You just met someone and they seem like the nicest person you've ever met. Or perhaps you've known someone for quite awhile now and he or she seems to have all the characteristics of someone that people are attracted to but something just doesn't feel right. Maybe a friend or loved one is spending time with someone who you just don't know enough about.

You want to know more about this person but either you are uncomfortable asking direct, intruding questions or you don't know if you will get all the facts. Besides, if someone is hiding something, direct questions can result in direct lies.

Some of the most charming people in our society are some of the most dangerous. On television and in the newspaper after a horrendous crime, people are often quoted saying things like, "He was such a nice person," or "I would never have thought that he could do something like that."

Many people have their own, built-in indicators to prejudge those who we think are dangerous to our loved ones and us. For some people tattoos indicate danger, for others long hair, a crazy wardrobe or too many piercings may send danger signals. But the truth is that these outward signs tell you nothing about someone's threat level.

One of the most infamous killers of our time, Ted Bundy, was described as an educated, handsome and charming young man. He was considered by many to be the all American boy. Yet this model citizen held dark, hidden secrets. Ted Bundy confessed to over 30 murders but some suspect that number to be closer to 100. It is likely that he raped and assaulted many more.

There is one simple thing that you can do that can possibly save your life, a background check. No longer the domain of private investigators, the Internet has opened up vast amounts of personal records and information on those who were, are or may become a danger to our society.

The problem is finding a company that you can trust to provide accurate information at a reasonable price. Having worked with a private investigator I can tell you from experience that getting your information from the right source is the first and most important step to an investigation.

Too many sites now ask for too much money for too little service. Some sites ask 50 to 100 dollars for a single report filled with outdated or inaccurate information. Here are some tips to follow when looking for a web site where you can perform background checks:

- The site should allow you to pay one time to join and never make you have to pay again.
- The site should be used by private investigators and law enforcement agencies for their own research.
- The site must be 100% legal, private and accurate.

If you type the two words background check into Google you will get over 280 million hits. You can check out some of those places but I have found a place that meets the criteria above, has the largest collection of investigation resources on the Internet that I have ever seen and a price incredibly low considering the value that you are getting in return. Check the site out by clicking on the link in my bio or "About the Author" section at the bottom of this article.

Just think of it this way, your life or the life of someone you love could be changed forever by allowing the wrong person to get too close. How much is it worth to you?