Wyoming Criminal Records - Top 5 Vendor Tricks

People searching for Wyoming criminal records online should beware of these vendor tricks. If you are tempted to go to a one-stop website for all your needs, think twice. Sometimes it is better (and much cheaper!) to use multiple, but legit, government websites.

Wyoming criminal records are most accessible through the Attorney General's Office. Although costs can pile up a bit if you are conducting multiple searches, it is still better than getting scammed by unscrupulous vendors who will ruthlessly try to sell you Wyoming criminal records.

WY Criminal Records - How Vendors Scam You

1. Selling data or charging for a search that is available free from a government website
This is the reason why it is always best to track down government websites first, even if it sometimes takes more work than one-stop-shop vendors.

2. Tacking on exorbitant processing fees for purported “hands-on” work
These vendors will tell you that they use a runner who visits the county court and manually tracks down the records you need. Rubbish! What business would do that when it is more cost-effective to transact business via the Internet or even through the postal system?

3. Claiming that a statewide search is available when it is not
Many states only offer a statewide search for their inmate population. So these vendors, not wanting to lose your business, will try to pass an inmate locator search off as a CRIMINAL RECORDS search.

Using an inmate locator, where it is available, is generally free of charge across the United States.

4. Claiming exclusive access to restricted government databases, such as those of the FBI
The FBI can conduct a criminal history check for you. In fact, the WY Attorney General's website offers such an FBI check for an additional $18 (on top of the $20 for a criminal record plus fingerprint check).

But the FBI will not allow some obscure vendor “exclusive access” to its database. The vendor can maybe request a check – in the same way you can at a much lower (unpadded) cost!

5. Mimicking a legitimate government website
So you already know that the most logical place to search for criminal records online would be a government website. So you try to find one. But when you Google what you need you turn up websites that appear like the real thing, until you browse around a little and notice that it has nothing to do with the government.

Sometimes a clever layout can really fool you. It is a shame, however, that many legit e-government projects that use .org or .net (instead of .gov) get mistaken for vendor sites.

These projects are sometimes undertaken in partnership with private or nonprofit entities. We can only hope that aside from advertising the, say, Wyoming criminal records access they offer, the also advertise their government connection. It is ironic that these joint projects are so modest in that respect, when fly-by-night vendors aren't!

Useful WY Criminal Records Links:

Attorney General's Office, Division of Criminal Investigation
Wyoming District Court

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Wyoming criminal records can be very powerful tools of information. So if you ever want to conduct a criminal check on someone, do so in the most time-efficient and hassle-free way; check out our unbiased reviews of today's leading online criminal records search service providers!