Some people use the terms “person lookup” or “people lookup” and “background check” interchangeably. In this industry, those two concepts are very similar, but they are not precisely the same thing.
A person lookup means you’re trying to find out some information about a person, but you don’t necessarily know their location. You might do a person lookup because you’re trying to locate someone you know or who you suspect you know, but they fell off the grid many years ago.
By contrast, a background check usually means that you already know a person’s location. You’re just trying to find out more about them.
You might do a background check if you’re thinking about hiring someone, but you want to know more about their history before you allow them to represent your company. You might do one if you’re dating someone, and you want to know if they’re not revealing some of their life’s details.
You could also do a background check on someone if they’re running for public office and you’re their campaign manager. In that instance, you’re trying to figure out whether they have any skeletons in their closet.
In this article, though, we will talk about a person lookup. There are many reasons why you might want to do one, and equally many facts that one might uncover.
You Might Find Out a Person is Dead
A “people lookup” can reveal a lot about someone, but it might reveal something completely unexpected. For instance, maybe you’re doing a person lookup because you have a relative who has been missing for a long time. Let’s say it’s an uncle who was the family’s black sheep. You always wanted to get to know them, but they moved to Thailand many years before.
Now, your mother is dying. That’s your uncle’s sister. You feel like now could be a time to reconnect. You go to a company that will do a thorough person search to see if you can locate this individual who you’ve never met or who you haven’t seen for many decades.
Companies that look for people or do background checks often have proprietary software programs. These programs usually use AI and machine learning to scour every part of the globe and try and locate someone. It’s hard for even the most elusive individuals to stay off the radar entirely.
In the scenario with the uncle that we just described, maybe you’ll find out that he’s no longer alive. If you search for someone you have not seen in many years or someone who you never met, you should prepare yourself mentally. It is not inconceivable that the person who you’re trying to locate died because of natural causes or through misadventure many years ago.
That might not be the best news if they were someone you loved or with whom you had unfinished business. At least if this happens, the person lookup will give you some closure, and you can move on with your life.
You Might Find Out that Person Has a Spouse
You might do a person lookup, and you already know the individual’s location. You’re dating them, and you feel like things are going well. However, you’re not entirely convinced that everything they say is true. Maybe they seem evasive when they talk about certain parts of their life.
Perhaps it’s paranoia on your part, but you may want to check up on this person before you open yourself up to them emotionally. If you do a person lookup, that will reveal some basics about this individual.
You might find that they have a spouse they did not reveal to you. Maybe they told you that they’d separated from an ex. As it turns out, they’re still married.
That might not necessarily preclude you from getting closer to them. You will probably want to confront them about why they kept this information from you, though.
They might have a good reason, but in this instance, you’ll probably feel good about doing the person lookup. It revealed something vital that you should know if you’re going to remain with your new potential love interest.
You Might Find Out Someone Has Children
Let’s go back to that previous scenario again. You’re dating someone, but you want to know if there’s anything in their past you should know about that they have not yet revealed to you.
Maybe, if you do a person lookup, it will reveal that they have some children they did not mention to you. Perhaps they have adult kids from a previous relationship or marriage. Maybe they have younger kids, but they don’t have visitation rights after a nasty divorce or separation.
Again, this is vital information if you’re going to get any closer to this person. You want to know that they’re comfortable sharing their life with you. If there are huge parts of their past that they don’t seem willing to share voluntarily, that could be a red flag.
Of course, you should still factor in that maybe this person planned to tell you about these parts of their life, but they didn’t feel comfortable enough with you to do it yet. That is why it’s usually best to date a person for a while before you resort to doing a background check or person lookup that a professional company provides.
If you’re dating someone, give them a chance to tell you about themselves in their own time and in their own way. It may not be easy for them to talk about these things. If you’ve dated them for a year, and you feel sure they’re keeping something from you, that’s probably when contacting a background check company makes sense. You want to do that for your peace of mind.
As you can see, there are plenty of things you might find out about someone if you take this action. Just be sure you’re mentally and emotionally ready for what you might uncover.