Archive

Archive for February, 2009

NCIC Criminal Background Checks

February 25th, 2009

NCIC criminal background checks are the only true national background checks that can be done. NCIC stands for the National Crime Information Center and is the name of the  database that federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies use along with other criminal justice agencies.

NCIC criminal background checks assist law enforcement and justice agencies in such tasks as apprehending fugitives, locating missing persons, locating and returning stolen property, as well as in the protection of the law enforcement officers encountering the individuals described in the system.

The data inside the system is kept up to date by the FBI, federal,  state,  local and foreign criminal justice agencies, and authorized courts.

Background Checks , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Free Public Record Searches

February 22nd, 2009

One of the most asked questions we get from people wanting to do their own background checks is “Where/how do you find websites that offer public records?”. Free public record searches are possible by almost anyone these days. All it takes is a decent Internet connection and the ability to use search engines like Google or Yahoo correctly.

Most people are familiar with the basic techniques when using search engines:

  1. goto said search engine
  2. type in your search phrase
  3. hope that what you’re looking for pops up in the results

Usually the basic method of searching will provide reasonable results when searching for most things but when doing free public record searches it can often be difficult to locate websites that can be helpful. Most are government type websites that aren’t built properly for search engine rankings so they’re buried deep in the results if you can find them at all.

Using the “advanced search” features of the search engines can often help filter out all of the crap and display more helpful results. For instance, did you know that when using Google you can filter the search results to only include websites that end with “.com”(or any other extension for that matter)?

I’ve found that when doing free public record searches this can be the difference between finding the information you’re looking for and just giving up all together. Let’s look at an example using Google.

Suppose you wanted to look for “marriage records” in Tennessee. Most people would goto Google and type in marriage records Tennessee. If you’re lucky you may find what you’re looking for with that but most likely you’ll get a bunch of commercial sites offering the records for a fee.

To help narrow down your search and weed out most of the commercial websites you could append site: -.com to the same search phrase and probably get more accurate results. So instead of searching for:

marriage records Tennessee

search for

marriage license Tennessee site: -.com
or
“marriage license Tennessee” site: -.com

Keep in mind that each and every search will be different. You’ll just have to look at the results returned and decide for yourself what to do. Also, each search engine is going to be different when it comes to their advanced search features. You’ll need to use the appropriate commands for each search engine.

Using these techniques will help you get better results on your free public record searches. To make it even easier I’ve created a program called Public Record Website Locator that does all of this for me so I don’t have to type everything in each time. You can download and use it for free if you want to try it

Public Records , , , ,

What Shows Up In A Background Check?

February 20th, 2009

You’ve just landed an interview for the job of your dreams. Everything seems to be going well and they ask you to fill out some paperwork as the interview progresses. You notice, tucked among the papers, one titled “Background Check Release Form”. Suddenly your past begins to flash through your mind. Maybe you had gotten into a bit of trouble as a teenager or did some crazy things in your younger days that you’re not proud of. You worry that your dream job may be in jeopardy as you wonder what shows up on a background check?

The answer to that question is “it depends on the job you’re applying for”. If you want to work for the local McDonalds then you probably have nothing much to worry about. If you’ve applied to work at NASA, somewhere that requires a high level of security, or any other high level, high paying job you can expect that they’re going to delve deeply into your background.

First, let’s debunk a couple of myths about what shows up in a background check:

  1. If you’ve ever been in any kind of trouble with the police that required them to take your name then it will show up on a background report. Convicted or not, if you’ve ever been “charged” with anything it’s going to show up on a background check. Misdemeanors and felonies WILL show up. Some examples of things that will show up are: disorderly conduct, domestic disputes, DWI, DUI, delinquency of a minor, sex offender information, etc…The list could go on and on but you get the picture.
  2. There is no statute of limitations for what shows up on a background check. Once you become an adult at 18 everything you get charged for with will show up on a background check. That doesn’t mean that everything will be found however. Many companies may only use the last few years to determine your eligibility. That drug charge from 20 years ago is still on your record but may not be recent enough for some employers to worry about or even find.

Besides any criminal activity that will show up on a background check, it’s also used to verify education, employment verification, sex offender status, or motor vehicle records.

If anything from your past pops up on a background check, just be honest when asked about it. If you lie and they find out about it you certainly won’t get the job. Not every offense is a show stopper. What shows up in background check may not hurt your chances at all but it’s something you need to be aware of when going into a job interview.

Background Checks , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Do Absolutely Free Background Checks Exist?

February 19th, 2009

You see the term “free background check” thrown around a lot when you start looking for information on doing your own investigations but do absolutely free background checks really exist? Unfortunately, as disappointing as it may be to hear, if you need more than the basic information that most anyone can get from a phone book then you probably will have to pay something at some point.

It’s possible as individuals to gather much of the same information that any detective or private eye could find. The key is knowing where and how to look for it. Police and P.I.’s have an easier time digging up the dirt on people because they have access to specialized databases and resources that the “Average Joe” just doesn’t have. There are many public record resources out there that are accessible by anyone but there’s still going to be some cost involved in attaining them. Conducting absolutely free background checks is near impossible due to this fact alone.

Public records are deemed records that are available for public viewing, meaning anyone can view or access them. Most would think there would be no cost involved to take a look at the records but 99% of the time they’re wrong! In nearly every case the records will need to be printed out or processed, thus incurring an “administrative fee” for the cost of the paper, ink, employee time, etc… While these fees are usually small, there’s still cost involved. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing the research yourself or if someone else is doing it for you, absolutely free background checks don’t exist.

If you’re willing to do the leg work yourself or only need a couple of pieces of information on your subject then a background check can be done at a reasonable cost by anyone. If you need something quick or very detailed your best bet is to use one of the many services on the Internet that offer complete background checks for a fee.

Background Checks , , , , ,