More About Background Checks

 

Trust is something hard to come by especially if one does not know the person. To make this happen, companies and people do background checks on the individual to avoid being swindled or victimized.

An example is when people apply for a job. The company has to do a background check to see if that individual is for real or a fraud. Human resource practioners do this by letting the applicant fill up a form.

This usually has the name of the applicant and other details such as where the person worked before. In the bottom, these people ask for 3 individuals to be used as character references that have either worked or known the individual.

Some companies do not have the budget to do this so it is left to an employment agency to do the necessary checking before forwarding the application of the person to the client company.

When calling references, questions such as how long the individual has known the person and at what capacity. If the one being called is a co-worker or the employer, questions such as what the strengths and weaknesses of the person, why did the person leave and would the company re-hire the individual if there is an opportunity.

Another way of doing a background check is going online. The person can check if the applicant has a criminal record and other important details such as the social security number that may cost a little but it will all be worth it if the person is clean.

Background checks are also done when a person applies for a loan in a bank.

If this person has not done business with the bank or has only recently opened an account, this is needed to avoid being victimized by impostors or other criminal elements.

The bank will do this by asking for some information such as where the person lives, documents that may be used as collateral for the loan such as the house or the car. A check online will also determine if the person has a criminal record or not before the loan can be processed and given to the individual.

Credit card companies do the same. Aside from filling up the form, other documents need to be presented such as one’s pay slip to know how much the person is earning. Once this has been done, the creditor can determine how much credit can be given to this customer.

Some companies who are in the same industry for example retail have an association among it’s members.

Should an applicant who worked in one company decide to work in another but has a bad record, that individual will be blacklisted and will surely not get the job.

Whether an individual applies for work or needs something done, background checks are needed for the safety of the firm and the people who work for it. By implementing these procedures; a person who deserves the job fills that vacancy, a loan can be granted to the right people and the person can shop until the card has reached its limit.

Security is something needed in modern society. It separates the good from the bad and those who deserve something or not. Without it, people will fall victim to criminal elements and businesses will not flourish.

Background Checks and Public Records

 

Whenever you need to look up public records you usually have to take a trip down to a public office in order to get what you need. This involves driving to the town hall, dealing with an intermediate person, and maybe having to wait a while to get the information you need. With the internet becoming more and more rapidly the source of our information every day you should definitely get in on the research opportunities that the internet offers. Well, I bet you have heard the cliché that nowadays you can find almost anything you want on the internet and I bet you did not believe that it was true at all. Well, guess what, it definitely is true. You can find any kinds of public records online that you would normally have to take a trip to the town hall to find. You can look these up quickly and easily on the internet rather than going through a lot of hassle to get them in a physical hard copy.

If you do not really know how to do research on the internet then that might be the problem you are experiencing when trying to find out really specific kinds of information that you might need. Commonly, you cannot find this kind of information by just using a search engine. However, there are specific sites set up with this information all compiled and organize into one place that is easy to use and has no hassle for you because it links you directly to the information you are looking for. So if you just look around on the internet for these kinds of sites then you will have no trouble at all finding the information that you need whenever you need it.

Popular searches tend to deal with sex offender records and criminal background checks. This shows that people can use this site to protect themselves by remaining knowledgeable about the people that they need to have trust in. Employers can also use this when they are looking to hire someone new and need to do a quick check to verify information and to make sure that the person is actually trustworthy enough to perform the job. Another great thing is that you can just get this information whenever you need it.

A lot of people ask the same question a lot. The most frequently asked question is if something like this is legal and usable by everyone. The answer is certainly yes. No one would allow you to get hard copies of these records in your town if it were not legal and completely normal for you to have access to them. Also, these are compiled to help you find information hat you need to know to make sure you are safe. These records are all public records that you could get in other ways but this is just a much more convenient method of getting the same information that you are looking for because you have a need of it.

How to Stop Becoming One of the Identity Theft Statistics

 

Identity theft statistics show that hundreds of thousands of people become victims of identity theft every year. The identity theft statistics show lots of numbers, but they do not really show the horrors of this crime. The victims can suffer for many years because of this crime. They lose thousands of dollars every year, and their lives become totally disrupted because of this crime. The identity theft statistics show that people in some states are more likely to suffer from the results of this crime than those in other states. The numbers show that people in California are more vulnerable than others to the effects of this crime.

Identity theft not only takes away money, but it also steals one’s name and reputation. The money is probably the least part of the problem from this crime. Most banks and credit card companies have protections for their customers, and often these protections replace much of the stolen money. The problems arise when others take jobs in the name of the person affected by identity theft. These criminals sign up for social security when they take these jobs. They also sign up for credit cards that often go delinquent.

Identity Theft Statistics Are Often Based on Crime Reports

The money is often replaced, but the victim has a bad credit rating as a result. People affected spend many hours trying to get back their names, their good credit and their reputation. The identity theft statistics are usually found from crime reports, but some of these crimes remain unreported so the identity theft statistics do not show accurate numbers. These statistics show the total dollar amounts are staggering. Some of the statistics show hundreds of millions dollars. The funds are lost by the individuals and the financial institutions that protect their customers.

The identity theft statistics show that this is the fastest growing crime in the United States. The statistics show that one in fifty people is affected by this crime. This type of crime affects people in the thirty to thirty-nine year age bracket more than others according to the identity theft statistics. The second largest group affected is in the eighteen to twenty-nine year old age bracket. Identity theft statistics are used by insurance companies, banks and law enforcement agencies to study the consequences and methods of these crimes. There is evidence that the identity thieves will increase so there is great interest in this information.

Identity Theft – It Wont Happen To Me

 

“I got bad credit, I’m not worried”

“It happened to a friend of a friend”

“I’ve got other priorities now”

“All it takes is guarding your Social Security number”

“I can trust the people around me”

These quotes are all too common regarding identity theft. The problem is the Federal Trade Commission, various law enforcement agencies and identity theft experts have stated there are no 100% guarantees and the numbers for identity theft keep getting worse.

“I got bad credit so I’m not worried”

Just recently KFLY TV in Lafayette Louisiana reported that 2 men were arrested for stealing the identity of 2500 people. Identity thieves don’t run credit checks before they steal your identity. All they need to do damage is a little bit of your personal information.

“It happened to a friend of a friend”

This one should really alert people. The reason ? Everybody now knows somebody who’s been victimized. That alone tells you what an epidemic identity theft has become. Last year 10 million people had their identities stolen. Many experts think that number will double this year. They also fear the 10 million figure is too low. Why? Many victims don’t report the crime.

“I’ve got other priorities now”

Once your identity is stolen there is only one priority: Getting it back. On average it can take 175 hours and out of pocket expenses totaling 15,000 dollars according to the FTC.

“All it takes is guarding your Social Security number”

In February of this year Bank of America announced that 1.2 million federal employee credit card accounts may have been exposed to identity theft. In June Visa and MasterCard announced that 40 million cardholders maybe at risk when the database of their third party processor was broken into. Many of these people no doubt guarded their Social Security number faithfully but thru no fault of their own they’re at risk.

“I can trust the people around me”

This one hits home and may hurts the worst. 50% of all identity thieves are known by the victim. Family members, friends and neighbors do more damage than total strangers.

There are other reasons people give. Yes it may never happen to you but identity theft is now a full blown epidemic that affects everyone.

Why So Many People Are Identity Theft Victims

 

So many people out there today have been identity theft victims, and there are many explanations for this. Basically, there are so many identity theft victims largely in part due to the fact of how technologically advanced the world has become.

After all, there is practically no one out there today that does not have or use a computer, and so that right there goes to show why there are so many identity theft victims.

Since the Internet first came out, it has been much easier for people to steal other people’s identities, and it is in fact so common now that odds are that you know someone or maybe even more than one person, of which have already been identity theft victims. If you learn all that you can then you can protect yourself against it and not be included in the identity theft victims’ category.

How to Protect Yourself
There are really many different things that you can do in order to protect yourself from identity theft, for instance you can make sure that you do not have any credit cards unless you absolutely need them, and if you are someone who does need them, then at least make sure that you only have one or two, rather than a whole bunch.

This way you will be less likely to lose one, and as well you will have less credit card numbers that are able to get out in the open and get taken and used by an identity theft perpetrator. Another good idea is to make sure that you rip up all of your bank receipts and statements once you leave the bank, unless you have a safe place in your home that you keep them.

You never want to leave your bank receipt on the top of the ATM machine, for instance, because someone can actually take that and use the information on it and steal your identity. It is actually really unbelievable as to how easy it is for someone to steal your identity, and so you definitely want to make sure that you take all of the precautions that you possibly can.

There are so many people out there that are more than willing to help you out throughout this process, and so you want to make sure that you take full advantage of this, so that you can get as much information and protect yourself as best you can.

Ten Ways to Fight Identity Theft

 

Recent reports estimate that as many as one in ten of the population have been a victim of indentity theft, one of the fastest growing crimes of the last few years. By using a variety of means to usurp your identity and pass themselves off as you, the criminals involved go on to commit fraud and theft in your name – leaving you to pick up the pieces afterwards.

The effects on your credit rating can be devastating and often take years to completely fix, so prevention is obviously better than cure. Here are ten simple ways to help you avoid becoming a victim.

1: Be careful with your old documents such as paid bills, bank statements, and receipts. Either keep them safely stored or destroy them if you don’t need them anymore. Don’t just throw them away, as fraudsters often start stealing an identity by searching for these very kinds of documents in household waste. Shredding or burning unneeded papers will prevent this first step.

2: Store your personal documents securely by keeping them somewhere out of the sight of visitors to your home.

3: If you change your address, make sure that you inform your bank, utility companies, and everyone else who sends you mail. Documents wrongly sent to a previous address are a favourite target of fraudsters.

4: Make sure that when you stop using a credit card or bank account, you actually formally close the account rather than letting it go dormant. Having an unused, forgotten about account resurrected by a fraudster might not even be noticed until serious damage has been done.

5: Watch your plastic – make sure you know where your credit, debit and ATM cards are, and tell the issuing banks immediately if you lose them or they’re stolen.

6: If possible change your PIN numbers and passwords to something easily memorable, and NEVER write them down, especially not on scraps of paper kept in your purse or wallet.

7: Don’t respond to phishing. Banks will never ask you for personal details via email, and won’t ask you for the password to your account. You don’t need to ‘reconfirm’ your details following an email request either – just delete the email. If in any doubt at all, call your bank to make sure the request is genuine.

8: Use anti-virus software and firewall on your computer, especially if you use online banking of any kind. Keep the software up to date as well to guard against attempts by hackers to discover personal information on your computer.

9: Check your bank account and credit card statements carefully when you receive them, and query with your bank anything that you can’t identify. Spotting a fraud in progress early on will vastly help in minimizing the damage it causes.

10: Finally, monitor your credit reports regularly to see if anything appears that seems odd, such as applications for credit cards that you didn’t make, or missed payments on finance that you haven’t taken out. Services are widely available online which can help you do this by automatically informing you when something on your file changes.

None of us can be 100% sure that we won’t fall victim to the crime of ID Theft, but by taking the measures listed above you’ll be making the job of any potential fraudster very difficult indeed, and they’re likely to move on to an easier target!

Don’t Be a Victim of Identity Theft

 

Just about everybody has heard of identity theft, but most people do not believe it could ever happen to them. The fact is, identity theft is more common than most believe. It’s not hard for identity thieves to obtain all of the information they need in order to assume another person’s identity, but it can be made a whole lot harder for them if people remain smart and protect themselves as completely as possible.

When it Happens…

If a person becomes a victim of identity theft, it can take a long time – possibly years – to recover from it. It can also cost the victim thousands of dollars as well as ruin their credit score. Usually, it’s nearly impossible to recover from identity theft in a quick manner because many things have to be resolved before forgiveness will be given by the three major credit reporting companies in the United States.

If identity theft does happen, the person who is the victim will probably experience problems obtaining any sort of financing (mortgage, car loan, student loan, credit cards, etc…). And, the worst thing that can happen is that the victim of identity theft can even get arrested for crimes he or she did not commit.

All of the results of being a victim of identity theft are not fair, and are very difficult to resolve. Being a victim can be a real headache and can basically interrupt or stall an innocent person’s life for several years. So, the best possible thing is to do is to try and do anything and everything to prevent becoming a victim in the first place.

Protect Personal Information

The easiest way for identity thieves can assume another person’s identity is to obtain personal information from a potential victim and use that information to fill out loan or credit card applications.

While most victims do not offer thieves their personal information, they are not aware that their information is contained on many documents that they have not disposed of properly. For example, thieves have been known to go through people’s trash cans looking for personal information. When papers are thrown away without being shredded, thieves can retrieve the information and use it.

Thieves are also known to go through people’s mailboxes to obtain in-coming letters from banks and/or credit card applications and use the data from these various pieces of mail to apply for loans or credit with the stolen information.

In-coming mail is not the only source of mail-related information that thieves can acquire. Out-going mail that is placed in a person’s mailbox for the mailman to pick up and take to the post office is a great source of information for thieves. When a flag is placed in the upright position on a mailbox to indicate that letters are inside waiting to be mailed, it’s like a signal to thieves that they should come on over and steal it. Therefore, letters should always be mailed in a post office mailbox instead of a personal/home mailbox.

Other Ways to Prevent Identity Theft

It’s not difficult to perform some easy steps to prevent being a victim of identity theft. In addition to properly disposing of paper containing personal information and mailing letters at the post office, following are some additional tips:

• Always destroy receipts, credit card applications, tax information, canceled checks, and mortgage information before throwing it away. This means completely shredding it or even burning it before it reaches the trash can.
• Even if a credit card is expired, cut it into tiny little pieces before throwing it away. Some people throw half of the tiny pieces into one trash bag and half into another trash bag.
• Report stolen credit cards immediately to credit card companies. Don’t wait an entire day… do it the minute they’re discovered to be missing.
• Monitor credit reports on a regular basis, and watch for anything suspicious. If anything out of the ordinary appears, investigate it right away.