subject: How to Background Check Potential Mates [print this page] How to Background Check Potential Mates How to Background Check Potential Mates
You can never be too careful. There are crazies afoot, don't ya know? And if you happen to have just started dating someone or are interested in doing so, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be sure that he or she isn't liable to harm you in any way. A background check for potential mates may certainly not seem very romantic, but in this day and age, it may truly fall under the category of a "necessary evil."
So what types of things do you want to check for? Here are just a few that come to mind:
* violent criminal offenses
* robbery, theft
* forgery, scams, and cons
* offenses against children
* gang affiliations
* severe mental and emotional disorders
* adultery
* holes in their stories (e.g. they claim to be a doctor, yet they hold no license)
There are definitely other reasons you may want to perform some type of background check for potential mates. And doing this type of check is an absolute must when it comes to online dating. You need to protect yourself in every way possible, and it just makes good sense to not take a potential psychopath at his or her word. This isn't to say you shouldn't trust people. But it is to say that you should seek out proof that this is a trustworthy person. Then you can go ahead and trust them!
There are many ways to do a background check. You can do it yourself by calling around, searching online, checking public records, contacting folks who know the person in question, and basically using a process known as skip tracing, which you can look into yourself, as it would take too long to explain it here. Obviously, this can be a long, tedious, and uncomfortable process. Really, the only advantage you would have by doing this yourself is that it's free.
Another way you can background check potential mates is to hire a private investigator, or better yet, a firm that specializes in running background checks. You can find these types of companies online and they are usually very reasonably priced. I have personally found skip trace background checks that can be performed for under 15 bucks! And some companies won't even make you pay them if they fail to get the information you're after. So why not do it for anyone and EVERYONE you're considering becoming intimately involved with?
When you background check potential mates, you aren't showing disrespect toward them. Rather, you are showing a tremendous amount of respect for yourself. You must look out for yourself first. And if the person you're considering sharing your time with is, in fact, worthy of your company, then he or she will have no problems with your decision to keep yourself safe.
