Are you suspicious of the new neighbors that have moved in right across the street from your house? Or have been getting off vibes from your neighbors after you moved into the new apartment? Either way, you wished there was a way you could get to know a tad bit about them and their background history.
Let’s say you are trying to get in contact with someone you lost touch with, could be your childhood best friend from whom you were separated when either of you moved miles away from each other, could be your old colleague or some old neighbors.
Whoever it is you are desperately searching for, you have failed ultimately to find them.
As the famous Margo Roth said in Paper Towns by John Green “You have to get lost to get found.” right?
Back to the whole finding for someone scenario, but this time lets add a bit to it. Further, let’s say, you only remember their name and address. Or just their email like the old days or could be that you were able to recall only their old phone number and name.
Whatever pieces of the puzzle you gathered of them could add up and help you find the person through SPOKEO.
By now you are wondering, uhh right but what is SPOKEO? Sounds funny.
Perhaps you have heard of it and you know what it is used for and how exactly it is used.
But in case if you haven’t then you have come to the right place…but just saying though have you been living in a cave? Anyways yes, it may sound funny but it is what you need to find the person you are searching for this whole time.
In very simple words, you search Spokeo.com on your search engine.
Next, you type the name, address, phone number, or email. Finally, it searches up the name you have provided and gives you the results.
So with just a simple quick search of a name, the screen shows the family members, religion, income, addresses where they’ve lived previously, the current address and a zoomed out location of the house via Google maps, pictures, and videos, and social media profiles are among many other things Spokeo displays on your screen.
And this is how easy it has become to find the person you are looking for.
Let’s get into a bit more detail about SPOKEO.
What is Spokeo?
Spokeo is a website that aggregates all your online and offline personal data and provides it to anyone who searches for you. It gets the data from a multitude of resources like public data, such as white page listings, public records, mailing lists, and social networks to create profiles of people.
Editing the information on the profiles is not a feature that SPOKEO offers yet.
Some information may be inaccurate or outdated but the SPOKEO team grooms all the data from time to time to keep all the information up to date and most relevant.
Users can find information on their loved ones, information on someone who is harassing you in real life or online, information on scammers, or identity thieves.
In short, it is a people search website.
Membership of Spokeo
Certain searches are free like basic age, gender, relatives, and location.
However to access more information Spokeo has different types of memberships according to the price you are willing to pay.
Each membership yields various amounts of information for the personal profile.
Standard membership
With a standard membership, the users can only search for people by their name, phone number, email, or address.
The profiles of standard membership consist of the person’s age, education level, relatives, marital status, previous and current addresses, and contact information (email and phone number).
This costs only 95 cents if you opt for a free seven-day trial membership but for a one-time purchase, it will cost you $1.95.
After the trial, if you don’t cancel, it bills you $24.95 per month.
Other memberships
SPOKEO also offers other deals:
$14.95 for a three-month membership
$24.05 for a one-month membership
Additional charges are applied for a full background check that includes court and historical records.
Is Spokeo Safe?
Yes, SPOKEO is safe. It is a safe way to learn and gather information about a person.
SPOKEO does not grant access to private call logs, messages or email account, private profiles, and private blogs.
It does keep your personal data and payment details secure.
Are Spokeo Searches confidential?
Yes, all the searches that have been processed by SPOKEO are fully confidential and private. The person you are searching for is not notified of any activity.
SPOKEO does offer a Search History feature on the dashboard that allows you to review your previous searches and to keep a check on them, every now and then.
If you have an account then you can view the history and disable it any time you want.
How can Spokeo be used for business?
SPOKEO can be a very helpful tool for businesses.
It can be used for identity verification, fraud prevention, and debt collection.
IDENTITY VERIFICATION
SPOKEO for business can be used for a wide identity verification service like validation for healthcare and homeowner claims, travel and insurance purchases, real estate inquiries, car dealer marketing, and more.
FRAUD PREVENTION
SPOKEO for business can be used where identity is in question; search a person and match their name with the other personal data provided to verify their identity and to do a safe background check on them before hiring them.
DEBT COLLECTIONS
Spokeo for Business is a great tool for debt collection as business users can search by name and/or outdated contact information in order to access more recent contact information for those they are looking to get in touch with
How do I remove my information?
If you want to opt-out of SPOKEO and want your information gone for any personal and security reasons, then fortunately you are given the option. Just follow these few simple steps and your profile will be removed.
Locate the listing and right-click on the exact report you wish to remove.
Get the reports “URL” by selecting “Copy link address” from the drop-down menu
Next, direct yourself to SPOKEOs Opt-Out Page.
Then, right-click on the box that says “Enter URL here” and press “Paste”
You will be asked to provide your email for verification purposes
After this, select “I’m not a robot” and complete the CAPTCHA challenge
Lastly, check your inbox for the confirmation email and click on the link at the bottom of the mail
To Sum Up
SPOKEO may be free and easy to use to find public information, but that does not mean it is not criticized because of the potential danger that can be caused by it as all of the personal information easily accessible to anyone who searches for it.
The personal data can be exploited, used for identify theft, stalking, and can be misused.
So everyone has their reasons to be in favor of SPOKEO or not because of privacy and security reasons and aren’t in favor of it and this way most will choose the opt-out option.
In other cases, SPOKEO has helped in reuniting loved ones, exposing harassers, potential threats, and has given thorough background checks on employees and on family additions.
The person you are looking for is literally a few taps away on your browser through SPOKEO.