Ok, another scenerio - and this is real
In one of my earliest j*bs I interviewed children who had been sexually abused and often testified in court to get the abuser incarcerated. Today I got a call from the state attorney's office where I had lived. There is an offender, currently in jail, but soon to be released. He has been evaluated and they are putting together a case to prove he is a habitual violent sexual preditor. This will keep him locked up for life. (For this type of case he had to have been released, reoffended, and reincarcerated). They needed to find me as a potential witness.
They said I was easy to find, my name "popped up". But, I have an unusual name. The investigator says she spends most of her time trying to find old witnesses from 20+ years ago on these types of cases. For someone with a common name, this type of search engine can help make sure you have the same John Smith, who had lived in Anytown USA 20 years ago.
Anyway, a legitimate use that can expedite a valid public record search and need to find someone.