Broker profile
SmartBackgroundChecks
- Redact removes listings on paid plans
A free US people-search site with background-check branding. It says it isn't a consumer reporting agency, and its terms bar using its reports for hiring, tenancy or credit decisions. California's data-broker registry lists smartbackgroundchecks.com among the ten domains on the filing for Mississippi Tornado Alley, LLC of Sacramento. Business start date January 1, 2014; the BBB-listed address is a PO Box in Atlanta, GA. The site claims nearly a billion records from 2,000+ data feeds, publishing addresses, phone numbers, relatives, and arrest-record summaries; BBB rates it B- on 79 complaints, and reviewers report the opt-out breaking and listings returning.
SmartBackgroundChecks overview
At a glance
Redact's exposure rating
- Data published
- Editorial estimate
- Re-listing frequency
- Editorial estimate
- Complaint record
- Pattern of complaints
- Opt-out friction
- Moderate
- Operator opacity
- Mostly disclosed
- Prior data incidents
- None documented
Our editorial assessment from public sources as of May 22, 2026, and our own opt-out testing as of May 22, 2026. Each dimension is scored 1 to 4, higher means more exposure, and the overall gauge is their average, unless a confirmed breach holds it higher. It is an opinion, not a finding about the company's conduct or legal compliance. Dimensions marked "Editorial estimate" are estimated from the kind of service offered rather than observed on this site. How we score
What each dimension means
- Data published: how much and how sensitive the personal data they put out.
- Re-listing frequency: how quickly you reappear after opting out.
- Complaint record: the volume and pattern of complaints across BBB, Trustpilot, and Sitejabber. No listing, or a listing with no reviews, counts against the broker.
- Opt-out friction: how hard the removal process is to complete.
- Operator opacity: how hidden the operating company and its principals are.
- Prior data incidents: history of breaches or leaks of the data they hold.
- Category
People search · background-check style
- Registrant (California filing)
Mississippi Tornado Alley, LLC
- Business start
Jan 1, 2014
- BBB-listed address
PO Box, Atlanta, GA
- BBB-listed phone
(800) 571-0614
- BBB rating
B-
- Self-claimed scale
~1B records · 2,000+ sources
- Consumer reporting agency?
Says it isn't one
Background
Background
SmartBackgroundChecks.com launched on January 1, 2014 as a free people-search and background-check-style data broker. The name suggests a screening service, but the site says on its homepage and in its terms that it isn't a Consumer Reporting Agency, and its terms bar using its reports for employment, tenant, credit or insurance screening. In practice it works as a free people-search site that uses background-check vocabulary.
- Registrant (California filing)
Mississippi Tornado Alley, LLC
- Business start
Jan 1, 2014
- Business model
Free search · ad-supported
- FCRA status
Says it isn't a CRA
- Self-claimed records
~1 billion
- Self-claimed sources
2,000+
The BBB profile lists the company at PO Box 105603, Atlanta, GA 30348-5603 and a toll-free (800) 571-0614 customer-contact number. The site itself doesn't publish a street address or a team page.
The site's own pages don't name an operating company. California's data-broker registry does: smartbackgroundchecks.com is one of ten domains on the filing for Mississippi Tornado Alley, LLC of Sacramento, alongside FastPeopleSearch, USPhoneBook, PeopleSearchNow, SearchPeopleFree, CyberBackgroundChecks and FastBackgroundCheck.
Data Published
Data types
Sensitive: elevated identity-theft, doxxing, or safety riskStandard public-record field
- Full names, including aliases and prior names
- Address history (current and previous home addresses)Sensitive
- Phone numbers (landline and mobile)
- Email addresses
- Names of likely relatives and household associatesSensitive
- Social-network profile links when discoverable
- Arrest records and other public criminal-record summariesSensitive
- Approximate age and location historySensitive
- Reverse lookups: name, address, phone
Data sources (per the site's own marketing language): "nearly a billion public records from more than 2,000 verified data sources." Records aren't verified against the actual subject and may be stale, mismatched, or attributed to the wrong person. Arrest-record summaries on a free people-search site are a privacy concern in their own right: the same data in a screening report would come with FCRA dispute and accuracy duties, and SmartBackgroundChecks says it isn't a consumer reporting agency.
Contact
Contacts & links
- Registrant (California filing)
Mississippi Tornado Alley, LLC
- BBB-listed address
PO Box 105603 Atlanta, GA 30348-5603
- BBB-listed phone
- Opt-out / removal page
- California registry
cppa.ca.gov/data_broker_registry (filed by Mississippi Tornado Alley, LLC)
Network
Sites on the same registry filing
SmartBackgroundChecks is one of ten domains on Mississippi Tornado Alley, LLC's California data-broker registry filing. These are the ones this directory covers:
How the opt-out travels. The filing says an opt-out submitted on any of these sites applies across all of them for the sale of personal information, but that opting out of each site's online collection needs a separate request per site. We haven't verified that a removal here reaches any of them, so run each site's own opt-out and re-check.
Reputation
Trust signals
SmartBackgroundChecks doesn't have a dedicated Trustpilot or Sitejabber profile that we could locate. Third-party review coverage is essentially BBB-only. The BBB rates the company B- based on 79 three-year complaints with 1 unresolved. Complaints posted there center on unauthorized publication of personal data and opt-outs that complainants say didn't go through.
What reviewers and complainants say, from the sources above. Redact hasn't verified these complaints.
Personal information (name, full address, phone, relatives, arrest record summaries) published without consent
Opt-out requests submitted but not processed; opt-out function described by complainants as broken
Inaccurate or stale records linked to the wrong people
Belief that the site is being used for screening purposes despite the FCRA disclaim
Profiles reappearing weeks or months after a successful opt-out
Common complaint themes (BBB complaints; Redact hasn't verified them):
Litigation
Litigation history
We haven't located a Federal Trade Commission enforcement action, state Attorney General consent decree, California Privacy Protection Agency Delete Act settlement, or named class action specifically captioned against SmartBackgroundChecks.com or the LLC operating it as of the last-updated date below. The BBB B- rating reflects complaint patterns, not litigation.
SmartBackgroundChecks says it isn't a consumer reporting agency. That's the operator's position, not a ruling.
FAQ
Q & A
Is SmartBackgroundChecks a data broker?
Yes, despite the name. SmartBackgroundChecks is a free US people-search site, and it says it isn't a Consumer Reporting Agency. Business started January 1, 2014, and the site claims nearly a billion public records from over 2,000 data feeds. BBB rates it B- with 79 complaints over the past three years.
Who owns SmartBackgroundChecks?
The site's own pages don't name an operating company. California's data-broker registry lists smartbackgroundchecks.com on the filing for Mississippi Tornado Alley, LLC of Sacramento, which covers ten domains including FastPeopleSearch, USPhoneBook, PeopleSearchNow and SearchPeopleFree. The BBB-listed address is a PO Box in Atlanta, GA (PO Box 105603).
What information does SmartBackgroundChecks publish?
SmartBackgroundChecks publishes full names and aliases, address history including current and previous home addresses, landline and mobile phone numbers, email addresses, likely relatives and household associates, social-network profile links when discoverable, arrest records and other public criminal-record summaries, approximate age and location history, and reverse lookups by name, address, or phone.
Can I remove myself from SmartBackgroundChecks?
Yes. SmartBackgroundChecks offers an opt-out at smartbackgroundchecks.com/optout. BBB customer reviews describe the opt-out function as broken in some cases and profiles reappearing weeks or months after a successful removal. Plan to verify your record is removed and resubmit if it resurfaces. See our SmartBackgroundChecks removal guide for step-by-step instructions.
How long does SmartBackgroundChecks take to remove information?
SmartBackgroundChecks doesn't publish a specific SLA on its opt-out page. BBB complaints describe opt-out requests submitted but not processed and profiles reappearing later, so real-world processing time is variable. Allow several business days and check back to confirm suppression.
Is SmartBackgroundChecks covered by FCRA?
SmartBackgroundChecks says on its homepage and in its terms that it isn't a Consumer Reporting Agency under the FCRA, and its terms bar using its reports for employment, tenant, credit or insurance screening. That's the operator's position, not a ruling, and it doesn't change what the site publishes about you.
Take yourself off data broker sites
Redact scans data broker sites from your device. The free scan shows which of your details are exposed but hides which broker lists you; Premium and Ultimate show where each listing is. They also submit the SmartBackgroundChecks removal for you, re-scan about every 15 days and file again if your listing comes back.
The page provides general information, not legal advice. Redact is not affiliated with or endorsed by SmartBackgroundChecks or any other company named here. Spotted an error, or represent this company? Email support@redact.dev.