Best Place for the Nosy But Cheap

So, you want to know everything there is to know about a prospective employee, tenant, business partner, date, fiancé, soon-to-be-ex-spouse -- but just can't bring yourself to shell out the big bucks to a private investigator for a background check? Log onto www.backgroundcheckgateway.com, a 300-page do-it-yourself Web site that provides anyone with Internet access an exhaustive directory of public-information databases and ways to search them completely free of charge. If the database you need is not online, or requires the services of an "information professional" to access it, there are helpful tips on how to work around the restrictions or how to hire the company to work for you. And why stop at rooting around in other people's lives? With a few clicks, you can also learn how to locate missing persons and/or hidden assets, as well as how to protect yourself from identity theft...except by those who follow the helpful tips on the site.