Unfortunately, the reality is that we encounter different people every day and the likelihood of such a circumstance will occur, especially if you have no idea who you’re up against. In today’s modern tech world, things are even worse. You never really know who someone is, or what they can do, especially if you find them online.

Believe it or not, Background Checks are used by millions of people worldwide. These checks have become so popular that there are even specific background check services that are targeted to screen certain demographics.

In this article we are going to share with you some of the most horrifying stories of 2016. Things could have turned out quite different if it wouldn’t have been for these TOP 5 services:

1. CheckMate– The Ultimate DATING Detector 

Annalise met Bradford through an online dating service. He seemed like the perfect man, everything she desired in someone. Nothing seemed wrong with Bradford whatsoever, so much so that it was almost too perfect to be true. He worked as an executive for a start-up company in San Francisco, had an adorable dog named Brodey, and had a few long term relationships in the past. He desired commitment and someone to spend a life with, the same purpose that Annalise had initially joined the dating site.

It just didn’t feel right! She felt something was maybe wrong, and decided to use the background checking service CheckMate to find out more about Bradford.

Although Bradford seemed like such a perfect match, he had a record and history of abuse, being charged for assault on 2 accounts, as well as being fired from 3 different jobs because of his temper which got brought out inappropriately in the workplace. Annalise was horrified by the information she received back from CheckMate and quickly blocked Bradford from all of her social media and from her dating program.

Sign up now for CheckMate and know what you’re getting yourself in to

2. BeenVerified – Discover Who Your Neighbors REALLY Are

Anthony had lived in a peaceful suburb of Pennsylvania for the past 2 years, and when a new neighbor moved in next door, he thought nothing strange of it. A few weeks passed and Anthony started to witness some suspicious behaviors regarding his new neighbor. He didn’t think anything of it but kept an eye out.

One night he was woken up to the sounds of smashing glass. As he ran downstairs he discovered that his neighbor had thrown bricks directly into the window of Anthony’s kitchen. He caught Anthony spying on him and lost it. On his door there was a note that read “Stop spying and say anything you’re dead”.

Before approaching the police he went online and discovered BeenVerified, a background check program that revealed some scary information. It turned out his new neighbor was a convicted sex offender, and why Anthony wasn’t notified of such a fact by the neighborhood still remains a mystery.

Anthony immediately called the cops and told them what had occurred. He held on to the note to show them for evidence, and when they arrived they agreed to detain the neighbor. One week later, the neighbor moved.

Sign up today on BeenVerified? and find out who you’re living next to

3. Intelius – Discover the Deep Dark Past of a Coworker

We spend around forty hours per week with coworkers, but sometimes there are still secrets hidden away underneath the niceties and water cooler talk.

Greg Wilcox worked at a software development company that created cutting-edge technology for computers and phones. He was the head accountant for the company and had been working alongside Andrew, another accountant for years and the two had a great working relationship. But then some of the numbers stopped adding up and Greg started to get suspicious about Andrew and his work.

Greg decided to run a background check on Andrew and discovered that he had been convicted of embezzlement and fraud, as well as money laundering. Armed with this evidence, Greg began thoroughly double-checking all of the numbers and discovered that Andrew had been embezzling money from the company. He was able to stop the situation before it got out of hand.

Without this incredible background check system, Mr. Wilcox could have ended up in a deep issue, as his company could have had its confidential and top secret information stolen, as well as money moved into other accounts.

Sign up now for Intelius and start to understand who you’re up against

4. idTrue? – For Confirming Your Gut Feelings

The moment when your teenage daughter starts dating is a difficult time period for any parent. You quickly discover that your child has grown up fast and it can feel like the reigns are slipping away faster than you expected.

But as a parent whose main job is to worry about their kid, letting go completely can be very difficult – which is why it can be a good idea to do a bit more research on the new group of kids or new boyfriend your teenage daughter is hanging out with.

Tammy Robertson’s daughter Meg was 16 when she began dating Michael, a 26 year old personal trainer that she met at the local gym. When Tammy first met Michael, something seemed a bit off.

At first, she thought she was being overly judgmental because Michael was Meg’s first boyfriend. But the more she thought about it, the more she needed to know if this was just a gut feeling or something more.

So she headed to idTrue and ran a background check on Michael and found out he had an assault charge on his criminal record. Tammy did a bit more digging and found out that the charge was made by his ex-girlfriend.

Sign up for idTrue? today and start discovering the truth 

5.TruthFinder? – Protect your Family

When new people come into your life, it’s a good idea to do your research to be certain that they are who they say they are and that you can trust them, especially when it comes to your children.

Tammy and Ryan Sackler moved to a new city and were looking at different playgroups to send their three year old son to. They couldn’t afford to send their son to the town’s more popular playgroup and their only choice was a new playgroup that had just opened up and was half the price of the established playgroup.

The Sacklers wanted to be sure that the woman running the playgroup was trustworthy and responsible before they agreed to send their son there. So they ran a background check and found that everything checked out! They were able to send their son to the playgroup, knowing that he was in the hands of a capable and trusted teacher.