As a background check expert, I am often asked about the best way to find out if someone has ever had any type of problems with their criminal record. There are many different approaches that can be used to do this and it is important to know what you are doing before performing an investigation.
A lot of people ask me if they should just go ahead and make a phone call to the prospective employer or client to see if they have a problem with their past. The answer is always “no”. This is because you don’t know who will be answering the phone. If you only have one name for the person on your list (and let’s face it, most people don’t), then you may not get the right person. For example, a guy named John Smith could be called Sally Smith, Jane Doe, James Jones and so on. You also have no way of knowing how much detail the person will give you about his past history.
There are various types of the cases that are being organized all over the world in a day. The try of the person must be to search for the truthfinder who are experts in finding the issue of the person. This is the method that will prove to be a helpful option in solving the cases that have been running from the past period without any sort of the results.
The other common question I am asked is whether you should hire an investigator to perform a background check. Again, the answer is no unless you want to pay for the services. An investigator doesn’t know anything about the person until he gets there and performs the investigation. In addition, even though an investigator is trained in all aspects of background checks, he can miss something if he is not familiar with the area where the person lived. The investigator might come across a problem which was never reported but was discovered by another source.
I prefer to send my clients to sites such as www.backgroundcheck.com, www.checkmypast.com and www.sbi.com. These sites provide full reports of the individual’s background and criminal records. Many times these websites will actually tell you when the person has been arrested or convicted. Sometimes the website will state that the person has been charged but not convicted. There are other sites which provide similar information but some of them charge for the service. The good news is that you can usually obtain the same information at no cost from the above mentioned websites.
Another thing to keep in mind is that sometimes the background report will say the person served time in prison. But it does not mean that they were sent to jail. They could have received probation, deferred adjudication or community supervision.
If you decide to use the services of a third-party investigative firm, it is a good idea to talk to them first and explain what you need to be done. For example, if you want to check on a person’s background to see if they have ever been arrested or convicted, you probably won’t need to look into juvenile records. However, you may want to check the juvenile court system to verify that the person is not currently on probation or parole. Also, you may want to determine whether they have ever been charged with a sex crime.
If you want to check on a prospective employee to see if they have any drug convictions or arrests, you might want to contact the department of motor vehicles and see if they have a current driver’s license. If they do not, you might want to have them fingerprinted to see if they have ever been arrested.
You should also consider hiring an attorney to conduct a search for your own protection. Even if the person has never been in trouble with the law, you still want to be sure that they have a clean record. A bad credit rating can cause serious damage to your business. People who have been through bankruptcy or foreclosure often have difficulty finding new jobs.
It is better to be safe than sorry. If you are worried about someone having a past that could affect your business, then you should take action now. Just remember, if you do not know the person, then it is always better to err on the side of caution.
