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Expert Private Investigator Shares Tips On Finding People's Deep Secrets

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – When you are looking to hire someone or even date someone, it is common sense to look into their background. But where you do you start? An expert private investigator is sharing his secrets to finding out people's secrets.

It's the first place private investigator Robert Werner goes when he's looking for someone.

"Facebook," he proudly says.

"And you find?" CBS4's David Sutta asks.

"A find a plethora of information," he responds.

Werner says social media has been a blessing for his business, but it's just one place he looks to find out more about you.

Werner agreed to share some of his secrets to background checks to help keep you safe. Whether it's online or in person, you meet new people every day. Who they say they are may not be true.

Time and time again. Werner has seen people lie to get a job or make a good impression.

"They are hiding judgments. They are hiding convictions.  They are minimizing 'oh I had a little misunderstanding 3-4 years ago.  We pull a background check and not that misunderstanding turns out to be a felony," Werner explains.

A background check will list things like:

-Criminal Records

-Licenses

-Property Addresses

-Phone Numbers

-Sexual Offender Registry

- Lawsuits

There are also a few things background checks don't give you including:

-Credit Scores

-Credit History

-Social Security Numbers

-Tax Returns

 

You would need someone's permission before you can pull that.

But where do you go for background checks?

A quick online search will lead you to plenty of companies offering to do them for dirt cheap.  Werner calls those a red flag.

"A lot of times you will step into a trap.  You'll see get a telephone number for $1.99 and then it's a constant upgrade, upgrade, upgrade.  Or they will go into a membership or a monthly fee," Werner says.

There are a few reputable sites.

Intelius is a well-respected company.  You can expect to pay upwards of $50 for a background check.

There are free options as well.

Werner says country clerk's websites are very helpful.  You can search the national database for sexual offenders.

There is also Peekyou.com which will scour the internet and pull a person's entire presence on the internet to one place.

But Werner warns you get what you pay for.  The more common the name or the more complicated the information you are looking for, you are likely better off hiring a professional.

"The common misconception is private investigations are way expensive but the truth is you go with a licensed organization and you can get these reports for under $50 and they are comprehensive," he says.

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