Humans are an inquisitive lot. I must admit I belong in this category, for I cannot tell you how many times i've fired up Google and keyed in a particular phrase that includes the names or online IDs of my friends and associates. Yes, I can be a curious little kitty but what if I told you curiosity doesn't always kill the cat? In fact, being curious about something can save your life or the lives of your loved ones.

I'm talking about real life incidences that involve being in close contact with people you consider strangers. For instance, say I suddenly decide to quit my job as a full time freelance writer (I won't, not in a million years, but this is just an example) and hire a babysitter for my baby girl. I have a stream of applicants coming in and eventually settle on one candidate that seemed like a nice girl - good education, delightful disposition and mannerisms... but is it enough to convince me? NO!

What if she's had a history of being a child abuser?

A mass murderer?

OR an escaped convict!

GASP!

I know you're thinking that I probably watch too much TV (au contraire, I don't have time for the idiot box save for the madly adorable Spongebob Squarepants shows!) but you can never be too careful when it comes to people who will play an important role in your life. I won't want anything bad to happen to my family, would i? And that's why I need a social security number search on the person who's going to be my babysitter.

All I need to do is obtain her SSN, submit it to the right people search party and voila, I'll be able to access vital info that will help me decide if she is the right person to care for my loved ones.

I've not used any people search via SSN service, and I don't anticipate using it in the near future, but I think this is a great service if you know how to use it. Employers who want to obtain accurate records about their staff can enlist help from a people search service, because this can prevent them from making bad decisions concerning hiring the wrong candidates. Spouses who wonder if their other half's dubious past will resurface can also do a little background check via SSN, and they don't even need to point fingers without first doing their homework. Everything is done discreetly.

Personally, I feel that people need to know that these services exist. If you can help spread the word about it, I am sure a lot of people will benefit from this :)

In addressing the question: Do people searches via SSN really work? I can attest to the fact that yes, they do. I've heard many an illustrious story about people reconnecting with their lost family members but only recently I had a friend announcing that he finally got reunited with his biological father via a reverse ssn people search. His mother found his father's SSN in his old belongings and after a quick search, it was discovered that his father was sill alive! Apparently he had remarried but it doesn't really matter - he found his father again and it was all that matters to him now. 

I guess when it comes to people searches, the ethical thing to do would be to make use of the information you gain for your own use only. These are private and confidential details that would pose serious repercussions for the person in question if you revealed the information to the wrong people. PLUS, I don't need to spell it out but you need to know that you shouldn't blackmail a person using the records gotten from an SSN search.