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Why do a background check? Because trust is a luxury these days. It is important to feel secure about
the people you enter into relationships with—whether the relationships
are business or personal. The benefits of comprehensive background
checks are felt not only by business owners but also by individuals.
From CEO's to housewives more and more people are beginning to view
background checks as a pro-active risk management strategy. The
question many are asking is, “Can I afford not to conduct
a background check?” “Can I afford not to protect myself,
my family or my business when the cost of acquiring such information
is becoming increasingly more cost effective?” What used to
cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars to uncover can now often
be quickly and easily obtained at a fraction of the cost. This is
because much of the searching for information can be done via the
Internet.
The amount of information included on a background check depends
to a large degree on the sensitivity of the reason for which it
is conducted. For example, somebody seeking employment at a minimum
wage job would be subject to far fewer background check requirements
than someone applying to work for the FBI.
Families requesting a pre-employment background check on a nanny
candidate are subject to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The
family should only order these checks through a FCRA compliant provider,
and must themselves adhere to the FCRA mandated documentation and
candidate communication processes. Most important of these is that
the family is obligated to obtain a signed release from the candidate
authorizing the search before the search is ordered.
There are a few important components of a background check that
need to be discussed. In order for any background check to be considered
thorough, both an SSN trace and a criminal record check must be
conducted. There are many different types of criminal record searches.
They can be narrowed easily into two main categories: database criminal
record searches and onsite criminal record searches. The most thorough
criminal record check available will always be an onsite search.
Database searches, as we all know are fallible, but are a cost effective
means of research. It is only at the onsite level that social security
numbers can be used for criminal record verification purposes.
Sadly, the criminal record system is not as refined or accessible
as the Social Security number background check system. Thanks to
credit card companies, telemarketers and marketing research firms
an individual’s residence history, bankruptcies, relatives
and alias names can be determined with speed and efficiency. The
criminal record system is entirely the opposite. The system is antiquated
to say the least. Due to many different state and county reporting
practices and regulations, it is not uncommon for criminal records
to “slip through the cracks.” This lack of proper reporting
can be dangerous both to businesses and individual citizens. Conducting
manual onsite criminal record searches along with SSN verifications
for every subject can avert this risk.
Alias names are a crucial aspect of any background check. It is
because of alias names that SSN verifications are so important in
conducting a thorough background check. Most of us have what are
considered alias names. For example, a Robert Keith Jones can show
up via public record as Robert Jones, Robert K. Jones, RK Jones,
R Keith Jones, Bobby K Jones, etc. and the list goes on. Public
record may list an individual’s personal information in many
different ways. Therefore, it is very important that a human researcher
of some kind review and compile any comprehensive background check.
There will never be a substitute for human reason.
One would be well advised to find a company that specializes in
this type of service. There are many companies out there that offer
only one service or the other. A criminal check is not complete
without an SSN verification or background check, nor is a background
check complete without a criminal record search and SSN verification.
They indeed go hand in hand. In today’s society, you really
can’t afford not to conduct a comprehensive background check.
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