I'm sorry, it's not that straightforward to carry out a free background check online (I'll explain why), and you're correct, a number of the online background check companies who advertise "free background check online " on the net are mostly Not free! This is said to sucker folks into their websites. After wards they say that the search is free but the final info costs!
Regarding some private background check sites who do charge - there are some well regarded ones who have taken a great effort collecting info from numerous government and private sources, arranging everything and then transferring the data to the net. Their livelihood and reputations are dependent on the quality and completeness of the info they furnish and some reputable companies offer a guarantee on their information as well (I'll supply a link a little further down for a good site to work with.)
The same is not true about a lot free background check online companies. Their info may well be suitable for the curiosity seekers but will almost certainly need to be verified with regards to more serious records checks - like background checks.
At work I am sometimes required to complete online criminal background checks and I would more willingly take advantage of the paid reports offered by a few of the private online records sites.
Why?
Due to the fact the info which I get is of a much better standard. It is taken from many sources, both private and governmental, and, very importantly, all through all the states . This is key to me (especially with regards to criminal / arrest record / inmate searches) as my likelihood of getting complete and accurate data is significantly better.
If I had to manually check for the data it would take a lot of time inbetween government offices, in slow queues, plus the possibility of incomplete or inaccurate data would be a lot greater.
Most crucial : The thing that really makes the free sites problematical for me is the fact that I can only check online criminal background records a solitary state at a time. This is due to the fact that state government branches only store and sort data from their own specific states, and not all the way through the whole country (quite understandable I suppose). The predicament is that there is no central Government head office to assemble and categorize data from all the individual states, transfer it to the internet, and afterward permit people to do a single check of the whole country's criminal records database .
It's for this reason that almost all people who need crucial information, like online background checks, use a paid service. They have to be entirely certain that the info they get is accurate, up to date and, most crucial, from a nation wide list !
From hindsight (and lots of mistakes) with many online background check companies (and in addition to trying most of the "free background check online " sites... ) I use Gov registry & online background checks . They maintain one of the largest data bases in the nation, and they generate up to date and accurate background check reports.
Final advice : If you choose to execute a paid background check online then make certain that there is just a one time charge that grants access for a year, plus as many reports as you would like. And keep well clear of the online criminal background check companies who ask for a fee for each search you require.
Hopefully that helps regarding the free background check online question.
Good luck with the checks.