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Business Profile

Internet Services

Instant Checkmate

Headquarters

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BBB Accredited BusinessA+Rated by BBB

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Instant Checkmate's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 210 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 50 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/21/2023

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Will not remove a name of person I looked up. I opted out to remove all my information over a year ago. Yet, the name is still there. It doesn't make sense because all my other information has been deleted. The name is **************************************. It comes up something important to me. When I clear it, it still comes back. Can you help me with this? Thank you. *************************

      Business Response

      Date: 05/25/2023

      Dear ***********************************,

      This response is in regards to the consumer complaint from *************************, ID ********. 

      Instant Checkmates information is gathered from many public sources including local county courthouses, census bureaus, and other sources of public information. We do not create or add to the information we obtain. While we cannot remove specific records from a report, we do have the option to remove an entire background report from our site. The information obtained from a report is for personal use only. Please keep in mind that we do not remove *** offender location data and that your name could still appear as a possible relative or associate in another individuals background report.

      We understand that ****************** has chosen to suppress her public data information on the Instant Checkmate website but the person she looked up is still showing despite her not having an account. To better understand her issue, we ask that ****************** please provide any links or screenshots of the information that she is seeing. 

      Please do not hesitate to contact our customer service department at ************ with any further questions. We are available to assist you during regular business hours, from 7:00am - 4:00pm Pacific time (10:00am - 7:00pm Eastern time) daily, including weekends. (Holiday hours may vary.)

      Sincerely,
      Instant Checkmate Support

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/12/2023

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      This company has my personal information plastered on the internet for anyone to see without my permission. It is extremely dangerous and I would like it removed permanently. I have tried the Suppress feature and it does not work. It should be against the law to post a person's address, or any other personal information without their knowledge.

      Business Response

      Date: 05/14/2023

      Dear ************************************ 

      This response is in regards to the consumer complaint from *******************************, ID ********.

      Instant Checkmates information is gathered from many public sources including local county courthouses, census bureaus, and other sources of public information. We do not create or add to the information we obtain. While we cannot remove specific records from a report, we do have the option to remove an entire background report from our site. The information obtained from a report is for personal use only.

      We have suppressed the report for *******************************. The removal process takes between 24 - 48 hours to be completely removed from our website. Please do not hesitate to contact our customer service department at ************ with any further questions. We are available to assist you during regular business hours, from 7:00am - 4:00pm Pacific time (10:00am - 7:00pm Eastern time) daily, including weekends. (Holiday hours may vary.)

      Sincerely,
      Instant Checkmate Support

      Customer Answer

      Date: 05/15/2023


      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

      Regards,

      *****************************

       

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/11/2023

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      The business is instant checkmate inc. They have made multiple withdrawals from my PayPal account without permission. 1 payment April 4th, 2023, on the amount of $35.12. 2 payments may 5th. The first for $35.12 & the second for $3.99. Yet another for $35.12may 6th, 2023. This is a real problem. What must I do?

      Business Response

      Date: 05/14/2023

      Dear ***********************************,

      This response is in regards to the consumer complaint from ***************************, ID ********.

      When a user activates their account, they must provide an electronic signature authorizing Instant Checkmate to charge their card as described, including for the automatic renewal of their membership. Our Billing Terms are conspicuously explained on our registration page and in our Terms of Use. Customers are sent a confirmation email for any orders placed on the site.

      Customers are able to cancel online from within their account, through our Customer Phone Support, or by sending an email to *********************************** After a thorough investigation, we have determined that no cancellation attempts were made through any of these channels.  

      As a courtesy, we have cancelled all memberships and refunded ********************* account back to the payment option used to enroll, and no further charges will be incurred. Please do not hesitate to contact our customer service department at ************ with any further questions. We are available to assist you during regular business hours, from 7:00am - 4:00pm Pacific time (10:00am - 7:00pm Eastern time) daily, including weekends. (Holiday hours may vary.)

      Sincerely,
      Instant Checkmate Support

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/09/2023

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I completed the process to suppress my personal information using the "suppression tool" on their website, but after waiting much longer than their suggested 48-hour waiting period, I can still easily find a page on their website with my personal information by Googling myself. This is not an issue with the website being cached by ******* the information still appears when I go to the Instant Checkmate website itself. I have been in contact with the Instant Checkmate customer service team for about 2 weeks now, going back and forth over email about a dozen times. All of their email replies appear to be copied from templates and ignore all of my previous messages despite the fact that I am replying within the same conversation. They repeatedly ask for the same information, assure me that they have already removed my record, and that I only need to wait 48 hours to see that it is removed. This is very poor customer service, and their failure to suppress my personal information upon my request is a violation of their privacy policy.

      Business Response

      Date: 05/16/2023

      Dear ***********************************,

      This response is in regards to the consumer complaint from ***************************, ID ********. 

      Instant Checkmates information is gathered from many public sources including local county courthouses, census bureaus, and other sources of public information. We do not create or add to the information we obtain. While we cannot remove specific records from a report, we do have the option to remove an entire background report from our site. The information obtained from a report is for personal use only.

      We have removed the report for ***************************. The removal process takes between 24 - 48 hours to be completely removed from our website. Please do not hesitate to contact our customer service department at ************ with any further questions. We are available to assist you during regular business hours, from 7:00am - 4:00pm Pacific time (10:00am - 7:00pm Eastern time) daily, including weekends. (Holiday hours may vary.)

      Sincerely,
      Instant Checkmate Support

      Customer Answer

      Date: 05/16/2023


      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

      Regards,

      ***************************

       

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/08/2023

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      please remove me *********************************************************************************

      Business Response

      Date: 05/15/2023


      Dear *********************************** ,

      This response is in regards to the consumer complaint from ***********************************, ID ********.

      Instant Checkmates information is gathered from many public sources including local county courthouses, census bureaus, and other sources of public information. We do not create or add to the information we obtain. While we cannot remove specific records from a report, we do have the option to remove an entire background report from our site. The information obtained from a report is for personal use only.

      We have removed the report for ***********************************. The removal process takes between 24 - 48 hours to be completely removed from our website. Please do not hesitate to contact our customer service department at ************ with any further questions. We are available to assist you during regular business hours, from 7:00am - 4:00pm Pacific time (10:00am - 7:00pm Eastern time) daily, including weekends. (Holiday hours may vary.)

      Sincerely,
      Instant Checkmate Support

      Customer Answer

      Date: 05/15/2023


      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

      Regards,

      ***********************************

       

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/04/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I ordered a background check for my daughter and paid all fees and never received the background check. I have emailed them a total of 12 times and they will not return any of my contacts. My number with them is *********. If they cannot give me the report, please refund my money.

      Business Response

      Date: 05/05/2023

      Dear ***********************************,

      This response is in regards to the consumer complaint from None ********, ID ********. 

      To access the account, members must visit www.instantcheckmate.com/login, enter the email address used to create the account, and enter the password chosen when the account was purchased.

      Here are some suggestions to consider if a member is possibly having trouble logging into their account or gaining access to the requested reports:

      1. Try refreshing or restarting the browser
      2. Make sure the browser is up-to-date
      3. Make sure cookies are enabled
      4. Be sure to occasionally clear cache and cookies by visiting the devices' browser history 
      5. We also recommend turning off any VPNs or firewalls that could be affecting certain websites

      We have also refunded Mr. ********* account back to the payment option used to enroll, and no further charges will be incurred. Please do not hesitate to contact our customer service department at ************ with any further questions. We are available to assist you during regular business hours, from 7:00am - 4:00pm Pacific time (10:00am - 7:00pm Eastern time) daily, including weekends. (Holiday hours may vary.)

      Sincerely,
      Instant Checkmate Support

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/03/2023

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      My personal information is listed on their website without my permission. Not only is the information partly incorrect - it puts my life in grave danger! I am a retired police officer and many threats have been made towards me during my career! I am requesting your help in getting this matter resolved. They offer an "opt-out" link and state they will send a link to your email to do so. This is obviously a scam - you never receive a link or response. **********************************************************************************

      Business Response

      Date: 05/04/2023

      Dear ***********************************,

      This response is in regards to the consumer complaint from *************** ******* ** ********.

      Instant Checkmates information is gathered from many public sources including local county courthouses, census bureaus, and other sources of public information. We do not create or add to the information we obtain. While we cannot remove specific records from a report, we do have the option to remove an entire background report from our site. The information obtained from a report is for personal use only.

      We have removed the report for *************** ******* The removal process takes between 24 - 48 hours to be completely removed from our website. Please do not hesitate to contact our customer service department at ************ with any further questions. We are available to assist you during regular business hours, from 7:00am - 4:00pm Pacific time (10:00am - 7:00pm Eastern time) daily, including weekends. (Holiday hours may vary.)

      Sincerely,
      Instant Checkmate Support

      Customer Answer

      Date: 05/04/2023


      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

      Regards,

      *************** ******

       

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/01/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Has stopped responding to my requests and refuses to remove publicly displayed private and personal email address from this link. They do NOT have my permission to display my email address publicly to be harvested by spam bots and fraudsters.***************************************************************************

      Business Response

      Date: 05/05/2023

      Dear ***********************************,

      This response is in regards to the consumer complaint from *************************, ID ********. 

      Instant Checkmates information is gathered from many public sources, including local county courthouses, census bureaus, and other sources of public information. We do not create or add to the information we obtain. While we cannot remove specific records from a report, we do have the option to remove an entire background report from our site. The information obtained from a report is for personal use only.

      We have removed the report for ***** (****) *******. The removal process takes between 24 - 48 hours to be completely removed from our website. Please do not hesitate to contact our customer service department at ************ with any further questions. We are available to assist you during regular business hours, from 7:00am - 4:00pm Pacific time (10:00am - 7:00pm Eastern time) daily, including weekends. (Holiday hours may vary.)

      Sincerely,
      Instant Checkmate Support

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/27/2023

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      The issue I am having involves the website: www.instantcheckmate.com. My grandmother passed away in April of *********************************************************************** their public search results. Her info on their website is as follows: ****************** **** Age 95 *******, **. I spoke with company on the phone to have her removed from their platform, and they have not removed her information. Everyone has the option to suppress their information on their website. I need assistance with getting my deceased grandmother's information suppressed and off this website which is very invasive. I appreciate your help with this request. Regards,******* ****

      Business Response

      Date: 04/27/2023

      Dear ***********************************,

      This response is in regards to the consumer complaint from ******* ****, ID ********.

      Instant Checkmates information is gathered from many public sources including local county courthouses, census bureaus, and other sources of public information. We do not create or add to the information we obtain. While we cannot remove specific records from a report, we do have the option to remove an entire background report from our site. The information obtained from a report is for personal use only.

      We have removed the report for ******* ****. The removal process takes between 24 - 48 hours to be completely removed from our website. Please do not hesitate to contact our customer service department at ************ with any further questions. We are available to assist you during regular business hours, from 7:00am - 4:00pm Pacific time (10:00am - 7:00pm Eastern time) daily, including weekends. (Holiday hours may vary.)

      Sincerely,
      Instant Checkmate Support

      Customer Answer

      Date: 04/27/2023


      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

      Regards,

      ******* ****

       

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/25/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I received a notification from my Identity Protection provider back in the fall that my information was on this website. It sparked me to look into this website and all similar websites. I reached out to them all to request my information be removed. I specifically remember completing the Suppressing Tool on Instant Checkmate's website. I also spoke to someone in their so-called customer support department. Today, I received another notification from the same provider along with Experian stating my email address and password were listed on the site again - leaving me vulnerable to identity theft, possible account takeovers (hacking), and increased spam messages. I do not trust nor do I feel comfortable completing the Suppression Tool again. I just want all my personal information removed from this site permanently. It baffles me how they are getting away with this especially if they have people's passwords. This site and all like it should be ILLEGAL especially in today's Privacy Protection day and age.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/25/2023

      Dear ***********************************,

      This response is in regards to the consumer complaint from ***********************, ID ********.

      Our response to the security incident and the most recent information regarding our security protocols can be read at ***************************************************************. We take the privacy of our customers very seriously and are taking all appropriate measures in response to the incident. We will continue posting updates as we have more to report.

      Additionally, we understand that **************** would like to delete any ********* ********************** maintains for her. This right to delete is specific to the ********* that ********************** collects and maintains about its users, such as information users provide to us when they interact with the website or create an account, information regarding user interactions with our website and customer care channels, and traffic data, which includes IP addresses, browser types and the pages users visit while using our site. For more information about this data and how it is used and stored, visit our Privacy Policy.

      To exercise this right, **************** can visit our ************** at *****************************************************. In the middle of the page he will see a section titled Right to Delete with instructions. **************** should enter the email provided to Instant Checkmate when creating her account and click Delete My ********* to begin the process.

      Please do not hesitate to contact our customer service department at ************ with any further questions. We are available to assist you during regular business hours, from 7:00am - 4:00pm Pacific time (10:00am - 7:00pm Eastern time) daily, including weekends. (Holiday hours may vary.)

      Sincerely,
      Instant Checkmate Support

      Customer Answer

      Date: 04/26/2023

      First of all my name is not ****************! Secondly, I do not have a ********* Account. I have never purchased or created an account with **********************. It appears they copied and pasted a pre-selected response. My name is *********************** and my complaint is about my personal information being on their website without my knowledge or request. I was informed by Experian ID Protection and McAfee ID Protection that they were displaying information about me, more specifically my email and password on the dark web. I do not feel comfortable with using the Suppression Tool listed on their site because it asks for your personal  information that they already unethically have then requires you to click on a link and agree to user terms that I do not agree with. They also have the nerve to list a privacy statement but ironically that's the issue - they are violating my privacy along with many others. 

      Business Response

      Date: 04/26/2023

      Dear ***********************************,

      This response is in regards to the consumer complaint from ***********************, ID ********.

      The ************** allows her to delete specific ********* that ********************** collects and maintains about its users, such as information users provide to ** when they interact with the website or create an account, information regarding user interactions with our website and customer care channels, and traffic data, which includes IP addresses, browser types and the pages users visit while using our site. For more information about this data and how it is used and stored, visit our Privacy Policy.

      To exercise this right, **************** can visit our ************** at *****************************************************. In the middle of the page she will see a section titled Right to Delete with instructions. **************** should enter the email provided to Instant Checkmate when creating her account and click Delete My ********* to begin the process.

      Please do not hesitate to contact our customer service department at ************ with any further questions. We are available to assist you during regular business hours, from 7:00am - 4:00pm Pacific time (10:00am - 7:00pm Eastern time) daily, including weekends. (Holiday hours may vary.)

      Sincerely,
      Instant Checkmate Support

      Customer Answer

      Date: 04/28/2023

      I DO NOT HAVE A USER ACCOUNT. 

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