The Importance of a Complete Background Check


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The Importance of a Complete Background Check

Barry Nadell
President
InfoLink

In a recent background check for a manufacturing client, InfoLink Screening Services, a national background screening firm, found that based on the identifying information provided by the applicant, InfoLink might have reported ?No Record Found.? But discrepancies were identified during the Quality Assurance phase of its investigation. What InfoLink learned was that the applicant transposed the last two numbers of her Social Security number (SSN) and provided the employer a false date of birth (DOB) when she applied for employment.

The key to InfoLink?s research was a Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) the client ordered. The MVR revealed the applicant?s date of birth was 05/05/1973, not 08/05/1973 which she reported to the employer. When InfoLink conducted a second investigation at the court with the correct date of birth, it found a vehicle violation in the court?s records which exactly matched the violation on the MVR and eight (8) other criminal convictions including a felony for forgery. In addition, the court records included the applicant?s social security number which revealed she had also transposed the last two digits of her SSN from 10 to 01. Using other research tools, InfoLink confirmed the SSN it received from the MVR (ending in 10) belonged to applicant, while the SSN ending in 01 belonged to someone else who had a clean criminal record.

What human resource and security professionals can learn from the above case is that criminals are learning that the primary identifier in court records is date of birth, and that they can conceal their past by providing a false DOB.

In his new book Sleuthing 101, Background Checks and the Law Barry J. Nadell, President of InfoLink, advises employers to always conduct a motor vehicle report as part of their background screening program, even if the job position does not include driving. Employers can learn a great deal about a person?s character by identifying DUI?s, drug possessions, current arrest warrants, and failures to appear. In addition, the MVR search is the only verifiable source to help identify the subject?s actual date of birth.

InfoLink?s 2004 Applicant Hit Ratio Analysis ? ?hit ratio? is an industry measure of the percentage of convictions, MVR violations, verification discrepancies, etc. to the total background checks ? reveals that 8.4% of individuals who received prior notice that a background check may be conducted and authorized the investigation in writing, had criminal convictions. These included felonies for Assault with a Firearm, Sexual Abuse, Forgery, Robbery, Possession of Stolen Goods, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Welfare Fraud, Larceny, Hit and Run, Passing Bad Checks, Dealing Cocaine, Grand Theft by Employee, Felon Possessing Firearm, Check Fraud, Aggravated Battery, Sexual Assault, Burglary, Attempted Murder and more.

InfoLink?s 2004 Hit Ratio Analysis, summarized in the chart below, is calculated based upon the aggregate number of hits* as a percentage of the services InfoLink conducted in 2004. The chart includes an average of all clients and details on specific industries, as hit ratios vary from industry to industry. If you?re not conducting checks that have a high hit ratio in your industry, you may want to consider revising your screening program.

	Criminal Record	DMV Information	Drug Testing	Credit History	Past Employment	Social Security	Workers' Comp
All Industries	8.4%	40.2%	3.3%	36.0%	25.8%	4.2%	8.3%
Auto	12.1%	47.4%	5.1%	52.1%	23.4%	4.5%	6.5%
Business Services	10.2%	41.8%	5.8%	18.9%	28.8%	3.8%	12.2%
Construction	8.1%	59.9%	2.8%	41.4%	31.5%	3.9%	8.8%
Finance	6.0%	40.6%	2.3%	39.0%	23.7%	4.6%	1.1%
Food Services	12.4%	47.1%	5.6%	44.5%	30.3%	4.0%	10.7%
Healthcare	5.7%	35.8%	1.8%	39.1%	26.6%	4.4%	9.1%
Hospitality	8.6%	39.1%	4.3%	42.0%	24.8%	5.2%	8.3%
Manufacturing	9.8%	39.2%	2.1%	38.0%	29.1%	3.8%	6.7%
Retail	11.7%	45.7%	2.6%	39.2%	22.4%	3.7%	11.3%
Staffing	8.5%	41.1%	1.9%	47.4%	26.1%	3.5%	4.2%
Transportation	10.7%	45.4%	2.6%	50.3%	26.7%	3.0%	14.4%

Summary of Analysis

Automotive Industry - Highest Credit hit ratio and higher than average Criminal Record, DMV and Drug Testing Hit Ratio
Business Services - Higher than average Criminal Record, Drug Testing, Education Verification and Worker's Compensation hit ratios
Construction - Highest DMV and Past Employment Verification hit ratio
Food Services - Highest Criminal Record hit ratio and higher than average DMV, Drug Testing, Credit History and Past Employment Verification hit ratios
Hospitality - Higher than average Credit History, Drug Testing and Social Security Trace hit ratios
Retail - Highest Education Verification hit ratio and higher than average Criminal Record, DMV and Worker's Comp. hit ratios
Transportation - Highest Worker's Comp hit ratio and above average Criminal Record, DMV and Credit History hit ratios

* Hits may include criminal search convictions, motor vehicle violations, discrepancies in employment and education verifications, positive drug test results, derogatory credit information, prior workers compensation claims, etc.

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