How to Verify a Contractor Before Hiring Them
Reviewed by People Locator Skip Tracing Investigation Team
Established 2004 · 20+ Years Experience · FCRA · GLBA · DPPA Compliant
Before you write a check or sign a contract, verify the contractor is who they say they are. Professional identity verification confirms their name and address match real records — combined with a license check, it’s the due diligence that protects your home. Results in 24 hours.
Watch Overview🔨 Contractor Fraud Starts With Unverified Identity
Contractor fraud is one of the most costly consumer problems in the country. The BBB estimates that homeowners lose billions of dollars annually to fraudulent or negligent contractors. The pattern is almost always the same: a contractor presents credentials — a business card, a contractor’s license number, a certificate of insurance — that look legitimate, collects a significant upfront payment, and then disappears or delivers work so poor it creates additional costs.
The single most effective prevention step is verifying identity before hiring. A license number can be borrowed from a legitimate contractor. A business card can say anything. An insurance certificate can be fake. But a professional identity verification — confirming that the name and contact information the contractor has given you matches real, current database records — catches the most common form of contractor fraud: someone operating under a name that isn’t theirs.
💡 Two Checks, Five Minutes, Thousands of Dollars Saved
Step 1: Verify their license at your state contractor licensing board website (free, takes 2 minutes). Step 2: Verify their identity through our skip tracing service — confirming the name and address they’ve given you matches real records. Together, these two checks take less than a day and protect you from the most common contractor fraud scenarios.
🔍 How We Verify Contractor Identities
📝 Give Us Their Name and Contact Info
The name on their business card, their phone number, the city they claim to operate from.
🔗 Identity Cross-Reference
We verify whether a real person with that name operates at that location — checking name, address, and contact consistency.
🚩 Red Flag Identification
We flag inconsistencies — a name that doesn’t match local records, a business address that doesn’t check out — that indicate a misrepresented identity.
⚡ Results in 24 Hours
Most contractor identity checks complete within 24 hours.
🔨 Verify Before You Hire
Give us the contractor’s name and city. We’ll confirm the identity within 24 hours.
Start Your Search NowSee How It WorksSince 2004 · Confidential · All 50 States · Results in 24 Hours
| Verification Step | Cost | Time | What It Catches |
|---|---|---|---|
| State license board check | Free | 5 minutes | Unlicensed contractors, suspended licenses |
| Insurance certificate verification | Free | Minutes | Can be verified by calling insurer directly |
| Identity verification (us) | Flat fee | 24 hours | False names, mismatched identities, fabricated credentials |
| BBB complaint check | Free | Minutes | Prior complaints and dispute history |
| Online reviews (Google/Yelp) | Free | Minutes | Customer experience history |
👥 When to Verify a Contractor
Major Home Renovation
Kitchen, bathroom, addition, or full renovation — projects where the contractor has access to your home for extended periods and significant upfront payment is required.
Post-Storm or Emergency Work
Storm damage creates urgency that fraudsters exploit. Verify before you act on any unsolicited offer, especially after a natural disaster.
Door-to-Door Solicitation
Unsolicited visits from contractors are a common fraud vector. Verify anyone who approaches you rather than someone you sought out.
Any Deposit Over $500
A significant upfront payment is the moment fraud typically occurs. Verify before you write any substantial check.
🔗 Related Services
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
📋 They showed me a license — isn’t that enough?
License numbers can be borrowed or fabricated. Verify the license directly at your state licensing board’s website, and separately verify the identity of the person presenting it.
🔒 Will they know I verified them?
No. Completely confidential.
⏱️ How fast?
Most checks complete within 24 hours.
✅ Is this legal?
Yes.
✅ Hire With Confidence
Verify first — protect yourself. Results in 24 hours.
Order Your Search NowAbout UsSince 2004 · Flat Fee · No Subscription · 100% Confidential · All 50 States
Legal Disclaimer: PeopleLocatorSkipTracing.com provides people search and skip tracing services for lawful purposes only. Information provided for contractor identity verification and home improvement due diligence purposes is subject to applicable federal and state privacy laws including the DPPA and GLBA. We do not provide services for stalking, harassment, or any unlawful purpose. Results are not guaranteed in all cases. Last updated .
