RELIABLE BACKGROUND SCREENING INDUSTRY NEWS AND ARTICLES

Delays in county criminal records searches is nothing new. Checking county courthouse records requires accessing each county’s records through the specific procedures that each jurisdiction has in place. Although “clears” or “no records found” can often be obtained the same day, when a “potential hit” (match) occurs, the process is delayed due to the additional research that must occur to eliminate or confirm the “hit.” However, during the current Covid pandemic, delays have increased significantly in numerous counties around the country. This is because courthouses have been closed at times, and even when they reopened, they generally have new protocols in place [...]

There is a myth about fingerprints, that they are the magic elixir for obtaining criminal records. In fact, certain positions particularly those that involve vulnerable populations, such as children, the disabled, and the elderly, sometimes require by statute, fingerprints for background checks on individuals who come into contact with members of these groups. Sadly, there is a lack of knowledge that no panacea exists when it comes to background checks, and most people, including politicians who make our laws, also are misinformed about the efficacy of fingerprints. The fingerprint database only contains about fifty percent of all the crimes in the USA. [...]

Social Media Screening has not been part of a traditional background check. This was due to compliance requirements of laws such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), among other laws as well. Fortunately, companies can now obtain compliant social media screening from a select number of reliable background screening companies that are also CRAs (consumer reporting agencies) to help ensure compliance with the FCRA, as well as other regulations. In today’s digital world, not only do consumer opinions spread quickly through social media, but the negative social media activity of employees, franchisees, apartment residents, [...]

The three-year anniversary of the most sweeping changes to credit reports in decades just occurred (July 1, 2017 – 2020). Yet, I continue to be amazed at the myriad of people who are in industries that use credit reports but are still unaware of the critical data that has been omitted from credit reports for now over three years. The modifications to credit reports in July of 2017 were a direct result of a lawsuit settlement against the three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. This settlement resulted in the creation of the National Consumer Assistance Plan (NCAP). NCAP mandated [...]