Background Check Services
The availability of criminal background checks to the general public is a great resource to stop scams, fraud, and crime. Some concern has been raised due to the threat of identity theft, but these fears are largely unfounded. Social security numbers and other sensitive information which could be valuable to an identity thief are excluded from standard online background checks. This ensures that the general public will not be placed at undue risk of identity theft, while ensuring that those who require it can still obtain a great deal of information through a criminal background check. Many people are skeptical of the benefits of such services. Let's take a look at just a few of the most common uses for background check services:
Pre-employment screening
Naturally, employers do not want to hire felons or problematic employees. In the past, there was little in the way of verification methods; employers simply had to take the applicant's word for it. But the technological advances of the past century make background check for employers easier than ever. With just an internet connection, employers can now run a full criminal background check with the click of a button. Results are very quick, saving time in the interview and hiring process. Most background check services also include employment history, allowing interviewers to verify references and inquire about past job performance with great ease.
Private Investors
Crime in the private business sector has been on the rise in recent years, unfortunately. Many crooks have misrepresented themselves as businessmen and goaded huge sums of money out of investors, only to claim that some unforeseen event has disrupted the project and make off with the cash. The sad thing is that these criminals often have prior criminal records which their unwitting business partners are not aware of. Many professional investors could eliminate a great measure of risk from their dealings if they would run a criminal background check on any new partners whom they do not know very well. It may seem unprofessional to have to take such measures, but one can never be too careful.
Checking one's own record
A man from Newark, New Jersey was recently fired from his job of 30 years. His former employer did not respond to any of his queries about the reason for his termination. Even worse, every place to which he had sent his resume rejected him outright. A former co-worker informed him that he was fired because his boss believed that he was a sex offender. The man had never had any criminal convictions in his life other than minor traffic violations, much less a sex offender status. He contacted a background check service and ran a check on his own name. Sure enough, a sex offender status showed up. It was meant for someone several states over with the same exact name as him. The man contacted the proper authorities and informed them of the error, and his name was cleared. Fortunately, his employer understood the error and reinstated him. The moral of this story is that the current record maintenance system is not perfect, and errors are more common than many people think. This is especially easy when dealing with people with similar names. It is a good idea to run a criminal background check on your own name once in a while, just to catch any errors before your employer does.
In conclusion, criminal background checks are a great benefit to many people, not just police and detectives. The availability of background check services makes the world a safer place, and causes criminals great difficulty in concealing their identities and activities. These benefits outnumber the small risks of identity theft by a large margin. There is no need for such apprehension, as this information is used for lawful and legitimate purposes 99% of the time. Once you have made your decision to purchase an online background check, follow the same guidelines that you follow for buying anything else: shop around and consider your individual requirements to find the best value.