• InstantCheckmate

InstantCheckmate

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Overview

InstantCheckmate has a rating of 1.8 stars from 341 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about InstantCheckmate most frequently mention credit card, phone number, and email address problems. InstantCheckmate ranks 152nd among Government Records sites.

  • Service
    82
  • Value
    86
  • Shipping
    30
  • Returns
    42
  • Quality
    71

This company responds to reviews on average within 10 days

Positive reviews (last 12 months): 18.2%
Positive
2
Neutral
0
Negative
9
7
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How would you rate InstantCheckmate?
Top Positive Review

“Good customer service”

Sat I.
3/23/24

The customer service team are very professional and helpful, they make sure to clarify any confusion and I get every information I need.

Top Critical Review

“Slow and inaccurate information.”

PAUL M.
9/10/24

It's definitely priced too high. At night it can be very slow. Often times it gives a lot of incorrect information. It's definitely priced too high. At night it can be very slow. Often times it gives a lot of incorrect information. It shows my grandfather's information (he died in 1952) as my information.

Reviews (341)

Rating

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

instant checkmate (43) background check (25) customer service (39) email address (13) credit card (27)
Thumbnail of user joes589
Georgia
1 review
19 helpful votes
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May 7th, 2015

Not only do they lie about hidden fees and charges but they also don't provide any real information. I signed up to pay $9 dollars a month but they actually charged me $59. I only ran one report and then canceled. And learned way more from a quick google search than they provided. Hell a phone book could give me more information than they did. Do not waste your time or money! This is without a doubt the worst company I have ever dealt with!

Thumbnail of user sylviah17
Tennessee
1 review
17 helpful votes
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January 6th, 2016

I cancelled within 72 hours and got a full refund after arguing with a staff member. He offered me 1/2 of my money back, I used the 72 hour law to get a full refund. They use false advertising to reel you in and then try to charge extra for information I was able to get on my own... Who knew that some counties and cities don't care one whit for a criminal's privacy. I hate dealing with people who don't speak English very well and, of course, I got one who couldn't understand me. Do NOT use this "service." It's horrible.

Thumbnail of user marilynh18
Arkansas
1 review
7 helpful votes
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March 29th, 2016

Out of curiosity and after having "opted out" a year ago, I checked InstantCheckmate to see if they were still posting "information" about me. Sure enough. I found erroneous, potentially libelous crap and they had me related to people I am certainly NOT related to.

People who seek info on the internet should be aware that there is much that is simply not true and can't be relied upon. They are not doing themselves any good.

Thumbnail of user paulc2605
Canada
1 review
1 helpful vote
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April 8th, 2022
Verified purchase

I used their service mostly to see how much of a scam it could be. Paid up, waited for the results... got the results, they were identical to the free (and inaccurate) info you can find out there on other sites. Then waited to see how long it would take for the unique email address I used only with them to receive spam. 4 months as it turns out, yesterday the spams started pouring into that address. It's not enough that they charge you for info you can find for free yourself, they also profit from selling your info to spammers.

Tip for consumers:
If it feels like a scammer's site, it probably is.

Products used:
Phone number search

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user nicholask381
Nicholas K. – InstantCheckmate Rep

Hello Paul,
We are constantly working on and updating our records and we appreciate you taking the time to give us constructive feedback. We apologize you were unhappy with some of the information in our reports. Since we rely on third-party data sources, we can only display the information that we were provided, which could potentially include incomplete or inaccurate data. We hope to continue to improve our services to make them better for you and future customers. Please feel free to contact our dedicated Customer Care Team at (800) 222-8985 or email us at support@instantcheckmate.com and we will try to make this right.

Thank you

Thumbnail of user kenm79
New York
1 review
11 helpful votes
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October 30th, 2015

Second doesn't even give you anything to prove they aren't after credit card number. Do they even have a legitimate address the feds can pick them up. Like the other guy said, they don't need to do background checks on criminals could likely start at home.

Thumbnail of user johnd7554
Minnesota
1 review
0 helpful votes
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January 15th, 2023

There's this woman I like, but she completely ignores me. I Googled her name, and BINGO! Instant Checkmate was there for me. I was able to find out her present and past home addresses, her phone numbers (GREAT!), her family members, age, birthdate, and more. She won't be able to ignore me for long!

This is THE most comprehensive resource I have come across as far as publicly exposing personal information/doxing. Definitely recommended for unstable people looking to gain an edge in the game.:-)

Thumbnail of user nicholask381
Nicholas K. – InstantCheckmate Rep

Hello John,
The use of the Instant Checkmate site as a “Great Resource for Stalkers!” is a use that violates Instant Checkmate's Terms of Use. The Terms of Use at section no. 8 “Restrictions" states in part, that:

“In addition to the above restrictions, the Websites, the Related Services and Materials and the Background information Services may not be used for the following purposes:

To physically or emotionally injure or harm any person or entity (e.g., stalking, harassment, defaming, libeling, threatening providing obscene or indecent materials, fraud, identity theft, and criminal activity).
To promote or provide instructional information about illegal activities or advance physical harm or injury against any group or individual.”

Should you have questions about the use of our products, please contact our dedicated Customer Care Team at (800) 222-8985, or email them at support@instantcheckmate.com so they may best assist you.

Thumbnail of user lindar2754
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
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September 14th, 2022

I signed up for the 5 day trial and forgot to cancel on the 5th day. The $37 was pending in my account the next day and the agent was able to reverse it immediately and also offered me a lower price if I didn't cancel. I've dealt with other companies who were not so nice about the exact same thing, so I was honestly surprised that the agent was super friendly and happy to assist me, without any attitude or pressuring. Thank you!

Tip for consumers:
Don't forget to cancel your trial in the 5 day time period! But if you forget, you can call and they will help you out.

Products used:
An online background reporting service

Service
Value
Thumbnail of user nicholask381
Nicholas K. – InstantCheckmate Rep

Hello Linda,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. We are delighted to see that you enjoyed your experience with us, as well as with our dedicated Customer Care Team! We look forward to continuing to assist you in the future.

Thank you,
Instant Checkmate Support

Thumbnail of user pishig
New York
2 reviews
6 helpful votes
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February 18th, 2021

After 10 minutes the search completed and I was given a very brief summary page. Most of the details regarding relatives and possible relations was wrong, last names matched in some cases but didn't recognize the first names so I knew that whatever was contained in the *paid* copy probably weren't going to be much better.

Tip for consumers:
I wouldn't use this service for anything more than entertainment. After all that's pretty much what their disclaimer says when you do a search.

Products used:
None. I did not make a purchase because the quality/ accuracy of the sample data offered before purchase was poor at best.

Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user nicholask381
Nicholas K. – InstantCheckmate Rep

Hello Pishi,
We are constantly working on and updating our records and we appreciate you taking the time to give us constructive feedback. We apologize you were unhappy with some of the information in our reports. Since we rely on third-party data sources, we can only display the information that we were provided, which could potentially include incomplete or inaccurate data. We hope to continue to improve our services to make them better for you and future customers.

Thank you

Thumbnail of user thomasl53
New York
1 review
18 helpful votes
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January 29th, 2015

Joined the site to try it for 30 days. Paid $22, ran a check on myself to see what showed up. They acknowledge completion and went to preview. They wanted more money to obtain full report. All they gave me was generic info for the money I paid. If you are not ready to pay more money for full report then stay away.

Thumbnail of user rons66
Alabama
1 review
21 helpful votes
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October 30th, 2015

I used this company to try to find a deadbeat. All of the information they provided on the report was typical White-Pages stuff. What's worse, I used a private email address for my account on September 30th 2015. Since that time, my previously-private inbox has been flooded with daily solicitations from Publishers Clearinghouse, Asian Dating, House-flipping scams, instant-money offers... Instant Checkmate is an obvious reseller of email addresses and they don't really provide what I would consider to be a useful service.

Thumbnail of user boh21
California
1 review
22 helpful votes
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May 11th, 2015

I thought I'd run a background check on myself to see if I'd ever use this outfit a second time. According to my background check, I'm very mysterious in that most of my publicly recorded history was missing. Plus, every time I wanted a more complete view of myself, there was an added fee. Hah! In the end, I discovered that I'm still very mysterious but my wallet has lost a lot of weight.

Thumbnail of user pc92
New Jersey
1 review
13 helpful votes
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May 19th, 2017

I've been receiving spam mail for the past 3 months from them and their affiliates. There is a clause in the privacy policy that allows them to spam you. HUNDRED of emails a week. HUNDREDS.

This type of business practice needs to be outlawed entirely.

Thumbnail of user suzannes854
Connecticut
1 review
0 helpful votes
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March 29th, 2022

I needed help accessing the report I had filed, and somehow lost, on my computer. The customer service representative was incredibly patient, expert and professional. She walked me through the steps and hung in there while I struggled to accomplish them. She was warm and personable as well.

Service
Quality
Thumbnail of user nicholask381
Nicholas K. – InstantCheckmate Rep

Hello Suzanne,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us with your feedback. We are delighted to see that you enjoyed your experience with us and with our dedicated Customer Care Team! We will be sure to pass along your kind words, and we look forward to assisting you again in the future:)

Thank you,
Instant Checkmate Support

Thumbnail of user jennym39
Nevada
1 review
11 helpful votes
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October 21st, 2015

They suck you in by saying it is only $2.99. Then when you pay, it says you must sign up (for a minimum of $23) to get your results. They must make a bundle off of that $2.99 with so many people buying into the line of crap!

Thumbnail of user jayw43
Michigan
1 review
13 helpful votes
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October 21st, 2015

This is the email I sent them, it sums up the service pretty well...
Why would you make someone pay the $10 before telling them that all of the advertised info that they are paying for is only available for an additional fee? That isn't a background check, that is a scam. I could've gotten the $10 info from whitepages. So issue a refund.

Thumbnail of user ab964
Massachusetts
1 review
1 helpful vote
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May 29th, 2022

Useless - no information - DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY! All information in these reports can be found for free online. And the reports are extremely limited - almost every section is empty - no marriages, no financials, criminal backgrounds are a joke - basically all you will see is speeding tickets. You will receive social media accounts, however they are all old ones and just the ones you can easily find yourself by typing a name in the search bar. The address section is basically the white pages you can use for free. And these reports don't even tell you when people are dead.

Value
Thumbnail of user nicholask381
Nicholas K. – InstantCheckmate Rep

Hello,
We are constantly working on and updating our records and we appreciate you taking the time to give us constructive feedback. We apologize you were unhappy with some of the information in our reports. Since we rely on third-party data sources, we can only display the information that we were provided, which could potentially include incomplete or inaccurate data. We hope to continue to improve our services to make them better for you and future customers. Please feel free to contact our dedicated Customer Care Team at (800) 222-8985 or email us at support@instantcheckmate.com and we will try to make this right.

Thank you

Thumbnail of user daled337
Arizona
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 22nd, 2022

Thank you for some of the best customer service I have ever experienced (I am 70).
Any questions were always answered and the staff goes out of their way to help you.
Great business plan for others to follow.

Products used:
search for information.

Service
Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user nicholask381
Nicholas K. – InstantCheckmate Rep

Hello Dale,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us with your feedback. We are delighted to see the you enjoyed your experience with us and with our dedicated Customer Care Team, and we look forward to assisting you again in the future!

Thank you,
Instant Checkmate Support

Thumbnail of user levii1
Nevada
1 review
34 helpful votes
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September 30th, 2015

I'm a person that does NOT believe in companies like this, but I was so intrigued in knowing about my girlfriend! And this mother$#*!ers made me pay more and more! And they won't give you $#*!! It's a damn scam! I'm calling my bank to get my $$$ back! All I saw was her birthday, address that's it! $#*!ing piece of $#*!!

Thumbnail of user patriciam162
Pennsylvania
1 review
10 helpful votes
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January 3rd, 2017

I discovered that the one month I signed up for turned into 35 months. Did not realize it until they sent me an email in the 34th month saying I would be charged... A total scam! When I called they offered refunds starting with 4 months worth and gradually got up to offering one years worth refund but only after I told them I was taking it up with the credit card company. I wanted all but 2 months back and would not agree to the third of the $ I spent. My credit card company is doing a fraud investigation. Stay away from this company of thieves! I thought I spent less than $23.00 for a month and ended up being slowly drained of over $800.00! It just makes me sick...

Thumbnail of user devine49
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
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October 10th, 2022

It states that it will find information that you may not have found elsewhere online. Looking up myself, obviously, a few things I found. They had my age wrong. There was no work experience despite multiple jobs, quite a few of which were full-time and taxed. Any information they had was either out of date, inaccurate, or just non-existent. I was hoping they would have the information I was looking for that I couldn't remember, but there was nothing. And the excuses that the computer had was, "maybe there are no records to be found!" The only thing I found easy about the whole thing, was setting up the payment information and finding all of the different stuff you could pay for. Clearly it is just a money trap and not a quality service. I am grateful for cheaper trials or else I would be much more upset for wasting my time and money.

Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user nicholask381
Nicholas K. – InstantCheckmate Rep

Hello Devin,
We are constantly working on and updating our records and we appreciate you taking the time to give us constructive feedback. We apologize you were unhappy with some of the information in our reports. Since we rely on third-party data sources, we can only display the information that we were provided, which could potentially include incomplete or inaccurate data. We hope to continue to improve our services to make them better for you and future customers. Please feel free to contact our dedicated Customer Care Team at (800) 222-8985, or email us at support@instantcheckmate.com, and we will try to make this right.

Thank you

Thumbnail of user richardr2728
California
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
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April 13th, 2022

The web site is one of the most user friendly I have ever used. All of the entry points are well described so that the information that results is correct. The instructions are never confusing. If you do have questions the staff is quick to answer the phone and help you complete the tasks. No other website results in the complete reports with the clarity that occurs here.

Products used:
Background check

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user nicholask381
Nicholas K. – InstantCheckmate Rep

Hello Richard,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us with your feedback. We are delighted to see that you enjoyed your experience with us, and were able to navigate our site so easily! We look forward to continuing to assist you.

Thank you,
Instant Checkmate Support

Thumbnail of user shirleyt24
South Carolina
2 reviews
12 helpful votes
  • Send Message
October 29th, 2015

When you sign for the five day membership you get no real report. You are required to spend more money for each piece of information you would receive. They make it impossible for you to reach them to cancel. Do not use this site.

Thumbnail of user gloriaa14
Utah
1 review
31 helpful votes
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August 20th, 2015

I completed a report for myself as a quality assurance trial and found very little meaningful information. There was a picture attached to my report that is not me. I am extremely disappointed. Upon calling customer service for a refund, I was told "no, you signed up and you are obligated to pay for a month." I used the service for 10 minutes, found it to be useless and the company would not refund my money. I would recommend that others stay away.

Thumbnail of user kates648
New York
1 review
3 helpful votes
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April 20th, 2023

I was notified my email and password was stolen from using this site. They have had a security breach of customer information and have failed to inform those who were affected. My cc company just sent me a message my email and password was for sale on the dark web. I have a monitoring service and they know here it came from

Tip for consumers:
Customer service rep lied to me on phone telling me there was a customer notice online about the data breach. There. Was nothing.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user nicholask381
Nicholas K. – InstantCheckmate Rep

Hello Kate,
Thank you for your message. You are correct that we unfortunately experienced a data security incident implicating limited account information for customer accounts created before 2019. We were the first ones to provide notice of the incident publicly by posting a statement on our website that you can read here (https://www.instantcheckmate.com/security-incident-alert/?ref=home). As the statement indicates, the disclosed list primarily included names, emails and phone numbers. It did NOT include payment information, means to compromise customer accounts or evidence user activity (such as search histories).
We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and urgency and will post new information of interest on our website as it becomes available. We remain committed to looking out for our subscribers’ interest in this, and all matters, involving the security of their information.

Thumbnail of user junek17
Pennsylvania
1 review
6 helpful votes
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September 23rd, 2016

Used this site to run a check on a potential roommate. The information was absolutely useless and when I ran my name out of curiosity, I found I was arrested for Bad Checks in Ohio and another offense in Georgia. I have never been to either place.

Absolutely useless!

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Thumbnail of user nicholask381
Nicholas K.
Typically responds within 10 days

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