Country focus
Online Investigations Involving the United States
A practical look at what remote, open-source research can realistically establish when a case involves a person, profile or business connected to the United States — and what it cannot.
Research landscape
A large, uneven public information landscape
The United States produces an unusually large volume of publicly visible material about individuals and businesses: social media activity, professional profiles, local news mentions, business listings and public-facing web presence. For an open-source investigation, that volume is useful, but it is not automatically an advantage. A large population sharing common first and last names means that having "a lot of information" often means having a lot of information about several different people who share a name, not one clean profile of the person in question. Distinguishing between candidates — using employer, city, age range, associates and photographs together rather than any single detail — is usually the harder part of a US-connected case, not finding material in the first place.
Formatting also varies more than clients expect. Addresses, phone number formats and business names differ from state to state and from platform to platform, and the same person may appear under a nickname, a maiden name, a hyphenated name or a business alias depending on the source. English-language material dominates, which simplifies review compared with multilingual cases, but it does not remove the name-matching problem described above.
What clients usually ask about
The kinds of situations that come up
Clients most often bring cases involving someone met through a dating app or social platform who claims to live or work in the US; a seller on a marketplace claiming a US shipping or business address; or a remote contact presenting themselves as running or working for a US company. These are described here as recurring patterns in the kinds of situations clients describe, not as statistics Fact Investigation has measured or published.
- Dating or social introductions where the person claims a specific US city or state
- Marketplace sellers claiming a US-based business or shipping address
- Remote work or freelance arrangements involving a claimed US employer
- Business contacts presenting a US company identity before payment or a contract
- Rental or property-related introductions involving a US address
- Requests to corroborate a US phone number, professional title or claimed employer
Confidence and corroboration
What confidence level is realistic
Where a claimed identity includes a distinctive name, a specific employer, and enough independently verifiable detail to cross-reference, a US-connected case can often reach a reasonably confident conclusion. Where the name is common, the online presence is thin, or the claimed details are vague ("works in finance," "lives in California"), the achievable confidence level is lower, and that is reported plainly rather than inflated.
Limits
What this cannot do
Research is remote, public-source only, and performed without any local presence or access to restricted or government systems. It cannot check criminal history, court records outside what is publicly published, credit standing, or private account content. It cannot guarantee that any individual will be positively identified, and absence of a public trace is reported honestly as an absence, not as evidence of wrongdoing.
Relevant services
Where to start
For a person you met online, start with Catfish Investigation or Online Identity Verification. For a company or supplier claiming a US presence, see Company Verification.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a US-based case sometimes take longer than expected, given how much information is online?
The volume of public material about US-based people and businesses is often high, which can mean more sources to review and reconcile rather than fewer. A common first name and surname combination shared across a large population also creates more candidates to rule in or out, which adds time rather than saving it.
Can you check someone's criminal record or credit history?
No. Fact Investigation's research is limited to lawful, publicly available open-source information. It does not access restricted, government, court-subscription or credit-reporting databases, and does not claim to.
The person claims to live in one state but their profile mentions another. Is that a red flag?
It can be, but Americans frequently relocate, work remotely, or maintain a legal residence separate from where they currently live, so a state mismatch alone is not conclusive. It is treated as one data point to be corroborated against others, not as a verdict.
Do time zone differences across the US affect how a case is handled?
Domestic US time zones rarely affect research itself, but they can affect how quickly a client wants to review findings or respond to follow-up questions if the client is overseas. Communication windows are agreed during case assessment.
What US-related cases does Fact Investigation see most often?
Clients most often ask about people met through dating apps or social media who claim to be based in the US, sellers on marketplaces claiming a US location, and remote business contacts or suppliers presenting a US company identity. These are described qualitatively based on the situations clients bring, not as measured statistics.
Will you guarantee you can identify the person?
No. Some US cases resolve with a confidently corroborated identity because enough independent public material lines up; others do not, especially with common names or thin online presence. Both outcomes are reported honestly with the confidence level explained.
Related pages
- All countriesSee other regions covered.
- Catfish InvestigationFor suspicious dating or social profiles.
- Online Identity VerificationPreventative checks before you trust someone.
- Company VerificationChecking a US-claimed business identity.
- Person LocateLocating a person from limited starting details.
- Guide: verifying someone onlineA general framework before you submit a case.
Have a case connected to the United States?
Describe what you know and what you are worried about. A scoped, priced assessment follows before any research begins.