Background Check

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.