On this page14 sections
- Ratings and complaints
- Truthfinder vs. competitors
- Pricing
- Step by step
- TruthFinder legitimacy and licensing
- How much TruthFinder costs
- The 2023 FTC settlement
- What a TruthFinder report can include
- TruthFinder complaints
- How to cancel TruthFinder and get a refund
- The rules that protect you
- What customers say
- Alternatives
- FAQ
TruthFinder is useful for personal lookups such as reconnecting with someone, checking a date or identifying a phone number, as long as you treat the results as leads to confirm, not facts. It is a legitimate people search site run by TruthFinder, LLC in San Diego, part of the PeopleConnect group, with an A+ BBB rating. It is not allowed for hiring, renting, credit or insurance decisions. The main things to watch are the auto-renewing membership, refunds that are only case by case, and the FTC's 2023 findings that it overstated report accuracy and mislabeled traffic tickets as criminal records.
Your options
-
PeopleFinders Alternative Adults doing a personal lookup, such as finding an old friend's contact details or checking an unknown caller, who will watch the renewal date.
-
Spokeo Alternative People who want a current phone number, address or relative for someone they know, and who will cancel as soon as they are done.
- Price
- People search $29.99 a month, $70.99 for 3 months or $124.99 for 6 months; reverse phone $4.99 a month; reverse email $29.73 a month; PDF and report monitoring add-on $4.99 a month (pricing page dated September 27, 2026)1
- Billing
- Memberships renew automatically until you cancel; cancelling stops the next charge but doesn't refund the current period2
- Refunds
- Case by case through customer support, with few exceptions3
- Company
- TruthFinder, LLC, 375 Camino De La Reina, Suite 400, San Diego, CA 92108; registered California data broker that also lists sites such as getfullreport.com and backgroundchecks.us4
- FCRA status
- Says it is not a consumer reporting agency; reports can't be used for credit, employment, insurance or tenant screening1
- FTC settlement
- $5.8 million civil penalty with Instant Checkmate, announced September 11, 2023, over FCRA violations, misleading criminal record claims, accuracy claims and undisclosed paid reviews5
- BBB
- A+, accredited since July 23, 2018; 550 complaints in the last 3 years and 590 customer reviews (October 2026)6
- Data removal
- In 2024 it received 61,672 California deletion requests, complied with 58,324 and denied 3,348, with a median response of 1 day4
Pros
- Unlimited person, phone and email reports on the people search plan
- Longer plans bring the cost down to about $21 a month
- Cancel online or by phone
- A+ BBB rating and accredited since 2018
- Fast response to California deletion requests
Cons
- Auto-renewing membership with refunds only case by case
- Paid $5.8 million to settle FTC charges about accuracy and FCRA compliance
- Can't be used for hiring, renting or other FCRA decisions
- Reports may be outdated or wrong, by its own disclaimer
- PDF downloads cost extra
Best for: People who need several personal lookups in a short period and will cancel before the membership renews.
Skip it if: You're screening a tenant or employee, or you only need one lookup and don't want a subscription.
Truthfinder vs. competitors
| Company | 1 month | Longer plan | Allowed for hiring or tenant screening | FTC action | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TruthFinder | $29.99 | $70.99 for 3 months, $124.99 for 6 | No | $5.8 million with Instant Checkmate (2023) | |
| Instant Checkmate | $35.47 | $85.13 for 3 months | No | 2014 and 2023 | Read review |
| Spokeo | $19.95 | $44.85 for 3 months | No | $800,000 FCRA settlement (2012) | Visit site |
| GoodHire | From $29.99 per check | Per check | Yes, sold as employment screening |
Background checks we reviewed
-
Truthfinder This review BestGuide rating: 4.3 out of 5. Set by our editorial team from published factors such as cost, credentials, reputation, customer experience, services and guarantees. Verified partners are scored on our partner verification program and can be listed first; they are always labeled BestGuide Partner. Best for: People who need several personal lookups in a short period and will cancel before the membership renews. -
PeopleFinders BestGuide rating: 4.5 out of 5. Set by our editorial team from published factors such as cost, credentials, reputation, customer experience, services and guarantees. Verified partners are scored on our partner verification program and can be listed first; they are always labeled BestGuide Partner. Best for: Adults doing a personal lookup, such as finding an old friend's contact details or checking an unknown caller, who will watch the renewal date. -
Spokeo BestGuide rating: 4.4 out of 5. Set by our editorial team from published factors such as cost, credentials, reputation, customer experience, services and guarantees. Verified partners are scored on our partner verification program and can be listed first; they are always labeled BestGuide Partner. Best for: People who want a current phone number, address or relative for someone they know, and who will cancel as soon as they are done. -
BeenVerified BestGuide rating: 4.3 out of 5. Set by our editorial team from published factors such as cost, credentials, reputation, customer experience, services and guarantees. Verified partners are scored on our partner verification program and can be listed first; they are always labeled BestGuide Partner. Best for: People who need several personal lookups in a short window, such as tracing a relative or checking callers, and will cancel on time. -
Instant Checkmate BestGuide rating: 4.3 out of 5. Set by our editorial team from published factors such as cost, credentials, reputation, customer experience, services and guarantees. Verified partners are scored on our partner verification program and can be listed first; they are always labeled BestGuide Partner. Best for: People who want to run several personal lookups in a short window, such as checking a date, a seller or an old contact, and will cancel on time. -
Intelius BestGuide rating: 4.3 out of 5. Set by our editorial team from published factors such as cost, credentials, reputation, customer experience, services and guarantees. Verified partners are scored on our partner verification program and can be listed first; they are always labeled BestGuide Partner. Best for: Personal lookups, like identifying an unknown caller or finding an old friend's contact details, when you'll remember to cancel. -
PeopleLooker BestGuide rating: 4.3 out of 5. Set by our editorial team from published factors such as cost, credentials, reputation, customer experience, services and guarantees. Verified partners are scored on our partner verification program and can be listed first; they are always labeled BestGuide Partner. Best for: People who need several personal lookups in a short period, such as reconnecting with someone or checking unknown callers, and will cancel on time.
Truthfinder pricing at a glance
TruthFinder memberships, from its pricing page dated September 27, 20261
| Plan | Price | Per month | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| People search, 1 month | $29.99 | $29.99 | Unlimited person, location, phone and email reports, report monitoring |
| People search, 3 months | $70.99 | $23.66 | Same as monthly |
| People search, 6 months | $124.99 | $20.83 | Same as monthly |
| Reverse phone lookup | $4.99 a month | $4.99 | Phone reports |
| Reverse email lookup | $29.73 a month | $29.73 | Email reports |
| PDF and report monitoring add-on | $4.99 a month | $4.99 | Download reports and save them offline |
All memberships renew automatically until cancelled. TruthFinder says it may bill promotional plans at the rate shown when you enroll and can change prices with notice. Charges appear as TRTHFDR*TRUTHFINDER.COM. TruthFinder's live site blocked automated access, so these are from the archived page.
Truthfinder, step by step
Run a free search
Enter a name and state. You agree not to use results for any FCRA purpose, such as hiring or renting.
Pick a membership
Full reports need a paid plan; there's no single-report purchase on the pricing page. Pay by card or PayPal.
View reports online
Reports open in your dashboard. Downloading PDFs costs $4.99 a month extra.
Check what you find
TruthFinder says its data may not be accurate, complete or current, so confirm anything important with official records.
Cancel before renewal
Cancel online on the Subscriptions page in your account, or call (855) 921-3711, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific, weekdays. Access lasts to the end of the paid term.
TruthFinder legitimacy and licensing
Yes, in the sense that it’s a real company selling real reports. TruthFinder, LLC is a registered California data broker at 375 Camino De La Reina in San Diego, part of the PeopleConnect group that also runs Instant Checkmate. Its BBB profile shows an A+ rating, accreditation since July 23, 2018, and a business start date of 2003.
The data broker registry also lists other websites run by TruthFinder, LLC, including getfullreport.com, backgroundchecks.us and courthousedirectory.us, so you may land on its reports under another name. TruthFinder’s own disclaimer says its information may not be 100% accurate, complete or up to date.
How much TruthFinder costs
The pricing page dated September 27, 2026 lists people search at $29.99 a month, $70.99 for three months ($23.66 a month) or $124.99 for six months ($20.83 a month). A phone-only plan is $4.99 a month and an email lookup plan is $29.73 a month. Downloading PDFs and report monitoring is a $4.99 monthly add-on.
Every plan renews until you cancel, and the search is free only up to the point of seeing whether records exist. Promotional offers may bill at different rates, so read the price and renewal terms on the checkout page before you pay.
The 2023 FTC settlement
On September 11, 2023 the FTC announced that TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate would pay a $5.8 million civil penalty. The FTC said the companies acted as consumer reporting agencies without following the Fair Credit Reporting Act, claimed reports were accurate without checking third-party data, told users that people had criminal records when they had only traffic tickets, offered “Remove” and “Flag as Inaccurate” buttons that didn’t work, and paid customers for reviews on HighYa without disclosing it.
The order requires an FCRA. The Fair Credit Reporting Act, the federal law that governs consumer reports used for employment, housing, credit and insurance decisions. Compare background checks compliance monitoring program, bans misrepresenting report accuracy, and requires endorsers to disclose payments. Instant Checkmate had already settled FCRA charges with the FTC in 2014.
What customers say about Truthfinder
Recurring themes across the review sites and complaint records listed above, not individual quotes.
Common praise
- Patient, helpful support agents
- Fast answers by phone and chat
- Reports that pull many records into one place
Common complaints
- Unexpected recurring charges and confusing cancellation
- Trial or low-price offers that turn into full-price billing
- Outdated or inaccurate information in reports
- Extra fees for features like PDF downloads
What a TruthFinder report can include
TruthFinder says reports may include names, addresses and location history, phone numbers, email addresses, photos, social media profiles, relatives and associates, birth information, employment and education history, business ownership, assets, possible criminal and traffic records and court records. It says it draws on federal, state and county databases.
How much you get depends on the person. Records can be outdated or belong to someone with a similar name, so verify anything important, especially criminal history, with the court that holds the record.
TruthFinder complaints
TruthFinder has 550 BBB complaints in three years and 3.4 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 3,463 reviews, with 29% one star. The complaints center on recurring charges people didn’t expect, low-price offers that turned into full-price billing, hard cancellation, outdated or wrong information and add-on fees. Reviewers often praise the support agents once they reach them.
To avoid the most common problem, set a reminder a few days before your renewal date and cancel online if you’re done. Look for TRTHFDR*TRUTHFINDER.COM on your card statement.
How to cancel TruthFinder and get a refund
Cancel online from the Subscriptions page in your account dashboard, or call (855) 921-3711 between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Pacific, Monday to Friday. You keep access until the end of the term you paid for and won’t be charged for the next one.
Refunds are not automatic. TruthFinder says it handles them case by case, and cancelling mid-cycle generally does not earn a refund. If you were charged in error or someone used your card, call support, and if that fails, dispute the charge with your card issuer.
The rules that protect you
The Fair Credit Reporting Act controls reports used for jobs, housing, credit and insurance. TruthFinder says it’s not a Consumer reporting agency. A company that assembles reports used for eligibility decisions and must follow FCRA accuracy and dispute rules. Compare background checks and bans those uses, so landlords and employers need an FCRA-compliant screening company that gets the applicant’s permission.
If TruthFinder shows your own information, you can ask it to remove your record through its opt-out page. California residents can also use the state’s data broker deletion tools; in 2024 TruthFinder reported complying with 58,324 of 61,672 California deletion requests.
Alternatives to Truthfinder
-
Lower monthly price for the same kind of personal lookups.
-
GoodHire
If you're screening a job applicant, you need an FCRA-compliant background check company that gets the person's consent, and TruthFinder isn't one.
-
Free public records
County court and property records and the National Sex Offender Public Website are free, and they're the original sources many people search sites pull from.
Next steps
Truthfinder reviews
Written by readers, read by our moderators, never edited by the company.
No reader reviews yet. If you have used Truthfinder, yours will be the first.
Write a reviewHow do I know I can trust these reviews about Truthfinder?
- Every reviewer confirms an email address before a review can publish.
- Our moderators read every review before it publishes.
- Companies can respond publicly but can never edit, hide or remove a review.
- Paying BestGuide never changes the reader rating or which reviews publish.
Frequently asked questions
Is TruthFinder legit or a scam?
It's a legitimate company, TruthFinder, LLC in San Diego, with an A+ BBB rating. It did pay $5.8 million in 2023 to settle FTC charges about misleading accuracy and criminal record claims, so verify what you find.
How much does TruthFinder cost?
As listed September 27, 2026, people search is $29.99 a month, $70.99 for 3 months or $124.99 for 6 months. Phone-only lookup is $4.99 a month.
Is TruthFinder free?
No. You can start a search for free, but viewing full reports requires a paid membership that renews until you cancel.
How do I cancel TruthFinder?
Cancel on the Subscriptions page in your account, or call (855) 921-3711 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific on weekdays. Access continues through the end of your paid term.
Can I get a refund from TruthFinder?
Only case by case. TruthFinder says cancelling stops future charges but doesn't refund past billing periods, with few exceptions.
Where does TruthFinder get its data?
TruthFinder says it uses public record sources, including federal, state and county databases. The quality depends on those records, which can lag behind a person's current situation.
Is TruthFinder accurate?
Not always. TruthFinder's own disclaimer says its data may not be accurate, complete or current, and the FTC said it mislabeled traffic tickets as criminal records. Confirm important details with official records.
Can I use TruthFinder to screen a tenant or employee?
No. TruthFinder says it's not a consumer reporting agency, so you can't use it for tenant, employment, credit or insurance decisions under the FCRA.
How do I remove my information from TruthFinder?
Use TruthFinder's opt-out page and complete its identity verification. It says records typically stop appearing within a few days.
Who owns TruthFinder?
TruthFinder, LLC is part of PeopleConnect, the San Diego group that also runs Instant Checkmate; its data broker filing lists a PeopleConnect contact email.
Sources (15)
Facts on this page come from company websites, government agencies and regulators, checked on the dates shown. Editorial standards
- TruthFinder: pricing and membership information (Internet Archive, September 28, 2026) (accessed October 12, 2026)
- TruthFinder Help: How do I cancel my TruthFinder subscription? (Internet Archive, October 6, 2026) (accessed October 12, 2026)
- TruthFinder Help: Billing policy and refunds (Internet Archive, May 11, 2026) (accessed October 12, 2026)
- California Privacy Protection Agency: data broker registry (registry.csv) (accessed October 12, 2026)
- FTC: TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate deceived users about background report accuracy and violated the FCRA (September 11, 2023) (accessed October 12, 2026)
- BBB: TruthFinder business profile (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Trustpilot: TruthFinder reviews (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Apple App Store: TruthFinder Search (accessed October 12, 2026)
- TruthFinder Help: How to remove your personal data (Internet Archive, July 7, 2026) (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Instant Checkmate: pricing (Internet Archive, July 10, 2026) (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Spokeo: membership purchase page (accessed October 12, 2026)
- GoodHire: pricing (accessed October 12, 2026)
- National Sex Offender Public Website (U.S. Department of Justice) (accessed October 12, 2026)
- CFPB: List of consumer reporting companies (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Mintz: Spokeo agrees to $800,000 FTC settlement (June 13, 2012) (accessed October 12, 2026)
BestGuide is free to use. Some companies we review pay us when you visit their site or contact them through us. Compensation may influence which companies we feature and their order. It doesn't change what our reviews say. Advertising disclosure