A CheckPeople charge on your credit card is a recurring subscription fee from CheckPeople.com, a people-search website that pulls public records into background reports. The charge repeats roughly every 30 days until you cancel, and stopping it takes two separate steps: canceling the subscription, then either asking CheckPeople for a refund or disputing the charge with your bank.
Confirming the Charge Is Yours
The transaction typically posts as CHECKPEOPLE.COM or CKPCHECKPEOPLE, sometimes with an 800 number attached. Some banks shorten it to CHECKPEOPL or add digits from the payment processor. If nothing about the name rings a bell, search your inbox for “CheckPeople” or a welcome message from that domain. The original sign-up email is usually the quickest way to tie a cryptic statement line to the actual account, and it will contain the member ID you need to cancel.
If you find no email at all, someone else with access to your card may have signed up, or the charge may be fraudulent. Either way, the cancellation and dispute steps below still apply.
What You’re Being Billed For
CheckPeople sells access to background reports on a subscription basis. Pricing has shifted over time. Earlier versions of the service offered a low-cost trial (sometimes $1 to $5 for a few days) that automatically converted into a full monthly subscription. More recent reports indicate the company may no longer offer a trial and instead charges the full rate from day one. The monthly rate has generally sat in the $28 to $29 range, with discounts if you prepay for three or six months.
The part most people miss is the automatic renewal. Entering your card at checkout authorizes recurring charges every 30 days until you cancel, and CheckPeople does not send a reminder before each cycle. That is why multiple charges often stack up before anyone notices.
How to Cancel the Subscription
You have two options. Phone tends to be faster.
- By phone: Call 1-800-267-2122. Have your member ID (from the welcome email), the email address on the account, and the last four digits of the card on file. Ask for a cancellation confirmation number before you hang up.
- Online: Log in at CheckPeople.com, go to account management, and follow the cancellation prompts. You’ll need the same credentials.
Save the confirmation number or a screenshot. A verification email should arrive within 24 hours confirming the account is inactive. Watch the next statement to make sure no further charge posts. If one does, the confirmation you saved becomes evidence for a dispute.
Asking CheckPeople for a Refund
Canceling stops future charges but does not reverse past ones. For a refund, contact the billing department separately at support@checkpeople.com or 1-800-267-2122. Have the exact transaction dates and dollar amounts ready and state why you’re requesting the money back. The company evaluates requests based on how long ago the charge occurred and how much you used the service in that period.
If CheckPeople approves the refund, the credit usually appears within three to five business days depending on your bank.1Better Business Bureau. Checkpeople LLC BBB Complaints Refunds are not guaranteed. If the company refuses or ignores you, move to a bank dispute.
Disputing the Charge With Your Bank
When the merchant won’t cooperate, your card issuer can step in. Federal law sets the framework, and the rules differ depending on whether the card is credit or debit.
Credit Cards
The Fair Credit Billing Act gives you 60 days from the date the statement containing the charge was sent to dispute it in writing.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 – 1666 Send a letter to your issuer’s billing disputes address (not the payment address) with your name, account number, the charge amount, the date it appeared, and why you believe it’s an error. Most issuers also accept disputes online or by phone, but a written follow-up preserves your rights under the statute. The issuer must acknowledge the dispute within 30 days and resolve it within 90 days or two billing cycles, whichever comes first.3FTC. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
Debit Cards
If the charge hit a debit card, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act applies. You have 60 days from the date the statement showing the unauthorized transaction was sent to notify your bank.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Electronic Fund Transfers FAQs The bank must investigate promptly and correct the error within one business day of confirming it occurred. Debit disputes can take longer to resolve in practice because the money has already left your account, so file early.
For either type of dispute, keep copies of your cancellation confirmation, any emails to or from CheckPeople, and screenshots of the charges. The FTC advises saving cancellation requests and notes from any conversations with the merchant, since those become evidence during the investigation.5FTC. How to Stop Subscriptions You Never Ordered
Federal Rules That Back You Up
Subscriptions that bill automatically after sign-up are regulated by the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act. Any online seller using a negative-option feature, where silence or inaction counts as acceptance, must clearly disclose all material terms before collecting billing information, obtain your express informed consent before charging you, and provide a simple way to stop recurring charges.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 – 8403 Burying subscription terms in fine print or making cancellation unreasonably hard can violate that law.
The FTC also finalized a “Click-to-Cancel” rule requiring sellers to make cancellation as easy as sign-up and to stop charges immediately once a consumer cancels.7FTC. Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Click-to-Cancel Rule Making It Easier for Consumers to End Recurring Subscriptions If you believe CheckPeople violated either rule, you can file a complaint at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Removing Your Own Information From the Site
Canceling stops the billing, but your personal records may still appear when others search the site. To suppress them, go to checkpeople.com/opt-out.8CheckPeople. Opt-Out Remove My Information Enter your email address, complete the verification, then click the link in the confirmation email to finalize the request. The process takes about 15 minutes, and the record should come down within roughly a week.
You can also request removal by calling 1-800-267-2122 or emailing support@checkpeople.com with your full name, date of birth, current and previous addresses, and the URL of the record you want deleted. Data broker sites regularly re-scrape public records, so your information may reappear after several months and require another opt-out.