The FCRA, or the Fair Credit Reporting Act, is the piece of U.S. Federal Government legislation regulating the collection, circulation, and use of consumer information. In other words, it determines who can access your information and how that information can be used, with the goal of ensuring that the most accurate information is available.
The FCRA dictates that only Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) can be consulted when making employment, credit, or tenant screening decisions. These organizations are required to operate under two conditions: they must provide notice that they will be accessing your public or private records information, and must disclose who provided the information upon request. Examples of people who would require the services of a CRA are employers, landlords, and mortgage brokers, among others.
For additional information, you can inform yourself about the FCRA here.
How does the FCRA affect you?
PeopleSmart.com is not a Consumer Reporting Agency. PeopleSmart was created for the everyday consumer to have similar access to some of the publicly available information CRAs can provide to search for themselves and others. FCRA restricts how and why you can use the site, as the data available through public records can contain inaccuracies or gaps in digitized or available information. Scroll down to find examples of ways the information PeopleSmart provides can and can not be used.
Do’s and don’ts of using PeopleSmart
There are a host of reasons why you should use PeopleSmart.com — you never know what you will find! Subscribers are encouraged to check out not only themselves, but friends and family. But there are more practical reasons why you should perform background searches: verifying a roommate's or an online date’s identity. You can check if an online buyer or seller isn’t just a scammer in disguise. Many have even used the service to find a lost love, or discover someone’s current address or phone number.
However, there are restrictions to using the site. You are not authorized to consult the site for tenant or employment (office or household) screening. Similarly, it’s illegal to use PeopleSmart to determine educational qualification and mortgage, credit check, and insurance eligibility. We forbid users to attempt to find information about persons under the age of 18 and business transaction initiated by an individual customer. Finally, the following will not be tolerated: harassing or contacting people against their wishes, stalking or spying, or stealing of another’s identity.
These are just a few of the ways PeopleSmart should and shouldn’t be used.
How does PeopleSmart comply with the FCRA?
PeopleSmart is committed to complying with the regulations of the FCRA. We reserve the right to terminate accounts of subscribers that we discover to be using the service for any purpose not authorized by our Terms of Service.
Alternative Services
If you are looking to access public information for a reason not authorized by PeopleSmart, please consult a Consumer Reporting Agency instead. By way of example only, some such CRAs include:
For credit checks:
For Employment
Note: PeopleSmart has no affiliation with any of these services and recommends them as a courtesy.
Related Links
By using PeopleSmart , you agree to our Terms of Service. To understand how PeopleSmart protects the privacy of its users, please visit our Privacy FAQ. For any other questions, please contact us at 267-846-5087 or support@peoplesmart.com.
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