Blog, Resources
According to The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), which is maintained by the FBI, there are currently 78-million subjects in its criminal master fingerprint file.
When you take into consideration that slightly more than one in three American adults has a criminal record, that number seems low. Especially when you consider that over the past 20 years authorities have made more than a quarter of a billion arrests, according to the FBI.
America now houses roughly the same number of people with criminal records as it does four-year college graduates. In fact, the number of Americans with criminal records today is larger than the entire U.S. population in 1900.
All of this isn’t meant to disparage the use of fingerprints as part of any company or organization’s background check process, because it is absolutely true that the use of fingerprints for identity verification does have its advantages.
For one thing, fingerprint data is unique and cannot be falsified.
However, the associated information is oftentimes inaccurate or incomplete. That’s especially true as it relates to case dispositions, because many records submitted to the FBI don’t report the court’s final ruling.
A big part of the problem is that there is no universal reporting methodology and local regulations vary. Thus, the FBI database is reliant solely upon what state and local agencies choose to originally report.
That is why at SELECTiON.COM® we always recommend a thorough approach to your pre-employment discovery and background check procedure.
We bundle reporting based specifically upon the needs of our clients, combining granular criminal reporting from the actual counties of residency and the most complete national criminal database in the industry.
Next week, we’ll talk about our Search America™ product and the benefits that it brings to any criminal history reporting. If you can’t wait until then, I’ll be happy to talk to you right now. Call me at (800) 325-3609, extension 3024.
SOURCES:
“Fbi — Iafis”. Fbi.gov. 1999-07-28. Archived from the original on 2012-09-21. Retrieved 2012-09-14.
Fields, G., & Emshwiller, J.R. “As Arrest Records Rise, Americans Find Consequences Can Last a Lifetime.” The Wall Street Journal, 18 Aug. 2014. Web.
Friedman, Matthew. “As Many Americans Have Criminal Records As College Diplomas.” Web blog post. Just Facts. Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, 17 Nov. 2015. Web.
Blog, Resources
by Thomas Wright, Satisfaction Executive
SELECTiON.COM®
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has been in the news a lot recently with its first and only director, former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, stepping down the day after Thanksgiving and announcing his intent to run for Ohio Governor.
Created in large part because of the 2008 recession and accompanying housing bubble, the CFPB is still a fairly new government agency by any standard.
It’s not surprising, then, that many Americans, although having heard the name, still don’t know what the CFPB does.
So, let’s take a slightly deeper dive.
According to the CFPB website, the bureau’s primary task is “to provide a single point of accountability for enforcing federal consumer financial laws and protecting consumers in the financial marketplace” from potential wrongdoing by banks, credit lenders, brokerages, insurance companies, etc.
Designed to “protect consumers from unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices” by acting against companies that break the law, CFPB records show that it has helped more than 29-million consumers secure nearly $12-billion in relief as of July 20, 2017.
To date, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has handled more than 1.2-million complaints.
The six core functions of the CFPB include:
- Rooting out unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices by writing rules, supervising companies, and enforcing the law
- Enforcing laws that outlaw discrimination in consumer finance
- Taking consumer complaints
- Enhancing financial education
- Researching the consumer experience of using financial products
- Monitoring financial markets for new risks to consumers
As a background check company tasked with assembling consumer credit or other consumer information for the purpose of furnishing reports to third party clients, SELECTiON.COM® is required to operate under the guidelines of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
Under law, the consumer has the right to know that a background report is being compiled as part of their application, that no search will be conducted without their approval and to see what is in these reports upon their conclusion.
Maintaining the accuracy of collected data is also required and the CFPB, acting in its capacity has the regulatory arm of the FCRA, has ruled in multiple instances against consumer reporting agencies that failed to take basic steps to assure the information reported about job applicants was accurate.
At SELECTiON.COM® we are always monitoring our security and our accuracy to provide our customers with complete, timely, secure and accurate results. We are fully FCRA compliant and can help our customers maintain their compliance at the click of a button.
CFPB, CRA, FCRA…it may all seem like alphabet soup and it might not even be important to most consumers. That is, until they get passed over for the job or home of their dreams.
Then, it just may be a job for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
If you’d like to know more about the CFPB, or the results we provide for our clients and our applicants, please contact us today.
SOURCES: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/
Blog, Resources
by Brian Huseman, Satisfaction Executive
SELECTiON.COM®
How does your hiring process account for data security?
With the recent surge in security breaches at companies like Equifax, Yahoo, Verizon and Uber, just to name a few, it may be past time for your company to review how the personal information that you share is handled by your partners.
According to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), personally Identifiable Information (PII) is any detailed data that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, either alone or when combined with other personal or identifying information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual.
PII, simply put, must be securely handled to ensure that it does not fall into the wrong hands.
Examples of PII that must be secured include the following:
- Social Security Number (SSN)
- Date of Birth with Name
- Home Address
- Driver’s License Number
- Even a partial SSN, if it is shown along with Name and/or Address
Some immediate areas that should be reviewed are:
- Who needs to see it?
- What needs to be seen?
- Can the sensitive information be communicated securely?
Interoffice communications are some of the primary targets of hackers and consideration must be given to the information that is required to communicate effectively.
In addition, storage of PII should only be done within secure systems with limited access to non-essential personnel and should always provide a record of who is accessing the information.
At SELECTiON.COM® we take data security very seriously.
Secured Login, Computer Generated Passwords, Multiple Firewall Protection and Encrypted Email are just some of the measures utilized to secure your sensitive data.
SELECTiON.COM® personnel are put through ongoing training in handling client data and effective communications.
Access to information is limited to only the personnel that hold the highest security clearance and regular audits are conducted to identify areas that may require additional attention.
Our client’s privacy and data security are paramount to us and we are unyielding in our efforts to protect the information with which we are entrusted.
Contact us today to see how SELECTiON.COM® works to protect you and your client’s data.
NOTE: The contents of this article are not legal advice for your particular situation. You should neither act nor rely upon anything stated in this article without first consulting your own legal counsel.
Blog, Resources
Knowing the background of your applicant can be your greatest indicator of their ability to do their job. Unfortunately, criminals aren’t going to just give you their records or tell you where they committed their crimes. In fact, there are a few tricks that criminals employ to actively HIDE that information from you.
SOME OF THE TRICKS:
- Commit crimes after passing the background check.
- Give a False Name
- Move Around From State To State.
If you’re a client of SELECTiON.COM®, you’re in good hands. We’ve been in the background screening industry for over 25 years and offer all of the necessary tools to deal with the many different ways criminals try to hide records.
SELECTiON.COM® SOLUTIONS
Quarterly Watch®
SELECTiON.COM® owns the nation’s largest criminal database (Search America® Report) searching over 1 BILLION records. Once your applicant’s information is entered into our system, we will run our Quarterly Watch® product which includes Sex Offender Registry, Government Watch lists and Correction Records throughout the U.S. This way, you will be alerted as soon as possible with any additional records.
SSN Trace and Validation
First the SSN is ran through the SSA and then the SSN is traced which gives residence and identity history associated with the given SSN. If the name given by the applicant does not match the SSN Report, this can be a red flag to the client.
Criminal County Research
Fingerprinting and State Reports might be missing other criminal records. Depending on the offense, not all county records are reported to the state level. Furthermore, some records, such as public intoxication, disorderly conduct and misdemeanor drug offenses could be missed because the crime is a ticket offense that doesn’t require fingerprinting.
County research is the most accurate and up-to-date source of criminal history. Crimes are tried on a county level. SELECTiON.COM® researches the counties based of the SSN Trace Report, not where the applicant has told you they live.
Contact SELECTiON.COM® today to see how we can keep your workplace safe.
Blog, Resources
We all live and work in a fast-paced world. As time passes, the expectations to accomplish more and more in the same amount of time grows.
Time-management only goes so far, and when you’re in a position that is under a lot of scrutiny you often look externally for assistance.
So, what does that mean for HR professionals?
Well, the first step is usually to outsource any tasks that take you away from the core duties of your position and one of the first tasks to go is employment verifications. These get outsourced to companies that house your employment data and charge a fee for other companies to access it.
But, that’s just one small part of the massive job that is HR. If you’re still conducting background checks in-house, then the next step is to hire a background check company (like SELECTiON.COM®) to do that for you.
Background check companies have the resources to complete a thorough background check more efficiently and effectively, since they have their own researchers and verification specialists to gather the information you need. But, again, that’s only a small part.
What’s the next step if you still find yourself buried in work?
Applicant tracking is the answer.
It provides a significant time-saving difference to the on-boarding process, and it’s liberating! Applicant tracking systems typically allow you to manage applicants from the time they apply, through the interviews, through the background checks, and on in as a hired employee.
If you haven’t tried applicant tracking, why not?
You may think Applicant Tracking isn’t worth the amount of time it will save and in some cases, it may not be. In fact, it probably isn’t for everyone, especially if you’re a small business on a slower growth curve.
However, if you’re a client of SELECTiON.COM®, we can easily add an applicant tracking solution to your hiring process, which we conveniently call Applicant Entry. What’s the catch, you ask?
There’s none. In fact, there is NO COST to this service! We understand the pressures you’re under and through Applicant Entry it is our goal to make your job easier AND less costly.
What does Applicant Entry do for you?
Easy Entry– You no longer have to enter a person’s personal information into the system. The only required fields are name and email address, and you just choose the report package you’d like to run.
Applicant Responsibility– It’s then up to the applicant to fill out their Social Security Number, Date of Birth, and any past employment or education information, depending on which reports you’ve chosen to run. They’ll receive a secure one-time-use link in an email for them to enter the information into our system.
Control– Since such a large part of today’s search mechanism is based upon full name as entered, the applicant cannot modify the spelling from the version that you entered.
Compliance– Applicant Entry provides electronic FCRA compliance with Disclosure and Consent forms part of the process, taking the manual form out of the application process and given you a record of consent that will reside permanently within the candidate’s electronic file.
Additional Option– At this point you can also choose to have the background check start as soon as the applicant enters their info OR have it placed on hold. This is particularly useful if you’re dealing with a large applicant pool and only want to run checks on the final candidates.
Additional Payment Module– You can also choose to have your applicant pay for their background check upfront. This is popular among clients that hire contractors or use volunteers.
Notifications– You’ll be notified once the background check is complete so you can make that final hiring decision.
If you’re a current client and haven’t tried Applicant Entry, call, email or reach out via our LIVE Chat platform today to have it added. You won’t regret it.
In addition to our in-house Applicant Entry piece, SELECTiON.COM® is integrated with some of the top Applicant Tracking systems in the market. And, with our in-house IT staff, we are well equipped to integrate with whatever Applicant Tracking system you’d like to use.
If you’re not a client, why not call today and see how SELECTiON.COM® can make a difference in your on-boarding process? Contact us today on our web form or our toll free number, 1-800-325-3609.
