Social Security Testimony

Social Security Testimony Before Congress

Statement of the Honorable James B. Lockhart, III
Deputy Commissioner of Social Security
Testimony before the Senate Finance Committee
Hearing on the Homeland Security Threat from Document Fraud
Identity Theft and Social Security Number Misuse

September 9, 2003

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:
Thank you for asking me to be here today to discuss issues surrounding document fraud, identity theft, and misuse of the Social Security Number (SSN). I am pleased to have the opportunity to tell you about the efforts that SSA has made to strengthen the integrity of the SSN, and to describe the SSN verification processes we have in place. I also want to discuss what we are doing to help states to verify the names and SSNs of individuals who apply for driver’s licenses. The SSN is the single most widely used identifier for Federal and State governments as well as the private sector. As the number of uses for SSNs increases, especially in the private sector, so the potential for misuse of the SSN increases.

The tragic events of September 11, 2001, have brought home to all of us the need to strengthen the safeguards to protect against the misuse of the SSN. Since Commissioner Barnhart and I have been at the Social Security Administration, we have made protecting the SSN and strengthening the integrity of the processes used to assign these numbers a major Agency priority. We have made a number of significant enhancements in the last two years and will continue to look for ways to improve on the safeguards now in place.

History of the Social Security Number and Card

First, I would like to describe the history and the original purpose of the SSN and the Social Security card. Following the enactment of the Social Security Act in 1935, the SSN was developed to keep track of the earnings of people who worked in jobs covered under the new Social Security program. The rules regarding the assignment of SSNs to workers were published in Treasury regulations in 1936.

The Social Security card reflects the number that has been assigned to each individual who applies for an SSN. The card, when shown to an employer, assists the employer in assuring that earnings are reported properly. Public information documents issued early in the administration of the program advised workers to share their SSNs only with their employers. Initially, the only purpose of the SSN was to assure that SSA kept accurate records of earnings under Social Security so that we could pay benefits based on those earnings.

Use of the SSN Expands Over Time

Although the purpose of the SSN was narrowly drawn from the outset of the program, use of the SSN as a convenient means of identifying people in large systems of records has increased over the years. In 1943, Executive Order 9397 required Federal agencies to use the SSN in any new record systems for the purpose of identifying individuals. This use proved to be an early reflection of what has become an enduring trend to expand the use of the SSN. The simplicity and efficiency of using a unique number that most people already possessed encouraged widespread use of the SSN by both government agencies and private enterprises, especially as they adapted their record-keeping and business systems to automated data processing.

In 1961, the Federal Civil Service Commission established a numerical identification system for all Federal employees using the SSN as the identification number. The next year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) decided to begin using the SSN as its taxpayer identification (TIN) for individuals. In 1967, the Defense Department adopted the SSN as the service number for military personnel. At the same time, use of the SSN for computer and other accounting systems spread throughout State and local governments, to banks, credit bureaus, hospitals, educational institutions and other parts of the private sector. During this time, there were no legislative restrictions on the use of the SSN.

Statutory Provision Relating to the Public Sector

The first explicit statutory authority to issue SSNs was not enacted until 1972, when Congress required that SSA assign SSNs to all noncitizens authorized to work in this country and take affirmative steps to assign SSNs to children and anyone receiving or applying for a Federally funded benefit. This provision was prompted by Congressional concerns about welfare fraud and about noncitizens working in the U.S. illegally. Subsequent Congresses have enacted legislation which requires an SSN in order to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, and food stamps. Additional legislation authorized States to use the SSN in the administration of tax, general public assistance, driver's license, or motor vehicle registration law within its jurisdiction.

The Privacy Act was enacted in 1974 partly in response to concern about the widespread use of the SSN. It provided that, except when required by Federal statute or regulation adopted prior to January 1975, no Federal, State, or government agency could withhold benefits from a person simply because the person refused to furnish his or her SSN.

In the 1980s, new legislation provided for additional uses of the SSN, including employment eligibility verification, military draft registration, driver’s licenses, and for operators of stores that redeem food stamps. Legislation was also enacted that required taxpayers to provide the SSN for each dependent age 5 or older. The age requirement was lowered subsequently, and an SSN is now required for dependents regardless of age.

In the 1990s, SSN usage continued to expand with legislation that authorized its use for jury selection and for administration of Federal workers’ compensation laws. A major expansion of SSN usage was provided in welfare reform legislation enacted in 1996. Under welfare reform, to improve child support enforcement, the SSN was authorized to be recorded in a broad array of records, including applications for professional licenses, driver’s licenses, and marriage licenses, divorce decrees, support orders, and paternity determinations. In addition, the SSN is integral to the operation of the State and National New Hire Directories that were established in welfare reform to enhance collection of child support payments.

Use of the SSN by the Private Sector

Currently, there are no restrictions in Federal law on the use of the SSN by the private sector. Businesses may ask for a customer’s SSN for such things as renting a video, applying for credit cards, obtaining medical services, and applying for public utilities. Customers may refuse to provide the number, however, the business may, in turn, decline to furnish the product or service.

Continuing advances in computer technology and the ready availability of computerized data have encouraged the growth of information brokers who amass and sell large volumes of personal information, including SSNs collected by businesses. When possible, information brokers store and retrieve information about an individual by that individual’s SSN because it is more likely than any other identifier to maintain unique records for each specific individual.

Contemporary Challenges Regarding the SSN

As you can see, Mr. Chairman, use of the SSN is widespread in our society. This usage is the product of numerous decisions made over the years. The cumulative effect is to make the SSN an important element in establishing and maintaining an individual’s identity in various record systems, and the ability of individuals to function in our society and economy. As a result, the SSN is prized by criminals who are intent on stealing another person’s identity, or creating a false identity.

Accomplished identity thieves use a variety of methods to gain access to personal data. We at the Social Security Administration want to do whatever we can to help prevent identity theft and assist in the apprehension and conviction of those who engage in this crime.

Agency Response to SSN Misuse and Identity Theft

Validating requests for SSNs and issuing Social Security cards is a major workload for SSA. For fiscal year 2002, we issued 18 million Social Security cards, of which 12.4 million were replacement cards. Of the approximately 5.6 million new SSNs issued, over 1 million were issued to noncitizens, the vast majority of whom were issued an SSN because their immigration status authorizes them to work. Both the events of September 11, 2001, and the rapid increase in the incidence of identity theft have emphasized the importance of strengthening the administrative processes employed by SSA in assigning SSNs. In the fall of 2001, SSA formed a high-level team which has met regularly ever since to recommend and follow progress toward policy and procedural enhancements to strengthen our ability to prevent criminals from using SSNs and cards to advance their activities. Some of these initiatives have delayed the receipt of SSNs for some citizens and noncitizens. However, we believe these measures are necessary to ensure the integrity of the SSN issuance process and to assure that only those who are entitled to an SSN receive one.

Shortly after September 11, we began a cycle of retraining for all of our employees regarding the rules for enumerating individuals, with a special focus on the rules relating to noncitizens. We started with refresher training for all involved staff, and have followed on with additional periodic special training and management oversight.

We have eliminated a significant vulnerability in our enumeration processes relating to requests for SSNs from individuals who are not citizens of the U.S. The vulnerability stemmed from the ability of counterfeiters to produce high-quality replicas of immigration documents issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). While we have always emphasized and continue to emphasize with our employees the importance of scrutinizing all immigration documents to identify those that are obviously fraudulent, we concluded that improvements in desk top publishing software made such scrutiny unreliable as a defense against counterfeit documents.
Therefore, on July 1, 2002, we began verifying with DHS any documents issued by them before assigning an SSN. We are able to verify most of these electronically. But if a record of the immigration document has not been established on DHS’s electronic system, we request written confirmation from DHS that the documents submitted are bona fide. No SSN is assigned until the authenticity of the immigration documents has been verified. While verification of all documents has delayed SSN issuance to some noncitizens, we believe that such verification is an important step in ensuring the integrity of the enumeration process.

We have been successful in establishing a process, administered jointly by SSA and the Department of State, to assign SSNs and issue SSN cards to selected noncitizens as part of the process that allows them to enter the country as permanent residents. Under this process, known as “Enumeration at Entry (EAE),� the data required to assign an SSN, including verification of the individual’s immigration and work authorization status, are provided to SSA by the Department of State (DOS) and the DHS (formerly INS).

We have also revised our verification processes with respect to young children. The vast majority of children receive an SSN through our "Enumeration at Birth (EAB)" program where parents can request an SSN at the same time that the child's birth is registered with the state vital statistics organization. Where an SSN is not requested through EAB, the parents must contact at the local Social Security office. Since parents generally need an SSN for various reasons in the first year of a child's life, such as listing a child as a dependent on a tax return, it is unusual for an SSN application to be delayed past that first year. In addition to verifying birth certificates that are suspicious for any reason, in June 2002 we began verifying all birth certificates with the issuing states for children age 1 and over. In some cases these verifications can be done electronically, in others a paper process is used. Again these verifications can delay issuance of the SSN, causing inconvenience to the parents, but we believe this process is valuable in ensuring that SSNs are not issued inappropriately.

SSA is leading a new government project to facilitate the verification of vital statistics such as birth records. "E-Vital" should reduce the cost and time it takes to verify both birth and death information. While we continue to look for ways to improve our current processes, clearly implementation of these linkages would facilitate our ability to verify birth certificates. E-Vital would reduce resources needed to do these verifications by eliminating the very labor intensive paper process and reduce or eliminate the extra time parents must wait to get an SSN. At the e-Gov 2003 Conference and Exposition in June, SSA received the Pioneer Award in the area of e-Government for the e-Vital program.

To test the feasibility of bringing a tighter focus overall on issues related to the assignment of SSNs, we opened a Social Security Card Center in Brooklyn, New York in November 2002. The center represents a joint effort between SSA, SSA’s Office of the Inspector General and the DHS Bureau of Citizenship and Immigrations Services (BCIS). Employees from SSA work with staff from these agencies to bring together in a single office the technical and investigative perspectives of each of the participating agencies. The results have been encouraging, and we are considering whether additional card centers would be successful in other parts of the Country.

We have taken a number of steps to protect the privacy of people’s SSNs when they receive correspondence from us. For example, since late 2001, we no longer include the first five digits of the SSN on Social Security Statements or on Social Security cost-of-living notices. Envelopes completely conceal SSNs when they are included in correspondence where an SSN is necessary. Further, the Department of Treasury plans to implement procedures in 2004 that will end the necessity of including on paper checks the SSN of the individual to whom the check has been made payable.

In our efforts to enhance the integrity of our enumeration processes and further reduce opportunities for fraud through misuse and/or improper attainment of SSNs, we proposed changing our evidence requirements for assignment of SSNs and by defining "valid nonwork reasons." In March 2002, SSA stopped assigning SSNs to noncitizens for the sole purpose of applying for a driver’s license. We would issue an SSN to noncitizens only if they were authorized to work or where needed for a federally funded or state public assistance benefit. This closed a loophole on noncitizens applying for drivers’ licenses just to get an SSN. At that time, we issued a letter to Governors in advance of the change. We also notified the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) of the change.

A lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of nonimmigrants residing in Illinois and Alabama who were denied SSNs for drivers’ license purposes (Iyengar v. B. Barnhart) 233 F. Supp. 221-5 (D.D.C.-2002). On November 26, 2002, the U.S. District Court issued a decision holding that the March 2002 change to our program instructions was invalid and that SSA must use notice-and-comment procedures to effectuate this change. As a result of that case, in December 2002, we reinstated our prior policy pending publication of the proposed change in the Federal Register.

On March 26, 2003, we published a proposed rule to allow us to resume the restriction on nonwork SSNs by announcing that we would define a “valid nonwork purpose’’ as those instances when a Federal statute or regulation requires a non citizen to have an SSN in order to receive a federally-funded benefit to which the non citizen has established entitlement, or when a State or local law requires an non citizen who is legally in the U.S. to have an SSN in order to receive general public assistance benefits to which the non citizen has established entitlement. In so doing, we will no longer issue an SSN so that a noncitizen may qualify to apply for a driver's license.

We also announced in that proposed rule that we would require an in-person interview with all individuals age 12 or older who are applying for an original SSN, and we will no longer waive the requirement to provide evidence of identity in original applications for a child under age 7.
The public comment period for these proposed changes ended on May 27, and we expect to implement these changes upon publication of the final rules.

Verification of SSNs

On an ongoing basis, SSA currently provides over 770 million SSN verifications a year to many thousands of different users, and the number of requests and users continues to grow rapidly. It is important to remember that when SSA receives a request for verification of an SSN, all we can really verify is whether the information included in the request, name, date of birth, etc., matches the information in our records for that SSN. Even if that information does match, it is no guarantee that the person presenting that SSN to the requesting agency or employer is in fact the person to whom that SSN was originally issued.

We have created a pilot of a web-based on-line system for employers to verify the names and SSNs of newly hired employees. This system, the Social Security Number Verification Service, is also known as SSNVS. It supplements other SSN verification systems that have been available to employers for more than twenty years. Currently, 69 companies have enrolled to participate in the pilot, and employers have used SSNVS over 8,800 times to verify over 1.7 million SSNs.
One of the services offered by SSA to certain government agencies that use the SSN is to verify SSNs that have been provided to them by individuals who have applied for services from that agency. A partial list of the various users of these verification services include:
The Department of Education to verify the SSN's of individuals applying for federal student aid
State human services agencies for TANF, Medicaid, unemployment insurance, worker's compensation and pension coordination
HHS, Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) to manage their database of SSNs and new hires
Prisons to verify the SSNs of inmates whose benefits should be suspended because of their incarceration
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to assist in criminal and fraud investigations and to help track fugitive felons
Department of Justice and state and local law enforcement agencies to assist in certain criminal matters and fraud investigations and to help track fugitive felons
The Department of Veteran's Affairs for applicants for VA benefits and medical services
The Department of Homeland Security for immigration purposes
The Department of State for immigration purposes
The Department of Defense for employees and military inductees
Internal SSA users for purposes of administering benefits programs
Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) for emergency relief benefit coordination
SSA provides SSN verification service to meet the needs of state Departments of Motor Vehicles.
Verification of SSNs for Driver’s Licenses

While many of these verifications are geared toward preventing abuse of welfare and other cash paying benefit programs, the verification service we provide to the departments of motor vehicles are especially important with respect to the prevention of crimes related to identity theft and fraud. Since 1997, SSA has worked jointly with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) to provide an SSN verification service that is tailored to the needs of state Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMVs).

The SSA Online Verification Service (SSOLV) enables DMVs to request verification of an SSN from SSA while processing an application for a driver's license. Under this service, DMV employees enter the data necessary for verification through software maintained and administered by AAMVA. The software directs the request to SSA, where the information that has been entered by the DMV is to be compared to information housed in SSA’s records for the individual who has applied for a driver's license. Requests are received by SSA and returned in 1 second or less for 93 percent of these transactions. If our records indicate that an individual applying for a driver's license is deceased, we inform the DMV that there is an issue on our records that must be resolved with SSA. In addition to the online service, state DMVs may submit large numbers of drivers license records to SSA directly for verification. We refer to these as “batch� requests.

Currently, 34 states (including the District of Columbia) have entered into agreements to use the online service. Of those states, 22 states are using the online verification process and four states have begun testing their software with SSA. Nine states have agreements, but have not yet begun testing. (An additional state is testing with SSA but has not yet entered into an agreement). AAMVA plans to begin a renewed campaign to educate the states about the improvements to the process. In FY 2003, we estimate that we will process over 6 million requests from DMVs. AAMVA estimates that with the increased participation and improved systems performance, the number of requests processed in FY 2004 will be approximately 20 million. We expect our current, already low, cost of 3.4 cents per transaction to drop with this increased volume.

Unlike SSOLV, the batch process does not provide information that a death indicator exists in our records. Currently only seven states are using the batch verification process. The primary reason that they use this slower system seems to be cost. The General Accounting Office has recommended that SSA should modify the batch method to include a match against nationwide death records. We agree, and we are working to develop a remedy.

However, increasing the use of the online SSOLV system by the states is the best way to improve the integrity of the licensing system. First and foremost, it provides verification information to the MVA while the driver’s license applicant is still at their counter. Negative verification gives the DMV the data it needs to prevent issuance of the driver’s license. It is also the most efficient and cost-effective method for the states because it eliminates the need to issue temporary licenses while awaiting the results of the batch verification requests, a process used by some DMVs. This is why SSA is committed to pursuing and expanding the online service. It is a system that works well, works quickly and ensures that fewer people will be able to obtain driver's licenses with fraudulent documentation.

Conclusion

I would like to conclude by emphasizing that we at the Social Security Administration are committed to strengthening the integrity of the processes that we use to assign SSNs. We believe the recent improvements we have implemented have made it more difficult for individuals to obtain SSNs from us through fraudulent means.

The difficult challenge we face is to balance SSA’s commitment to assigning numbers quickly and accurately to individuals who qualify for them and need them to work, with the equally important need to maintain the integrity of the enumeration system to prevent SSN fraud and misuse. The President's budget request for FY 2004 includes the funding we need to continue our efforts to meet this challenge.

We have worked in the past and will continue to do so in the future with other Agencies—at the Federal, State and local levels—to assist them in making their processes less vulnerable to those who are intent on committing identity crimes. Together we can take action to thwart those who would abuse the SSN and other agencies’ records to perpetrate identity crimes that burden Americans and threaten the security of our nation.

Excellent Reading for Amatuer Detectives

We have discovered a few great books for those of you thinking about becoming an online detective or private investigator.

The Investigator's Little Black Book 3
"Author of the original Investigator's Little Black Book, Scott here updates his "huge collection of investigative resources." The volume contains an exhaustive amount of information on topics private investigators might find pertinent. Wonder what state issued a given social security number? Need information on Nevada brothels? Scott has the answers. The volume begins with an alphabetical listing of sources. Entries include phone numbers or Internet addresses for further information. Graphical icons indicate whether the information is new to the volume or restricted in some manner. The second section of the volume includes information on warning signs of electronic eavesdropping, caliber comparisons, a guide to concealed weapons, and over 30 more topics essential to the P.I. Much of the information is available via phone books and Internet sites the catch is knowing where to look. Scott has done the legwork and fashioned a book of practical and essential information. A great source of information for the professional private investigator and a good read for the armchair P.I., this is recommended for large public libraries. Karen Evans, Indiana State Univ., Terre Haute"

How To Catch A Cheating Spouse
Here's a Small Sample of What You'll Learn:
> Discover the one crucial error that everybody who is having an affair will make. Learn what it is and how to catch them making it!
> Take our notorious Infidelity Quiz and assess the risk of infidelity in your relationship! If you score high you have every reason to be concerned!
> Read the results and analysis of the extensive research that I and others have done on the statistics involved with cheating so that you will be well informed as to the statistical likelihood that your partner is cheating, given your circumstances.
> How to capture email passwords, access phone records, and credit card statements. Discover all the stealthy secrets of how to do this without getting caught!
> Learn how to turn yourself into a human lie detector so that you know every time your spouse is lying to you. Psychologists developed these methods by researching and identifying the uncontrollable and subconscious movements every human being makes when they lie. You will be shocked and amazed at how much you can learn!

Sleuthing 101: Background Checks and the Law
"Barry Nadell has done an excellent job at teaching ordinary people about the legal aspects of background checks and the hiring process. Get inside tips and knowledge from an industry expert in language and format that you can understand. A state by state explanation of the law is given, so every employer, human resource manager, business owner can benefit from this book no matter where you live and what business you are in. I will be keeping this book on my reference desk for future use. " - GetBookReviews

Private Detectives or Investigators

Private detectives and investigators use many means to determine the facts in a variety of matters. To carry out investigations, they may use various types of surveillance or searches. To verify facts, such as an individual’s place of employment or income, they may make phone calls or visit a subject’s workplace. In other cases, especially those involving missing persons and background checks, investigators often interview people to gather as much information as possible about an individual. In all cases, private detectives and investigators assist attorneys, businesses, and the public with a variety of legal, financial, and personal problems.

Private detectives and investigators offer many services, including executive, corporate, and celebrity protection; pre-employment verification; and individual background profiles. They also provide assistance in civil liability and personal injury cases, insurance claims and fraud, child custody and protection cases, and premarital screening. Increasingly, they are hired to investigate individuals to prove or disprove infidelity. To read the rest of the article from the U.S. Department of Labor, click here.

Technorati Tags: free people search, people search, background checks, online detective, internet detective

Social Security Number Searches

Many people conduct searches for social security numbers (SSN) for many different reasons. A SSN verification tool will check the SSN for possible death records and will usually display the results on the screen immediately or email them to you. Typically if the SSN verification tool reports a SSN as "Valid" or "Active", it means the SSN has likely been issued by the state reported, and it has not been reported to the Social Security Death Index or SSN benefits were not paid. If the SSN reports back as "Invalid" the most likely explanation is that the state has not reported it as issued and/or it was found in the Social Security Death Index and SSN benefits have been paid.

Important: If you you want to find someone's social security number, you need to understand that this is a restricted search and is not available to the general public. Permissible purposes for requesting this search are as follows:
>Work involving a fraud investigation.
>Work in connection with identity fraud.
>Work in connection with debt or judgement collection.
>Work in connection or conjunction with official government business.
>Work in a civil or criminal investigation, where the Social Security Number is necessary to the investigation.

One of the best services we have found for Social Security Number search work is Best People Search.

How to Catch Your Cheating Lover

Think your spouse or lover might be cheating on you? We just discovered a great resource: How to Catch a Cheating Spouse. If your marriage is threatened by fears of infidelity and cheating, you deserve to know without a doubt if it is true. Learn the signs that your spouse is hiding something from you. Learn how to catch them out where they shouldn't be. Learn the best methods to expose cheating and infidelity.

Download How to Catch A Cheating Spouse immediately to learn all of the tricks and techniques that you need to know to catch your partner red-handed and solve any problems you may be experiencing with your own life. And if you need to expand you investigation, you can always conduct a detailed people search.

Home Security: Hidden & Wireless Cameras

Home Safety Council Offers Ways to Increase Home Security During Summer Travel Season

According to criminal experts the greatest number of home burglaries occur during the late summer months*, times when many families travel and enjoy family outings. To help make sure you return to a safe and secure home, the Home Safety Council offers simple steps families should take to increase their home’s security.

“Invest a little time to check the security of the inside and outside of your home, before vacations,� said Meri-K Appy, president of the Home Safety Council. “Look at your home the way a burglar or thief would and make security improvements before you leave town.�

The Home Safety Council is committed to helping you enhance the safety and security of your home, even when you are away. You can reduce the chance of break-ins by following these guidelines before going on vacation:

> Investigate all doors and door frames. Outside doors should be hinged from the inside. If you have sliding doors, place a bar in the inside track.
> Check to make sure all door and window locks are working. Replace any broken locks.
> Buy light timers for your home. Set them to come on in different rooms at different times while you are away.
> Shine security lights on key parts of your home and replace burned out or dim light bulbs.
> Place a blind or curtain over all windows so that no one can look inside your home or garage.
> Do yard work before you leave. Trim limbs and keep hedges neat so they can't be used by thieves for cover.
> Remove extra keys that are hidden outside. Give a spare house key to a close friend or family member. Ask them to keep an eye on the inside and outside of your home while you are away.
> Ask a friend or neighbor to park in your driveway and take out the trash.
> Stop newspaper and mail deliveries while you are gone.
> Think about buying a fire-proof home safe for important papers, jewelry, etc. Or keep these items in your bank safe deposit box until you get back.
> Never leave an answering machine message that tells you are out of town.
> Give your travel and contact information to a friend or family member so that you can be reached in case of emergency.

For additional information and resources to help you learn more and stay safe in and around your home, please visit www.homesafetycouncil.org.

*FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program (2002)

Sex Offender Information

The U.S. Congress passed three laws that require States to keep track of sex offenders; the Wetterling Registration Act, the Lynchner Tracking and Identification Act and Megan's Law. On March 5, 2003, The Supreme Court ruled that information about potential sexual predators may be posted on the Internet.

Sex offender information is available and you have the right to see it. But the problem is that access is very difficult. You have to know the name of the individual you are looking for and in many States you must go to your police station and complete a request form. In some States there is a fee and limit to view only two names.

We know of two very good resources available to inform you and your family about sex offenders living in your area. One is the Predator Alert -- in the privacy of your home you can view information displayed on a map of your neighborhood. The free service provides the number of predators in your neighborhood. You can then choose to purchase the full service, which includes details about those sexual offenders, including specific addresses. The full service search is based on your exact address. And there is a very comprehensive list of state and county information availabel through this link: sex offender lists.

Are There Really FREE Public Record Searches?

Yes! The truth is, there is lots of free information at public records sites. However, finding it can be a big challenge. Most public record information is provided by the government and is available on a county or state level. Most of this information is free, but even some government agencies charge a nominal fee to access public and vital records.

Because you found this site, and have read this far, we must assume you need some help finding what you are looking for and most likely your need is urgent. That is the idea behind many of the sites we have mentioned through out this blog. They are in the business of getting you what you need -- fast. One of the best is Search Systems. Of course most of these online detective sites will all try to sell upgrades and get you to pay for additional services. And... sometimes you will just have to do it to get what you need.

Click here for a more in-depth article on free public records.

Technorati Tags: free people search, people search, background checks, online detective, internet detective

Search For Public Records

If it's a matter of public record, then you can find it using the Internet. Whether you're looking to see if there are any sex offenders located around your area, need to check the criminal records of your employees, need to find business information, corporate filings, property records, unclaimed property, professional licenses, inmates, criminal and civil court filings, or almost any thing else's that has become part of the public domain, it's all there just waiting for you to find online.

But, unless you are a seasoned search professional, it can take a long time surfing the net to find what you are looking for, especially when you are dealing with government records. There are literally 10's of thousands of different sites that contain some or all of the information you require.

We know the "detective sites" have take a bad rap at times. We have even taken our shots at them. But this is one time they can really come in handy if you have a few extra dollars, value your time and need access to public records. These sites have already organized all the public records info into logical categories so you could actually save hours by using them. However, if you have already spend hours surfing the net and cannot find what you are looking for, these sites probably won't help much -- it's time to hire a professional.


Technorati Tags: free people search, people search, background checks, online detective, public records

Are There Really FREE Background Checks?

Free background checks, just like ‘free people search’, is a phrase that is searched quite often. So, can you really get a free background check or free criminal record search? Yes and no. For any business background checks or any other situation where your business requires quality information, we suggest spending the money for a professional background investigation. Free background checks do exist but are not the proper choice when it comes to your business.

Many people misrepresent their background and credentials, that's why it is important to do at least a little checking to see if what the applicant says about his or her background is true. Many employers do not do any checking, and they often regret that decision. The applicant may be unqualified for the job, or may have some personality trait or experience that causes problems for you later. Educational credentials are frequently misrepresented on resumes and job applications, because many employers don't check educational references. It is important to do it, though, to make sure that the applicant has the qualifications and background you want.

Developing and maintaining the kind of information to run a pre-employment background check is time consuming and expensive. That’s why background check services must charge a fee. If your background check is not timely or related to your business, you can try some of the public records available in your county or state. However, if your background check is urgent and challenging, spend the money on a quality service. Websites that attempt to convince you that they have a totally free background checks service are not being totally honest. As you have seen by now, we have spent hours scanning online websites to locate quality Internet services, free background checks sites, and other types of investigation products. If we find them, including an honest to goodness free background checks site, we’ll be sure to post it here.

For the full text of this arcticle, visit Free Background Checks Article.


Technorati Tags: free people search, people search, background checks, online detective, internet detective

Conducting A Background Check

Whether you are seeking to hire a caregiver for your loved ones, or a person who will become an employee for your company, it is a good idea to run a background check. You should look for an experienced organization that uses multiple databases, including civil court and criminal records. We found and use E-Background Check as they offer one of the most thorough employee background checks available on the Internet.

Professional search specialists should employ all available techniques by accessing the very best public records and proprietary databases to assemble the background information you need. You should require the company you engage to verify the latest previous employment and highest academic achievements. Have them include several levels of criminal and civil records searches, bankruptcy, liens, and judgment searches, and confirm professional licenses. Before you hire your background check company, ask to see a sample background check report to ensure you will receive the information you need. Prices should range between $75-$150 per check, depending on your requirements.

We also found a great resource to help coach you through the background investigation process. Be sure to check out The Virtual Chase. Or try your conduction your own background check through a 3-day trial at Detective Choice for only $9.95.

Are There Really FREE People Searches?

According to Google and Yahoo search stats, free people search is a phrase that is searched quite often. It seems that people are very interested in finding out more about people using a free search service. So this is our attempt to clarify just what a free people search is all about.

The truth is, there are almost no truly free, people search sites. Sites such as whitepages.com are free, but offer limited search capabilities. They are basically a phone book online. Because you found this blog, and have read this far, we must assume you are not looking for your best friend's phone number. Most people who relocate generally have nothing to hide and should be fairly easy to find. Conversely, people who move to avoid debt, legal action, criminal charges, and child support responsibilities, are more difficult to search for and locate.

Developing and maintaining the kind of information to help you find someone who doesn't want to be found is time consuming and expensive. That's why these people search organizations must charge a fee. In fact, it can get so confusing and so overwhelming, their is whole category of internet detective sites built just to organize the data you can find online yourself for free. But if you value your time at all, they might just be worth the small investment.

Websites that attempt to convince you that they have an absolutely free people search service are not being totally honest. We have spent many hours scanning online websites to locate free people search sites, quality search services, and other types of investigation products. If we find them, including an honest to goodness free people search site, we'll be sure to post it here. Until then, you might want to check out Best People Search. They are not free, but are one of the best values we have found any where.

For the full text of this article, vist Free People Search Article.


Technorati Tags: free people search, people search, background checks, online detective, internet detective

Genealogy - Your Family Tree

Starting Genealogy and Family History Research

Suggested Ways To Start
Compile as much information as possible about your family. Start with yourself, parents, and grandparents. Ask your relatives about your family history. Often, family members remember stories or information, or possess documents, that can help start you on your way.

Look in family records (letters, family Bibles, scrapbooks, diaries, photographs, baptisms, and new clippings, etc). Consult non-Federal local sources for records such as births, deaths, marriages, deeds, and wills.
Learn about resources available for research and methods for researching
Review Online tutorials and guides Links to web sites with good sections on how to begin your research.
Consult books and articles We have included a list of books and articles about what records are available, where they can be found, and steps in the genealogical research process.
Attend Workshops and Conferences See our list of workshops to help people learn how to use historical documents in genealogical research, and links to other workshops around the country.
Join Genealogical Societies In addition to sponsoring workshops, other help is also available through genealogical societies.

Research With Historical Documents
The National Archives (NARA) is the nation's recordkeeper. It preserves and makes available the valuable records of the Federal Government.

Since the founding of the nation, most Americans at some time in their lives have come into contact with or have had some involvement with the Federal Government. It is records created through this contact where you may find reference to your ancestors in our holdings. As you begin your family research at NARA ask yourself about the person’s relationship to the Federal Government. Records in the National Archives are arranged by how the agencies created them, and there is no master subject or name index.

Your use of historical documents at the National Archives likely will yield better results if you first obtain the following information: Names of ancestors, their spouses, their siblings, their children, and other relatives, if known. Approximate dates of their birth and death, and, if applicable, dates of military service, of marriage, and of divorce. The places (such as the town, county, state or province, and country) of birth and death, and residence. Any record that gives a name, place, and/or date may be of interest to you as you conduct your family research. There could be a wealth of information about your family in our holdings, just awaiting your discovery!

Records in our holdings that are most often used by genealogists and family historians include:
Federal Population Censuses (1790-1930)
Military service and pension records (ca. 1776-1990)
Immigration records (1820-1957)
Naturalization records
Land records

Begin with Census Records
Once you have the name of an ancestor and an idea of which state he or she resided in, you may want to begin by exploring census records. Census records can provide the building blocks of your research, allowing you to both confirm information, and to learn a lot more. From 1790-1840 only the head of household is listed, but beginning with 1850, details are provided for all individuals in households. The Federal Population Census has been taken every 10 years, beginning in 1790. The National Archives has the census schedules on microfilm available from 1790 to 1930. (Note: Most of the 1890 Census was destroyed in a Department of Commerce fire, though partial records are available for some states.) There is a 72-year restriction on access to population census schedules, which is why 1930 is the latest year currently available.

Military Records
The National Archives holds Federal military service records in two repositories:
The National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., for Revolutionary War – 1912 (see details of holdings)
National Military Personnel Records Center (NPRC), in St. Louis, Missouri, for WWI – present (see details of holdings).

Your research path will depend on aspects such as: what branch of service your ancestor was in, which conflict, what dates, whether Regular Army or a volunteer unit, whether your ancestor was an officer or enlisted personnel, and whether there was a pension application.

Immigration Records
Immigration records, also known as "ship passenger arrival records," may provide genealogists with interesting personal information about their ancestors. In addition to their ship and date of entry, you may learn of other details, such as their nationality, place of birth, age, height, eye and hair color, profession, place of last residence, names and addresses of relatives in the U.S., and amount of money they were carrying with them. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has immigration records for arrivals to the United States from foreign ports between approximately 1820 and 1982. The records are arranged by Port of Arrival. Indexes are available for most of the ports, with the exception of New York between 1847-1896.

Naturalization Records
Naturalization is the process by which an alien becomes an American citizen. These records can provide a researcher with information such as a person's birth date and location, occupation, immigration year, marital status and spouse information, witnesses' names and addresses, and more. The National Archives in Washington, D.C. holds naturalization records for Federal Courts. Prior to 1906, any municipal, county, state, or Federal court could grant U.S. citizenship, so you may need to contact the relevant State Archives to search in these records as well.

Land Records
The land records that are generally of most interest to genealogists are the land entry case files. These are records that document the transfer of public lands from the U.S. Government to private ownership. There are over ten million such individual land transactions in the custody of the National Archives. These case files cover land entries in all 30 public land states. For land records in the remaining 20 states that were never part of the original public domain, check the State Archives for that particular state. This includes the original 13 colonies, plus Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and West Virginia. Read more about research in Land Records
Additional information on getting started on using all of these records can also be found in the various online tutorials and guides.

Research Records Available On Microfilm
Many of the records which are often used in genealogical research are available on microfilm. To learn more about these records and how to obtain them on microfilm, see our published guides, listed below, and search our Microfilm Catalog database, available online.

Microfilm Resources for Research: A Comprehensive Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 2001. Available for purchase, or search online.
American Indians: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1995. Available online or for purchase.
Black Studies: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1996. Available online.
Diplomatic Records: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1986. Available online or for purchase.
Genealogical & Biographical Research: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1983). Available online.
Federal Court Records: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1987. Available online.
Immigrant & Passenger Arrivals: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1991. Available online or for purchase.
Military Service Records: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1985. Available online or for purchase.

Research in Other Federal Records (Not Online Or On Microfilm) For information on other Federal records, both microfilmed and unfilmed, in the custody of NARA that are useful for genealogical research, consult the Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 3d edition, 2001. Available for purchase.

Research Tips and Solving Difficult Research Problems
If your research seems to hit a dead-end or poses a tough problem, you can often find other paths by learning how others solved their research problems. We provide a list of articles and links to online resources that may help you get beyond your research obstacles.

Source: The National Archives

Conducting A People Search

Are you looking for someone? A former classmate? Birth parent? Lost relative? An old friend? Military buddy? If so, then you're not alone. Thousands of people hit the Internet every day in search of someone. And more and more of these people are finding success with their search, using the Internet to find names, addresses, phone numbers, occupations, and other current data to locate people. However, if a person has disappeared on purpose, such as a runaway or to avoid the law, it will be nearly impossible for an amateur to find them.

Rather than type a bunch of text today, I am going to take the lazy route and point you to a free guide available through a website called Detective Choice. Just click here: People Search Guide. When you get to their home page, just enter your email address in the box on the lower left. The free guide will be sent to you automatically. It is a PDF file and offers a great summary on how to go about finding someone.

Technorati Tags: free people search, people search, background checks, online detective, internet detective

What You Can & Cannot Accomplish With The Detective Sites

Before we dive into specific search requirements, I thought I would cover what you can and cannot do with the online detective services. We checked out 5 or 6 of these Internet detective sites and they all offer pretty much the same thing. So we are going to lump them together for today's post.

What you can do:
These services are typically organized into easy to navigate sections covering the most popular types of searches. Links are organized into topics and geography to help you find as many pertinent resources as possible for the task you might have at hand. The vast majority of the free information is listed by state with thousands of links to public records. You name it and you can probably find it somewhere on these sites. Most all of this information is available through a search engine such as Google or Yahoo, but it could take you many hours to sift through all the possible searches and sites. If you value your time, these sites are probably worth their small investment. However, although these sites provide thousands of free resources, do not be misled. Most real investigative tasks cannot be accomplished for free.

What you cannot do:
Do not be fooled by services promising you free private information about other peoples current FBI, credit, banking, or other private files. This just is not available and would grossly violate privacy laws. There is just some information about you that not just anyone can obtain legally without your express permission, or without being in a legal position to have a right to know. For example, these detective sites cannot find out if there is a warrant out for your arrest, get you someone else's credit report, access someone's bank account information, get you a copy of someone's phone bill, tell you what someone does on their computer, get copies of someone else's cancelled checks, locate someone who left home yesterday, or tell you how much money someone made last year.

But there are services that can legally obtain much of this information for you. In future articles, we will cover how you can go about getting this information - if you are willing to spend a few bucks.

Not All Online Detective Sites Are Created Equal

If you read my original post below, you know that I am writing about a personal experience I had with trying to track down a cell phone number for my brother. After searching on Google (my brother's favorite) and Yahoo (my favorite) for reverse cell phone look-up services, we discovered their were many, many service claiming they could help us. So we tried to find a site that provided reviews of these phone tracing services. Previously, I listed three of the sites we found that offered reviews of these "online investigation services" -- this got us started on our journey.

After reading the reviews, we signed up for a service called Cyber Detective. This service was not very good (I see it has since been removed from these review sites). So we tried others like Net Detective, Web Detective and Detective Choice. Even though these services have thousands of links, serve a purpose, and are inexpensive ($10-$35), they were not what we were hoping to find. But ultimately they did save us some valuable time - which was probably worth the money we spent.

The best of these services was Detective Choice. They seemed to care about making the search easy for us. Still, it seemed every time we found a resource that could help us with our cell phone trace, there was an additional fee. We understand that not everyone is searching for the same thing, and lots of free data was available on their site, but it was still frustrating.

My next post will address what you CAN accomplish at these detective sites. In future posts, I will try to help my readers find what they are looking for in the fastest, lowest cost manner -- based on their investigation requirements.

Why Did I Start This Blog?

Like millions of you out there, I have always wondered about blogging. What's it all about? Why do people blog? What type of person would blog at all? I can only assume that many of you starting blogging due to a specific incident or circumstance that happened to you. A situation you felt compelled to let others know about - maybe save someone else the time and aggravation you experienced. As you can guess by now, that's what happened to me.

My brother was recently ripped-off through an eBay transaction and there seemed to be little he could do about it. He worked with the eBay fraud department but it was going no where. So we decided to take matters into our own hands. You see my brother had the cell phone number for the person who committed the fraud, but he couldn't get the police or FBI to search for the owner of the phone. So we thought we would try to hunt this person down using the Interent - our favorite tool.

The first thing we had to do was find a service that could track down cell phone numbers. This is where it got interesting -- the whole reason for this blog. I'll tell you right now that we managed to find the crook, prosecute him and he served jail time. We did it in a matter of days and even impressed the FBI. However, we discovered there are hundreds of sites out there claiming to help you with your detective work. Some great and some aweful.

We tried all the search terms we could think of: 'cell phone lookup', 'cell phone owner', 'reverse cell phone address', 'cell phone owner's address', and so on. We must of tried 20 or 30 terms. This led us to a plethora of sites claiming they could provide a service. We saw fees ranging anywhere from free to $250 to get us the information.

Over the next couple of weeks, I hope to save you readers some time, effort and money by explaining what we learned. Today, I will end by telling you that not all online detective sites are equal, some seem to be down right scams, while others provide excellent services at reasonable prices.

We did find a few review sites that got us started. (I am big on finding reviews online whether it is for an HDTV, car, movie, etc. - maybe I'll create a blog for that too) These sites led us to all sorts of other information. Three of them are:

http://www.detective-zone.com
http://www.top-peoplesearch-sites.com
http://www.onlinedetectivereview.com

In a couple of days, I will walk you through the process we went through and point out what we found to be the good and the bad.