ABOUT

A couple in Eugene, Oregon decided to have a night out on the town one weekend. They replied to a babysitter advertisement in the local classifieds to make accommodations for their three-year old son. The couple had just moved to town from several states away and had no family or friends closeby who could watch the child for them. Feeling uneasy about leaving their child with a total stranger, they obtained the babysitter's full name and ran an online background check. As it turns out, this babysitter had several warrants for her arrest out in Florida and had been hiding out in Oregon. Among the charges for which she was wanted: child abuse.

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Had the couple trusted this person with their child, there is no telling what could have happened. Background checks are available to the general public for scenarios such as this one. There exists a misconception that the only people allowed to order background checks are law enforcement, licensed private investigators, and employers screening job applicants. The truth is that background checks have never been restricted to any segment of the population. Citizens have the right to know if someone in their life is attempting to conceal a criminal history. Protections are in place to safeguard privacy of innocent people and processes exist to challenge the information on record in case of an error.

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A background check is often conducted by a government agency. This is the type most frequently used by law enforcement. It contains the most up-to-date information possible, stored on a multi-million dollar server network at the FBI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia. The catch is that the FBI will only give the results of a background check to someone who is investigating their own record. It is not possible to obtain an FBI background check on another person without a consent form. Beware of websites that promise an "NCIC background check" or "FBI background check". It is highly unlikely that these websites are going to send out a consent form to the subject of every background check and wait for it's return. They are most likely using those names for publicity.

 

Everything from cheap background checks to high-end extra comprehensive reports are available for citizens to use. Some information is available for free from the public records, for starters. Many background check services exist which charge as little as $5. Most basic services cost around $30. For in-depth nationwide background checks, you may be looking at over $100. Try to focus on the value: what is this information worth to you? What is the risk? If you are entrusting someone with your children's safety, like the previously mentioned couple, the best option you can afford is probably well worth it. On the other hand, a pre-employment screening for a large group of job applicants could probably benefit by saving money with a cheaper background check while not putting as much at risk.

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Finding and utilizing a background check service is not rocket science, nor is it off limits to civilians. The uses of background checks go far beyond law enforcement and pre-employment screening. Some people even run a background check on themselves from time to time in order to check for errors. A surprising amount of people have missed job opportunities because an erroneous conviction was showing up on their record (usually from someone with a similar name).