Intelius Reports: What You Actually Get and Whether It's Worth It

What Are Intelius Reports?

Intelius is one of the longest-running online background check services, operating since . The platform aggregates publicly available data from government databases, court records, financial institutions, and social media to create comprehensive background reports on individuals.

When you run a search on Intelius, you're accessing a compiled report that may include criminal records, address history, phone numbers, relatives, education history, property ownership information, bankruptcies, liens, and more. The service is designed for personal use-reconnecting with lost relatives, vetting online dates, or learning more about new neighbors.

One critical distinction: Intelius is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). This means you legally cannot use Intelius reports for employment screening, tenant evaluation, or any decisions that require FCRA compliance. If you need reports for hiring or rental decisions, you'll need a different service entirely.

The platform now operates under PeopleConnect, Inc., a company that also owns several other people search websites including TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, and US Search. This network allows them to cross-reference data across multiple databases, though it also means that opting out of one service may require separate actions across the entire network.

What's Actually Included in an Intelius Report?

Intelius offers several report types, each with different depths of information:

• People Search: Basic information including full name, location history, family members, and education history
• People Search Plus: Adds social network profiles and email addresses
• Criminal & Traffic Record Search: Statewide or nationwide criminal background data
• Full Background Check: The most comprehensive option, combining criminal records, financial information, property records, and contact details

The Intelius Connections feature lets you explore relationships beyond someone's immediate circle-useful for understanding how people in your life are connected to others. Address lookup reports can reveal property values, eviction history, and information about current and previous property owners.

That said, report accuracy varies. Criminal records and court data depend heavily on how frequently each jurisdiction updates their records. Some users report missing information or outdated details, particularly for mobile phone numbers and recently reassigned contact information.

Intelius claims access to over 20 billion public records, drawing from federal, state, and county databases. However, the sheer volume of data doesn't guarantee accuracy. Since Intelius pulls information from various sources and compiles it automatically, mismatches and incorrect associations can occur-especially for people with common names.

How Intelius Searches Work: The Technical Process

When you initiate a search on Intelius, the platform doesn't show you pricing upfront. Instead, you enter the person's name and location, then wait while the service claims to scan millions of records. This process typically takes five to ten minutes, during which Intelius may ask clarifying questions about the person's age, relatives, or previous addresses to narrow results.

The search interface presents multiple potential matches, requiring you to manually identify the correct individual. This can be challenging when dealing with common names, as you might see dozens of possible results spanning different states and age ranges.

Only after completing this search process does Intelius reveal the subscription options and pricing. This approach has drawn criticism from users who feel the pricing structure should be transparent from the start. Some describe it as a deliberate strategy to increase commitment after investing time in the search process.

The actual report generation happens in stages. Basic information appears first, followed by deeper data layers that may include criminal records, property ownership, and financial judgments. Some sections of reports may show as "unavailable" or "no records found," which doesn't necessarily mean the information doesn't exist-it might simply be inaccessible through Intelius's data sources.

Intelius Pricing: What You'll Actually Pay

Intelius doesn't make pricing obvious upfront-you'll need to run a search before seeing subscription options. Here's what current pricing looks like:

• People Search Membership: Approximately $25.11/month for monthly billing, or around $21.35/month when billed bi-monthly ($42.70 total)
• Reverse Phone Lookup + People Search: After trial, typically $35.30/month with unlimited phone, person, and address reports
• Address Lookup + People Search: Around $29.78/month for unlimited searches based on addresses
• One-time Criminal Record Check: $14.95 (statewide) or $29.95 (nationwide)
• Trial Offers: $0.95 for 5-7 days on certain plans-but these auto-convert to full subscriptions
• Identity Protection Add-on: Available at $9.95-$19.95/month for additional fraud monitoring

A word of caution about trials: Many users report being surprised by automatic subscription renewals after their trial period ends. The upgrade price is often buried in fine print, so if you're testing the service, set a calendar reminder to cancel before the trial expires.

The platform has received an A rating from the Better Business Bureau and is recognized by the Internet Society Online Trust Alliance. However, billing-related complaints remain the most common issue in customer reviews.

Unlike some competitors that offer one-time report purchases, Intelius primarily operates on a subscription model. This means you're committing to ongoing charges unless you actively cancel. The bi-monthly billing option offers the best value at approximately 15% savings compared to monthly billing, but it also requires a larger upfront payment.

Common Complaints About Intelius Reports

Before committing to any background check service, it's worth understanding what actual users experience. Here are the recurring themes from Intelius reviews:

Subscription and Billing Issues

The most frequent complaint involves automatic renewals and cancellation difficulties. Users report unexpected charges, duplicate billing, and challenges navigating the cancellation process through the website. Some reviews mention a $7.95 cancellation fee, though this varies.

Multiple users on Reddit and consumer review sites describe trying to cancel during the trial period, only to discover they were still charged the full monthly fee. Others report being enrolled in multiple subscription plans simultaneously without realizing it-for example, being charged for both a People Search membership and an Identity Protection service when they only intended to purchase one.

The Better Business Bureau shows patterns of complaints where users claim they canceled through the website's account settings, received confirmation, but continued to see charges on their credit card statements. While Intelius customer service typically resolves these issues with refunds, the process requires persistent follow-up.

Data Accuracy Concerns

Since Intelius aggregates data from public sources, accuracy depends on how current those sources are. Users searching for people with common names often see multiple potential matches that require manual sorting. Mobile phone numbers and recently changed information tend to be less reliable than landlines and long-established records.

One consumer watchdog review found that Intelius reports sometimes include outdated information that's five to ten years old, particularly for address histories and phone numbers. Criminal records may appear incomplete, showing some arrests or convictions while missing others from different jurisdictions.

Several users note that information easily found on LinkedIn-such as current employment and education credentials-doesn't appear in Intelius reports, suggesting the platform doesn't effectively scrape or integrate social media data despite claiming to do so.

Missing Information

Several reviews mention reports with gaps-missing court records, incomplete address histories, or outdated contact information. Since the platform relaunch, some users have noted concerns about report quality.

Reports may show sections marked as "no records found" for categories like marriage licenses, property ownership, or professional licenses-even when these records exist in public databases. This suggests Intelius doesn't access all available public information sources, despite its claims of comprehensive coverage.

Privacy Removal Challenges

Some users frustrated with having their own information on Intelius report difficulties with the opt-out process. While the platform offers a suppression tool for removing your data, the process doesn't always work smoothly on the first attempt.

The opt-out requires verification through email, providing detailed personal information (including date of birth and full name variations), and waiting 48-72 hours for processing. Even after successful removal, users report their information reappearing weeks or months later as Intelius refreshes its databases, requiring repeated opt-out requests.

Comparing Intelius to Major Competitors

Understanding how Intelius stacks up against similar services helps determine whether it offers genuine value:

Intelius vs. BeenVerified

BeenVerified offers a simpler pricing structure with a single membership plan at approximately $26.89/month for unlimited reports. Unlike Intelius's multiple subscription tiers, BeenVerified provides access to all features under one plan.

A private investigator who tested both services found BeenVerified's interface more user-friendly and its explanations more transparent when information couldn't be found. BeenVerified also offers report tracking features that notify you when information changes-something Intelius lacks without purchasing the separate Identity Protection add-on.

However, BeenVerified requires payment before showing any report preview, whereas Intelius at least allows you to see basic information before committing. For users who want to verify they've found the right person before paying, Intelius has a slight edge.

Intelius vs. Spokeo

Spokeo markets itself as a more affordable option at around $14/month, but this base price is misleading. Full access to features like criminal background checks and unlimited searches requires purchasing add-ons that bring the total cost closer to Intelius pricing.

Spokeo's database appears less comprehensive than Intelius for certain data types, particularly court records and property information. However, Spokeo may perform better for social media profile discovery and email address searches.

Intelius vs. Instant Checkmate

Instant Checkmate, which is actually owned by the same parent company as Intelius (PeopleConnect), offers similar services with slightly different branding and interface design. The data sources are largely identical, though pricing and packaging differ slightly.

Some users report Instant Checkmate's reports are easier to read with better organization, while others find the information content virtually identical. If you're comparison shopping, checking both sites might reveal promotional pricing differences.

Intelius vs. TruthFinder

TruthFinder, another PeopleConnect property, positions itself as the premium option with the most detailed reports. It includes additional data sources like dark web monitoring (for exposed credentials) and social media deep dives.

However, TruthFinder typically costs more than Intelius-around $28-30/month-and some independent testers found the "additional" information was often redundant or less useful than advertised.

When Intelius Makes Sense (And When It Doesn't)

Intelius can be useful for:

• Reconnecting with distant family members or old friends
• Vetting people you've met through online dating
• Learning more about new neighbors
• Identifying unknown callers through reverse phone lookup
• Researching property ownership information
• Verifying someone's background before entering a business partnership (informal purposes only)
• Finding relatives of someone who has passed away
• Investigating genealogy and family trees

Intelius is not appropriate for:

• Pre-employment screening (FCRA violation)
• Tenant background checks (FCRA violation)
• Credit decisions or insurance underwriting
• Any business purpose requiring legal compliance
• Situations where absolute accuracy is critical
• When you need real-time or guaranteed current information

For B2B professionals who need to verify contacts, research prospects, or validate business information, there are often better alternatives that don't require monthly subscriptions.

Real estate professionals sometimes use Intelius for property research, but dedicated real estate databases provide more reliable and current ownership information. Private investigators note that professional-grade databases accessed through licensed services offer significantly better data quality than consumer-facing platforms like Intelius.

How to Cancel Your Intelius Subscription

If you've signed up for Intelius and want to cancel, here's the process:

Method 1: Through Your Online Account

Log into your Intelius account and hover over "My Account" in the top right corner. Navigate to "Membership Settings" and look for "Active Subscriptions." Click "Cancel Subscription" under the relevant membership. You may be asked to provide a reason for canceling-this is optional, but providing feedback can sometimes trigger retention offers if you're canceling due to price concerns.

Important: Save your cancellation confirmation email. Several users report continued charges despite online cancellation, making this documentation crucial if you need to dispute charges with your credit card company.

Method 2: Contact Customer Service

Call Intelius customer support at (888) 245- (available Monday-Friday, 7 AM - 4 PM Pacific Time) or email [email protected]. When calling, be prepared for potential retention attempts where representatives may offer discounted rates to keep your subscription active.

Document your cancellation request with the date, time, and name of the representative you spoke with. If canceling by email, request a confirmation response and keep the email thread.

What Happens After Cancellation

After canceling, you typically retain access to your account features until the end of your current billing period. For example, if you cancel on day 10 of a monthly subscription, you'll have access through day 30.

Your subscription should not renew, but monitor your credit card statements for the next two billing cycles to ensure charges stop. If you continue seeing charges, contact your credit card company to dispute them and potentially block future charges from Intelius.

How to Remove Your Personal Information from Intelius

Beyond canceling a subscription, you may want to remove your own information from appearing in Intelius search results:

The Opt-Out Process

Visit the Intelius website and scroll to the bottom of the homepage. Click on "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" (or "Exercise My Data Privacy Rights"). In the window that appears, expand "View Public Data Tools" and click "Manage My Suppression Rules."

You'll be directed to the PeopleConnect Suppression Center. Enter your email address and agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Click "Continue" and check your email for a verification link. Important: This verification link expires after 15 minutes, so complete the process promptly.

After verifying your email, you'll need to provide your date of birth and full legal name (including all variations and middle names you've used). The system will search for matching records. Select all records that belong to you and indicate your desired action: "Suppressed" (hidden from search results).

Timeline and Effectiveness

Intelius states that opt-out requests are processed within 72 hours, though users report it sometimes takes up to a week for information to fully disappear from search results. Clear your browser cache before checking whether your information has been removed.

Be aware that opting out of Intelius through PeopleConnect also removes your information from related sites including TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate, and US Search. However, you may need to opt out of other data brokers separately.

Your information may reappear on Intelius after several months as they update their databases with fresh public records. Privacy experts recommend rechecking every 3-6 months and resubmitting opt-out requests if necessary.

Free and Alternative Approaches to Background Information

If you're primarily interested in verifying contact information for business purposes-like confirming a prospect's email is valid before sending outreach-you don't need a full background check service.

Our free Background Checker tool provides trust scores and comprehensive background reports without the subscription commitment. It's particularly useful for sales professionals and recruiters who need to verify someone's identity or professional background quickly.

For other B2B verification needs, consider these targeted approaches:

• Email Verification: Before reaching out to any prospect, use our Email Verifier to confirm whether an address is valid, risky, or invalid. This prevents bounces and protects your sender reputation.
• Contact Discovery: If you have a name and company but need contact details, our Mobile Number Finder can locate cell phone numbers from email addresses or LinkedIn profiles-often more useful for B2B outreach than traditional people search databases.
• Email Finding: Use our Email Finder to discover someone's work email address using just their name and company domain-perfect for B2B prospecting and recruitment outreach.
• Technology Research: If you're targeting companies based on their tech stack, our Tech Stack Scraper reveals which technologies websites use, helping you identify qualified prospects.

The advantage of these specialized tools is that they're built for business use cases. You get the specific information you need without paying for data that doesn't apply to your situation.

Free Public Records Alternatives

Many types of information available through Intelius can be accessed for free through official government websites, though it requires more effort:

Court Records: Most county and state court systems offer online case searches through their official websites. PACER provides federal court records for a small per-page fee.

Property Records: County assessor and recorder offices typically maintain online databases of property ownership, sales history, and assessed values.

Professional Licenses: State licensing boards for doctors, lawyers, contractors, real estate agents, and other professionals maintain searchable databases.

Business Registrations: State Secretary of State offices provide business entity searches showing corporate registrations, officers, and agents.

Voter Registration: Some states allow limited searches of voter registration records, typically confirming whether someone is registered and their party affiliation.

While these official sources are more reliable than aggregated databases like Intelius, they require searching multiple websites and understanding each system's interface. For occasional searches, this approach makes sense. For regular research needs, a consolidated tool becomes more efficient.

How to Run a Background Check Responsibly

Whether you use Intelius or an alternative, here are best practices for conducting background research:

1. Know Your Legal Boundaries

If you're making decisions about employment, housing, or credit, you must use an FCRA-compliant service. Consumer reporting agencies have specific disclosure and consent requirements that services like Intelius don't meet.

Under the FCRA, employers must provide written disclosure to applicants before obtaining background reports and receive written authorization. Tenant screening requires similar disclosures. Using non-compliant services like Intelius for these purposes can result in lawsuits and significant penalties.

Even for personal use, consider the ethical implications of your research. Just because information is legally accessible doesn't mean every use is appropriate or respectful of privacy.

2. Verify Information From Multiple Sources

No single database has complete information. Cross-reference important details using multiple tools or direct verification when accuracy matters.

If an Intelius report shows a criminal record, verify it through the actual court system before taking any action based on that information. Mistaken identity, incomplete records, and outdated information are common problems across all background check services.

For employment or relationship decisions with significant consequences, consider hiring a licensed private investigator who can access professional-grade databases and verify findings through traditional investigative methods.

3. Document Your Purpose

Keep records of why you're running searches, especially in business contexts. This protects you if questions arise later about how information was obtained or used.

If you're researching potential business partners, document that you're conducting due diligence rather than employment screening. If investigating suspected fraud or theft, document the circumstances that justified the search.

4. Respect Privacy

Just because information is publicly available doesn't mean every use is appropriate. Consider whether your search serves a legitimate purpose before proceeding.

Stalking, harassment, and identity theft are illegal regardless of how you obtained the information. Background check services are intended for legitimate purposes like safety verification, reconnecting with lost contacts, and due diligence-not for monitoring ex-partners, tracking people without their knowledge, or satisfying curiosity about neighbors.

5. Watch Your Billing

If you do use a subscription service like Intelius, use a payment method you can easily monitor, set reminders for trial expirations, and document your cancellation if you decide to stop.

Consider using a virtual credit card number (offered by many credit card companies) that you can easily disable if you have trouble canceling. This prevents unauthorized charges from continuing indefinitely while you resolve billing disputes.

What Private Investigators Say About Intelius

Licensed private investigators have access to professional databases that far exceed consumer services like Intelius. Their perspective on consumer background check services reveals important limitations:

One investigator who tested Intelius, Spokeo, and BeenVerified noted that these services typically capture only 60-70% of available public records. Professional databases include more complete criminal records, bankruptcy filings, and asset information.

The investigator found that all three services struggled with:

• Recent criminal charges (within the past 6-12 months)
• Records from smaller jurisdictions that update databases infrequently
• Sealed or expunged records (which shouldn't be reported anyway)
• Federal criminal records
• Out-of-state traffic violations
• Civil judgments from courts that don't digitize records

Interestingly, the investigator also noted that individuals can opt out of these services-and many people with extensive criminal histories have done exactly that. In testing, one known criminal with multiple convictions had successfully removed himself from BeenVerified entirely, showing as "no records found."

This reveals a fundamental limitation: People most interested in hiding their backgrounds are also most likely to have opted out of consumer search services. For safety-critical decisions, relying solely on these platforms provides false security.

Intelius for B2B Professionals: Practical Use Cases

While Intelius isn't designed for formal employment screening, B2B professionals find various legitimate uses:

Sales and Business Development

Sales professionals sometimes use Intelius to research prospects before cold outreach, looking for conversation starters, mutual connections, or background information that helps personalize pitches. However, dedicated B2B prospecting tools often provide more relevant business intelligence.

For example, knowing someone's approximate age and family members (typical Intelius data) rarely helps with B2B sales. Knowing their company's tech stack, recent funding, or hiring patterns (available through specialized tools) provides much more actionable intelligence.

Partnership Due Diligence

Before entering informal business partnerships, consultants and entrepreneurs sometimes use services like Intelius to verify that potential partners haven't misrepresented their backgrounds. However, this provides only basic verification.

For significant business deals, professional due diligence-including credit reports, litigation searches, and reference checks-is essential. Intelius can supplement but shouldn't replace proper due diligence processes.

Recruitment and Talent Sourcing

Recruiters occasionally use Intelius to locate contact information for passive candidates or verify information on resumes. However, LinkedIn and dedicated recruiting tools typically provide better results for these purposes.

Our Email Finder helps recruiters discover professional email addresses without requiring a full background check subscription, making it more cost-effective for regular recruiting work.

Fraud Prevention

Small businesses facing potential fraud-such as suspicious vendor requests or suspected identity theft by employees-sometimes turn to services like Intelius for quick preliminary checks.

While this can reveal obvious red flags, businesses facing actual fraud should engage legal counsel and professional investigators rather than relying on consumer-grade background checks.

The Future of Public Records and Privacy

The background check industry exists in tension with growing privacy concerns and regulations. Several trends are reshaping how services like Intelius operate:

States are increasingly passing data privacy laws that give residents rights to request deletion of their information from data broker databases. California's CCPA, Virginia's CDPA, and similar laws in other states create enforceable opt-out rights.

Some jurisdictions are restricting the publication of certain public records online, particularly arrest records, addresses of specific professionals (like judges and law enforcement), and information about minors.

The European Union's GDPR includes "right to be forgotten" provisions that don't exist in U.S. law but influence global privacy standards. Some U.S. states are considering similar frameworks.

These regulatory changes create uncertainty about the long-term viability of the current background check business model, where aggregators compile and resell public information without compensation to the individuals described.

Making the Right Choice for Your Needs

Intelius serves a specific niche: personal background research with comprehensive public records access. If you need to investigate someone's full background for personal reasons and don't mind the subscription model, it's a legitimate option with a long track record.

However, for B2B professionals focused on contact verification, lead qualification, or prospect research, purpose-built tools often deliver better value. You get the exact information you need-verified emails, phone numbers, background trust scores-without paying for features designed for personal use cases.

Start with our free Background Checker to see what information is available on any individual, then decide whether you need additional depth from a service like Intelius. Often, you'll find that targeted verification tools give you everything you need for business purposes at a fraction of the cost.

The key is matching your tool to your actual use case. Background checks for personal peace of mind require different capabilities than B2B contact verification. Choose accordingly, and you'll get better results while spending less.

For sales professionals, recruiters, and marketers who need regular contact verification and discovery, consider exploring Galadon's suite of B2B tools. Our platform provides email verification, contact finding, and background checking specifically designed for business use-with transparent pricing and no surprise subscription renewals.

Frequently Asked Questions About Intelius

Is Intelius accurate?

Intelius is generally as accurate as the public records it sources from. Since it pulls information from government databases, court records, and other public sources, accuracy depends on how current and complete those sources are. Users report mixed experiences, with some finding information accurate and others discovering outdated or incomplete data. Information is typically most accurate for landline numbers, long-term addresses, and older court records, while mobile numbers and recent changes may be less reliable.

Can Intelius be used for employment screening?

No. Intelius explicitly states it is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA and cannot legally be used for employment screening, tenant evaluation, or credit decisions. Using Intelius for these purposes violates federal law and could expose you to significant legal liability. Employers must use FCRA-compliant background check services that follow specific disclosure and consent requirements.

Does Intelius notify the person you searched?

No. Intelius does not notify people when someone searches for them. Your searches are private, and the subject of your search will not know you looked them up. However, this also means you have no way to know when someone searches for your information on Intelius.

How long does Intelius take to generate a report?

The initial search process takes approximately 5-10 minutes as Intelius scans its databases. After payment, the full report is usually available immediately. However, some specialized searches (like nationwide criminal records) may take longer if they require contacting individual jurisdictions.

Can I get a refund from Intelius?

Intelius's refund policy varies depending on your situation and how long you've had the subscription. Many users report success obtaining refunds when they cancel shortly after signing up or when unexpected charges occur. Contact customer service at (888) 245- to request a refund. Having documentation of your cancellation attempt or billing issue strengthens your case.

How do I stop Intelius charges on my credit card?

First, cancel your subscription through your Intelius account settings or by calling customer service. If charges continue after cancellation, contact your credit card company to dispute the charges and request they block future charges from Intelius. Document all your cancellation attempts in case you need to provide evidence to your credit card company.

Is Intelius worth the money?

Whether Intelius is worth the cost depends on your specific needs. For occasional personal background checks, the subscription model may not offer good value-you might pay $25-35/month but only run one or two searches. For someone who needs to search multiple people regularly, unlimited searches can provide better value than individual report purchases. However, for most B2B professionals, specialized business tools provide better ROI than consumer background check services.