I worked for a company that does background investigation. The company First Advantage has been sued a number of times for providing wrong or false information on individuals seeking employment.

The biggest worry today should not be the mistakes being made but who is viewing the employees info.

First Advantage outsourced a number of the employment verification jobs to the Philippines. Now US employees data (names, dates of birth, and social security numbers) are being seen by people a 1/2 a world away with no real protection against ID theft.

I work for a background check company, we provide background checks to employers and the general public as well as government. It is impossible to correct data on your background check report as many companies complie the information from many sources that compile even more information. It is hard to locate the actual source of the background check. Actually the credit bureaus are the first place to start but you are up for a very long battle if you are attempting to change something marked as incorrect on your criminal record or court record.

Terry Sweet
Integrascan

When it comes to background checks, there is not a "one-click, one-size-fits-all" solution. You have to do some digging and it all boils down to economics.

The essence of a background check is merely to do a preliminary verification discovery into someone's past rather than taking their word for it. When red flags are returned, then one should take a more in-depth look into the originating source (i.e., county court records) rather than jumping to conclusions. Database records input errors and theft of identities do occur.

That is why there is such a thing called "Fair Credit Reporting Act" to give applicant's an opportunity to dispute their case if an employer is making a hiring declination based upon those findings.

This fact by itself, lends credibility or lack of as to what the applicant stated in their application.

Were they totally upfront and honest?
From there you should formulate a decision as to proceed or not.

Julian Powell
Background Checks Systems