What is Spokeo People Search? Find Out in AHQ’s Unbiased Spokeo Review
In the world of the background check and public records search websites, Spokeo people search is the most mild-mannered. Instead of promoting finding a possible secret criminal past on someone, it’s more about searching for long-lost relatives or celebrities.
Spokeo also offers Enterprise for business customers, which we haven’t seen offered an option on other records search websites like Spokeo. Enterprise helps businesses find and/or validate people and their current or potential customers.
The internet has made it easier than ever to retrieve all kinds of data. Social media sites like Facebook have connected millions with old classmates. Public criminal records that used to be stored in filing cabinets are now easily accessible online.
Is Spokeo Legit?
Spokeo is one of the multiple public records search websites that have popped up over the last several years. They allow you to access reports that include a person’s background information, including their phone number, civil judgments, and past addresses.
But, is Spokeo legit? What kinds of information can you get? Many people wonder about the type of information Spokeo and websites like Spokeo will uncover, both about other people and themselves.
We’re going to answer those questions and more in this AdvisoryHQ News Spokeo review. We’ll also tell you about the Spokeo opt-out process, to remove yourself from their database and whether or not you can get a free Spokeo account.
Do you want to find out more about this so-called “nice guy” people search? Continue reading on for everything you need to know about Spokeo search!
See Also: Do Truthfinder Background Checks Really Work?
AdvisoryHQ Spokeo Review | What is Spokeo Search?
Spokeo people search is used by 18 million visitors per month. The company was founded in 2006 by four Stanford University graduates.
If you’re wondering “Is Spokeo legit?” or “Is Spokeo safe?”, you’ll be interested to know that they have garnered recognition, such as Technology Company of the Year (Asian Business Association) and being named to Deloitte’s North American Technology Fast 500.
What is Spokeo Used For? (and What Shouldn’t You Use it For?)
We’ve taken a good look into what Spokeo recommends you to use it for, and we’ve found that the company clearly outlines some “dos and don’ts” when it comes to using the Spokeo search. For example, Spokeo states that it’s strictly prohibited to use this people search platform for employee screening.
Do use Spokeo people search for:
- Research of unknown callers
- Research to learn more about a date
- Research on a new business partner
- Research of a new neighborhood you’re moving to
- To reconnect with lost family and friends
Don’t use Spokeo people search for:
- Credit checks
- Tenant background checks
- Screening employees
- Insurance screening
- Any purpose specified in the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
How Does Spokeo Work?
Spokeo searches and websites like Spokeo work on a monthly subscription model. You don’t just purchase one report. Instead, you purchase a monthly (or multiple months) membership that allows you to search for multiple reports during that time.
There are add-on fees for different types of information, which we’ll get into in the Spokeo review of the pricing section.
You can easily get your feet wet by browsing the Spokeo People Search Directory Database that gives you common names to click through.
You also have the option to put a name, phone, email, username, or address in the search bar at the top of the site to start a search.
You’ll initially get a few basics like birthdate, where they’ve lived, and relatives. For more than that basic information, you’ll find an “unlock profile” button. Then you’ll be taken to the membership subscription page.
Don’t Miss: Review of Kiwi Searches
Can I Get a Free Spokeo Account?
You can sign up for a free Spokeo account through the Spokeo app and get limited benefits without having to pay anything. We’ll go through Spokeo app reviews later in this review. For now, we’ll tell you what you get with the free Spokeo account.
A nifty feature with a free Spokeo account is the ability to see a name listed, and photo if available, for those pesky “unknown” callers. This also helps you identify and block scammers, telemarketers, or just to ignore unwanted calls.
Spokeo – Identify Unknown Calls & People Search
What are the benefits of Spokeo’s paid membership? You can:
- Search through their 12 billion+ records
- Find missing information for contacts in your address book
- Monitor a profile and get updates when new info is added
Related: Radaris People Search (Unbiased Review)
All-in-One Change Management Tools
Top Rated Toolkit for Change Managers.
Get Your Change Management Tool Today...
How Much are Spokeo Search Memberships?
If you’re worried and wondering, “Is Spokeo a scam?” we can tell you that Spokeo has some of the lowest pricing that we’ve seen among the other popular people search engine sites.
When you click that “unlock profile” button, you’ll get to their consumer pricing page. If you’re looking for the Enterprise membership for business pricing, they ask companies to call for more information.
Spokeo People Search Membership Pricing:
- $19.95 for 1 month (Currently discounted to $13.95/month)
- $12.95 for 3 months (Currently discounted at $7.95/month)
Additional Add-Ons:
- $2.95 each to search court or historical records
Some examples of the kind of information Spokeo’s Historical Record Search can yield are:
- birth records for US residents
- obituary records for US residents
- marriage records for US residents
- divorce records for US residents
- military service records for US residents
The FAQ section mentions that searches are not unlimited, you get a certain amount per month (not listed until you sign up), and unused ones will roll over to the next month.
Is Spokeo safe to use for a free trial? The company does state their website is safe and completely confidential. Spokeo offers basic search results for free. This may include the city and state, age, relatives, and locations of the individual you searched for.
While Spokeo doesn’t mention any ongoing trial program, the company states that all of Spokeo’s advanced search results require payment.
Spokeo offers multiple types of payment options, and while they do offer trials on certain search types, they cannot guarantee that a trial will be offered during the time when you decide to sign up for Spokeo services.
We did find mention of a 7-day trial for $0.95 on a few Spokeo reviews sites, so you may want to check around if this is still an option or it was just a temporary promotion.
With any trial or membership, remember that it’s monthly, so you’ll need to cancel your Spokeo Membership Plan if you don’t want to be continually charged.
Spokeo Business Membership Reviews
Spokeo Enterprise for businesses is designed to help them prevent fraud by doing things like searching the identities of individuals placing online orders or to confirm data before a business transaction.
Spokeo Business Membership Plans
The Enterprise version allows multiple users on one account, and pricing is based upon the number of searches per month, starting at 200 searches. At the time of writing this review, all Spokeo Business membership plans were discounted.
Positive & Negative Spokeo Reviews (How Well Does Spokeo Work?)
The low cost, as compared to other websites like Spokeo, makes people wonder a few things. Like, “Is Spokeo legit?” and “Is Spokeo a scam?”. We’ve looked through multiple Spokeo reviews to bring you the answers you’re looking for.
We’ll touch on what people that have used Spokeo search have to say about this people search and whether it gave them good information or not.
First, let’s see how Spokeo review & ratings sites rate this people search engine.
Online Rating Sites Spokeo Reviews:
- Better Business Bureau (BBB) – 1 out of 5
- ConsumerAffairs – 3 out of 5
- Sitejabber – 1.8 out of 5
- Top Ten Reviews – 2.5 out of 10
Now, we’ll hear from people that have used Spokeo search and what they have to say in their Spokeo reviews. How does Spokeo work for them? What are the positives and negatives? Would they recommend it?
We’ll start with positive Spokeo reviews, then take a look at the negative ones.
Spokeo Reviews | Positive
- In a Spokeo review at the BBB, the reviewer initially had difficulty working their accounts. They praised the exceptional customer service. A Spokeo representative called to help them out and even gave them a 6-month free trial to make up for the issue.
- A business user found the service very easy to use. In their Spokeo review, they said they easily found a person’s phone number for a job contact and that the customer service response was quick and courteous.
- Another happy client was pleasantly surprised to get a refund of the ½ month they didn’t use their account. They thought they’d taken steps to cancel the Spokeo account, but had not and the company was proactive about their refund.
- A parent credits Spokeo people search with helping them head off a bad situation for their child. They were able to look up a stranger by a phone number on the Spokeo app and find out their real age just in time.
Spokeo Reviews | Negative
- One Spokeo reviewer wanted to use the service to find his girlfriend’s address to send her flowers and was unhappy about having to cancel the Spokeo account to keep from being billed monthly and also that the information he got was outdated.
- Another Spokeo review thought there was a Spokeo scam because of the poor quality of information returned on them and their families. They said even their birthdate, which was listed on social media sites, was wrong.
- More than a few Spokeo reviewers were upset because they weren’t aware that they’d be billed monthly for the service and thought it was a one-time purchase. Many also noted that the customer service was good and they were able to get a refund for the latest billing, some even for more than one month’s billing.
- A person that requested a Spokeo opt-out for their information, said it was gone from the site after they made the request, but a year later it was back and some of it was inaccurate. If asked, “Is Spokeo safe?” they’d answer, “No..”
Popular Article: The Truth about Intelius
How Do You Cancel a Spokeo Membership?
If you’re just going to Spokeo for one particular search, you’ll need to remember to cancel the Spokeo Membership if you don’t want to be continually billed.
We found quite a few unhappy reviews of Spokeo that wondered what is Spokeo’s monthly charge because they didn’t realize it was a monthly subscription – and that they had to cancel or delete a Spokeo account to stop the charges.
If you want to cancel your Spokeo account, it’s pretty easy.
You can do the following:
- Login to your account, go to the memberships area and click “cancel”
- Call their toll free number (1-888-906-0849)
- Email their customer support
- Ask for assistance to cancel or delete a Spokeo account on their live chat
Spokeo Opt Out | How Does it Work?
If you want to remove your information from the search results on the site you can choose the Spokeo opt-out to request that it be deleted.
Here is the step-by-step process for Spokeo’s opt-out:
- Locate your listing on the site that you’d like to remove
- Right-click on the listing and select “Copy link address”
- Go to the Spokeo opt-out page
- Paste the URL you copied into the box
- Provide your email address to receive a verification
- Click the “I’m not a robot” captcha
How to Opt Out of Spokeo?
Just understand that it may not be a permanent removal (as one Spokeo review mentioned) and it won’t remove it from the public records databases that Spokeo pulls information from, meaning it could show up on other websites like Spokeo.
Spokeo App Review
The Spokeo app is currently only available on Android devices, but the company states on their help page that they’re working on an iOS version for Apple devices.
At the Google Play store, the Spokeo App has a 4.3 rating out of 5 from over 1,600 Spokeo reviews.
They mainly market their app to stop unwanted calls. To do that, you can sign up for a free Spokeo account. If you want to do more with the app, like search out information on people, you’ll have to sign up for a paid membership account.
Some reviews of the Spokeo app say it works well, others say it doesn’t give them any information. However, some that aren’t happy with a lack of info may have a free Spokeo account, not realizing that they have to pay for more details.
Read More: What is Instant Checkmate?
AdvisoryHQ’s Spokeo Review Conclusion
If you’re looking for a “kinder” people search, then Spokeo is definitely a good pick. Though you may not get as much criminal background information (without paying an add-on fee), they do have the best prices we’ve found for this type of service.
Their customer service consistently receives exceptionally high marks in Spokeo review after review, even the unhappy reviews stated they got their refunds. Business customers will also be pleased to know they help you with searches if you aren’t sure how to get started.
Is Spokeo legit? Most definitely, yes!
The most negative remarks we saw were about the lack of or incorrect information. This is a common issue with many websites like Spokeo because they depend upon public information databases that have different quality standards.
Not knowing to cancel a Spokeo account was another complaint. But we found the company is pretty clear that you’re signing up for a monthly subscription service on the payment page. While a Spokeo monthly subscription can be canceled at any time, in order to permanently delete your account, you’ll need to contact their customer service.
For the price, this is one of the top people search services you can find out of others that we’ve reviewed. We also found in our Spokeo review that they get the best ratings and remarks about their excellent customer support.
AdvisoryHQ News Rate Table Disclaimer
Click here to read AdvisoryHQ’s disclaimer on the rate table(s) displayed on this page.
Image sources:
- https://www.spokeo.com/
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/detailsid=spokeo.com.spokeomobile&hl=en_US
- https://www.spokeo.com/purchase
- https://help.spokeo.com/hc/en-us/articles/115010425928-How-do-I-remove-my-information-from-Spokeo-
AdvisoryHQ (AHQ) Disclaimer:
Reasonable efforts have been made by AdvisoryHQ to present accurate information, however all info is presented without warranty. Review AdvisoryHQ’s Terms for details. Also review each firm’s site for the most updated data, rates and info.
Note: Firms and products, including the one(s) reviewed above, may be AdvisoryHQ's affiliates. Click to view AdvisoryHQ's advertiser disclosures.
