Home » PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING
 
SCREEN potential employees to prevent falsified or fraudulent data, negligent hiring, employee theft and violence in the workplace. ACCESS credit reports and national, state and county level criminal history. MAKE informed hiring or promoting decisions


Why Conduct Employee Screening?

Any company could find itself in ruin due to the result of hiring the ‘wrong’ individual.  A person with a history of violence, drug or alcohol abuse, driving felonies, sexual assault, theft or any number of other issues could ruin the reputation of a company with one incident.

When anyone asks why companies run background checks, the facts listed below should make it obvious.  Your company must limit, reduce or eliminate its liability, and the only way to do that is to run accurate background checks on prospective employees.

Current Statistics

  • The Society for Human Resource Management states 45% of all resumes contain one major fabrication.
  • The Wall Street Journal said that 34% of all application forms contain outright lies about experience, education and the ability to perform essential functions of the job.
  • College and University registrars report that at least 60% of the verifications they receive contain falsified information.
  • The Small Business Administration said that employees at all levels falsify their backgrounds.
  • The American Management Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said that 30% of all small business failure is caused by employee theft.
  • According to the Bureau of National Affairs, from $15-25 billion is lost each year due to employee theft.
  • Nearly 2 million workplace violence incidents occur annually, according to U. S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics
  • Workplace Violence Research Institute States that lawsuits filed against employers typically result in out of court settlements of $500,000 and jury verdicts of $3,000,000

Benefits to Screening Applicants

  • Discourages applicants with something to hide
  • Uncovers falsified or "puffed" credentials
  • Eliminates uncertainties in the hiring process
  • Demonstrates due diligence
  • Encourages good applicants to be honest and truthful
  • Saves money and time spent in recruiting, hiring and training
  • Can help protect against negligent hiring lawsuits
  • Reduces chance of injury to employees
  • Reduces employee theft
  • Reduces turnover
  • Reduces workplace violence
  • Reduces insurance premiums
  • Increases productivity and employee morale

As an HR manager or director, you have an important responsibility.  At Background Info USA, we want to help make your job easier.  We want you to have a full understanding of the process of running background checks.  We’ll help you to perform them, as well as how to interpret the results and how to apply them to your particular situation.

“Each day across the country, the news reports of lawsuits against companies

due to their ‘negligent hiring’ practices.”

Negligent hiring means the employer ‘knew, or should have known’ that a certain individual was unfit to hire for a particular position.  Every day, courts settle on behalf of plaintiffs, awarding thousands, tens to hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in these lawsuits.

What does that mean to you?  Simply that today running background checks is a must for large, medium and even small companies.

Fact:  Right now, some companies are running background checks that are leaving them misinformed, and they don’t know it. At Background Info USA, it’s our goal to insure you are running the proper background checks necessary for your exact scenario…and that you can easily interpret the reports. 

Close to half of all applicants include false information or misrepresent themselves.  There are frequent omissions.  This can lead to inaccurate or incomplete results.  We not only want to verify information about your applicants, but help you ‘uncover’ information they might not want you to know about.

Our Products

Basic Products
 
 
Instant Searches
Instant SSN Trace  Provides instant verification of a person's Social Security Number as well as up-to-date information on their address history and any alias names used.  Quick Turn-Around

Instant Credit Report
(for Employment)
  Instantly provides a person's credit history including lien and judgments and bankruptcy information.
Instant Credit Report
(for Tenant)
  Provides a credit report with FICO score for tenant screening purposes.

MVR Search
 

 
 Reports state driving records, including Commercial Driver's License status (CDL) for at least 3 years, oftentimes up to 7 years. This is highly recommended for any positions involving driving, company cars, trucking or heavy machinery operation.
 
Criminal Background Searches

County Criminal Records
  Criminal records are hand-searched directly at the County courthouse by our extensive court researcher network. Searches will go back a minimum of 7 years and will include felony and misdemeanor information.  
Statewide Criminal Records  Directly accesses the State's criminal records repository covering every County in the State. Searches will provide felony and misdemeanor information going back at least 7 years.
Federal Criminal Records  Directly accesses the Federal District Court repository to identify criminal convictions on federal charges. 
National Criminal Search  Directly accesses the State's criminal records repository covering 39 states in the USA. Searches will provide felony and misdemeanor information going back at least 7 years.
Registered Sex Offender  A simultaneous search of 49 state's sex offender registries. Currently, pictures of offenders are listed in 43 of the 49 states.
 
 
Verification Services
Education Verification  Education history is the most commonly falsified information on resumes and job applications. This report confirms degrees, diplomas, certificates, and dates attended from universities, colleges, trade/vocational schools, and/or high schools.
Employment   Verification  Our well-trained interviewers will contact employers to obtain information of the applicant's work record. 
Professional License   Validates professional licenses for educators, CPAs, attorneys, medical professionals and any other licensed employee. Results will include: license type, date and state of issuance, expiration date and restrictions.
 
Tenant Screening
County Criminal Records  Criminal records are hand-searched directly at the County courthouse by our extensive court researcher network. Searches will go back a minimum of 7 years and will include felony and misdemeanor information.  
Eviction Records  Accesses information on potential residents that have been legally evicted from previous properties. Records may include eviction, possession, and monetary judgments in states where the information is available.
Instant Credit Report
(for Tenant)
  Provides a credit report with FICO score for tenant screening purposes.
 
Miscellaneous Services
County Civil/Lawsuits Search  Identifies non-criminal lawsuits filed by or against an employee or company at the county in either upper or lower courts, as determined by monetary value set by the state or county. An important search to use when dealing with contractors, business partners and outsourcing companies.
Bankruptcy Records  Assists in identifying all filings of bankruptcy by an individual or business.
Lien and Judgment Records  Identifies all filings of lien and judgments for an individual or business.
Nationwide Wants & Warrants  Utilizes the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) to search for active, extraditable wants and warrants issued Nationwide as well as outstanding County warrants that have been elevated to the National level.
County Wants & Warrants  A search for wants and warrants issued at the County level. Oftentimes, wants and warrants may be issued at the County level for lesser violations (such as not going to traffic court, not paying fines, etc.) which will not show up on a Nationwide wants and warrants search.

Workers Comp Records
  This search is helpful in identifying fraudulent claims by an employee as to previous workplace injuries. Some states require a signed release form while some do not release this information at all. Call for info.
 
Vendor Search
Business partner/Owner Check  Confirm a business owner or officer's name, alias, phone, address, social security number, relationship to any corporation and partnership, bankruptcy, lien and judgment records as well as personal and real property ownership. 

Vendor Screening
  You can identify critical data about the companies and individuals you do business with.  

International Background Screening Services:

BACKGROUND INFO USA conducts international screenings for American employers who also hire individuals from abroad, or for employers who specialize in international recruiting. However, BACKGROUND INFO USA does not operate as an international investigative agency or provide one-time international searches. For one-time searches or due diligence investigations, BACKGROUND INFO USA recommends the services of private investigators or security firms who specialize in international due diligence searches.

1. Employment and education verification:

This service requires that an applicant provide sufficient information to allow BACKGROUND INFO USA to contact the employer or school. For employment, BACKGROUND INFO USA requires that an applicant supply the name of a contact person and contact phone number. If BACKGROUND INFO USA is required to conduct independent research to locate the contact information for the employer or school, there is an additional fee per employer or school searched. For eduction, BACKGROUND INFO USA requires the full name and location of the school.  Some schools will require a coy of hate degree or some other information, such as a "seat number."  Determination of hate "equivalency" of a degree or a school is an additional service and additional  detailed information will be required from the applicant. 

2. Criminal record search:

Please contact Background Info USA for fees applicable to a specific country.  Please note the following:

FEES: All fees are PER COURT in a country and not for the entire country. Unless otherwise noted, foreign searches are conducted in each court or police jurisdiction that permits such searches and conducted at the Court or police unit that corresponds most closely with the applicant address provided.   Searches are typically not  "national" criminal searches available to private employers. If the search exceeds three courts, BACKGROUND INFO USA will first notify the employer.  Because of the fact that fees and availability are subject to change at anytime without notice, please contact BACKGROUND INFO USA for the most current fee information for each country that is relevant to a particular search. 
IDENTIFIERS: In order to identify the person, BACKGROUND INFO USA requires full name and date of birth. If a country has a national ID number, that may also be necessary. For many countries, the mother's maiden name is also required. Other countries may have other requirements, and BACKGROUND INFO USA will advise when necessary.
SOURCES: BACKGROUND INFO USA makes efforts to work with the best available sources of records in any country. However, often times records may not be available from the police or government agencies, and sources may obtain records directly from courts, depending upon the location involved. Outside of the United States, there is less access to public records and the types of information needed for background screening and the accuracy of court record vary around hate world.  Each country has its own laws, customs and procedures for background screenings. In many counties, there are data privacy protection rules that limit what information police agencies or government agencies can provide. In those countries, the record check is typically provided through a courthouse search or contact with a court clerk.  If there is a question about the source of a record in a particular country, please contract BACKGROUND INFO USA. It is important to keep in mind that for the fees charged, these searches are intended for employment screening only as part of a hiring program. In sensitive situations, where the need for a criminal record search is important for a due diligence investigation, BACKGROUND INFO USA would recommend contacting an investigator in the relevant country.
SCOPE OF SEARCH AND JURISDICTIONS TO SEARCH: Each search is normally for a single court.  A criminal check may require multiple searches. BACKGROUND INFO USA requires sufficient information to determine the courts to search, which typically includes past addressees and employers. For example, if an applicant merely indicated London, England," BACKGROUND INFO USA will search the main criminal court in London. However, the main court covers very little of the actual jurisdiction of the London area and records can be missed. If BACKGROUND INFO USA receives multiple addresses that are covered by the same court, BACKGROUND INFO USA will charge just for the one search that covers the multiple addresses. If the addresses involve multiple courts, then BACKGROUND INFO USA will need to conduct searches for each relevant Court. Even though international criminal searches have limitations, the fact that an employer has notified an applicant a search is being conducted assists the employer in exercising due diligence. An applicant with something to hide may either be discouraged from applying if they believe an international check is being conducted, or it may encourage greater honesty in the hiring process.
Time: Turnaround time can be up to five full business days after the order is received. In some countries there are some courts that may take longer for a variety of reasons.
Translation:  Fees include translation of court documents.
Felony level only:  For most counties, the search is for felony level offenses. However, some courts do allow researchers to obtain misdemeanors.

Maiden or Alias names:  Sometimes an applicant may have a previous name or an "alias" name.  This can occur if a applicant has married, for example, and there has been a name change.  A search for a criminal record does not include the previous name unless specifically requested. Since court indexes are maintained by the name the name used for the criminal filling.  A search under a previous or different name is in fact a separate search.

Canadian Background Screening:

BACKGROUND INFO USA offers two types of Canadian searches:

First, BACKGROUND INFO USA is able to provide a nationwide search through a recognized Canadian Agency. A special release is required. The search is through the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), managed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).1972 and is located at RCMP Headquarters in Ottawa. CPIC maintains a computer-based information system that provides police officers across the nation with criminal record data that may be helpful in the arrest of suspects. Information stored in local and provincial criminal records systems may or may not be found in the CPIC database. Since there is no legislation in place that requires local police to submit criminal information to CPIC (with the exception of the Young Offenders Act), the criminal records of the central system do not reflect the totality of records that exist.


Second, BACKGROUND INFO USA can also offer searches of an individual Province at the court level at a reduced fee. Not all Provinces or jurisdictions are currently available. No special form is required. Please contact BACKGROUND INFO USA Customer service for details.

 
If a search is needed in a country not listed, please contact BACKGROUND
INFO USA. We are constantly developing new resources all over the world.

 

Country

Country

Country

Country

Albania

Egypt

Liechtenstein

Sierra Leone

American Samoa

El Salvador

Lithuania

Singapore

Anguilla

England

Luxembourg

Slovakia

Antigua

Eritrea

Macedonia

Slovenia

Argentina

Estonia

Madagascar

Solomon Islands

Armenia

Ethiopia

Malawi

Somalia

Aruba

Fiji

Malaysia

South Africa

Australia

Finland

Maldives

Spain

Austria

France

Mariana Islands

Sri Lanka

Azerbaijan

French Guiana

Marshall Islands

St.Kitts Nevis Anguilla

Bahamas

French Polynesia

Martinique

St.Vincent and Grenadines

Bahrain

Gabon

Mauritania

Sudan

Bangladesh

Gambia

Mauritius

Swaziland

Barbados

Georgia

Mexico

Sweden

Barbuda

Germany

Micronesia

Switzerland

Belarus

Ghana

Moldova

Tadjikistan

Belgium

Great Britain

Monaco

Taiwan

Belize

Greece

Mongolia

Tanzania

Benin

Greenland

Montserrat

Thailand

Bermuda

Grenada

Morocco

Trinidad/Tobago

Bhutan

Guadaloupe

Mozambique

Tunisia

Bolivia

Guam

Myanmar

Turkey

Botswana

Guatemala

Namibia

Turkmenistan

Brazil

Guinea