went to download my report on PDF but they also want to charge me $1.99 for the use of PDF. I was very disappointed for the data they provided. All I cared for was to see if a person I care about is married/divorced or not. I did not expect that lack of information from public record. So I call in immediately to cancel this membership. I was told they cannot do that. This service is a waste of time and money. I hope this save someone else the cost of doing business with this company. Their only purpose is to take your hard earned money. Shame on you, CheckMate! I will report it to BBB.

On Dec. 1 2013, I saw this website on the internet, www.instantcheckmate.com, that provides background information such as criminal felonies, death records, location data, etc. on any individual free of charge (so they initially claim). However, the website states that in order to get further detailed information a membership is needed where they charge a fee in the amount of $22.86, in which I authorized. This is where the company's shady tactics to make money become deceptive to the consumer. After paying the $22.86, I then started my search as intended, but apparently in order to get MORE further detailed information the company charges an additional $19.99 for full reports, in which I authorized that payment as well.

I signed up on InstantCheckmate to look up information on my boyfriend and me since we are getting a house. They had names listed that we had never used and neither of our divorces were not listed. I signed up for a special of $9.99 and when I looked at my bank statement online, I was charged $59.98. I would not use this website for anything. Nothing but the spelling of my name was right.

I signed up a background check for my personal use, paying for a one month membership fee $22.86 on 11.27.13 EST. Next I went to download my report on PDF but they also want to charge me $1.99 for the use of PDF. I was very disappointment for the data they provided. I wasn't expected that lack of information from public record. So I call in immediately to cancel this membership. I was told they can only refund 50% of the cost of what I paid for. This service is a waste of time and money. I hope this save someone else the cost of doing business with this company. Their only purpose is to take your hard earned money. Shame on you CheckMate!

I signed up for a 1-time fee on 4.1.2011 (est). I see a $89.00 charge in my bank account and call them. They tell me they have been billing me over 6 months and I did not catch it until now. The Service is worthless. What data it gives you can get from Google for free or it's incorrect & outdated! I have tried multiple searches and it does not return any accurate info. I use Veromi.net. It's current cost more but it works and is current & accurate! I have no way of proving the fact so I am just out $400+. Call it lesson learned. I hope this saves someone else the cost and disappointment! They would not offer me any rebate or anything!

I signed up for this looking up background checks for my own personal use. It was nothing that I expected. So I called in, I want to say about 7 hrs later, to cancel this so called membership. When I called, I was told they can only refund only 50% of the cost of what I paid for. I would and will ever recommend this site, www.instantcheckmate.com, to anyone I know. Instead, I will strongly advise them not to waste the time or the money with information you can obtain from your local clerk of courts. I work hard for my money and at the fact that this company will just take folks’ hard earned money says a lot about their morals and values! It's not about what information they are providing you; it's about making their pockets fat.

Indicated the individual I had checked on had a criminal record as a sexual predator. However, when researching it in the state, the exact same information was shown as another individual 10 years younger and no similar physical recognition. All other information on the site was accurate, names, dates, address, relatives, etc, but getting this wrong would and should go beyond their small print. Said they were not responsible. Asked to speak to a supervisor 4 times, finally got mad, swore, then she hung up. I am not sure at this time if I would want an attorney to contact me, but always open to judicial process. Thanks.

This is a scam! I did the 1 dollar free trial and I seriously want my dollar back. All this does is spit back at you the same information that you provided. Most records are inaccurate and for totally different people and when you try to cancel, be prepared. I got hung up on TWICE in a row. The second I said the reason for my call, CANCELLING. The third girl, I warned to not hang up on me or I would contact the attorney general. She 'said' she cancelled my account, but that she could only provide a confirmation 24 hours from the time of the call, which would take me out of the cancellation period and I would be charged the $23.99.

Tried the $1.00 for five days - total waste. Checked my own info and guess what? Out of date by over five years on my address, listed "other" names I'd used which I NEVER had.

I accidentally stumbled upon a mysterious charge. At first, I knew I could only blame myself for not keeping better tabs on my bank account, so I went to cancel it on their website. Turns out, when I logged in, I got a message saying my account services had already been cancelled, but they'd been charging me all along! On top of that, the only reason I signed up for their services was to do a search on myself and get this... they didn't even have the right birthday for me, which is why (I thought) I had cancelled it right away! Even if I wanted their services, clearly they suck. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE… Even though my record came back "clear", they said that just because my record came back clear doesn't mean my record is clear... LMFAO... WTF did I pay for them in the first place? Thieves!

I used this service using the one time option. Not only did I receive information that was FIFTEEN years old, I was charged a recurring charge that I did not sign up for. I had previously used another record search service (whose name I couldn't recall) that provided a recent and confirmed address. Customer Service was as unhelpful as their records search and I only received 50% refund on the initial charge. I was also told that I should've read the disclaimer that information might not be current. That's fine, but 15 years is more than not current. Not worth a single penny.

I hate that I had to give this company even one star... They deserve MINUSES. I was told after their preliminary investigation that they had a lot of bad information on ME. I was shocked so of course I paid the $22.95 only to find out that in their list of people, nobody even resembled my name and none were from my city! And to find out anything else about any charges against me had there been any, of course that meant a LOT more money!

First thing, I ran a report on my son's new girlfriend after seeing she had been arrested. It said it was spooling all her info, criminal reports, work, all kinds of items. When it was done, I was charged $29.63. It said it was preparing the report for printing and downloading. Then it actually said I had to pay $1.99 for it to download in PDF form. That's a first since most written reports are in PDF format. After I paid, it gave me her name, birthdate and address only. That's what I gave them in the search. Then it said I could read the rest of the report if I pay another $14.99.

Did not advertise that that their billing is reacquiring. They don't even send you a confirmation email stating your subscription has been renewed. I do not advise anyone do business with these dishonest people. If this happens to you call customer service. If they don't give you your money back ask to speak to a superior and they will give you your money back. Worst online experience I have encounter. Stay away from these thieves.

I am upset with myself for not doing my research on Instant Mate. I would have approximately $45.50 still in my checking account. I was searching for several high school friends I had lost contact with in the past 30 years. I encountered the same issues as the other posters on Consumer Affairs. I do have a small caveat, I was told they would only charge my card once, why is it every time I accept people at their word, I get burned?

I signed up with InstantCheckMate to look up information on a potential relationship. They took my money, $22.00, when it wasn't supposed to be that much, it was supposed to be $9.95. When I was told the information was ready, I needed a PDF. I cannot read the report no matter what I try, it just keeps sending me to the beginning where the list is of people with similar names. It's nothing but a big scam.

Wanted to check on a family member and her husband to make sure they don't have a criminal record as things have been going downhill for them recently. This website pretends like it's gathering all this information... Loading this... loading that... looks somewhat impressive... like they might come up with something of use. Then you get to the page where they want you to give your credit card number... which I knew was coming because I knew that it wasn't free. It says... Enter your number and then click on submit order and the charge is $22.86... and you'll be getting those detailed reports we've been looking for. I thought... okay... I can do $22.86, it's not that bad. Then I click on it and it takes me to a page where it shows the person's name... their address... their birth date and their 'sign'... Wow... their sign. I'm guessing they added that in there because it will make it seem like a little bit more. So they charge you almost $23 for information you've likely already got.

About a year ago I used CheckMate to look up the criminal record of a tenant who was moved into my apt. building. He was doing meth and had a long criminal record. He was doing damage to my apt and stealing. I finally ended up being the one to move. Anyway, I looked at my checking account yesterday, and CheckMate had taken fifty nine dollars out. So I have been trying to call them on their business number, 1-800-490-5480. They have a recording that offers a free vacation to Florida, and you need to press one. If you do not press one, the line disconnects. When you press one and ask to speak to CheckMate customer service, a live person tells you that the call volume to CheckMate is high and to call back in an hour, then they instantly hang up on you. You can do this all day.

The information received from Instant Checkmate was worthless! On 10/22/2013, I signed up for a one-time search for information I already knew about, but wanted to know the date the criminal charges were brought against an individual. After reviewing the worthless information from Instant Checkmate, I was able to find the information I required on another FREE website. This company is a scam as far as I am concerned.

I paid for the one-time monthly fee to do a search and the only result I got was exactly what I typed in! I found more information on my own than this site did provide...which is nothing. Believe their "disclaimer" that says they do not guarantee the information is Up to date or accurate! It is Far from Accurate! I called for a refund and was told they do not usually refund, however the Rep put me on a brief hold while she "spoke to her supervisor". A few seconds later she came on the line and offered a partial refund (1/2) of the charge. I asked to personally speak to a Supervisor because that was unacceptable since they did not provide me with ANYTHING I didn't already have. I was placed on another brief hold and the Rep then gave me a full refund, to be put back on my card in 3-5 business days. We will see in 3-5 days if my money is truly refunded! FYI... Found all the Info I needed on "free" internet sites, took me about 2 hours but it was worth the time it took to just do it myself!

I had gone to Check Mate's website to pay for just the monthly fee of $22 and something. I saw it was already checked, so I went on with my card information and hit submit...and information went to my email (the report and another email with thanking me for my 6-month subscription for 56 something dollars). First, the report contains only the free stuff you normally get from other sites like this without signing a membership.

Signed up for the free trial for $1 and it was all fine and dandy, and now, about two months later they just charged me 29 dollars on my debit account. I called customer service. They cancelled the account membership but claimed there was a disclaimer saying that if it's not cancelled you get charged. Utter **. Don't use their website.

InstantCheckMate is a total RIP-OFF! I used their service a few minutes ago. I provided detailed information, paid the $22.86 on my credit card only to receive a joke of an incomplete report with inaccurate information at best. When I called to cancel the service, 30 minutes after getting the joke of a report, the person on the phone let me know that they don't guarantee any accuracy of the reports so guess what? THEY GOT YOU! Don't fall for this scam. I ASKED FOR A REFUND AND THEY FLAT DENIED MY REQUEST.

I tried using Instant CheckMate and unfortunately my experience mirrors the others on this site who have complained. For $22.95 I got the name, address, birth date and astrological sign and that was all. I already knew that information. If you want any other background information you have to purchase their "Premium" package. I believe this falls under "deceptive practices" and I think is against the law. So as a warning to others, don't fall for it. To be fair (somewhat), I was able to cancel my order the next day, but they kept 50% of my $22.95 fee. A great way to make money I'd say.

It only gives you name, birthdate, address, and even those are not correct.

This site is a rip off. The information is not up-to-date. After promising a full report for $26.00, they give you a name and address (and astrological sign??), then tell you they can give you more for the "Premium" upgrade report. The information they provide you can get for $1.00 from People Finder.

Should have done a background check on IntantCheckMate.com to find out they are frauds. What a scam!!!

I signed up on the checkmate.com website for a one time special to check a phone number (which by the way, this website offered zero information for what I was checking in to). When I signed up, the checkmate.com site was offering a special which stated that I could use it for a one time fee. It is VERY unclear that if you don't actually call within 5 days, that this automatically charges the credit card a recurring amount on a monthly basis. I noticed on my credit card statement that I have been getting charged a monthly fee of $22.86.

Went into Checkmate and should have went with my gut on giving them $10 for public records of my mother's soon to be ex-husband. After you give them your cc and they charge you the initial fee, you realize that in order to get more information than what is supplied on Google for free, you need to pay $32 for arrest records & if you want them in a printable format you need to pay another $2. What a joke. Against my better judgement, I gave them even more $$ (yes, I am now calling myself an idiot). It pulled up that this person has no criminal record. My God! The small county paper provided me more on this loser. What a joke.

I specifically wanted to check only on one person. There was no information about a trial service, just the cost for the one check. Suddenly my credit card is hit for three months for a service I know I did not want. Then the CSR insists it was me not them that signed up for this. The website is deliberately misleading. You think you are paying for just the service you want and suddenly you are signed up for life? Really?

I was in need of information on somebody, particularly their police record. I searched on Google and found 10 incidents that were very helpful in my assessment of this person. Then I went to InstantCheckMate.com in order to get as much information as possible. After going through the process of "finding" phone numbers, family members, residences, and police records, I was prompted to buy a subscription in order to access the information. It was important to me to be vigilant and from the looks of the progress bar while "searching,” I would have all the police records I could want. So, it finished downloading the PDF and I scroll through it. This is the content that I got: One inaccurate address and a list of 8 sexual offenders in the area around that address with their mug shots. No criminal history on my guy - which is obviously publicly accessible since I found so much on Google.

I purchased a one-month plan with a ten-dollar upgrade because the first plan does not give email or phone numbers. The data is outdated. All of the phone numbers are discontinued and the e-address is apparently out of date as well. I tried to log in today and my password failed. No doubting that password on my end. No link to retrieve the password. No wonder they won't take AX credit cards. Everyone would be demanding their money back. So, I Lost $40.00 and learned a good lesson. Buyer beware.

The company offers you a free trial and then automatically charges your credit card a monthly fee if you don't call to cancel the free trial within five days, so don't get the free trial unless you mark it on your calendar to cancel immediately after your search. The data Instant Checkmate allegedly pulls up is worthless. I did a test search of a couple of people I already knew about to see if it was any good. The addresses it pulled up were either the wrong person or years out of date, and it didn't find criminal convictions for two people I know for a fact served prison time. So basically it's a waste of money. If you have the time, you'd be better off just walking over to your local county courthouse and searching records there for free.

Was looking for some general information on a doctor. Wanted to confirm something that I knew was true from over two years ago, two years. So I thought I would try it out. The information wasn't there. Okay. Fine. So I started looking up other people I knew just to confirm valid things to see if the site was legit. When I knew that my divorce record wasn't there and it is a Public Online Record, I about lost it. It has been over two years and if they have any sort of data system, they would have it. I called to ask questions, and I got a women who answered with children playing in the background. She gave me the runaround about the inability to access all types of "data..."

It's common practice for companies to get people to sign up for a cheap trial, with the hopes that they won't notice the small disclosure on the bottom of the page that says their membership will be automatically renewed. Although, this place doesn't even give you the option anywhere at all from their website to cancel your membership. It’s ridiculous; shouldn't be legal.

What can I say except read the other reports file regarding Instantcheckmate.com. Use their service once and you better start watching your accounts very closely. They will start deducting a monthly service charge and swear to god you approved this charge. When I confronted them and demanded they show me the forms I signed allowing them to do a 'monthly membership' to the tune of $28.86 a month, they said it was not in what I did, but in what I DIDN'T do. I did not call them up and cancel the membership. Odd that I would need to call and cancel something I never signed up for to begin with!!!!

Just like most reviews here, I had signed up for one month. They were definitely misleading because the information I received in the background searches were general or incomplete, and were asking for more money for a comprehensive report which should have been provided in the first place. I was disappointed but figured that I would let it go and never do business with them again.

A friend told me I should be alarmed at what shows up on my record. So I signed up to see... They had my birth date wrong, but the address was right. They had my mid-30's wife as over 100 years old. And then there's the criminal record - a concealed weapons charge at age 14, driving on a suspended at 15, possible gambling device!? None of these things ever happened. They didn't have the speeding ticket I got a couple years ago. I called to complain and they informed me that their records can be inaccurate because they don't use SS #s, and go by name only from public records. This service is awful at best and slanderous at worst. Joke, sham, waste, false, incorrect, potentially damaging... They will find themselves in court, I am sure, if it hasn't happened already.

Card charges out of the blue! There is NO way around the use of this website. They have found a way to bill you even if you change your debit card! And they never respond when you try to call! Genuine Scum at this site. BEWARE!!!! They say they are helping protect you when in reality they are gaining access to your account and screwing you. This site sucks!!!!!!!!!!

I used this service one time on a 5-day trial period. Unfortunately, I was not aware that they would be billing my credit card every month for $29.63 - I do not feel that this is a fair business practice and is intentionally in practice to take advantage of people who may not be aware of it. There is no recourse to get the money back and SHAME ON ME for not catching it sooner. I would NOT recommend this company or their services to anybody.

There's a big red exclamation point when I searched my own name and I don't even have so much as a parking ticket... no record, no nothing. My life's totally boring so for that to show up like I have some hot news about me... I'd sure the hell like to know what it is but I ain't paying them a friggin' dime.

I signed up for the one month membership and when I went to log-in, I did not have any log-in credentials that I had set up when I purchased the membership. This is a total sham and I am going to try to get my money back!

Instant Checkmate leads you to believe that you are going to get a full report on someone for $22.86 , but you do not. They want to charge you another $10.99 for what they call premium upgrade to get the information that you should get from the first amount that they charge you. It is a RIPOFF, plain and simple, I just signed up on October 11, 2013 and I am calling the number they provided for cancellations on October 12, 2013. Would have canceled the same day but it was after hours already. This service SUCKS!!! I will never recommend this service to anyone, not even my worst enemy.

I have been a paid subscriber with this company for over one year now. Having worked as an officer, I am aware of public information gleaned through courts and GRAMA. Very little information has criminally been available through this site and almost No history is provided on my search on marriage or divorce, yet it is all public record here in Utah. I have heard many reasons why InstantCheckMate states they cannot glean this information. The leads on their home page and trailer to get customer's dollar are hyper-sensational. I am not aware of other information gathering sites, but if they are all this poor then I will keep my money.

Site gave absolutely no information that it said it would. It did not have mug shots or any information about criminal history. For the person I looked up, it had a big red exclamation point next to it saying that this report specifically was graphic and detailed and there was absolutely no information. If it did not say it was overly graphic and had a warning, I wouldn't have paid for it. I only did because I thought there was something overly to be concerned about. It literally gave me zero information. It even said this person was born in the '80s yet showed an arrest/citation that took place in the '50s but when you clicked on it like the rest actually had no information. DO NOT PAY FOR THIS. IT IS A SCAM.

My husband opened an account with InstantCheckMate. I decided to put my name in to see how accurate CheckMate was. I have never been arrested in my whole life for any thing, but InstantCheckMate had 19 arrest charges listed about me, ranging from traffic, to bad checks, & even as convicted for drugs. I started getting pains around my heart, & my blood pressure went sky high. I felt like I was having a heart attack. I feel CheckMate should write a public apology on their website where they used my name & address to write a bunch of lies about me. I also feel they should wipe out any & all charges to them. I also feel they should pay for the lies they published about me. They even took pictures of our home, & put those pictures with all the lies about me on their website.

Do not use Instant Checkmate. I paid $22.95 and got garbage. The only information that was close to being right was that I was at one time related to this person. There was nothing about this person that was correct or belonged to him. The front page showed that his wife and I were both related to him so I picked that one, then after paying, there was NOTHING but garbage. I even checked out myself and it was not ME. Looked up my sister... Her address was correct but nothing else was my sister. Do not ever use this site... EVER. Rip-OFF!!! Then to cancel, no way to do it on-line. You have to call in and only during certain hours which are inconvenient.

I paid the $22.97 for a report and it's garbage. The information is out of date and/or wrong! Even the most basic information (i.e. marriages) were not listed - it shows "no marriages" even if you know the individual has been married over 25 years!! I chose the cheapest option, however, read the fine print in the confirmation email. They will BILL YOU EVERY MONTH UNTIL YOU CANCEL! This is NOT a one time charge unless you call to cancel. This site is a scam. You won't get the information you were looking for. Don't waste your money.

I read the messages after I was about to sign up for the service. BTW, they have an impressive way of luring people in by showing for minutes how databases are being searched and reports being downloaded. Closing out my window immediately after I read all these complaints resulted in a second chance offer of $1.00 for unlimited reports. From $22.71 to $1.00 just by closing out the website, if that is not a sign of scam, I don't know what is. So hopefully, this bogus company will be shut down forever!!

I tried out their service on a 5-day trial for $1. Then before you can get any service, you pay another $1.99. Then they ask for another $10 to get a "comprehensive" check. So I bit on their pitches and paid the $12.99 (total combined). When I got the "report", it was deficient and inaccurate. I checked my own background report and they reported that I was divorced in 1969, only twenty years off, and in 1969, I was 17 years old and still in high school. I checked my son's record and they were inaccurate on his information also, ditto for my wife. This service is a SCAM and WORTHLESS. SAVE your money and use a legitimate service. I could have gotten better information for free by checking public records myself. I guess I should have investigated beforehand so I only have myself to blame.

The fee for this service is only to pay for them to bill you. They are not required to actually provide any information or guarantee it's accurate. DO NOT USE THIS SITE OR WASTE YOUR MONEY!!

I wish I had seen the reviews on this page! I would never have contacted Instant Checkmate. About a month ago I cancelled the account I had with Instant Checkmate and requested a refund. I received a partial refund. According to the company, they had provided me with services (whether I used it or not) and therefore could not refund me the entire amount. A month later, I happened to be checking my bank statement for a different reason. Guess What!!!??? Another charge from Instant Checkmate which caused my account to be overdrawn. When I called them and asked about the charges that now appeared on my statement, I was told that the account was never completely cancelled. The rep indicated that she would cancel the account and refund any money that had been taken out. When I asked her about the overdraft fee, she indicated that it was not the policy of the company to refund any overdraft fee. She told me to go talk to my bank reps... Why is it the bank's responsibility to cover or pay for a mistake made by another company.... What else can I do? Bad business practices to Instant Checkmate...

First of all, once you pay for their service good luck getting them to stop billing you the monthly fee. I signed up for a month at about $25 to run searches on a few phone numbers. As other reviews have stated, their information is greatly outdated/inaccurate. I know this as I did searches for myself, close friends and even my children. Of course I forgot my password at sometime within the month. I entered the information to have them e-mail me my password 6 times to no avail. Oh and the toll free number they list... good luck with that. It is a fax machine (or at least sounds like one). I closed my credit card to keep them from milking one more cent out of me. Why hasn't the FTC closed these jerks down? Next time I will just pay a PI office cash.

I signed up for unlimited reports for 6 months. After my first search, the report contained VERY minimal information and did not have information that should have been easily gathered from public records. WhitePages.com has more free info than the paid member reports from InstantCheckMate. You might POSSIBLY get the info you were hoping for when you paid to join, but only AFTER paying another $10 per report for what they deem as "Comprehensive" information. This is a total bait & switch. Save your money. I demanded a refund & I hope I receive it as promised.

My child informed me that his new friend was not allowed to come to our house. Upon asking the child's parents why, they explained to me that I have a criminal record for drugs per the background check on "Instant Checkmate". I was floored, so I went home and joined the service to check for myself. The only information that was correct was my name and address. EVERYTHING ELSE was completely wrong! Birth date, marriage information, relatives, criminal history, etc... all wrong! BTW, I have never been arrested in my life, in case you are wondering.

Do not sign up for this crap. Even after paying a membership, the searches are still too vague. You have to pay even more if you want certain info. And to top it off, they can't seem to find my info to cancel my membership... I bet they find it when it's time to get paid.... SCAM!!!!

In my opinion the company is about ripping people off. I searched one name, they charged me for three months. When I called they stated I needed to call to cancel. It was my fault because I did read the fine print. Yea can you believe it. Don’t do business with this company.

I signed up for a one month, one time subscription ($22.00) with my credit card and they billed me again the following month. I called to find out why I was billed again and they told me I had to call them to cancel my subscription. I did not sign up for a monthly subscription. If I wanted a monthly subscription, I could have paid less than $10.00 per month. They told me that I did not read the fine print that states I need to call and cancel. Check your credit card statements. This place is stealing your money. What a ripoff!!!

I was trying to do a docket search on my late brother. Checkmate says it does these kinds of searches. NO! They did not even have my brother's date of death (2008). No criminal record: I know for a fact that my brother has done time in prison. Then they charged me an additional $10.00 on top of the monthly payment. Basic information. I only order the 1 time month. They charged me again the following month. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!

Service provided is not as stated on website. Misleading that it was featured on multiple TV shows. Data is very inaccurate. Does not provide service as stated. Instead they give you a name, then offer to charge you more for the rest of the information. They say they will filter the criminal history but then they give you a list of 60 names and again let you pay more money for additional information - the same info they promised at the beginning. They charge you an additional fee to put the info in a PDF. There is no way that you can cancel your account online. You MUST call customer service. Wish I would have checked here first.

The information is incomplete & inaccurate. I ran a report on myself to determine whether this service is accurate. It listed 50 "possible" matches for criminal history, none of which were me. That information you receive on most sites before you are required to pay anything. I paid $22.00 and they did not even have my DOB or age. I called to cancel and request a refund and then they informed me of all the "small" print. They tell you that it is not intended for employment purposes, but that is one of the main reasons people use such a service. After arguing with them they finally agreed to a 50% refund. Big deal, information is still worthless. DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I purchased a single report for $29.95. When the report would not download I agreed to an additional $1.99 to get a PDF file. When that did not work I called the company. I was finally offered half of my money back but no report!! In addition, the website continually tried to "upsell" without providing any information. Stay away!!

The report provides no useful information and the criminal history provided is incomplete and grossly inaccurate. The website does disclaim that the criminal report is incomplete and inaccurate but it is easy to miss unless you scroll to the bottom. The fee structure is easily misunderstood. You will be charged monthly unless you cancel your account (one month subscription is on-going).

First, they got my birthday wrong. Second, even after paying the extra $10 for 'premium' service, no additional info was included in the reports I'd already submitted. And yes, I did log out and re-run the searches. This was a waste of money, and very misleading. Grrr.

I was searching for a marriage certificate for a veteran I represent in a claim for disability. I paid the fee to join and almost purchased the premium account. I was only looking for where a marriage and divorce certificate might be located and where a marriage certificate for a current marriage might be located to help the veteran obtain same. They do exist because I knew his first wife. However, the report returned a report that no marriages or divorces were recorded. In this particular instance it was a rip off. Now I wonder if I am able to cancel the account to avoid monthly billing.

Ran a person’s name, who gave up info on 3 arrests themselves, and Instant Checkmate claims no guarantee on finding all public information. I found more out about this person by just use Google. Do not waste your money, it’s a scam.

Do not use this service under any circumstance. Information is generic and once you sign up, it is very hard to stop the charges.

Upfront action; did not subscribe. Consequences? Writing this review. This may help someone else who is considering this particular business. After searching for my own name, I was taken to teaser screens, which said the information was downloading. After providing my e-mail address, I expected to get one of two things, either an e-mail "welcoming" me to their service, or a splash screen which laid out payment terms. Neither happened. The first "download" report failed, and left me with a blank screen. The browser address was criminal records. The second download was successful, and I was finally given payment options.

I was charged for the service, for two months after I cancelled service. The info they gave was nothing different than you find on Facebook.com. They were dead wrong on criminal history, marriage and divorce history and DEA history. They did not show state licenses they have (which is PUBLIC info), where they claim to get their info. They use the "bait and switch" technique -- if you want a report with the info they advertise in their commercials, there are "up charges" for "premium reports". The normal report consists of a name, possibly an address, possibly a date of birth, possibly a phone number, and that's about it. All the rest of the info they supposedly use, which is "public" info, was not on any of their reports, when I had the correct info from other contacts in hand, which show arrest records, bankruptcies, state licenses, etc.

After looking up a person of interest, InstantCheckMate made it sound like they had evidence of criminal arrest and other offenses. After paying for their services, nothing was found. An offer to pay $10.00 more to obtain the police records came up and I agreed only for the program to provide ONLY an address and phone number!! That was information I already had and no more than what white pages provided for free! After calling minutes later for a refund and to cancel, they only offered to cancel the ongoing monthly fee and refund half the monthly fee. Total refund $11.00. Rip off!!!!

After purchasing what InstantCheckMate.com called a full report, no more information was at hand than what a person could look up in their own phone book. Name, address and age. Okay, maybe you would have to go to Facebook to find out age. The purchaser must consent to a "No stalking" policy. Why?! They don't sell enough information to even make that a reality. Apparently, InstantCheckMate.com doesn't subscribe to any national databases either!

Service was not accurate with divorce/marriage records at all or criminal history. I signed up for one month, but was charged 30 day later for another month. I called customer service and the rep and her supervisor would not refund my money. They stated in the fine print, I should have called to cancel the service, but could not show me the page where it was stated. This company will not be around long. Beware.

I signed up today to get information about someone that I KNEW had a criminal background. Paid for 6 month subscription, $1 upcharge to get pdf, and $10 for "premium report." The initial report on the first person I put in (one I knew had criminal background) came back no criminal reports, no information at all. Ditto on the "premium report." I then tried several friends who had been married, divorced, etc. Same thing--absolutely NOTHING on their report. Ran ex-spouse--who has been married 2 more times, been in jail, etc. NOTHING. Checked self--wrong birthdate, other incorrect information.

I tried Instant Checkmate in an effort to try and locate a friend I lost touch with. As with most complaints, I went through a series of windows whereby one gets the feeling they are pulling up the report. Well, the moment of truth arrives and you need to pay up, which I did. After the fee cleared my credit card, I tried to log on. Every attempt said username and/or password incorrect. Finally requested password change. Still waiting. My charge account allows me to place a maximum charge limit on my purchases. I use it on all of my online shopping. Hence, no further charges can be placed. In the meantime, I chalk it up to a $23.00 error.

Same story as most on this site... Normally I check reviews on ANY "product" before I purchase online but while doing a search for an address, this site popped up. I thought it would be good to see what information was out there on myself and my family. I was sucked in by the claims of it being shown, etc. on major media. Every birth date but one was incorrect. They had no marriage or divorce records and incomplete information on almost everyone I checked.

Looking for background search on a neighbor; said they had information including aliases. Paid for premium search and no info came up other than aliases despite this person being on parole and incarcerated 3 times in 5 years according to family members. This is a total scam.

I just made a mistake registering to this site. It was link over white pages and I thought it was serious. After registering for 3 times, not accepting my Visa card, I was skeptic, because every time it says they cannot process the report. Now I am afraid because I gave them 3 times a Visa no. and details of 3 Visa cards (I realize it was a big failure because the site always offer another condition every time without sending me the report I need). Please help me! Should I have to close all these Visa cards against misuse! After being skeptic, I research and found too many bad reports against InstantCheckmate.com. Please tell me what to do, to avoid this misuse of my cards! Thank you in advance.

Wrong DOB, wrong marriage and divorce data, wrong criminal histories, wrong phone number. There's $30 down the drain. Worthless.

Signed up for $1.00 trial offer in hopes of tracking down a man owing over $100,000.00 in child support. They advertised that "The Full Report May Contain: Criminal Records, Speeding Tickets, Mugshots, Sex Offenses, Marriage Records, Divorce Records, Address History, Phone Numbers, Known Relatives."

I signed up for a membership and was charged $22.86. After I tried to search for three different people, I kept getting the message, "No results can be found." Even people I know for a fact have been married and divorced, Instant Checkmate did not show any records for marriage as well as criminal, etc. I called within 5 min. of signing up and the customer service lady said she would cancel my membership, issue me a refund and as a courtesy I can still access the site until the end of the month. She told me to look for my refund within 3-5 business days. I called back in 7 days which is today 7-25-13 because I did not have a refund and the next customer service lady advised that no refund has been issued and my membership was only cancelled. She said she would listen to the recorded call of me and the first customer service rep conversation. She got back on the phone and said that there was no mention of a refund. So I asked if I can listen to the recorded call and she said no. I know for a fact the first Customer service rep advised she would give me a refund. She even went over my card info. So now here I am stuck with no background information that I was originally in search of as well as a charge on my credit card for absolutely NOTHING!!!!!! Do not use them.

I was pleasantly surprised that Checkmate's Customer Service Dept. not only got back to me, but they gave me a full refund. They explained how everything was listed in the fine print of the agreement, where you had to call to cancel your one month subscription or it would continue. But since so many people had this problem, they gave me a refund and hopefully will make it more clear for future purchasers. I only gave them four stars because it took so long for a resolution.

I signed up for a background check in June 2012 (a single month). I have attempted to close the account on at least 3 occasions (July 2012, Dec 12 or Jan 13 and finally this week). I was forced to resort to having my credit card block the charges. This week alone I placed 2 phone calls to cancel and dispute the charges. They were never able to locate my account - without locating the account I could not cancel it. They could also not locate records of my phone calls - which I stated I could provide proof from my cell phone company (they decline to use my records).

Their opt-out form is a deliberate and transparent scam designed to get more information on you rather than give you an opt-out option. The form is absurd. I went in to remove my information, but their online form asked for more detailed data that is above what is already on the website. A true opt-out would NEVER ask for this information. Clearly the goal is to get additional data that they do not already have. AND NOTE: Other sites use InstantCheckMate information on you (e.g. Pipl). Once you are on this site, there is no way out.

I ordered the 5-day trial for $1 and searched my own name to check the accuracy of the company. In two different places, my birth date (very basic information) was incorrect and those two dates weren't the same either! I did not want to subscribe beyond the trial period. A few days later, I noticed a charge on my account for $29.63. I called the company and they said I didn't "check the box" and therefore had subscribed. They refused to refund my money. After reading complaints about this company, I wasn't confident that they would stop the charges even though they sent an email stating I had unsubscribed. I was advised by my bank to cancel my card to stop them from charging me in the future. The Website says they have "excellent customer service". I did not experience that.

The comprehensive report they offer is nothing. They did not even have my past marriage, any of my friends or relatives. I checked on people I knew had criminal records and nothing but minor traffic violations showed up. They offer a Premium Service after you pay for the "comprehensive report." Moreover, this company will recharge you automatically, if you do not specifically tell them not to.

My experience was identical to yours. Six months of charges after assuring me that no charges would go through. Refusal to reverse the charges for first 3 months, even though they are aware that the account was never used. They had assured me that no charges would go through, because there was an error message when I originally tried to create the account.

I have used the services provided by your site once on 15th June, 2013. Have made payment of around 12 USD. During this I have searched profile of one person only and was satisfied with the results. Since my purpose was solved I have never intended to avail any further services or monthly/ yearly subscription offered by you. However, it’s surprising to note that today USD 29 have been debited from my credit card registered with you. This is without any intimation to me or my consent. I have never clicked any link to avail such services. I therefore request you to immediately reverse the said charges back to my credit card. Failing which I will be forced to take all possible actions against you and take up my grievance at all possible social forum. Anticipating co-operation in the matter.

I tried their $1 Trial Membership, then got suckered in for another $1.99 to get "PDF reports". All reviewers are correct - information is garbage. You can get the same "Google" or "Spokeo" info for free. When I signed up for my trial, I found that the website was very clear about the 5 days trial. It also indicated the number to call to cancel, by which date, and calling hours. So there's no confusion for me as to how and by when to cancel.

Deceptive billing and unable to find my account. I ordered their services thinking it was a one time thing. I noticed the billing continued and called them about it. I left my phone number so they could call me back. After a few minutes, they did. After nearly 20 minutes on the phone, they still had not found my account. I told them I needed to get back to work because I was on my lunch break. I asked the person to give me a call back when they find my account. No call back. I was charged for 3 months of services and never used them after the first time because their service was a joke. They avoided every way to find my account. I want a refund.

I read several negative reviews on this site about the Instant Checkmate Search service. Having tried the service for a 5-day trial for the cost of $1.00, I can say it's not a bad deal. On the plus side, this service provided full birth date, cross references related persons, and location history. In addition, you can do unlimited searches throughout your trial period. As for the accuracy of the information, you should be skeptical of any information especially the criminal background reports. It's a good idea to use an additional service to compare results and do your own research to piece together information.

My spouse signed up for a one-month subscription to check on a younger family member who had a recent arrest. We knew the arrest had happened but didn't have all the details. The initial report from InstantCheckMate was extremely vague and didn't even include any information about an arrest, so we were immediately suspicious about their authenticity and credibility. The organization then offered us an "even more shocking" detailed report for an additional fee, which we wisely declined. It looked like a stepladder-type bilking tactic. Then, the very next morning, we received a call from our credit card company informing us that their Fraud department had detected illegal activity on our card. It must have been this transaction, as we have never had fraudulent activity on this card previously. We had to close the account because of this scam organization!

I went to the website for InstantCheckMate and agreed to a one-time look up for $1.00. I was asked to cancel membership within 5 days after and that would end the account. I called on the same day and asked to cancel. I got a voice mail and left my message. Then I got a billing on my MasterCard, and I just received the billing and I called to advise that I had complied with their condition and was told that it was too late. I do not understand how it can be too late when it was done on the very day. Also, the report I got was totally incomplete and worthless. This appears to be a scam internet site that cheats users.

DON'T trust this company's information! I ran checks on four people I have RELIABLE information concerning and every single one was out of date (some by ten years or more, inaccurate) including missing prison records for attempted murder, sexual abuse and other less egregious crimes. My telephone number was given for someone who has had lived here for 12 years and has been dead for 10! Almost NOTHING in the reports was reflective of any of the information their service promises to provide.

I signed up for the 5 days for $1.00 trial. I agreed to their terms of calling to cancel within 5 days to avoid further charges. I left a voicemail when I called. When I tried to log in (tried many, many times for about half an hour), I could not and assumed they had cancelled the account.

I bought the thirty-day background check service. I soon found the information was vague and very incomplete. I then ran searches on my family members to see what was actually coming up, as I already know about my own siblings marriage and criminal records. The information was so incomplete. Not one instance of many marriages ever showed, and this is simple public information. I figured it was a crappy service and would not be interested in doing business ever again. Four months later, I noticed they had been charging the monthly fee over and over again to my credit card account. I was absolutely furious! This is simply another internet scam. The first gal I spoke with was absolutely rude and talked loud and over me. She did not listen to my plea of never seeing the agreement that she said I agreed to and I swear I never agreed to. Simply put, you will not get any information from this information service and only get charged repeatedly for the crappy service.

I wanted to run a background check on my grandson's stepdad... I knew he was on probation out of Missouri, but wasn't sure what the initial charge was. I only found that out because he had been arrested here in Colorado on two occasions. His mother now wants to move him to Missouri to be with his stepdad and their family and I wanted information on him. I paid the month fee ($22+) and got the report. The joke was on me. They didn't have anything past 2004. I called and was told that there is a disclaimer that the information was not always up to date nor was it always accurate. It must have been in REALLY small print, because I didn't see that...I saw the beware... Do you REALLY want to know this about your friends and family? It was big and flashy. I'm thinking with that kind of up-to-date information, they may be able to tell me what was in my grandson's diaper when he was two or where the deadbeat dad may have lived when he was in junior high but that is about it and is that information valuable or relevant. The point is...you are paying for NOTHING that you couldn't find by googling the name.

I recently noticed that I have been continued to be billed by INSTANT CHECKMATE. I thought I had canceled this membership 5 months ago, but according to their records I never did. When I called them to cancel the membership, the representative kept repeating legal jargon to me that explains why I am not entitled to a full refund for the services they provided which the representative acknowledged that I have not been using. I tried to get the rep to admit that what they are doing is unethical, but she refused to drop the legal talk. I can live with the loss of money. It's a shame that INSTANT CHECKMATE is comfortable with robbing its customers. STAY AWAY from these unethical thieves. I suppose they've reminded me to keep my guard up and be less trusting of people’s business practices. Lesson learned - the hard way.

I initially ran a sample inquiry on someone to see what came up and the lead-in data appeared to be good. However, I did not like the cost options and was going to back out when the $1.00 promotion popped up. So I said, "What the heck. Let's give it a try." To my surprise, the promotion was stated to be valid for five days, so I ran a number of inquiries. But the info was rather shallow and inaccurate in places. After that I quit and figured I had no use for the service. But after the fifth day, they hit my credit card with $29.63 in membership fees which I never agreed to! I called them immediately to cancel and get a full refund, but their reasoning was that I was supposed to call them to cancel before the fifth day or default to automatic membership.

The phone book has better info than this company. Just another internet scam!!!

I was bored and a bit curious so I started looking up my name to see what would pop up on Google, and I saw the link for the Instant Check Mate so I figured what the heck, why not try it? Five results popped up and 3 were irrelevant. Two people in my small town were listed with my name. One name had no listed age while the other did. The listed age was several years too old. I know for a fact I am the only one in this town and area and even state with my exact name. On a whim because the trial was only $1, I decided to try it and see what came up on known associates. I wasn't paying the greatest attention and bought the PDF downloader which is a complete load of **. I failed to notice the decline option off to the side and I didn't know I had been charged the $1.99 until after.