There are many online detective sites which promise to give you access to anyone's personal information. There is a fee.

I know that many things are a matter of public record. You do have to go to the court house and pay a nominal fee to view files.

Has anyone ever used one of this investigating sites to check out a babysitter or to view a person's criminal history? Can you really see someone's driving record or divorce settlement?

What do you think of these type of sites? Are these sites bogus or do they really give you online access to personal files?

At one time I used such a site because my job was to catch people who had "run" from their creditors. Some things are really free to access because they are a matter of public record. It comes down to "how to go about acessing the records" that is where the pay site comes in. They take care of the red tape for you if there is any. Be careful, some of those sites don't really do well, because the information you get is really outdated. But if it is a criminal backgroud check you are after, they can usually be helpful.

Thanks for the info.

What site would you recommend?

clarebear,
Speaking from a law enforcement standpoint, these online services aren't going to give you the best results. In most cases when a defendant is found not guilty and the case is dismissed... there is no indication of that on their record. They could have very well been guilty, but had a great attorney or whatever. Crimes committed when the person was under 18 won't be on these records either. Finally, many types of crimes can be erased from records with the approval of certain people. Not only are these online results unreliable, they can put you in danger if you hire based on them. Anyone in a position to need a criminal record should try and get the person's signed consent and go through a police department. Public records searches at local facilities are also great.

I can't recommend any one site, but if there are any out there that let you do free searches and see criteria to make sure it's the person you're looking for before you pay, would be better than others.

Hope this helps!