How to Run a Background Check

Background checks are used by employers and private citizens alike. Businesses run background checks on potential employees to weed out those unsavory type people and those who might lie on their application. For example, a potential employee may neglect to mention a felony conviction on their record or the fact that they’re registered as a sex offender. The search uncovers all of those things that the individual thought was hidden.

Private citizens run background checks in this way, too. A couple hiring a new nanny, for example, might run a search to decide which nanny is best for their family. Some people even run background checks on their own name. This helps them see if they’ve been the victim of identity theft, what other people can find about their situation, and what should be removed from their report. There are even women who run a background check on their new boyfriend, to find out about his life before they met.

Run a background check by using some of the following resources:

• Choice Trust: provides users the opportunity to do a background check on themselves.
• Knox X: service that offers background checks, people searches, and property value searches.
• Intelius: paid service that searches public and criminal records to do a background check on a name.
• US Search: provides searches on an individual’s past criminal activity and personal records.
• Background Check- A paid service that allows you to find information such as address, phone, marriage records, criminal records, etc.
• Find Out the Truth: paid service that searches criminal and sexual records as well as other public records.
• Sentry Link: paid service that offers a background check by looking at records across the country.
• Identity Pi: offers employer searches and searches of driving records, sex offenders and other specialized areas.
• Sherlock Records: searches public records to find people and run background checks.
• Background Check Gateway: runs background checks by searching public and criminal records.
• Lexis Nexis: provides paid searches for individuals or businesses.

The easiest and best way to run a background check on an individual is by using a reputable company. It’s helpful to have the social security number, exact birth date, and the address of the individual to weed out those with a similar name. It’s no use running an entire search when the search is looking at James R. Smith and you need James D. Smith.

The company running the background check searches through millions of public records from all across the country to find out as much as possible. Someone with a clean record in Minnesota may have a conviction in Florida and the search finds this. It searches for convictions, arrests, criminal activity, court records, and other records to form a complete background of the individual.