Is TruthFinder Legit or a Scam? Honest 2026 Review

What is TruthFinder?

TruthFinder is an online, subscription-based background check service in the United States. It offers to compile reports on a person of interest using information from public records and other sources.

The most comprehensive are people search reports, which can include information such as name, known aliases, contact information, relatives, and even criminal history. Some reports can even include financial history, gun permits, and drug test records.

In addition, TruthFinder offers various people search tools and query-based reports. Their reverse phone lookup tool lets you find out who a phone number belongs to and generate a report on them, including location history and social media profiles.

Similarly, the reverse email lookup tool will find who the email address is associated with and run a basic background check on them. Additionally, TruthFinder provides an easy-to-use public records search engine to find out more about someone.

It should be noted that information obtained from background check services, such as TruthFinder, cannot be used to screen job applicants or potential tenants. Doing so would violate the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), as this information is aggregated from public records rather than from an official FCRA-compliant reporting agency.

Instead, TruthFinder is mostly used by people searching for long-lost relatives or childhood friends. Additionally, it helps ensure personal safety in online dating by allowing you to run a background check on a date before meeting them in person.

People also use it for personal research on others in their lives, such as their neighbors. You can also look up yourself in TruthFinder just to find out what personal details about you are publicly available.

Is TruthFinder Legit or a Scam?

TruthFinder is a legitimate people search website providing background check services. It is not a scam that aims to cheat you out of your money without providing anything.

Having said that, there are some concerns one should consider before using TruthFinder. In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined TruthFinder and another background check services provider $5.8 million for practices that, to many, might seem to be borderline scams.

These include aggressive marketing with bold claims of data accuracy, without any attempt to verify it. Other misleading claims said the person in the report had a criminal record, when it was only a traffic violation.

Furthermore, TruthFinder is said to have added deceptive "Remove" and "Flag as Inaccurate" buttons that did not lead to complete removal or investigations by the company.

Finally, TruthFinder is said to have violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act by advertising its services as meant for tenant lookup and job screening without being FCRA-compliant.

While TruthFinder now appears to have refrained from such advertising tactics, past misdeeds and data accuracy controversies still cast a shadow on the company's reputation.

How TruthFinder Works

Truthfinder collects data from multiple sources and, by matching certain data points, compiles information about the same person into reports that you can order.

Most of the information comes from various publicly accessible sources maintained by government agencies. Data found in these public databases includes court and criminal records, information about licences and certificates, such as birth and marriage, and housing and property records.

In addition to government records, TruthFinder also uses other online sources, such as social media profiles. Furthermore, depending on record availability, they may enlist the services of data brokers.

There are limits to the information TruthFinder can access. They cannot see financial accounts information, medical records, credit reports, tax records, or immigration files. In other words, data that is private, restricted, and requires special grounds to access is not legally accessible to TruthFinder.

Is TruthFinder Safe to Use?

Considering the safety of using TruthFinder, there are different areas to address. First, the website itself seems reasonably secure. It uses SSL/TLS encryption, so the data entered on the website is encrypted.

Secondly, they do not store your credit card data in their own databases. Instead, payment details are encrypted, and payments are processed by companies that comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, such as Visa and Mastercard.

However, TruthFinder accounts appear to be password-protected only. There is no information on the two-factor authentication option. Thus, your account and profile data are protected with only very basic measures.

Most importantly, if you are using TruthFinder, they collect data about you, including name, email, subscription history, search history, and IP address. This data may be included in reports about you or sold to third parties.

To hide your IP address, it is advisable to use a VPN on TruthFinder. It will enhance your privacy and prevent them from using your IP address to gather additional information about you.

TruthFinder Accuracy: What to Expect

Data accuracy complaints are among the most common issues users have with TruthFinder. Since the company mostly compiles data from public records, reports are often outdated or incomplete.

People often change their life circumstances, and public records are not updated at the same pace. Additionally, they only hold certain information that the law allows and requires government agencies to have. A lot of information never reaches these records.

For example, an arrest might show up in the report without providing context. It may be that the arrest led to no charges or convictions.

Other major accuracy complaints include getting a report of a completely different person with the same or a similar name. People are also especially concerned with reports falsely claiming that someone has a criminal history.

These inaccuracies stem from the fact that TruthFinder does not perform actual identity verification. Instead, they use probabilistic matching of data points from various public databases.

Additionally, some data from criminal records is not properly linked. Thus, an arrest may show up in the report, leaving out important information, such as that the charges were dropped or never even pressed.

TruthFinder data is more reliable when someone has a unique or uncommon name. Also, in cases when their life history is relatively stable. You can also have more trust in property ownership information, since it is usually well-documented.

Generally, the information that is simple and recent is more trustworthy. Thus, you can trust their reverse phone and email lookup tools more than a report claiming to have pulled data from criminal records in multiple states or counties.

TruthFinder Pricing and Subscription Model

TruthFinder is subscription-based and provides no option for ordering a single report. It offers plans based on report types. People Search and Reverse Email Lookup subscriptions cost almost the same, just below $30. Reverse Phone Lookup is significantly cheaper and is currently priced at $4.99.

Subscription renews automatically until you cancel the service. This has been another cause of complaints by users. Some found cancellation confusing and difficult, which led to being billed even after thinking that the service was cancelled.

Note that you have to cancel before your billing date. Otherwise, you will still be charged for the month. If you subscribed via Google Play or Apple Store, you must cancel via the store subscription settings.

Be sure to keep proof of cancellation, such as an email or reference number, in case you need to dispute charges later.

Privacy and Legal Considerations

TruthFinder collects data from public records, relying on U.S. public-records laws. Its practices are legal but controversial.

TruthFinder does not need the person's consent to provide background check services based on public records. Additionally, the company collects and may resell data on its users, such as activity on the platform.

You can opt out of your data being collected by TruthFinder. For this, you need to find your profile on TruthFinder first. Then, submit a request to delete the data through their removal form. You will need to verify your identity, usually via e-mail.

The opt-out request should be processed within a few days. Note that removing your data from TruthFinder does not mean that it cannot be ingested later. You may want to periodically repeat the process.

Additionally, your data remains in original sources – not only public records, but data broker databases as well. You need to opt out with each broker separately.

Pros and Cons of TruthFinder

The main advantages of using TruthFinder include broad public records coverage. Due to this, some reports are quite comprehensive, although it depends on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, users find the interface easy to use and convenient.

Aside from the aforementioned privacy concerns associated with such background check services, TruthFinder's major drawbacks include the subscription-only model. Even if you only need to find information about one person with no intention of repeated use, you have to pay for the whole month.

Inadequate report accuracy also turns people away from the service. As TruthFinder is explicitly not a consumer reporting agency, it avoids the stricter FCRA accuracy requirements.

TruthFinder Alternatives

Alternative services to TruthFinder include BeenVerified. Its offerings are very similar to TruthFinders, including a subscription model, people search, and contact lookups. However, it also includes vehicle search, ancestry research, and fraud scan.

Another alternative, Spokeo, positions itself as a more affordable tool for basic lookup. Additionally, it also explicitly markets itself as a tool for businesses, for example, to improve messaging or find ways to contact certain people.

Intelius, another competitor, is one of the oldest active providers of public records search and aggregation. It is slightly more affordable than TruthFinder, but is also said to provide less comprehensive results.

Final Verdict: Is TruthFinder Worth It?

Whether using TruthFinder can be a good option depends on the use case. If you are interested in what personal details such services can find about you, and don't mind paying a monthly subscription, you may try it out.

It might be a viable option if you want to run a background check of a potential date before meeting in person. It is advisable, however, not to rely too heavily on the findings. Instead, see if other sources can confirm them or provide more context.

TruthFinder might also be useful to find contact details for a friend or a relative you have lost contact with, or to run a quick background check on new people in your life. Of course, in doing so, you should always keep in mind the aforementioned accuracy limitations.

You should definitely not use TruthFinder for checking tenants, job applicants, or for credit evaluation. TruthFinder does not provide actual identity verification services, legally required for such purposes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is TruthFinder a scam?

No, TruthFinder is a legitimate people search and background check service. It is, however, criticized for data inaccuracy and questionable marketing tactics.

Is TruthFinder free?

No, it is a subscription-based paid service offering different membership plans.

Is TruthFinder legal to use?

Yes, for personal use. It is illegal to use TruthFinder for employment, credit, insurance, or tenant screening.

Does TruthFinder notify the person you search?

No, TruthFinder does not send any messages or alerts to notify the person you search for or order a report on.