Ohh well, where to start. These people run scams on a wide variety of ways. I was looking for a reliable online resource to run SSN based lookups to verify name and DOB. I made a search on Google, soon I found GovernmentRegistry.org. After a while - although I had my suspicions - I registered, after I paid I ended up on their 'main' website, CISnationwide.com). First of all, when they say you can have one full background check at a price of $29.95, and you can add unlimited searches for just $9.95, it only means that they have a CATEGORY of searches called "unlimited searches", and you can perform those, the rest remain on a pay-per-use basis. Quite a twist... but OK, I had credit, so I went on.
When you do a search, you first submit the info (in my case SSN # and Last Name), then hit search... then they do not tell you if there's a hit or not, just say "click here", and by clicking you accept the terms, etc, and pay the fee (in my case $5), that comes out of your credit that you established in the first place. OK, first search was succesful. Then 2nd search after I clicked it revealed that there were no results... but I was still charged...3rd search, same thing, I got charged for NOTHING. Then sometimes it would say "go back and try again"... I'm pretty sure you figured, while you're being charged every time you click on the d**n thing.
After seeing that this won't work for me (not just because of the quite questionable business practices, but because I NEED that verification I was looking for, and they obviously couldn't provide it), I started looking for another site. I found CivilRecords.org, after hesitating a lot I signed up, as the sample SSN search result looked promising. Guess what? AFTER PAYING it lead me right back to CISnationwide.com, and they just added the extra money I paid as credit!!
On the website there's no way to find contact information.
They set up a bunch of scam mirror sites, even REVIEWING sites, to review their own products and recommend it. I'm about $50 short, and got ONE SINGLE reverse SSN look up result that I can actually use. Great job CIS Nationwide, you're ripping off people on a mastery level!
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Cis worldwide
Boston,Massachusetts,
U.S.A.
Clarification of Terms and Services
#2UPDATE Employee
Thu, October 08, 2009
Dear Norbert,
We at CIS Nationwide stand behind our product one hundred percent. That is why we offer a reliable and customer friendly user interface as well as access to our professional and courteous customer support staff twenty four hours a day.
We would like to urge you and all of our customers having trouble navigating the site or performing searches to contact customer support. We are standing by to help! Most customer related issues are responded to within twelve hours which is far above the industry standard. Customer support can easily be reached by clicking on Help within the Members Area. Because we never received an email from you, we were never able to help you resolve the problem.
CIS Nationwide receives its information from various sources, including Internet sites. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by these sources, or compensated by them. All materials and information available through our services are provided "as is" and "as available", and without warranties of any kind, express or implied. We do not warrant that the information is always accurate, complete or current; that access to it will be available all the time, from every place, or that errors will be corrected.
CIS Nationwide is not a consumer reporting agency as defined under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCRA"), and the information in our databases has not been collected in whole or in part for the purpose of furnishing consumer reports as defined in the FCRA. Website information cannot be used to: (a) establish an individual's eligibility for personal credit or insurance; (b) assess risks associated with existing consumer credit obligations, (c) evaluate an individual for employment, promotion, reassignment or retention (including employment of household workers such a nannies, housekeepers, or contractors), or (d) in conjunction with assessing the merits of entering into any other personal business transaction with another individual.
Please note that this and our billing structure is clearly stated in our Policy and Terms Page available both in the members' section and on a preview search page for your convenience.
Once again, I would encourage CIS Nationwide customer needing any assistance to please contact customer support via email. We are committed to assisting our customers through any and all issues they may encounter using our services. We're here to help!
From all of us at CIS Nationwide, wishing you a good day and the best of luck in all of your future investigative endeavors.