The Internet is a treasure chest of information … if you know where to look. Whether you’re trying to verify a website, learn more about your neighborhood, or dig up what’s been floating around the Internet about you, a little tech savvy can help.
Here are some simple, powerful tricks to level up your hunting tracker skills.
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View the details of any website
you came through the website which offers the incredible promise of a free trip to Hawaii. Aloha! All the site needs is your personal information and credit card. Before you take the plunge, make sure you don’t get screwed.
A WHOIS lookup checks a database that contains information about domain names and their registrants — so you can find out who owns a website and see if they have a real business address and contact information.
The woman is seen holding a credit card while using a laptop. (iStock)
How to do it?
- Go to the WHOIS website for a lookup. There are plenty of them on the web. i use who.is.
- Include the website URL in the search bar. You will see who owns the site and their contact information, including address and phone number.
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Your online business is everyone’s business, whether you like it or not. How can you check what the internet has about you? Here’s a quick and easy way:
- Go to Google and put your first and last name in quotes. See what pops up. People tend to be interested in the organizations you’re affiliated with, your social media profiles, and all the photos of you floating around the web.
- Next, your credit score. Once a year you can get a free credit report from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Go here to get yours online. Check it out a fourth credit bureau, Innovis, as well.
- What about family tree pages? They can be entertaining and informative… and incredibly invasive. Look for yourself at FamilyTreeNow.com. You will be shocked.
Find out who your neighbor is
Go introduce yourself. If that’s not possible, in most cases you can find out online through the county assessor’s website. these government-run websites use appraiser data to assess real estate values within a county, city, town or village.
Close-up of the hands of a person using a laptop. (iStock)
Once you get there, you can see where your person lives, get details about their house or any other property they own, and more. You can even see signed documents, such as the contract for their home. Yes, really.
The easiest way to find your county assessor’s website is with a quick Google search. Just type in the county you’re looking for, along with “assessor.” You can also go to Publicrecords.netronline.com. This directory includes official state and county websites that you can search by zip code.
Each county assessor’s website works a little differently, but here’s an overview of how to search the Maricopa County website. in Arizona.
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Click on Go to Data Online next to the County Assessor option, then search by name or address. Click on magnifying glass icon for search and you will see the address, owner, lot number and other information. Then click on plot number and get even more detailed information and access to all related documents.
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it’s worth checking out what will appear.
- Pimeyes: This site allows you to upload a picture of yourself (or anyone) to find that picture online. This is especially useful for tracking where your photos appear online. Caution: You may get blurry images from adult content.
- TinEye: Another great reverse image search tool that can provide additional results.
Google maps are displayed on the phone. (Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Go down memory lane
Not all online hunters are the cunning type. This is fun to try with any places you’ve lived or a home you’re considering buying.
Take a look at old Street View photos Google Maps. You can see what the place looked like going back so long like Google he took photos there. I spotted pictures that were over a decade old. Talk about a virtual nostalgia hit.
- Open Google Maps in your browser, type address and click on photo which pops up.
- Choose See more dates to scroll through photos.
Now share this article and impress your friends with your technical know-how — or save them from being scammed. Either way, you’ll look like the smartest person in the room.
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