• 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)

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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 sherrier1
New Jersey
3 reviews
7 helpful votes
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May 18th, 2014

Searched myself - site wanted nearly $30/month for searches & reports. Had 2 lower cost levels. When I declined all those, it offered a 5 day trial for $1, so I bit. Turns out the info they have is old (10 yrs or so out-of-date) and inaccurate (things I never heard of linked to my name, which isn't all that common). Needless to say, I cancelled. They told me I could continue to search for rest of 5 days but when I continued that same day, they got my Hotmail account locked! The next email I got from them had a msg that the sender FAILED the fraud check. Now you know.

Thumbnail of user arthurr25
District of Columbia
1 review
20 helpful votes
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September 20th, 2015

How I wish I had checked this site before signing up for Checkmate. What a total worthless rip-off. After paying the initial $24.99, one is then charged an extra fee each step of the way for "premium" information. It just feels smarmy and cheap. I hope they don't make it impossible for me to cancel before the next month's automatic billing.

Thumbnail of user cathyw13
Florida
1 review
15 helpful votes
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June 21st, 2015

Signed up for the $1 trial and cancelled immediately after 1st search. The info given to me I had already found on the web for free and within seconds. Supposedly there was more info available but that would cost $19.99. This is nothing more that a bait & switch con. Don't waste your time or money.

Thumbnail of user dashap2
Slovakia
2 reviews
13 helpful votes
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June 29th, 2019

I paid for one month membership in March. Just realized they have been stealing money from my credit card every month since. The so called "background check" they provide is very inaccurate and so bad, you can find better info for free on google. These people are scammers! Based on my experience, I would recommend to stay away. They need to be held legally responsible for theft.

Thumbnail of user sidneyf18
Texas
1 review
12 helpful votes
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December 28th, 2015

Make sure you know the charge is monthly before putting in your credit card number. We found three monthly charges for $29.63 each after requesting one lookup back in October. Requested cancellation today (12/28/2015). We'll let you know how long that takes.

Thumbnail of user tamarb
Illinois
1 review
20 helpful votes
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October 14th, 2015

Completely useless! Do not subscribe, they give you no info that you can't find on your own, charge a monthly fee, and then if you want the criminal report, etc... you have to pay MORE! This site is a complete scam.

Thumbnail of user mjl3
California
1 review
21 helpful votes
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February 9th, 2016

I am a security professional who uses a number of sites for information regarding cases I am working. Three years ago I used this website once (without any meaningful result). I recently found that they'd been billing me $22.86 a month for the last 3 years. Clearly I should review credit card statements in detail. And I should choose reputable vendors to do business with. I made a mistake, but will ensure that my colleagues in the industry don't make the same one.

Thumbnail of user twad
Missouri
1 review
20 helpful votes
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January 7th, 2016

This is a terrible product. Their come ons indicate all kinds of info for a monthly fee, but all you get is info you could easily access yourself. They also try to lure you further in, promising premium info for just twenty bucks more. Ha! If you fell for the first, you're probably as hopping mad as I am and are certainly not going to agree to additional fees. In addition, the site actually timed out on me. That hasn't happened in years with internet speeds what they are today. Instant, they are not! When you call, they will try to settle with you such that they get a few bucks outta you, but be firm. They will refund if you stick to your guns, mention the 72 hour rule and how the product was not as represented. Interestingly, as soon as this charge hit my credit card, Chase notified me of a questionable transaction. I don't know how they stay in business.

Thumbnail of user jeffreyw23
New Mexico
1 review
21 helpful votes
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June 10th, 2015

I authorized and paid $1.00 to run a check on 1 person, and a few days later this nasty site charged my card $29, which I'm now contesting and trying to retrieve. Their "customer care" is a joke. They put some pretty words but they list no email address, only a phone number.
Beware everyone... I suggest staying away from this site.

Thumbnail of user alexanderb507
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
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May 5th, 2022

Thank you instant checkmate and Paul for helping me out during this process. Got everything I needed while using the app, and Paul made it easy to cancel my subscription when it was no longer needed. Much appreciated team!

Tip for consumers:
Great site!

Products used:
Online service.

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

Hey Alexander,
Thank you for taking the time to lave us with your feedback. We are delighted to see that you enjoyed your experience with us, and will be sure to pass along your kind words to Paul and his team! We look forward to assisting you again in the future:)

Thank you,
Instant Checkmate Support

Thumbnail of user jasonb2544
Virginia
0 reviews
0 helpful votes
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June 27th, 2022

Just called their 1-800 number to clarify a payment and the rep answered on the first ring and offered to combine payments and save me money, which I had no idea was an option. He went out of his way to thank me for my being a loyal customer for years and to go ahead and submit the combined payment plan right away. The searches that I've done over the years when looking up social and professional contacts have given me more peace of mind, and ultimately have provided myself and my family more safety. I'd highly recommend this site for its ease of use, friendly interaction of customer service, and commitment to providing a highly useful product to the web community and beyond.

Products used:
online security background site

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

Hello Jason,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. We are delighted to see that 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 mikej135
Ohio
10 reviews
193 helpful votes
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October 30th, 2015

Out of ten people only two accurate addresses and one phone number that hasn't been disconnected. One person was listed as still running a business that closed five years ago. If you want old, old, old info this is the place for you.

Thumbnail of user joanh34
Montana
1 review
9 helpful votes
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September 6th, 2015

I wish I would have read these reviews before throwing $15.00 to this scam of a company. How accurate can any background check company be when they don't even get my birthday correct? It went down hill from there. You get NO information for the $15.00, have to pay $2 to be able to print what they do provide - which is useless. Then in order to see any of the advertised data you have to pay another $19.99. Save your money - do not use this site.

Thumbnail of user karyns36
Arkansas
2 reviews
6 helpful votes
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January 31st, 2023
Verified purchase

The only reason I purchased a membership was whe I ran a preliminary check on my deceased brother, they claimed he had over $80,000.00 in unclaimed assets and he left behind a widow and their son. They charged me the membership fee of 28$ and then charged me an additional 4$ for a surprise "download fee"! No further mention was made of unclaimed assets, and every job listed as employment... EVERY SINGLE JOB... was wrong, and there was no record of his correct employment, although they had his address, birthdate, date of death, and phone number. Fraudulent. You will never reach anyone by phone, either.

Tip for consumers:
After you pay your ridiculous membership fee there is a $3.99 fee for downloading each "unlimited report". Dont get sucked in with these parasites. They will lie to you by saying the person you want to search has "unclaimed assets".

Products used:
Person search. Horrible experience. If I could give Instant a lower review I would.

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

Hello Karyn,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us with your feedback. If you feel that you have been charged in error, please call us at (800) 222-8985, or email us at support@instantcheckmate.com, so we can make this right.

Thank you

Thumbnail of user joev33
California
1 review
15 helpful votes
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March 28th, 2016

I cancelled this service after getting first report and finding it useless. 4 months later and 4 more charges for $27.85 per month later, i reported again that i had cancelled and wanted those 4 months refunded. Because i didn't write down the original cancellation confirmation number they only refunded the most recent month's charge. What a scam. Customer service just wants to point you to the fine print page you originally agreed to. Instant checkmate is the perfect name for this scam - i felt like they backed me into a corner and did a checkmate on me. Use at your own risk!

Thumbnail of user teds30
Montana
1 review
10 helpful votes
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October 26th, 2015

Yet another dissatisfied customer with "Instant Checkmate." this membership service does NOT provide services as advertised on their website- at least for the initial price paid. To get more detailed information, a paid member is informed and required to pay additional membership fees. Information that is initially provided by the service is very basic.As of 10/25/15 there is no "Trial Membership" as printed in the terms and conditions. This service/membership, based on my experience, is at best- a waste of money.

Thumbnail of user bonniew35
Florida
1 review
27 helpful votes
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April 24th, 2016

Seriously? In good faith I paid my $22.95 for a one month unlimited subscription of full and complete background checks. I put in my own name as a test and got back (after a 20 minute search) my address, an outdated phone number, my horoscope, and three relatives including my late husband, my daughter and my late husband's ex-wife. I refused to pay extra for the Premium Report since I had already paid for a "full and complete report." I called and cancelled and was told this is a legitimate business. After I mentioned the words "bait and switch," "fraud," "con," and "scam" they issued a full refund. I will wait and see how well that works. How on earth does a person find an honest website?

Thumbnail of user juliusg23
Massachusetts
1 review
16 helpful votes
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March 24th, 2020

The only reason I rated instantcheckmate.com 1 star is negative stars are not a choice.
A background check was requested via instantcheckmate.com by me for me. I received a system-generated email stated in the body of the email: "2 Potential Criminal Records Found"
This is a false statement generated even before the report downloaded. It is especially damaging during this time when I am seeking employment. I wrote to them and received a system-generated customer support message.
I've notified legal counsel.

Thumbnail of user nicholask381
Nicholas K. – InstantCheckmate Rep

Hello Julius,
Using our reports to determine employment is against our Terms Of Use, so we are not sure why this happened. If you would like to give a detailed description of what happened so we can assist you, please reach out to us at (800) 222-8985. Our team is available from Monday - Friday 7:00am to 7:00pm PST* (10:00am - 10:00pm EST) or by email at support@instantcheckmate.com so we can further assist you.

Thank you

Thumbnail of user claudet55
New York
1 review
2 helpful votes
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November 26th, 2022

You can find out more information just doing a Google search and looking at the white pages. This was so stupid and such a waste of money. They obviously must have fake good reviews. No arrest records persons been arrested six times doesn't even have the persons birthday. I can find that out for free on white pages and regular google searches. You would think $35 would actually get you information. The site has you waiting forever as if its actually pulling up information on someone.

How is this site legal its a scam.

Thumbnail of user nicholask381
Nicholas K. – InstantCheckmate Rep

Hello Claude,
Although we are sad to see you were unhappy with your experience, we appreciate you taking the time to offer us feedback. While we wish we could provide all of the information to our customers for free, we do pay to access our data sources and it costs money to maintain our website. Please reach out to us at (800) 222-8985, or email us at support@instantcheckmate.com, if there's anything we can do to improve your experience.

Thank you

Thumbnail of user farh1
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
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October 20th, 2022

I search my own number it was given me wring information please don't believe this website totally cracked up when i realized and read reviews people either destroyed their own life from their own hand or the reviews are fake good luck

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

Hello Far,
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 gailb35
Oregon
1 review
14 helpful votes
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September 6th, 2015

This is a despicable scam operation. For what you pay for you can find it on Facebook or in the Yellow pages unless you buy a "PREMIUM" report. Save yourself $15.00 dollars and go to your county court house if you need real information on anyone you suspect might have a criminal background.

Thumbnail of user maureenv3
New Jersey
1 review
16 helpful votes
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December 3rd, 2015

Checkmate did supply what I asked for, but the site is confusing and I accidentally paid a premium price for a simple check. They tell you they will charge you monthly unless you cancel, and they do. Cancelling was easy, however. But I really disliked all the junk mail filling up my mailbox. They shared my name with their group lists of some kind and probably get paid for that, too. I hate that I have to unsubscribe from all that junk, and my name probably got passed around to more, that I haven't even seen yet. Grrr.

Thumbnail of user alexisv45
Illinois
1 review
10 helpful votes
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January 2nd, 2020

Why does this company still exist? They've been charging me 40$ monthly and were "not able to locate my account" and therefore are unable to cancel the subscription. They kept trying to pry more information out of me over the phone, how can you trust a company like this?

Thumbnail of user nicholask381
Nicholas K. – InstantCheckmate Rep

Hello Alexis,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us with your feedback. If you feel that you've been charged in error, please reach out to our dedicated Customer Care Team at (800) 222-8985. Our team is available from Monday - Friday 7:00am to 7:00pm PST* (10:00am - 10:00pm EST) so we can make things right.

Thank you

Thumbnail of user robertc4835
Texas
1 review
2 helpful votes
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November 8th, 2021

I must have imagined i was married to her. Totally useless search tool. The thing wanted more money for a deep search. In my estimation the reviews on how good this search engine is are intentional lies.

Thumbnail of user nicholask381
Nicholas K. – InstantCheckmate Rep

Hello Robert,
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 jolisab
Florida
1 review
0 helpful votes
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April 10th, 2022

Everyday I use this website for my business. I check on many things i. E. sometimes I need to know who called me from a phone number or if someone has any relatives I can contact. I also use this to trace back where they lived before. Interestingly, this is one of the best ones I have found.

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

Hello JoLisa,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us with your feedback. We are delighted to see that you are able to utilize our tools every day, and we look forward to continuing to assist you!

Thank you,
Instant Checkmate Support

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

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