Top Choice
Instant Checkmate
Criminal-record and social-profile search option.
View Records Sponsored partner optionWhat should you know about this search?
Direct answer
To run a background check on yourself, identify which files matter to your situation, request those files from the FBI, reporting company, credit-report channel, or underlying public source as appropriate, and correct each disputed item with the organization that actually maintains the faulty layer.
A self-check works better as a file audit than as one search
No single self-service query shows every record that might appear in a background process. The FBI maintains a fingerprint-based Identity History Summary for personal review. Consumer reporting companies may maintain employment, tenant, insurance, banking or other specialty files. Credit information has its own nationwide-reporting path. Reviewing yourself therefore means identifying the files that are relevant to the situation you care about, then obtaining those files from their owners.
This layered approach is also easier to correct. If a court record is wrong, the court record needs attention. If a consumer reporting company copied or matched information incorrectly, the dispute goes to that reporting company and, when appropriate, the company that furnished the information. If the issue is within an FBI Identity History Summary, the FBI provides a challenge path. Keeping those ownership lines clear prevents one correction request from being sent to the wrong system.
Choose the self-review file by the risk you want to inspect
| File layer | What it can help you review | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| FBI Identity History Summary | Fingerprint-linked federal criminal-history summary information held by the FBI | FBI Identity History Summary request process |
| Specialty consumer report | Employment, tenant, insurance, banking, or other market-specific file if a company maintains one on you | CFPB consumer-reporting-company list and the named reporting company |
| Credit report | Credit accounts, payment history and related credit-report information | Authorized free-report route described by the FTC |
| Underlying public record | The source record behind a disputed court or agency entry | The court, agency, or repository that created the original record |
Run the self-check in an order that makes errors easier to isolate
1
Start with the real use caseDecide whether you are preparing for employment, housing, a credit application, personal review, or another specific event.2
Identify likely report ownersList the FBI, consumer reporting company, credit bureau, court, or other source that could hold the relevant information.3
Request your own filesObtain the reports directly where a self-access process exists rather than relying only on a general people-search result.4
Trace each mismatch backwardUse the report’s source information to determine whether the error began with the reporting company or with the underlying public record.When something looks wrong, separate three different problems
Wrong person
The record may belong to someone with a similar name
Compare identifiers and source numbers before disputing the substance of a record that may not be yours.
Wrong source data
The originating record itself may contain outdated or incorrect information
Contact the source that created or maintains that record and preserve documentation of the correction.
Wrong reporting-company file
The source may be correct but the consumer report may have copied, matched, or updated it incorrectly
Use the reporting company’s dispute process and identify the precise item and supporting documents.