Is Intelius Legit? Safety, Cost and Scam Check

Intelius is a legitimate, long-running people search and public records service, owned by PeopleConnect, the same company group behind TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate. It delivers real reports built from public records, but like others in its category, people report mixed experiences with cancelling and getting a refund. Here is what it is, how safe it is, and a faster option when you only need one phone number checked.

• Legit: yes, a real company with a long operating history
• Owned by: PeopleConnect, which also runs TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate
• Biggest complaint: cancelling a trial before it renews into a paid membership
• Not for screening: like other people search sites, its reports are not built for employment, housing, credit or insurance decisions
• One-number shortcut: a free phone preview is faster if that is all you need

Is Intelius legit?

Yes. Intelius has operated as a public records and people search service for close to two decades and is now part of PeopleConnect, the parent company of several well-known people search brands, including TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate. It is a real business that delivers the reports it sells, built from the same kinds of public records, social profiles and web data that other services in this category use.

The complaints that follow Intelius around online are mostly about billing: a low-cost trial that converts into a recurring membership, and difficulty getting the full amount refunded after cancelling. Those are complaints about the subscription model, not about the service failing to deliver a report.

What is Intelius used for?

People typically use Intelius to search by name, phone number, email or address to check out a new contact, a potential date, a landlord or an unfamiliar caller. A report can pull together:

• Names, age and possible aliases
• Current and past addresses
• Phone numbers and email addresses
• Relatives and associates
• Social media profiles and other web mentions
• Possible criminal or court records, where public

For comparison, Deepscanner searches by name, email or phone number, with no install required.

Is Intelius safe?

Using Intelius to run a search is safe in the sense that you are not exposing yourself to anything beyond a standard online purchase. Like every people search service, its reports can't be legally used for decisions covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as hiring, renting, lending or insurance. Treat the data as a starting point, not a confirmed record, since public records can be incomplete, outdated, or mixed up between people with similar names.

Is Intelius free?

No. Intelius runs on a paid-trial model: you pay a small amount for a short trial period, which then converts into a recurring membership unless you cancel first. The exact trial length and renewal price can change, so check the pricing shown at checkout before you pay. If you cancel before the trial period ends, you avoid the full membership charge.

Does Intelius notify the person you search?

This is one of the most common questions people ask about Intelius, and we could not verify a specific notification policy on Intelius's own site. If this matters to you, check Intelius's current terms before searching. Deepscanner never notifies the person you look up, and that policy is stated on our own site.

Is Intelius hard to cancel?

This question comes up often enough that it shows in Google's related searches for Intelius. Reported cancellation routes include logging into your account and cancelling from your membership settings, or contacting customer support by phone or email. The key timing detail that trips people up is cancelling before a trial period ends, since that is what avoids the full membership charge.

Can you remove yourself from Intelius?

Yes. Like most people search sites, Intelius offers an opt-out process to remove your own listing from its database, separate from cancelling a paid account. If your goal is simply to get your information off people search sites rather than to review one, see our full guide on opting out of Spokeo and our broader walkthrough on how Deepscanner compares to TruthFinder and BeenVerified for removal options across several sites at once.

Is there a faster option for a single lookup?

If you only need to check one phone number, right now, a dedicated phone preview skips the membership question entirely. Deepscanner's who called me tool shows carrier, line type and general location free, in about 60 seconds, with no trial to remember to cancel. For a full legitimacy check on Deepscanner itself, see our own review, and if you are also weighing TruthFinder, our TruthFinder legitimacy review covers the same questions for that service.

Deepscanner's phone lookup page. Enter a number to get the free preview.

Deepscanner is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Do not use it to make decisions about employment, housing, credit, insurance or tenant screening.