Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Hit or Miss? How to Perform a Background Check on a Potential Online Date

Time passes and you are ready to finally meet Mr. Right. However, as much of a hopeless romantic as you are, you do realize that there may be some risks involved with meeting someone in person that you found online.

Therefore, you decide to run a background check on your date. When executed properly, a background check can tell you tons of valuable information about your potential date including whether he or she is married, his or her real age and even if your date has a criminal past. However, you may be new to the world of people searching and may not know which information is necessary to perform an accurate background check. In addition, if you were missing some of this required information and needed to obtain it from your date, you would want to do it in a smooth and comfortable manner without your date finding out. Relax, both of these goals can easily be accomplished if you keep the following tips in mind:

First off, before you go and try to probe your date for specific information such as his social security number or date of birth, you should realize that this type of information may not even be needed to perform an effective online background check. Thus, you may not need to ask a strange or awkward question to your date like, "If I were you, what city would I have been born in?", because this information may not even be required.

Due to the technical sophistication of sites like PeopleFinders.com, you only need basic information about your date to perform a background check. Simple information such as Mr. Right's first name, last name, city of residence and age is really all the information that you will probably need. Therefore, before you try to do some detective work on your own, check with the people search web site that you will be using to perform your background check to determine exactly which type of information you need to obtain accurate people search results.

If you do need to obtain some additional or basic information from your date to perform your background check, there is no need to panic. Casually asking questions like, "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" or "Where are you from again...were your born there too?" are not too difficult for most people to ask. Remember to relax and ask your questions in a calm and friendly manner. Additionally, most of the required information needed to perform a background check is very basic and really doesn't delve too deep into one's past. Therefore, it shouldn't be too tough to obtain from your date. If your date is hesitant to give you this type of information, you probably should look elsewhere for Mr. Right.

Finally, you can rest assured that you made the right choice by looking into the past of your date. Not only are online background checks affordable, these checks are also completely anonymous. Therefore, your date will never know that you performed a background check on them.

Founded in 2006, People Search News is a Sacramento, California based non-commercial online source for people search and people finder related news and information.

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Sunday, March 9, 2008

Legal Aspects Of Background Checking

Whenever we hear the term 'background checking' it automatically gives us the impression of a background of past criminal activities. But the truth of the matter is, performing a background check on a certain person may be necessary for a number of reasons. A background check does not necessarily involve an in depth check; it may be done for the simple purpose of clearing any doubts before entering into a business venture or hiring a new employee.

Background checking is even popular among certain communities where parents may check the background of their child's future spouse and family. In addition to searching for criminal records, background checks also help you find general information on, for example, a business company's legal status and reputation, and also its business competitors and how its products or services fare in the market.

Thus the term background checking encompasses a broad spectrum, and covers wide range of investigative researches on individuals, companies and small business. Now the question of a background check arises because there may be certain doubts or problems with a certain individual or business entity that need to be cleared. So it is important for the lawyer or the investigator to understand the context in which the checking has to be done and the nature of the problem that has to be addressed. It is the responsibility of the investigator to ask the client about the objective behind such a background check. It is important from both an ethical as well as a legal point of view.

If you are going to perform such a background check on some person or some business entity, you must be aware of several federal laws that control the access to public records and personal information. So far as the financial records are concerned, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB) governs the procedures through which personal financial information are disclosed to a third party. Then there is the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) that protects the privacy of a person's consumer reports. Similarly, The Drivers Privacy Protection Act protects the past driving records of individuals.

Additional federal laws contain privacy provisions that restrict access to public school and medical records, as well as other records maintained by government agencies. There are many more Federal laws that regulate the disclosure of the medical reports and school days information.

However the provisions of laws dealing with the access to several public and personal information may vary with each state. Even for the governmental information that are accessible to public, there are certain restriction as to how you can use those information.

Checking the background of an individual? Go to CompleteBackgroundCheck.info for tips on Background Checks.

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Thursday, February 14, 2008

How To Do A Proper Background Check On A Nanny

When you hire a nanny you need to make sure that she is the best person for the job. You do not, after all, just want to leave your kids with just anyone. The person should be responsible, likes kids, be able to have fun, and still know when it is time to be serious.

A Few Pieces of Advice

One of the most important things you do before you hire a nanny is make sure you get at least three references. Make sure you contact all of these references and ask them specific questions about her performance. Ask them if they would hire her again, if they liked how she handled the children, why she left, and any other little bits of information that you can think of. If you can not get a hold of the three references ask for some more references until you talk to three people.

Have the nanny fill out an application just like she would have to at any other place of employment. Make sure you get all of the vital information like her birth date, social security number, and other names she may have gone by in the past. Get her college school name and any other schooling she may have had in the past. Ask her to list her last five employers. Make sure that these employers are not from the three references. Also get in contact with these people to see how well she performed at her job there. Get the phone number, address, and name of the previous employer.

If you decide to do a background check on her you need to let her know and have her sign a piece of paper authorizing you to do a background check on her. Make sure that you see if she is hesitant to sign the paper. If she is then she might be hiding something from her past. Can you really trust a person who may be hiding something from a person she will be working for? If you do not feel comfortable trusting her around your kids then do not hire her.

Check the information that she gave you to her previous places of employment. Make sure that the information matches up correctly. Call the relative and make sure that she is really related to them. If she is not related to them then she is obviously lying to you, and if she feels comfortable lying to you now she will keep on doing and just get more comfortable lying to you in the future.

If you find that all of the information checks out with the person but you are still a little leery of hiring her then do not hire her. You need to hire a person that you can trust which your children. Also before you hire the nanny make sure the children are comfortable around her. There is nothing worse than hiring a nanny who if perfect but the children do not like her. If the children do not like her than they are not going to listen to her very well. So make sure that the children like her that way you will get respect from both the nanny and your children.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as background check at http://www.ez-backgroundcheck.com.

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Wednesday, January 23, 2008

What shows up on a criminal record background check?

A criminal record background check can throw up a lot of information on an individual including previous arrests as well as conviction and non-conviction information. The information is obtained from Federal Fugitive files, files from the Department of Corrections prison, state criminal records, databases on sex offenders, and prison parole records. There are various agencies that perform criminal record background checks; these agencies have access to more than 200 million criminal records from all across United States, local courthouses, and the National Criminal File.

The information revealed in criminal record background checks is of critical importance to employers of all kinds. Childcare institutions are extra careful about recruiting personnel and check if the prospect has a record for child molestation. Employers, such as infirmaries and hospitals need to make ensure that their workers do not have a history of violent behavior or drug abuse as they may be required to handle drugs.

Industries that execute government contracts will not want employees with an anti-establishment disposition or with a terrorist connection. The information provided by a criminal record background check can also help neighborhood communities to get an idea about individuals planning to move in. The process of obtaining criminal record information consists of contacting a company that provides such a service; one should have a clear understanding of the type and extent of information required. This helps in obtaining the information quickly and at a lower cost. All the same, there are some free resources as well, such as the local police station that may be maintaining an online database of convicts and sex offenders.

A standard criminal record background check includes the name, race, gender, D.O.B, number of offenses, date of conviction, risk level, and charges. The information provided can be used not only by employers but also by landlords who wish to do a background check on prospective tenants. This is because simple credit checks are no longer considered sufficient; it is perfectly possible for a person to have a good credit record but some other blot on his record.

The growth of the Internet has resulted in burgeoning sex crimes and online frauds. Often face-to-face meetings set up after online acquaintance end up in an unpleasant experience for one party. This can be avoided by running a criminal record background check. At the same time, the Internet has also made it easy for people to look up the backgrounds of others. In fact, many databases provide criminal background checks for people not only in the U.S but also in Canada and the U.K. One should keep in mind that in order to avoid getting caught in a criminal case, a background check from a traditional agency should be obtained. A check done from agencies providing instant checks may not yield complete results.

Stanley Alpin recommends Background Check Guide for more information on ordering a criminal record background check.

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Thursday, January 10, 2008

Employee Criminal Background Check

Employee criminal background checks have become a compulsory part of the interview process. This is because the employee might be liable for an inattentive hiring charge if the employee turns out to have a criminal, drug abuse, or sexual harassment conviction in their background that was not revealed because the employer neglected to conduct a criminal background records search before employment. Any inappropriate or indecent acts carried out by the employee will give the other employees a right to blame the employer.

A few background checks that are conducted as a part of pre-employment screening are SSN verification, criminal background check, credit check, and also a driving history check in a few companies. The SSN can provide a number of personal details concerning an individual. The driving history provides details such as bad or reckless driving records or drug abuse problems. This data can be obtained from the local DMV. Also, the motorist history can provide the details of accidents, and behavior with the court summons when given a ticket for illegal parking etc. Drug abuse and such other problem might be able to provide an insight about the attitude of a person and usually helps the employer refuse the application on these grounds.

A credit history can prove to be helpful when the company provides the employees with a corporate credit card. Also, if an individual has a history of bankruptcy, then providing the corporate credit card to that individual might not prove to be a very safe decision.

A background check also includes a previous employer check and verification of the referrals and the data provided in the applicant?s resume. The information provided by the investigator can be verified by the data provided by the applicant. Falsified resumes might seem very attractive when first produced but might prove to be harmful when the real details turn up during an investigation.

Pre-employment screening usually includes the substance abuse investigations as this might make the employee reckless, drowsy, and not interested in the work, along with the astronomical medical bills that the company needs to bear on behalf of the employee. Sexual abuse is another aspect to be considered, especially when the employee would be dealing with women and children.

The employer must also consider the history of worker?s compensation. If the person is fond of suing the previous employees as per the records produced during investigations, it is possible that the employee might look for ways to sue the present company also. The employer might have to consider this before hiring the applicant.
 

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Friday, December 14, 2007

Background Check Essentials

There is no disputing the importance of conducting background checks in today's society. The benefits of comprehensive background checks are felt not only by business owners but by the individual customer. From CEO's to housewives more and more people are beginning to view background checks as a pro-active risk management strategy. The question many are asking is, "can I afford not to conduct a background check?" "Can I afford not to protect myself, my family, or my business when the cost of acquiring such information is becoming increasingly more cost effective?" What used to cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars to uncover can now be quickly and easily obtained at a fraction of the cost.

There are a few important components of a background check that need to be discussed. In order for any background check to be considered thorough both an SSN trace and a criminal record check must be conducted. There are many different types of criminal record searches. They can be narrowed easily into two main categories: database criminal record searches and onsite criminal record searches. The most thorough criminal record check available will always be an onsite search. Database searches, as we all know are fallible, but are a cost effective means of research. It is only at the onsite level that social security numbers can be used for criminal record verification purposes.

Sadly, the criminal record system is not as refined or accessible as the background check system. Thanks to credit card companies, telemarketers, and marketing research firms an individual's residence history, bankruptcies, relatives, and alias names can be determined with speed and efficiency. The criminal record system is entirely the opposite. The system is antiquated to say the least. Due to many different state and county reporting practices and regulations it is not uncommon for criminal records to "slip through the cracks." This lack of proper reporting can be dangerous both to businesses and individual citizens. This risk can be averted by conducting manual onsite criminal record searches along with SSN verifications for every subject.

Alias names are a crucial aspect of any background check. It is because of alias names, that SSN verifications are so important in conducting a thorough background check. Most of us have what are considered alias names. Allow me to explain, a John Wayne Smith can show up via public record as John Smith, John W Smith, JW Smith, J Wayne Smith, Johnny W Smith, etc. and the list goes on. Public record may list an individual's personal information in many different ways. Therefore, it is very important that a human researcher of some kind review and compile any comprehensive background check. There will never be a substitute for human reason.

In conclusion, one would be well advised to find a company that specializes in this type of service. There are many companies out there that offer only one service or the other. A criminal check is not complete without an SSN verification or background check, nor is a background check complete without a criminal record search and SSN verification. They indeed go hand in hand. Beware of any company that cannot or does not offer both, because the information returned may not be complete or accurate. In today's society you really can't afford not to conduct a comprehensive background check.

Some Additional Tips: 1. Do not use any part of your address or birth date as a PIN. Never write your PIN anywhere.

2. Ready to mail your bill payments? Don't leave them in the open. Thieves will grab them off your desk, use cleaning solvent to remove the payee's name, and replace it with another name that enables them to get the money. And once thieves have your checks or your checking account number, they can use computers to print checks with your name on them.

3. Never put any information about yourself on a post card or on the outside of an envelope other than a return address.

4. Stop giving people your mother's maiden name. It helps crooks access private information about you.

5. When a new credit card arrives, sign the back immediately using permanent ink. Never carry more than two credit cards. Don't give your credit card number over the phone unless you initiated the call, and never do so in a public place, including at work. Never give your credit card number when using a portable or cell phone. If a credit card you've ordered does not arrive promptly, call the card issuer.

6. When you buy an item, keep the warranty information, but don't mail the warranty reply card, especially if it is a post card. (Doing so offers you no protection you don't already have.)

7. Avoid entering contests that require you to provide your name, address, or other personal or financial information.

Learn more about protecting your identity visit: www.unlimited-backgroundcheck.com

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