How to Verify Someone You Met Online

Verifying someone you met online is the process of confirming their identity, photo authenticity, and claimed details using independent sources — public records, reverse image search, and contact data cross-checks. It applies whether you connected on a dating app, a marketplace, a social platform, a gaming community, or anywhere else online. You connected with someone … Read more

How AI Is Making OSINT Harder

Open-source intelligence has always depended on one assumption: that publicly available information reflects reality well enough to be useful. That assumption is eroding — not because OSINT methods are broken, but because the environment they operate in has changed. AI tools have collapsed the cost of fabrication. Building a believable fake persona, generating a photorealistic … Read more

What “No Records Found” Actually Means (and Why It’s Often Misleading)

“No records found” does not mean no records exist. It means the database you searched does not contain a matching record — which could be the result of reporting gaps, database lag, name mismatches, sealed records, or jurisdictional blind spots. Understanding why a search returns nothing is just as important as understanding what a positive … Read more

AI Prompts for Investigators: A Complete Prompt Library for OSINT, Financial, and Case Analysis Work

AI prompts are structured instructions that determine how effectively a general-purpose language model can assist with investigative work. A well-constructed prompt — built around a specific role, grounded in actual records, and designed to produce structured output — turns the model into a focused analytical instrument. AI does not investigate. It structures information. This guide … Read more

Why Background Checks Miss Criminal Records (and What They Don’t Show About Your History)

⚠️ Legal Notice: Background check access and permissible use are governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and state equivalents. This guide explains how background check systems work and where they fail. It does not constitute legal advice. Why This Guide Is Reliable inet-investigation.com publishes research-based guides built on primary government sources, investigative practice, … Read more

Expungement vs. Sealing: What the Difference Means for Records Research

⚠️ Legal Notice: Expungement and record sealing laws vary significantly by state and jurisdiction. This guide explains how these legal mechanisms affect public records access for research purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. If you are seeking to expunge or seal your own records, consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction. Why This … Read more

How to Look Up Criminal Records Online: A Step-by-Step Guide

A criminal record is the documented history of a person’s interactions with the criminal justice system — including arrests, charges, convictions, sentences, and in some cases probation or parole status — as recorded across law enforcement agencies, courts, and corrections systems at the local, state, and federal level. These records exist in multiple separate systems … Read more

How to Read Court Cases: Dockets, Filings, and Judgments Explained

Reading a court case is the process of extracting investigatively useful information from the documents and records generated by legal proceedings — including the docket, the complaint or indictment, motions, orders, and final judgments. These documents exist in public court systems and are legally accessible, but they are written for attorneys and judges, not for … Read more

How to Search Court Records Online: A Step-by-Step Guide

Court records are legal documents created and maintained by the judicial system — including case filings, judgments, orders, transcripts, and dockets — that document every stage of civil, criminal, family, probate, and bankruptcy proceedings from the moment a case is initiated through its final disposition. These records exist in publicly accessible databases because the principle … Read more