PeopleConnect (Intelius / TruthFinder / Instant Checkmate)

In September 2023 the FTC filed a complaint and proposed stipulated order requiring TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate to pay a $5.8 million civil penalty. The FTC alleged the two sites operated as consumer reporting agencies while disclaiming it, and that they violated FCRA. It also alleged they told users that people had criminal or arrest records when the record was a traffic ticket, and that the 'Remove' and 'Flag as Inaccurate' buttons did nothing. A separate right-of-publicity class action against the PeopleConnect brands, Fischer v. Instant Checkmate (N.D. Ill.), settled with state-specific funds totaling about $10.1 million.

• Severity
• Evidence tierUnassigned
• Claims confirmed
• Last verified2026-10-16

Primary source. ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/09/ftc-says-truthfinder-instant-checkmate-deceived-users-about-background-report-accuracy-violated-fcra — Unverified - heuristic first draft.

Arbitration

Yes (TruthFinder terms, May 1, 2026): mandatory arbitration (Sec. 3) and class action waiver (Sec. 4). Intelius and Instant Checkmate terms were not retrieved this pass (blocked).

Data sharing

CA 2026 registry filings (self-reported), Intelius/TruthFinder/Instant Checkmate: minors, precise geolocation, government, law enforcement and FCRA all = No. 2025 volumes: TruthFinder 61,672 deletion requests and 487,758 opt-outs; Intelius 32,339 and 226,356; Instant Checkmate 24,499 and 152,823. The Intelius registration lists more than 20 sites (e.g. ZabaSearch, PeopleFinder, USSearch, PublicRecords.com, Addresses.com), so one opt-out on one brand may not cover the others.

Contacts

Privacy contact. legal@intelius.com; legal@peopleconnect.us (CA registry)

Legal notice. CA registry: 375 Camino De La Reina, Ste. 400, San Diego, CA 92108 (Intelius, TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate). The TruthFinder terms give 2261 Market Street, STE 85922, San Francisco, CA 94114 for notices.

Mailing address. Not recorded.