The need for identifiers in accurate criminal checks
Identity theft is a growing concern for the American public. There have been many articles, books, and broadcasts on the topic. High-profile data breaches at ChoicePoint and LexisNexis have served to heighten the sense of alarm. Newspapers have been regularly trumpeting the increasing rate of identity theft, while neglecting to mention that this frightening term refers to stolen credit card numbers (as opposed to a true impersonation) 90% of the time. Much of the concern has focused on the social security number, or SSN. This is understandable as the SSN is the basic number used in the financial world. As [...]
Criminal background checks for astronauts
Although the primary goal of this blog is to provide serious and in-depth articles, every now and then we enjoy taking a look at the more bizarre side of criminal background checks. NASA recently had a rare intersection with our world when astronaut Lisa Nowak was charged with attempted murder after allegedly assaulting romatic rival Colleen Shipman. The story rapidly spread in national headlines, as it contained all the Fatal Attraction elements: a married woman obsessed with another man, violent female rage, and a long drive using a diaper so that rest stops would not be necessary. The details are [...]
Which background check providers are FCRA compliant?
If you are responsible for employment or tenant screening, you probably know that you need to comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). And if you have been looking online to find someone to do the background checks for you, you may have noticed that virtually every web site says that they are "FCRA compliant". Does this mean they can be used to screen employees in a legal manner? Not necessarily. Many websites rely on a linguistic trick to claim FCRA compliance. The FCRA only applies to background checks that are used for job screening, tenant screening, or other [...]
A guide to using credit reports for employment screening
It can be difficult to decide which type of background checks are appropriate for your organization. Almost everyone will want to do a criminal background check. What else do you need? In this post we explore a popular supplement, credit reports. Credit reports are a potentially rich source of information. There are different types available, depending upon whether it is being used for tenant screening (which has some similarity to a loan), or employment screening. The version for employers includes: Identifying information about the subject, such as past addresses, aliases, additional social security numbers, and previous employers. Details on how [...]