Friday, April 19, 2013

Protect Your Loved Ones and Use a Free Criminal History Check

By Dixie F. Wittstock


Searching for a free background check? You are not alone. Annually, huge numbers of people do a Google search trying to discover that one complete background check that is totally free. If you're among those searching for the elusive 100% free criminal record check, you can stop right now. It really doesn't exist. Hundreds of sites advertise free background searches; however they won't provide any kind of information besides a name, a couple of basic identifiers and knowledge that a fairly easy Search would provide. For "full" instant criminal checks, you will usually be asked to subscribe to the site or perhaps pay a one-time fee.

When people plan to pay for these immediate criminal inspections, they usually expect the results to be correct. In the end, the searches are simply taking data from a central public record information database right? Completely wrong! While the National Crime Information Center is accessible for law enforcement officers, there's never been a complete public records database available to the individual sector.

So where do online background screening businesses obtain the info for their "free" criminal background checks? They usually end up searching free databases provided by state and local authorities. The problem with these kinds of databases is that they're frequently incomplete, rarely maintained and also inaccurate. Even worse, court clerks in lots of areas of the nation don't post any kind of criminal history records on the internet.

When immediate checks do find criminal history records, the information are sometimes for a person who has similar identifiers to the individual being researched. For instance, try performing an instant criminal search for a person named "John Jones" in your area. Will you be confident that the records that appear really belongs to the one "John Jones" you are looking into?

Before reporting a criminal record, professional background screeners try to match a number of identifiers including name, birth date as well as Social Security number, to make certain the record is for the right person. If the actual court files lack some of these identifiers, the background screener may call district lawyers, probation officers and also jails to locate matching identification. This particular service can never be given by an immediate background check.

Many people and firms who rely on free instant background checks will be shocked to find out exactly how imprecise and incomplete they are. The Wall Street Journal recently did an assessment of several of the most popular "free" check services including InfoRegistry, US Search, Intelius, and NetDetective. The test subject was a middle-aged lady with no criminal history. Even though this should have been a fairly easy search, each and every instant background checks returned results full of mistakes. The Intelius check even turned up three false civil judgments for any Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

These kinds of checks were not simply inaccurate, they were also expensive. They ranged in price from $30 for a 1-year subscription to $50 for 1-month access. Plus, like most "free" online background checks, they tried to get users to enroll in a number of extra services that would bill their credit cards monthly.

While instant checks might have their place, only human-run searches will consistently produce complete and also accurate results. The process of browsing a county's computer records or perhaps visiting a courthouse may be time consuming, but it is likewise essential for employers who wish to avoid negligent hiring lawsuits.




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