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Nothing says "I love you" like a background check.
Actually, maybe it's more of an "I'm interested in you, but I want to make sure you're not a sociopath who's going to burn down my house, steal my car and set out on a shooting rampage across the Great Plains."
Either way, background checks are the new Google. A simple Internet search is no longer sufficient if you want to get the goods on someone, according to a new commercial push by Intelius. The company has launched TV and print ads urging a buyer-beware approach to relationships.
A recent newspaper ad showed a couple happily packing a moving box together. Under their photo appears the warning: "Get the whole story on him before it's too late." Scrawled across the cardboard box are the words, "Handles without care. 2 domestic violence convictions. 1 bankruptcy."
The folks at Intelius aren't the only ones sniffing out nefarious would-be partners. Trufina.com will verify a person's age, identity and address for free and for $9.95 will throw in a criminal check. And, of course, you have your sites that allow the burned-by-love set to warn others about potential lotharios, including DontDateHimGirl.com and WhatDoYouKnowAboutRomeo.com.
Taking the test
Curious, I decided to do a background check on myself. It's an easy process: Just go to www.intelius.com and type in the name and address of the suspicious party.
Pony up $49.95 on a major credit card, and within a few minutes a report pops up with address history, single-state criminal check, single-state civil judgments, property report, personal public records data, relatives and associates report, area sex offender check and a people search report.
If I'm any indication, the thing is only mostly accurate. Sure, it lists every address I've ever had, including the summer I lived with my aunt during an unpaid internship. But it also says I'm related to a Michael Stevens, which, as far as I know, I'm not.
Beyond that, my report seemed pretty dull -- understandable, given that I haven't spent much time writing bad checks or holding up White Castles. But just as I started patting myself on the back for my lack of felony convictions, I came across this line:
"We searched Heidi K Stevens nationwide and found 1 criminal record."
Did that jaywalking infraction in Tempe finally catch up with me? Had my identity been stolen? I had to know. So for an extra $29.95 I retrieved my nationwide criminal record.
Turns out a Heidi K. Stevens from Milwaukie, Ore., was arrested in 1989 for exceeding maximum speed.
Ah, a walk on the wild side.
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