App allows users to do a background check on anyone in seconds on their phone, unlimited and free

DirtSearch LLC (the parent company of online background search website DirtSearch.org), announced today it has launched a free app available on iOS and Android platforms.

Unlike similar apps that allow for limited free searches and require payments for results, the DirtSearch app allows users to conduct unlimited free searches of individuals throughout the United States and hold a history of their searches on their phones. The DirtSearch app accesses thousands of public records delivering instant results. Users simply enter first name, last name and choose a state from a drop down menu. A second feature includes the ability to do deep searches by simply selecting a box under the above-referenced fields. The deep search option is the difference between pulling the data that is cached in the DirtSearch.org database versus going out to the world and checking all the data in all of the sources in real-time. Results include criminal records, sex offenders, property ownership, social media profiles and more.

Each year, thousands of American’s are the victims of petty crimes committed by people they thought were legitimate; from babysitters to housemaids, to workout partners and online dates, new people can be dangerous. In addition, a worsening economy has seen people doing things they probably would never have done before. The DirtSearch app is a new tool for people to be vigilant about those whose sense of right and wrong may have been compromised.

DirtSearch conducts 130,000 searches a month and has grown by 10 percent every quarter since its inception six years ago. Launching the new app is in line with the company’s growth strategy for 2014 and it expects the amount of searches on its platforms to double by 2015.

The app developer Erik Knight, creator of DirtSearch.org saw the importance of access to information and created the website to present an easy to use platform that allows one to search online public records to find out how ‘dirty’ friends, family or others. While searching for results, DirtSearch also calculates a “dirty score,” counting the number of times an individual’s name pops up in a search.

“In today’s world, it is more important than ever to do your research, know the people around you and ensure that your friends, colleagues and the people you surround yourself with are trustworthy,” said Knight. According to the latest identity theft victim statistics, approximately 15 million U.S. residents have their identities used fraudulently each year with a financial loss totaling upwards of $50 billion. Fraudsters can steal an identity by obtaining different pieces of information about a person and putting them together like a jigsaw puzzle, including information such as a person’s zip code, maiden name or date of birth. So while DirtSearch is valuable in identifying dirty people, it can also reveal a person’s vulnerability online. By searching one’s own name, those vulnerable sources can be identified fast and action can be deployed.

DirtSearch looks up information by state and searches thousands sites. Results include criminal records, sex offenders, property ownership and more. “Many big companies have had security breaches, eroding consumer confidence. That coupled with the fact that there might be erroneous information about you floating around the Internet are good reasons to do a background search,” said Knight.

Clearly, the more information you have about a person, the better your searches will be said Knight. Knowing a middle name and date of birth will help weed out people with similar names. “If you aren’t completely sure you’ve found the right person, don’t act on the information until you’ve verified it is actually them.”

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About DirtSearch.org

Founded in 2008, DirtSearch.org is one of the largest online background check services performing about 2 million searches per year. Dirtsearch.org searches all of the available sites on the Internet looking for public record data to make finding information on people easy and free. Erik Knight created the site when a number of people asked him to find information on people through public records. After doing this a number of times, he realized there was no single place on the Internet to search for public records inexpensively and quickly. After his original inception, DirtSearch.org has continued to grow and improve its accuracy and remains one of the only completely free online background check websites in the world. The site is fully automated and takes a few minutes to search what would normally take hours or days by hand. For more about Erik Knight or DirtSearch, visit www.DirtSearch.org and click on the FAQ section.