Sunday, June 8, 2008

Sittercity Service Review - Should You Take Advantage of Their Background Checks?

Every day you hear the nightmare on the evening news: ?Another child abused by his babysitter? or ?A child is abused at daycare.? It is so common that it has left many parents left to go to great lengths to protect their children from their very own babysitters.

A babysitter matchmaking service, called Sittercity, offers to help by offering background checks on their sitters. Will this help? Should you take advantage of this option?

Let?s be honest with ourselves. Not every person is as nice as they seem. While running a care companion company that focused on providing in-home care for the elderly, I received many good resumes from people who seemed extremely pleasant and were good candidates for employment. However, after running the mandatory background check, I found abuse allegations and one woman who even had assaulted her own mother! Do you think I now wanted to hire them to care for my elderly clients? No way!

You don?t want someone like that caring for your loved ones either. So go ahead and use Sittercity or other resources to find good candidates to fit your needs, but don?t skip the background check. That last step makes all the difference and, from my experience, it does make a difference. It will show everything from a traffic ticket to a felony.

Even if you are hiring a babysitter without a matchmaking service, there are online companies that specialize in the background checks for any type of employer. This would be well worth the investment as well.

So even if you meet a babysitting candidate for the first time and think that he or she is wonderful, make sure you spend time reading their online reviews and do not fail to take advantage of the background checks that they make available. This service is definitely worth your time. After all, you are protecting your most important things in life?your kids.

Sheryl Frey is a mom dedicated to helping others by recommending good parenting sites like "Sittercity". For more information, visit http://www.sittercityreview.com

 

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Saturday, May 31, 2008

Background Checks - Why You Need To Do One On Yourself

Though most people don't think about it, having a background check done on yourself can be one of the smartest financial, lawful and emotionally constructive things that you can do. If you plan to apply for a job, get car insurance, or you plan to move into a new home, you can count on others running these reports on you to decide upon who you are. Many look over more than just your criminal background. Some will be thoughtful of your ability to pay bills based on the type of person you are as affirmed on your driver's record. No matter if it makes sense to you or not, the object in mind is to present yourself in the best possible way to all of these individuals.

One of the leading things you should go into is what could be on your background checks that you wouldn't want there. Often, mistakes are made when facts are entered into computers by people. Just a flip of your social security number can report bad things that were meant for someone else on your report. Or, another common error is that something that happened to you quite a long time ago is still having an effect on your report although it should have been removed. Sometimes, mistakes just happen and aren't taken care of quickly enough. One mistake like this causes numerous issues for you for ages and ages.

What To Look Out For

There are actually several types of reports that you ought to generate on yourself to unearth what they have to say about you. Here are a few to be aware of.

- A criminal background check helps to clarify if you?ve been arrested, charged or prosecuted for criminal activities. These can affect the type of work you can apply for as well as the loans that you can dig up. State and federal background checks are a must.

- Your driver's license report is another very important report to perform on yourself. You want to know if there are any errors there that could possibly influence your insurance rates or even worse, your ability to go after work that requires driving.

These two reports are the most noteworthy to generate. Another to consider is that of your credit report. It will present you with the reassurance that there isn't anything on these reports that can interfere with your way of living and your future.

For more information on why you should run a background check on yourself and verify that the information held on you is accurate, sign up for our 5-Day mini-course at: http://www.scoopquest.com/BackgroundChecks

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Thursday, May 29, 2008

Criminal Background Checks for Ohio Schools' Bus Drivers in Question

Last month, Columbus, Ohio, police arrested an individual who drives bus for one of the Ohio schools in Columbus. The driver was charged with possession of cocaine and further investigation found the individual had three previous convictions for driving under the influence.

First Student, Inc., is the private company, who employs the driver and provides bus drivers for many of the Ohio schools. They employ 22,000 drivers to over 500 school districts in 38 states across the country, transporting nearly two million children each school day. Of the 20,000 bus drivers within the Ohio schools, 3,000-to-5,000 work for private contractors. State law requires that bus drivers for the Ohio schools have a commercial driver?s license and a criminal background check through Ohio?s Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.

After the driver?s arrest, First Student discovered it had not done complete criminal background checks on all of its drivers. Service to the Columbus Ohio schools was suspended and the district cancelled classes for the day to allow the company to review their background check records for other such omissions.

Spokeswoman Jennifer Robinson assured the public that First Student has submitted hundreds of the required background checks and fingerprints to the Bureau since 2004, though Alex Goepfert, spokesman for the state?s attorney general?s office, stated that the firm had not submitted anything since that year. Additionally, she stated that First Student runs all background checks through a private company and believes the arrested driver is an isolated case of omission.

Ed Simpson, chief of policy and administration for the state attorney general?s office, is searching for a better way to improve enforcement of the background check for Ohio schools? bus drivers law and to ensure such oversight does not occur again.

State attorney general Marc Dann met with Columbus area legislators to discuss ways that the statute can be strengthened. Failure to conduct these criminal background checks is a misdemeanor under the law. According to Simpson, Dann also is investigating if a criminal case or administrative action can be brought against First Student.

First Student?s oversight has other school districts within the Ohio schools asking about their drivers. Robinson stated that First Student is conducting a comprehensive review of all Ohio schools? bus drivers.

Ohio schools? Columbus district is evaluating its procedures and whether to cancel their contract with First Student. Ohio schools? Cincinnati district has asked First Student and their two other private bus driver providers to resubmit their criminal background screenings for further review; they review background checks through the state every two years and locally through a private company every six months. Ohio schools? Dayton district hires their own drivers and review background checks monthly. According to spokesmen, Ohio schools? Lorain and Elyria districts were assured by First Student that appropriate checks had been completed on all of their drivers.

Patricia Hawke is an expert researcher and writer on real estate topics such as economics, credit improvement tips, home selling advice and home buying preparations and education for relocating families. For more information please Ohio Schools

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Tenant Background Checks

As a landlord, having the right tenants proves to be very important. There are many warning signs exhibited by a problem tenants, and some may not be instantaneously visible. Repeat offenders are experts at getting by landlords, and a landlord cannot always rely on gut feeling or first impressions when dealing with a prospective tenant. A landlord can take specific steps in order to avoid problem tenants. A prospective tenant can be asked to fill in an application. This application should be reviewed on submission. It should be made sure that the information provided is complete and accurate.

It is obligatory to have the full name, social security number, and the complete current or previous address including the zip code of the prospective renter. This information is required for obtaining a credit report. Apart from this a driver's license number and date of birth are also needed for criminal record and DMV reports and prior addresses are helpful for deportation reports. It is advisable that a landlord meets his prospective tenant in person. In our busy world, many people are opting for digital wireless communication and phone meetings. However, it is essential to take the time to actually meet the potential tenants in person. This will help a landlord get an idea about their character and go a long way towards making a lasting relationship.

Landlords are advised not to take a rental deposit from any aspirant before checking out their references. It is not unusual for the most likable and talkative applicant to have a poor payment history and awful credit habits. Obtaining the name of the previous landlord is another effective method to check on a tenant's background. Often landlords do not report troublesome tenants to the authorities, so calling up and checking with their former landlords is a good idea.

It is a well-known adage that prevention is always better than cure. Keeping this in mind a prudent landlord should undertake adequate provisions to make sure that the potential tenant is the right choice. By covering all the bases landlords can make sure that not only will they have the best tenants for their rental property, but also that their rights and the rights of you?re their potential tenants are being protected.

Background Checks provides detailed information on Background Checks, Criminal Background Checks, Employment Background Checks, Online Background Checks and more. Background Checks is affiliated with Criminal Background Search.

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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Positive Aspects Of Background Checking

Who is your neighbor? Really who are they? You know his name is John and he's a mechanic, but did you know that he got divorced 8 years ago because he and his ex-wife filed for bankruptcy and couldn't seem to work things out? Did you know that your elderly retired neighbours across the street seem to have nothing else better to do but file lawsuits against people who they believe have done them wrong? These are just a few of the many things that you can discover with a background check program, from the comfort of your own home.

Every second more and more people are brought into this world and with a higher population comes a higher amount of criminals, it's inevitable, unfortunately. Of course there are many good people in the world as well, but how good are they? Maybe they too have a dent in their history. The Internet is truly amazing there are so many things we can find out with minimal effort compared to 20 years ago. You no longer need a private investigator, you no longer need to go out of your way or risk someone finding out that you are curious about their history. You can now find closely-guarded information about your boss, employees, friends, neighbors, doctor, ex-spouse, lovers? Investigate potential dates, applicants, business partners. Even search the information others could learn about you.

Why risk potentially putting yourself in harms way because you neglected to do a background check on someone? There are so many good cons and liars out there. There are pedophiles who neglect to register in the community you are living there are people with criminal records living as close to you as next door, but you'll never know unless you find out. You may own a business and neglect to check a persons criminal record and they turn out to have been arrested on theft charges. Sometimes being a little snoopy can save your butt!

For more information on online detective programs check out the review located at http://detectiveswork.blogspot.com

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Monday, May 26, 2008

6 Real Life Examples Where You Need To Perform A Complete Background Check

Are you wondering whether or not you really need to perform a complete background check on someone you have questions about? Unfortunately, today's society has made it necessary to know how to do a complete background check, for your own as well as your family's safety.

The internet has made it increasingly simple for anyone to be able to find the information that they are looking for. In the past, it would have been very expensive and time consuming to come up with the kind of information that is now readily available on the internet. So, if you have any kind of questions about someone's background, then you need to do a complete background check on them.

When would you need to do a complete background check?

1. Hiring a babysitter or nanny - This is probably one of the most important instances where a background check is necessary. You need to be sure that the person you are entrusting with the care of your children is not hiding anything in their background that you need to be aware of. There are too many times that childcare workers have not been trustworthy, and have harmed children that were left in their care. There is absolutely no need for this to happen, and a complete background check on a person before they are left caring for your children can give you the peace of mind that you have done your best to give your children the safest possible care.

2. Hiring a contractor or other service personnel - When you are thinking of hiring someone to be in charge of repairing your home, you need to be very careful before choosing. The person you decide on will be given the money to cover expenses on your home, and if they are not trustworthy, you need to find out before it is too late. Too many people have fallen victim to unscrupulous contractors, who continue to get away with their conduct simply because no one takes the time to do thorough research into their backgrounds.

3. Hiring a potential employee - If you are operating any kind of business, you need to know exactly who is applying to work within your company. You have the right to protect your assets, and your business. You cannot rely solely on a resume or application; a complete background check will reveal any problems that this particular person has had in the past.

4. Renting out your property - You need to know exactly who the person is that you are allowing to rent your property. If they have a history of any kind of criminal activity, you need to be aware before they have signed a lease. Doing a complete background check on the person before they have signed anything will protect your property.

5. Renting a property from a stranger - This applies more to females, as single women living on their own are often the target of landlords who are not to be trusted. Any kind of information that you can find before moving into a property can offer you safety and peace of mind.

6. Dating - The dating scene today is very different from other generations. In the past, people often met through mutual acquaintances or somewhere that was considered to be safe. Nowadays, singles are meeting in many ways, including the internet, which make dating more of a challenge. It is so simple in today's world to be able to do a background check on someone, that it is almost considered irresponsible to be dating someone you do not know, without doing one.

All of the items included in the list above are times when ordinary people need to be doing whatever they can to protect themselves. It is now such an easy task to perform any kind of complete background check, that there is no need to become a victim. Unfortunately, many people are still under the impression that "it won't happen to me!" and that it is too difficult to do any research on their own. This could not be any further from the truth, as today it is a simple matter to conduct a background check on anyone. It is perfectly legal, and contrary to what many believe, it is not costly.

Today's society has made it necessary to be aware of who we are dealing with on an everyday basis, and you need to ensure the security of yourself and your loved ones.

About The Author: Marie Pugh is a stay at home mom, who believes in providing the safest possible environment for her children. If you would like to find out more information about how easy and inexpensive a complete background check is to perform, you need to go to http://www.revue-it.com/backgroundcheck.html Protecting your family and your personal sercurity is easy to do, you just need to learn how!

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Friday, May 23, 2008

Find Background Records Via An Instant Background Check

Background checks are an essential part of modern 21st century life but why do we need them? Technology affords us this luxury but when we increasingly are pressed for time and cannot do everything ourselves, we need to outsource and delegate our work to others. Gone are the days when you could trust most people. There are a great many bad people out there and therefore there is a requirement to find background records usually by performing what is known as an instant background check.

What is known as a background check is usually a search relating to one's criminal history and whether one exists and to what degree. To this extent, I will discuss why these are necessary and how they are carried out.

Much of our daily life depends on trusting people, be they your child with a babysitter or your accountant with your financial records. It is not paranoia to be concerned about the background of people, it is simply being on the safe side.

We need sufficient starting information to find background records and this usually starts with details provided such as social security number (SSN), date of birth and recent addresses. These data are not indicators of criminal activity in themselves, but if any discrepancies arise during subsequent investigations, these will give cause for concern.

Thanks to recent legislation in the last five years, criminal records searches can now be done much faster. This has greatly assisted the likes of gun sellers, employers and other interested parties.

Usually, an agency is used to perform the instant background check. With the minimum of a name and state of residence, you can determine if the individual has a criminal record and also any large amount of outstanding unpaid debt.

What degree of information can be infered from an instant background check? Some agencies will only give a yes or no answer concerning whether a person has a criminal record or bad finances. Most others will give more details but at a higher price.

Ultimately, one needs to find background records to get the bigger picture about a person in case they are lying or hiding something. It is a perfectly acceptable and government supported legitimate activity and is so cheap that even an individual can obtain an instant background check.

Richard Smith offers further detailed information about obtaining an instant background check at http://www.findrecords.info, a dedicated records website.

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