Online Criminal Background Checks

When conducting online background checks for employment, criminal background investigations or other reasons it is important to gain insight by seeking several different opinions. Many people have different experiences and often discuss these in open forums through question and answer sites such as Yahoo! Answers, E-how, or Wiki-Answers. You will always want to find the best background check service when using any online people finder service. Here is a feed of the most commonly asked questions from the most popular "Q&A" sites on the web.

Search engines are powerful tools that can be used to do this. Just type in the name of the person, and in just seconds you already have a list of results that you can check for further data. You can even see pictures and images of the person you are interested in as part of the results.


Social networks boomed last year and according to sociologists and internet experts, we can expect them to be even bigger in the succeeding years as technology and interfaces become more user-friendly and sophisticated at the same time. Since almost everyone has a social network account, these sites are a great launch pad wherein you can jumpstart your background check. It might take you a long time to find the person you are looking for, but with patience and the right information to key in, you can unlock very useful data that you did not even think was there.


Online white pages are also great tools in running background checks. They contain a database of names, address, and other contact information of people in a particular state or country. You can use them for free, but there might be some data that would be undisclosed to you unless you pay a certain amount. The price you have to pay for information would be worth it, though.


Free people searches are also a hit on the Internet. Just type the name and the state where the person is living, wait for a few minutes for the system to run a check, and voila! In a few seconds, a list of names and addresses will appear right before your very eyes. They are indeed handy especially to those who would like to track down old friends, want to update themselves about whereabouts of relatives, and recently, online merchants who would like to verify identity of their clients. There are limits however to free people searches and the depth of information they provide.

None of these options are thorough enough to run a complete, comprehensive background check however.

"To run a complete and comprehensive criminal background check for employment use a reputable service"

There are a plethora of "background check" services online, but how does one know which service to use? Our intrepid editors spent a full month testing and reviewing dozens of services to find out.

To test each service, we ran online criminal background checks on people with known criminal and civil records, including bankruptcies. This allowed us to easily verify the accuracy of all results. We checked on people of different ages with diverse backgrounds, residing in all 50 states. We were surprised at what we found.

"It seems that the vast majority of "background check" services simply don't deliver the information they promise."

In almost all cases, the results sold to us were outdated, incorrect, or nothing more than data from local phone books! All of this despite widely advertised claims of current criminal and civil records.

Fortunately, we were able to find a few web sites that stood out above all the rest. No matter who we checked, these background services consistently provided up-to-date criminal and civil records. If you need to check someone's background reliably and confidentially, use these online search services:

Editor's Top Choice




PeopleFactFinder.com

PeopleFactFinder has stolen the once undisputed crown. They have now claimed the throne as the largest investigative database on the Web. This is because their service is powered by 3 main data sources: CIS (People Info), IntelligatorTechnology (Full Background Check) and the State Records Database (Public Records). This powerful robust combination makes them the top choice to conduct online background checks

Tip #2
Be aware of your options
Different Types of Background Checks


Many of the problems that small businesses face in trying to deter crime can be helped with information available on the Internet. You can use 21st Century technology to get the better of the crooks and thieves and scam artists.

But if you're not familiar with what's available, you may not realize all the important things you can find out with a good background checking service.It used to be expensive to check into someone's background to see if they were hiding anything. You had to hire a private detective or pay big bucks to an investigative agency.

Not today - not with Internet databases so readily available to us. Some of the services are free. However a business will benefit most from the more in-depth background checking services.

These higher quality services usually charge a fee to subscribe, but it's smaller than you'd expect - especially considering the volumes and usefulness of the information they provide. A year of service is often less than what you'd pay to bring in lunch for a staff meeting. Plus, the paid services are kept more up-to-date and are typically faster and easier to use.



"Sometimes referred to as Internet Detective sites the web-based services reveal all kinds of formerly-hidden information."

Here are the types of things you can and should be looking into for the protection of your business...

Criminal Background Checks

Any time your business is dealing with someone you don't know, you should run a quick check to see if they have any history of criminal activity. It's very simple to find out about:

• Criminal Records


• FBI Records


• Prison Records


• Sex Offender Status

You have access to their entire criminal history if there is one. With violence in the workplace such a major issue, a simple criminal check can be a very effective way to avoid problems before they happen.

Background Check for Employment
(Pre-Employment Screening)

If you've got a small business, you should be pre-screening each person you consider hiring. No matter how professional, or how harmless, they appear.

A small print shop franchise in Florida hired an especially friendly fellow as their bookkeeper after the owner got too busy to handle it himself. The new employee didn't offer much in the way of references but he sounded like he knew what he was doing and - big plus - he agreed to work cheap. The owner figured he would save money hiring the guy. He figured wrong.

The bookkeeper drained more than a hundred thousand dollars out of the company before they found him out. Turned out he'd previously been charged with embezzlement. Something a criminal background check would have quickly turned up.

Background Check Existing Employees
Make it a Condition of Employment

You shouldn't check only new hires. Over time, employees can develop habits and get involved in activities you'd never suspect. So you should regularly check on existing employees. Note: this is something you should get legal advice for - but generally if it's a condition of employment and you let them know in writing, it's not invading privacy. You entrust employees with company funds or materials that can be stolen, or negotiating and purchasing power that can be abused. Keeping an eye on existing employees is just being prudent.

Too many small business owners think of their company as an extension of their family. They don't want to think ill of the people they give jobs to. Truth is, most employees are trustworthy. They just want to do a good job and get paid fairly - but they see you as the boss, not their daddy. Even in real families, the black sheep will have absolutely no conscience about turning your good will to their good fortune. Don't be so kindly that you end up getting taken for everything you own.

Background Check Each Company or Individual You Do Business With

You should investigate every supplier or contractor who serves your business. If the possibility of harm exists, then you need to know if someone you're in business with is likely to harm you. You can check credit, check backgrounds of the owners and managers, check the company itself for any past criminal or questionable activity.

Also check customers if your dealings with them permit. Most non-retail businesses will have the opportunity to look at their customer's backgrounds for any warning signs. Don't get left without payment for your products or services when a quick look up on the computer can resolve questions.

Check both suppliers and customers out. It's just good business.

Real Estate Business Transactions Are Often Easy Targets for Crime

Real Estate often involves significant investment, both initially and over time. Whether you're a landlord or a tenant, you need to check out those with whom you're doing business. Using a background check service will enable you to:

• Check Credit and determine if Social Security Numbers provided are valid


• Check Tenants for past problems or criminal activity


• Check Landlords for tenant actions against them or other legal problems

Charity and Other Community Support

Businesses frequently get called on to support their community. Charitable organizations often solicit donations, many times in sizable amounts. Before you give money freely to anyone, be sure they're legitimate by running a background check on their organization and the principals involved. Otherwise the help you think you're providing could turn around and hurt your business.

A Final Word

Running a small business is more of a challenge today than ever before. Use online database search services to help you protect your business and keep you, your customers and your employees more secure.

Tip #3
What out for Red Flags



County Civil Record Check:

• Cases

County Criminal Record Check:

• Active warrants


• Felonies, misdemeanors, or infractions


• Pending cases still in process


• Diversion in process

Credit Check:

• Charged-off accounts


• Collection accounts


• Delinquent accounts


• Public-record bankruptcies, judgments, liens, or foreclosures

Education Verification:

• No record of individual found


• No record of degree or certification

Employment Verification:

• No record of individual found


• No or Maybe on rehire


• Salary differs


• Dates of employment differ


• Job title differs substantially

Federal Criminal Record Check:

• Active warrants


• Felonies, misdemeanors, or infractions


• Pending cases still in process


• Diversion in process

Global Homeland Security Search:

• Name match

License Verification:

• No license found


• License expired, revoked, or suspended

Medicaid Sanctions:

• Cases

Motor Vehicle Report:

• No record of individual found


• No license found


• License expired, revoked, or suspended


• Violations

'Nationwide' Criminal Database Check:

• Name match

National Wants and Warrants:

• Active warrants

Professional Reference Check:

• Contact does not remember applicant


• Contact does not recommend applicant for the position

Sex Offender Registry Check:

• Name match

'Statewide' Criminal Records Check:

• Name match

Social Security Number Scan:

• SSN not issued by the Social Security Administration


• SSN assigned to a person reported as deceased by the Social Security Administration


• SSN matches an SSN reported as suspicious or having been used in fraud


• SSN may have been issued in error


• Address matches an address reported as suspicious or used in fraud


• Telephone number matches telephone number reported as suspicious or used in fraud


• Consumer statement on file indicating consumer has been victim of fraud


• Name/DOB varies from the information provided by the applicant

Workers' Compensation History:

• Cases

Tip #3
Do the Research

The facts & statistical data can be dramatically different amongst specific industries and companies of varying size. We've taken the time to collect, organize and present an assortment of data to help you in your research. Please consider the following statistical data while implementing your own employment screening program.

Industry Hit Ratio Statistics by Industry

 

Mfg

Health Svcs

Food Svcs

Finance

Trnsp.

Retail

Criminal Hit

5%

6%

8%

4%

5%

7%

Resume

42%

49%

54%

48%

89%

49%

Reference

10%

6%

9%

5%

7%

9%

Driving

28%

19%

39%

31%

28%

29%

Poor Credit

37%

40%

51%

33%

28%

36%

Wrkrs Comp

14%

6%

14%

1%

12%

7%

*data courtest of American DataBank

Industry Hit Ratio Statistics by size of Company

 

1-49 Employees

50-999 Employees

1000 Employees

Criminal Hit

4%

5%

5%

Resume

48%

50%

53%

Reference

7%

10%

7%

Driving

34%

31%

29%

Poor Credit

34%

47%

42%

Wrkrs Comp

12%

11%

7%

*data courtest of American DataBank