What is a personal background investigation?
It is research into a person's history in court and public records, matched to the right person, for a lawful personal, legal or business reason. It is how you verify someone's history before you rely on it.
Background investigations from Fuller Investigations are for personal, legal and business research, such as preparing for a lawsuit, checking a potential business partner or a personal safety concern. They are not consumer reports. They cannot be used to decide whether someone is hired, rented to, insured or given credit. For employment or tenant screening, use a consumer reporting agency that follows the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Daniel reads the records themselves:
- civil, criminal and family court cases, where they are public;
- judgments, liens and bankruptcies;
- property records and business affiliations;
- professional licenses;
- what the person has made public online, through online and social media research.
Identity comes first. Daniel confirms a match with more than a name, using a date of birth and an address history, before anything is reported.
| Point | People-search website | Background investigation |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Data compiled automatically | Primary court and public records, read directly |
| Identity | People who share a name are often mixed up | Matched with more than a name |
| Verification | Entries are often out of date | Each finding marked confirmed or unconfirmed, with its source and date |
| Who stands behind it | An automated report | A licensed private investigator, available to testify about the work performed |
Who asks for a background investigation?
People with a question of safety or trust: someone new in your life or in a relative's life, a person met online, a prospective business partner. A background check on a new partner, for example, states what public records show, verified and without guesses.
Attorneys ask for background on a party or a witness, as part of civil litigation support. When the question is about a company and what it owns, the work is due diligence and an asset search.
What records can a private investigator lawfully use in Oklahoma?
Public court records and other public sources. Some records are not public, and the law limits who may receive others and how a report may be used.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act defines a consumer report. It includes information on a person's character, reputation or mode of living that is used, or expected to be used, to decide eligibility for credit, insurance or employment. 15 U.S.C. § 1681a(d)
Daniel does not report on anyone for hiring, renting, credit or insurance decisions.
Federal Trade Commission staff advised that an investigator hired to report on a person seeking a job would be a consumer reporting agency. FTC staff advisory opinion to Pickett (1998)
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation releases national criminal history results, the FBI's records, only to entities that federal law authorizes. 74 O.S. § 150.9(B)
Daniel works from public court records and other public sources, and does not offer an FBI record on anyone.
Federal law lets licensed investigative agencies use motor vehicle record information only for permitted purposes, such as litigation and service of process. 18 U.S.C. § 2721(b)
Motor vehicle records are left out of a background report unless one of those purposes applies.
Getting someone's phone records by lying to a phone company is a federal crime. 18 U.S.C. § 1039
Daniel does not obtain phone or bank records by pretext.
A licensed private investigator may not disclose information learned on a case except as the client directs or the law requires. 59 O.S. § 1750.8(B)
Nothing on this site is legal advice. Ask your attorney how the law applies to your situation.
What does the written report contain?
- Verified findings, each with its source, its case or record number and its date.
- How identity was confirmed.
- A list of the searches that found nothing.
- The limits: records vary by county, and some records are not public.
- Daniel, available to explain the findings and to testify about the work performed.
The report is a written document. Records research involves no surveillance, so it carries no photographs or video.
What should you have ready for the first call?
The first consultation is free, and nothing starts until a written agreement is signed and a retainer is paid (how it works). For that conversation, have ready:
- the person's full name, and any other names used;
- a date of birth, or an age;
- the cities where the person has lived;
- why you need the information.
Cost depends on how many names, places and years are covered: aliases, the number of counties, the depth of the research, and database and court copy fees. Fuller Investigations does not publish rates. The cost guide explains each factor.
When do the police come before a background investigation?
If someone is in danger right now, call 911. Fuller Investigations is not an emergency service.
If the person you are asking about has threatened you, followed you or hurt you, call the police before you call an investigator. A background report states what records show. It does not protect anyone.
Fuller Investigations declines any matter whose purpose appears to be to harass, threaten, stalk or harm someone.