Spokeo is a public records aggregator that compiles information such as phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, and social media profiles to create a detailed profile of individuals. It is a people-finder platform, but it raises questions about privacy and data breaches, and users have questions like ‘Is Spokeo legit,’ and ‘How does the platform function?’ In this guide, we will answer these questions.
Anything you post online or offline is gathered by Spokeo to create your profile on the platform. It helps you locate people, spot them based on hobbies, regions, family members, and other personal details, and acts as a search engine to look for people. However, to know about Spokeo’s legitimacy, its privacy policy, and more, keep scrolling.
What is Spokeo?
Spokeo is a people-finder platform that was founded in 2006 by four Stanford graduates, Mike Daly, Harrison Tang, Ray Chen, and Eric Liang. The platform is known for finding information about people. The information can be from a general perspective, like name and contact information, to specific information like income, religion, credit status, and a satellite shot of the house.
Usually, with people finder platforms, it is either a hit or a miss. However, the platform claims to have a comprehensive personal profile from over 12 billion records from thousands of databases. For a complete look at an individual’s life, the platform keeps public photos, videos, dating profiles, and blogs available to its users.
Is Spokeo Legit?
Yes, Spokeo is a legitimate platform for finding people. It is not a scam. However, it raises concerns about privacy and data breaches as it reveals personal information for a fee. The platform is generally used legally by individuals and businesses, but it is not a Consumer Reporting Agency, which means the platform can not be used for official background checks.
If you are willing to know about any individual, Google is not your answer, as it does not fine-tune its results to find people. Spokeo does it, as it is designed to do that. Besides that platform has claimed to be a safe way to learn about the people around you. It keeps your personal data, payment details, and account information secure.
Key Features of the Spokeo Platform
Many key aspects of Spokeo set it apart from common search engines. The platform is specifically designed to find individuals and the data associated with them on their personalized profiles. The main features of the platform are.
- Data Aggregation: With its high-design web crawlers, the platform collects data from three major sources: public records, social media, and commercial databases.
- Searchable Profiles: You can search for a person by name, email, phone number, or address. With a simple search process, you can get access to details like contact information, social media profiles, and other publicly available information.
- Potential Uses: The platform is mainly used for finding old friends, long-lost relationships, and family members. It is also used to verify information about people in general.
- Privacy Concerns: The platform has complaints against privacy and data breaches, as it compiles data from various sources, which may, at times, be outdated or inaccurate. It is to be noted that Spokeo is not compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and therefore cannot be used for official background checks or employment screenings.
- Subscription Required: It requires a subscription fee if you want in-depth details about an individual. However, for some basic information, the platform is available for free.
Also, read Is TruthFinder Legit or a Scam: Features, Pricing and User Review
How Much Does Spokeo Charge: Subscription Plans Explained
As already mentioned, Spokeo provides basic information for free on the platform. However, to get in-depth information about an individual, you need to get a subscription. In the list given below, I have listed the subscription options:
- One-time report with a free trial: 95 cents with a $24.95 monthly renewal.
- One-time report without trial: $1.95.
- Monthly recurring membership: $24.95 per month.
- Three-month recurring membership: $19.95 per month (discounted compared to the monthly plan).
- Quarterly recurring membership: $14.95 per month (further discounted).
- Business plans: For Business plan access, you need to contact customer service for pricing.
Pros & Cons of Spokeo
Like any other platform, Spokeo has its set of pros and cons. Below are the pros and cons that you must consider before putting on your Sherlock Homs persona and signing up on the platform
Pros
- User-friendly interface.
- Affordable subscription plan.
- Comprehensive search.
- Multiple search methods.
- Search concierge.
Cons
- Privacy concern
- Accuracy is not guaranteed
- Potential for misuse
- No FCRA compliance
- Outdated information
Reviews of Spokeo
Spokeo’s people-finder platform operates only in the U.S., as it tracks only U.S. residents. So, it is to be noted that unless you want to look up someone from the States, you’re wasting your money. Reviews are the easiest way to judge a platform; checking what major platforms say about Spokeo provides insight into whether or not you should subscribe to it. To make things clear, here’s the breakdown of it.
Trustpilot
With 1,184 reviews on Trustpilot, Spokeo has a ranking of 2.4 stars. This indicates a poor level of user satisfaction. A 2.4-star ranking established that users generally have a below-average experience on the platform. Users have claimed that they regret wasting their money by subscribing to the platform.
App Store
Things for iOS users seem different, as on the App Store, Spokeo has a rating of 4+ stars, making it a go-to choice for iOS users. The 4+ stars on the App Store indicate the highest level of user satisfaction.
SiteJabber
With 1,385 reviews on SiteJabber, Spokeo has a rating of 2.1 stars. This indicates a poor level of user satisfaction. A 2.4-star ranking established that users generally have a below-average experience on the platform, making Trustpilot and SiteJabber users dissatisfied with Spokeo.
Is Spokeo Legit: My Verdict?
Yes, Spokeo is a legit platform; it is not a scam. However, there have been questions about the privacy and data of Spokeo. The policies with which the platform operates are questioned, as you can get any information about an individual by subscribing to it.
Once you subscribe to the platform, you will get in-depth information about individuals. The platform works as it combines web search results with access to proprietary databases, which are generally unavailable for viewing on the net.
Also, read Is Tickpick Legit or a Scam? Here’s What You Need to Know
Wrapping Up
So, is Spokeo legit? Yes, Spokeo is a safe and legitimate platform. It is not a scam. Head to the platform and search for any individual. You might have to subscribe to the platform first. It can be your one destination to find all the information from phone number, to email address, to number of members in a family, religion, credit score, and more about an individual. Go check it out for yourself, and if you still have any queries or want us to review any platform for you, let us know. We would like to hear back from you. For more content like this, visit our website regularly!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is Spokeo a safe app?
Yes, it is a safe platform. However, it tends to raise privacy concerns because it can expose personal information for a fee.
2. Can I use Spokeo for free?
Yes, you can use it for free, where you can input a name or phone number. This might provide you with some information, but the information will be difficult to interpret.
3. Is Spokeo only for the USA?
Yes, it is a US-based service with a large user base; its data primarily focuses on the United States. It only tracks U.S. residents.