Hi everyone i found myself needing to look someone up nothing shady, just trying to reconnect with an old friend I lost touch with years ago. I went down a rabbit hole of “free people search” websites and woww it’s a mixed bag out there some sites claim to be free, but hit you with a paywall right after you enter the name. Others just pull super basic info you could find on Facebook.
Curious if anyone else has used these or knows of better ones that doesnt require fortune just to see results?
Same boat here. I tried peoplesearch and it was surprisingly decent for a free tool. Not 100% accurate but it gave me enough to track someone down through social media
I used to do this for work there are a few hidden gems out there!
Ugh yes! I fell for one and got charged a fortune for nothing useful.
Omg yes, I’ve gone down that rabbit hole too i was trying to reconnect with an old coworker i used to be really close with Some of those ‘free’ sites are so misleading they show a glimpse of info and then immediately ask you to pay to unlock the rest
I’ve used some sites when trying to do family genealogy and I agree it’s such a mess. The ones that say ‘free’ will literally give you a name and city, and then ask for for fortune to unlock the rest You’re better off cross referencing a few free tools
I’ve been through this and totally get it i think the key is being patient and not relying on just one method use social media or one of truth sites or mutual connections, and maybe one or two of those people search tools as a last resort but don’t pay unless you’re sure.
I tried to find my childhood best friend a few months ago i used a bunch of sites like Spokeo but they all ended up charging for anything remotely useful the basic stuff they gave me was either outdated or straight up wrong. Super frustrating
I was doing a similar search a while ago for an old neighbor, and what really helped was combining tools. I used some sites to get a phone number then looked them up on social media to confirm. It took a few hours but it eventually worked!
Not sure if you’re in the U.S but some states have online public records that are actually pretty detailed. I found some old court records and address histories that way. Totally legal just hidden behind clunky government websites.
I once found someone using an old blog post they wrote like 10 years ago searched their name with keywords related to their job and eventually landed on a blog that linked to their newer portfolio. Was a shot in the dark but it paid off!
My mom was trying to track down an old college roommate for their reunion and paid for one of those people search sites only to get someone else entirely. Customer service wouldn’t refund her either It’s such a gamble.
