Identity Theft Can Lead to Criminal Records

Background checks can range from checking social security numbers and verifying identity, to criminal record checks and comprehensive reports on employment and credit history, education and character. These searches can be performed by third-party services such as specialized employment screening companies, private investigators or online data brokers, or they can be performed in-house by a company's own employees.

Increasingly, companies and organizations are requesting background checks for job applicants, existing employees seeking promotions, volunteers and even dating service members. A bad hiring decision can be ruinous to an organization's reputation and finances. The number of background checks being conducted is increasing for several reasons: national security concerns, a rise in negligent hiring lawsuits, recent corporate scandals and the ease of searching public records and commercial databases with the internet. Companies may use a background check as a way of verifying the information you give in your resume and application form.

In a comprehensive background check, records commonly searched include: social security, court, credit, criminal, incarceration, driving and vehicle registration, education, employment, property ownership, military, workers' compensation, drug test, state licensing, bankruptcy and sex offender lists. The Americans with Disabilities Act limits access to medical records to inquiries about your ability to perform specific job functions. In addition, background checks may include interviews with your neighbors, friends and acquaintances.

Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), employers must get your written permission before doing a background check, but this only applies when an organization is using a third-party screening service. If the company is conducting the background search in-house, they do not have to follow the FCRA regulations.

Problems with background checks can arise in several ways.

Identity theft can lead to criminal records being associated with your name, but not committed by you. If someone miswrites their social security number on an application form, their name can end up on your file. Reputable employment screening companies check negative information from database searches against courthouse public records. But if the information is simply obtained from internet records and databases, it may not be up-to-date, accurate or complete.

If you know that you are likely to have a background check for a job application or other reason, there are several ways to prepare for this and minimize the chances of inaccurate or misleading information being reported. Order a copy of your credit report, check court records, check Department of Motor Vehicle records, do your own background check (by hiring a record screening service yourself), request copies of previous background checks, and let your friends, neighbors and work colleagues know that they may be contacted by a background screening service.

(USPublicRecords.com) and (BackgroundCheckDirectory.com) and (USPRS.com) and (PeopleSearches.com)