- Pre-employment screening and employee background checks are more common these days than ever before. Employers need to know who they are hiring and they have duty to their shareholders, stakeholders and co-workers to keep everyone as safe as possible. Finding out the truth about someone using a background check is quick, inexpensive and allows an employer or H.R. Department to take the guess work out of hiring.
Some of what ICON's Background Check Service may find for you includes:
- • Criminal Records
- • Arrests
- • Prisoner Information
- • Convictions
- • Alias(es)
- • Bankruptcy Filings
- • Relatives
- • Past & Present Addresses
- • Real Age
- • Lawsuits
- • Phone Numbers
- • Judgments & Tax Liens
- • Corporate Ownership
- • Professional Licenses
- • Military Background
- • Sex Offenders
- • Property Ownership
- • Domain Name Ownership
- • U.C.C. Filings
- • Vehicle Ownership
- • Driving Records and More!
Important:
Obviously, criminal activity is a major concern to all of our clients. It is also important that you understand that criminal records within a background check must be done at a local level.
THERE IS NO NATIONAL CRIMINAL RECORD DATABASE available to any private organization or agency, ONLY Law Enforcement officials.
Each State has different ways of recording criminal record information. Some have state-wide criminal record databases but most do not. Each county court, has it's own unique way of recording criminal records and allowing the public access to them. ICON’s Background Check Services, we know exactly where and how to look for them in the fastest and most intelligent way to give you quick results without compromising completeness or accuracy.
ICON offers Criminal background checks at the county, state, and multi-state levels. We have designed several different background checks for each state and for differing levels and depths, tailored to meet your specific background check needs.
Below is a description of our pre-employment and employee background check services. Each search is described in detail to give you an idea of what types of information we are able to investigate and the sources that provide that information.
- • Name, Address & Social Security Number Verification
- Details the residential history of an applicant and verifies their name and social security number as being active, valid and as matching the provided information.
- • Drivers License Search and Driving History
- Verifies an applicant’s current and valid driver’s license and identifies any violations or accidents.
Not available in some states.
- • Criminal Convictions Statewide
- Statewide criminal convictions search. Includes arrest information reported to the State Police on an applicant. Not available in some states. As an alternative we recommend county level searches for criminal convictions.
- • County Level Criminal Record Search (Price may vary per county)
- County specific criminal court record searches for criminal cases pertaining to an applicant.
- • County Level Civil Record Search (Price may vary per county)
- County specific civil court record searches for criminal cases pertaining to an applicant. This search will also include divorce records and personal protection order records.
- • Bankruptcy Record Search
- Search for Federal bankruptcy records pertaining to an applicant.
- • Federal Court Record Search (Civil & Criminal)
- Search for federal civil and federal criminal cases pertaining to an applicant. Includes class action legal matters.
- • Federal Prison Search
- Determines if an applicant had ever been incarcerated in a federal prison.
- • State Incarceration Search
- Determines if an applicant had ever been incarcerated in a state prison. Records are usually based upon felony or multiple misdemeanor convictions.
- • Criminal Wants & Warrants Search (National)
- Identifies any outstanding wants or warrants in an applicants name. This search includes all participating law enforcement bodies.
- • Statewide Sex Offender Search
- Identifies an applicant as a convicted sex offender.
- • National Sex Offender Search
- Identifies an applicant as a sex offender in any state.
- • Patriot Act Search
- Search for individuals that certain departments of the Federal government have indicated are suspected of having ties to organized crime or terrorism. This search includes individuals who are wanted nationally or who have been under surveillance by a law enforcement body.
- • Interpol International Futigive Search
- Search to identify international wanted persons.
- • US Securities and Exchange Commission
- Identifies filings with the SEC and includes any incidents of fraud or sanctions.
- • Professional License Verification
- Verify an applicant’s professional license credentials, validity and expiration date.
- • Corporate Ownership (Privately Held Companies)
- Determine if an applicant has ever owned or operated his or her own business.
- • Credit Report (One Bureau)
- Determines an applicant’s credit history and identifies credit abuse.
- • Prior Employment Verification
- Verifies an applicant’s previous employers. Includes title, start date and end date. Based upon an applicant’s provided employment history.
- • Education Verification (Highest Degree Obtained)
- Verifies an applicant’s education, graduation date and area of study. Based upon the applicant’s provided educational background information and dates of graduation.
- • Reference Interviews
- Character interviews based upon an applicants provided references.
- • Internet Profile (Detailed Web Reference Search)
- Detailed web reference search. Helpful in determining an applicant’s character, background and suitability for hire.
Important Facts About Pre-Employment Screening
• Remember that no pre-employment screening process is perfect and EVERY firm that performs pre-employment background checks relies on imperfect and incomplete information.
• Read and understand the FCRA and FACTA. They apply to you and a failure to adhere to their standards can land you in hot water. Employees have rights and if you do not follow the letter of the law, an aggrieved job candidate may pick up on this and hire and take you to court.
• Get positive candidate identification. It is critical to verify the applicant’s name, including maiden names and aliases, social security number, a complete address and date of birth. Screening the wrong person can lead to a number of different types of problems, none of which is very appealing.
• Spend the extra money to check for criminal convictions in the courts, not just via online databases. The FACTA/FCRA allows reporting of felonies and misdemeanors back seven years. Databases are often out of date and incomplete, even when they belong to a governmental agency. Each state has different types of criminal record sources, but the courts and the single most reliable place to look.
• Tailor the background check to the classification of the employee. For many employees a minimal verification of information, criminal history search and verification of information presented on an application is enough, but employees who will be dealing with clients, cash, account records and the like obviously require more scrutiny. Consider including drug screening, I-9 verification (immigration), reference checks, education verification and previous employment verification.
