ou’re about to hire someone. Or invest in a new venture. Or maybe you’re just getting a strange feeling about a person in your life. You pull up Google, type in their name… and hope for the best.

That’s not a background check. That’s wishful thinking.

Not all background checks are created equal. Learn what makes a good one — from public records to online reputation — and why clarity, not paranoia, is the key to confident decisions.

Avoid the most common traps with these investigator-backed tips.

Fraud doesn’t always come from strangers in dark corners of the internet. Sometimes, it comes wrapped in charm, urgency, or just the right amount of fake credibility.

“Can you find their bank account? Can you see their texts?”

The short answer: not legally — and not without a subpoena.