Purchasing A Background Check Service
Spend a little time on Google and you should be able to find a lot of information about most people. You can find social media accounts, blog posts, even news articles in which they may have been mentioned. A deeper dive can turn up court records and criminal histories, though if you really want to get extensive, well-organized results, you’re going to need to contract a paid service and consider costs and pricing.
Paid background searches can help you find out about any skeletons that new neighbor may be hiding, and can also help you find out if there’s anything about you that can be unearthed and used against you.
A word of caution though – the Fair Credit Reporting Act prohibits the use of background checks for potential employees or tenants, unless you inform them beforehand and they agree in writing. Most paid background check companies state this on their websites loud and clear.
What Is A Background Check?
Paid background check services can provide you with a wealth of public information without you ever leaving the house. Previously you would have had to go on your own to the courthouse to get records, whereas with a paid service the information comes to you, all organized neatly in a single report. Paid background checks go beyond just a criminal record – they can dig up credit history, employment history, financial records and other information that show the life someone has lived and also if they are who they say they are.
Why Would You Use A Background Check?
With the permission of the person in question, companies considering someone for employment or a loan often carry out checks in order to cover all their bases and make sure the person won’t be a liability for the company. On a more personal level, these days more and more people are using background checks to screen potential childcare professionals. Before trusting someone with the most important thing in their lives (their children), many people opt to do a background screen on the potential babysitter or nanny, even if they’ve already undergone an agency screening.
What Are Legal Ways to Use A Screening (And What Is Illegal)?
As we covered earlier, if you plan on performing a background check on a potential employee you must first get their permission in writing. Under the FCRA, consumers must be informed if their file has been used against them, and they have the right to know what is in the file and to dispute any information contained therein.
It’s not illegal to refuse to hire someone due to a conviction on their record – as long as the conviction relates to the job, though this can be a bit of a gray area.
What To Look for in a Quality Background Check Service?