Getting access to public records in the performance of background checks is not only essential to businesses and corporations, but it proves to be useful even in simple situations, such as checking on someone you are dating, doing business with, or a nanny taking care of your child. Nowadays, you can’t be too sure of the people who enter your life as well as your family’s life.

Background checks confirm the identity of individuals. It begins with confirming information including the person’s full name, date of birth, driver’s license number, last known address, and social security number. From such available information, you may check on public records for any criminal history or whether the person has aliases.

For companies, background investigation is very important as this gives security to the company’s workforce as well as potentially reducing a fast employee turn over. This also allows the company to refrain from hiring employees who have negative working habits and those who have a history of drug or alcohol abuse or violence. Studies have estimated that 30% of all resumes being submitted to companies are said to contain false information, with the most common misrepresentation found in the education section of the resume. Employee fraud and theft can weaken or devastate a business. Performing background checks may be costly; however, it may come out to be more cost-effective and more practical in the long run, as business entities no longer have to deal with any work interruptions, accountability issues, and profit losses. It is reported that an average company loses 6% of its annual revenue and over $9 daily per employee due to fraud and abuse. Most companies would expend $7,000 for the replacement of a salaried employee, $10,000 for the replacement of a mid-level employee, and $ 40,000 for the replacement of a senior manager. Thus, there is a real need to do background checks in order to ascertain that only deserving, honest, and competent employees are hired.

Security is the most important reason for doing background checks. In doing business with other people or companies, you have to be sure that they are not operating in scams; otherwise, they may rob you of your entire fortune that you have worked hard for. For those who own apartments, it is essential to do a check on the background of your would-be tenants, as you don’t want a possible sex offender or a criminal to enter your property.

Online dating has now been a sensation in this computer age. Doing background checks on the person you’re going to date is very much recommended as you might fall in love with the wrong person, or worse, fall in love with a sly or immoral person. Sadly, a good number of those who are unwary will find out that they were actually dating married men, and others will also become unwitting victims of scams.

In hiring a nanny, the importance of doing background checks cannot be overstated enough. As with the nature of their jobs, nannies will be spending prolonged amounts of time alone with children when the parents are away. Thus, there is a need to scrutinize the character and history of the nanny to be hired.

Background checks provide information that is publicly available. However, retrieving that information can be a hassle for the average person. There are a number of on and offline sources that provide background checks for a fee, such as Employee Screen or aspects of People Search. Some companies, like Affinion, Intelius, founded by Naveen Jain in 2003, provide an array of information and safety services, including background checks, on individuals, as well as ID theft protection and related services.

View more resources about Naveen Jain. View news for Naveen Jain here.

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Microsoft has some handy tips for small businesses doing online background checks.

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For additional information about data privacy and protection, check out the Federal Trade Commision’s main website.