Stop guessing. Start knowing.
Every week, small business owners get burned by people they trusted too quickly. Verifying someone takes minutes. A bad hire can take months to recover from.
No subscription required · Single reports from $29.99
It happens more than you think.
Most small business owners who got burned say the same thing after: “Something felt off, but I didn’t check.” Here’s what that decision cost them.
You hired a contractor who disappeared with the deposit
You trusted a good first impression. Their criminal history was a quick search away — but you didn’t check. Now you’re out thousands and scrambling to finish the job.
Average contractor fraud loss: $3,000 – $15,000
You gave credit to someone using a fake identity
Their name checked out at first glance. An SSN trace and phone lookup would have flagged the inconsistency. Now you’re chasing a ghost who owes you money.
Identity fraud costs U.S. small businesses billions annually
You handed your keys to the wrong person
A tenant, subcontractor, or employee with access to your property or equipment. A watchlist check and address history would have told you what you needed to know.
Average cost of a bad hire: 30% of first-year wages
You don’t need an HR department for this.
Whether you’re running a crew, lending money, or buying from a stranger — you deserve to know who you’re dealing with. TellData puts that power in your hands.
Small & micro business owners
Hiring a new employee, contractor, or part-time helper? Check their background before they set foot in your business or touch your equipment.
- Pre-hire screening for contractors
- Verify identity of new employees
- Check criminal history before giving property access
Loan & credit providers
Lending money privately or extending trade credit? Know exactly who you’re lending to — before you commit a dollar.
- Verify name, SSN, and address history
- Screen for financial fraud watchlists
- Check digital footprint consistency
Contractors & tradespeople
Taking on a new client, subcontractor, or business partner? Protect your reputation by knowing theirs first.
- Vet subcontractors before partnering
- Verify client identity before advancing work
- Screen new partners and investors
A full picture — not just a name check.
Six different data checks in one report. You get the full story, not a surface-level search.
Identity and SSN matching follow the same principles as KYC identity verification — and when a match is made on the wrong person the cost is real, as in this $50M fraud bug caused by one wrong identity merge. See how a report is built for the full walkthrough.
Criminal records search
Searches national court and criminal databases for records matching the provided name and state criteria.
SSN trace & address history
Verifies the Social Security Number and returns a full address history linked to that identity.
Watchlist & sanctions screening
Cross-references global watchlists, PEP databases, and sanctions lists for any matching records.
Phone & email identity check
Confirms whether the phone and email match the provided name — or flags when something doesn’t add up.
Digital footprint review
Shows which platforms and services are linked to the email — a real picture of who’s on the other side.
Social profile references
Pulls linked social profiles to check name consistency and surface public-facing identity signals.
Every report ends with a clear conclusion — so you know exactly what to do, even if you’re not a background check expert.
See what you actually get.
Based on real report formats — same structure, fictional names. What you see is what lands in your dashboard.
| Criminal records | None found |
| Watchlist / sanctions | No matches |
| Phone consistency | Requires review |
| Email platforms found | Spotify, Twitter, Adobe… |
| Social reference | Name consistent |
| Civil court records | None returned |
| Criminal records | None matched |
| Watchlist / sanctions | No matches |
| Civil court records | 3 records found |
| SSN trace | Houston & Pasadena, TX |
| Email platforms found | Spotify, Twitter, Adobe… |
| Driver’s licence | Suspension hearing 2024 |
They checked. It paid off.
“I had a guy show up wanting to work on my crew. Something felt off. I ran a quick report and found he had a different last name than what he told me. Saved me a lot of trouble.”
Carlos Mendez
Electrical subcontractor · FL
“I was burned before — hired someone who stole from the register. Now I check everyone before they start. Takes five minutes and I sleep better at night.”
Dmitri Volkov
Owner, two convenience stores · NJ
“When someone asks me for money, I want to know if the address they gave me is even real. TellData tells me if the person is who they say they are. Simple as that.”
Rosa Almonte
Personal loan provider · TX
Less than the cost of a single bad hire.
Run one report. Or run fifty a month. Either way, the math works in your favour.
$29.99
- Full person report
- Criminal database search
- SSN trace + address history
- Watchlist & sanctions screening
- Downloadable PDF report
$300
- ~15 full reports / month
- All Single Report features
- Dashboard access
- Lower cost per report
- Credits reset monthly
$1000
- ~58 full reports / month
- All Standard features
- Lowest per-report cost
- Priority support
- Credits reset monthly
All plans include full dashboard access. No contracts. Cancel any time. Service available for U.S. persons only.
Things people usually ask.
You can run a check using a combination of the person’s full name, phone number, email address, and/or SSN. The more details you provide, the more thorough the report. SSN is optional but improves the accuracy of criminal and address history results.
Most reports are returned within a few minutes. Some checks involving deeper court database searches may take slightly longer — but you’ll always get results quickly, not in days.
TellData reports are informational tools to help you make smarter business decisions. They are not FCRA-compliant employment background checks and should not be the sole basis for employment decisions under federal law. For general business due diligence, lending, or contractor vetting, they work great.
It means the report returned records or signals worth looking into more closely — but not necessarily a red flag. For example, civil court records, name mismatches in enrichment data, or inconsistent address history. The report tells you exactly what was found and why.
No. The Single Report plan is a one-time purchase. Monthly plans (Standard and Premium) can be cancelled any time — no contracts, no lock-in.
TellData is available for searches on U.S. persons across all 50 states. Coverage depth varies by jurisdiction and the data sources available in each state.
Run your first check today.
Takes two minutes. Could save you thousands. No subscription needed to get started.
Where to go next
How a report is built
The six checks, step by step, and what the verdict means.
Background checks for small business
Hiring, lending and site access for owners.
Contractor background check
Vet a trade before the deposit or the keys.
Pricing
From $29.99 a report. No contracts.
SOURCES & FURTHER READING
KYC and identity verification · Reverse phone number lookup · Email lookup · The $50M fraud bug caused by one wrong identity merge