This search provides names and addresses associated with the applicant’s social security number.  It can also establish the time frame of when the social security number was issued, what state it was issued in, and whether or not it is a valid social security number.  This report can become a valuable tool in directing the criminal history search because it can establish the counties in which the applicant has resided.  Very often applicants fail to list all past addresses or employers, hoping that you will not find where they may have a criminal history.  NOTE: This is not an official social security verification with the Social Security Administration. 

The records comprising this instant database are obtained from county, state, and federal entities as well as incarceration and law enforcement records. Multi-jurisdictional criminal databases have been gaining in popularity with employers as a supplement to traditional county criminal searches, long established as the best practice in background screening.  The inclusion of a supplemental database search is becoming the new gold standard for a thorough and complete employment background check.  It is a valuable information resource that may discover convictions in counties not identified in a social security trace or credit report if the subject never lived in the county.  However, this service should not be used as a substitute for county-level criminal searches because not all jurisdictions are reported.  Rather, it offers an additional level of due diligence by expanding the geography of a criminal search that would be cost-prohibitive otherwise.  NOTE:  Per the FCRA, any hits found that will be used to make an adverse decision must be confirmed at the original jurisdiction.  

County criminal searches are the most powerful tool for uncovering criminal records and are the key to conducting a thorough check of your applicant’s history.  5D Investigations utilizes a nationwide network of courthouse researchers to locate public record information in the approximately 3200 counties of the United States.  This search contains the most detailed, accurate, and up to date criminal information and will provide a minimum of seven years of criminal history.  This search is conducted per name, per county and will include felony records and includes misdemeanor records when they are available.  In some counties, the misdemeanor search may be in a separate court, and if so, there may be an additional charge. Also, misdemeanors or minor offenses filed in outlying courthouses or in justice-of-the-peace courts may not always appear.   Sometimes an applicant may have had a previous name or “alias” name, such as when an applicant has married.  A search for each name should be ordered and there is a separate charge for each name searched. 

Searching the counties of residences and employment are the obvious choices, however it may be important to search additional adjacent counties.  There is always the possibility that the applicant committed crimes in another county rather that the county of residence or employment.  Also, sometimes a city is in more than one county, requiring a thorough search of all counties involved.

County criminal record searches however are not an exact science and errors are possible.  There can be “false negatives” (such as when a person is cleared when in fact they have a criminal record), or “false positives” (such as when a person is wrongly identified or is the subject of identity theft).   However, when used with 5D Investigations’ other background screening services, such as employment verifications and social security traces, these checks are extremely effective in helping your company determine the right candidate to hire.

This check is frequently not included in a standard background check.   Though the number of convictions located is low, the severity of the criminal activity makes this search a necessity for a diligent pre-employment criminal investigation. This search is especially relevant for screening management and executive candidates for white collar crimes. These courts contain records of federal level crimes, such as bank robbery, embezzlement, wire fraud, mail fraud, interstate drug trafficking, kidnapping, internet child pornography, immigration violations, and weapon trafficking to name a few. Employers should be aware that positive identification verification can be difficult with federal searches due to a lack of personal identifiers in federal court files.  The information found may or may not constitute a complete record check for your subject.

According to the courts, an employer is negligent when hiring drivers without checking driving records. 42% of all driving records pulled contain infractions.  If you send employees on errands, whether in company or private vehicles, you may be exposed to liability.  “Driving for work” is very broadly defined in most jurisdictions and is not limited to driving positions. 

This is a statewide search with all information obtained directly from the state of issue and provides a summary of the applicant’s 3-5 year driving history which may include traffic violations, driving related offenses, and restrictions/ suspensions/ or  revocations.  This search may also reveal DWI/DUI convictions which are sometimes not included in the criminal histories of all jurisdictions. If an applicant has changed his or her state of residence in the last 3 years, we suggest that you order a search on both states. All records are accessed in compliance with the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act and state law.

This information confirms your applicant’s resume; verifies his/her job history; helps eliminate any unexplained gaps in employment which helps ensure that appropriate jurisdictions have been checked for criminal records; and helps an employer demonstrate “due diligence” in their hiring practices.  Based on a company's policy, information reported may include employment dates, positions held, salary, confirmation of specific job duties, reason for termination, rehire status, and job-performance.  The present/current employer will also be contacted with the applicant’s permission. Many past employers will only verify information we can supply.  Therefore, it is important that the information we receive is complete, up to date, and accurate.  The more information you can supply, the more we can verify.  When 5D Investigations offers to fax our signed release to former employers, cooperation usually improves and turnaround time decreases.  Our release has been found to be very effective in securing employment verifications.  Some employers utilize a third party to provide employment verification data.  Any charges from these third parties will be charged in addition to the search fee. 

Studies reveal that education is the most distorted and exaggerated item on a resume or application. Employers also need to be aware of “diploma mills” that grant worthless degrees. Our default search is a check of the highest degree earned or last institution attended.  However, we will confirm all degrees earned and all institutions attended when you specify this on your order.  If the applicant is a current student, then planned completion, credits earned, and student status will be obtained.  Pricing for education verifications are per degree or educational institution verified.  Some additional third party fees may apply. 

Before requesting a credit report for employment purposes, the employer needs to determine if there is a sound business reason to obtain a credit report.  This report is critical for any prospective employee whose job requires them to have access to cash, bank account information, company credit cards, negotiable instruments, expensive equipment, inventory, property, sensitive data, or client premises.  NOTE: It is advisable to have standard policies and procedures for the use of credit reports for employment. 

A credit report used for employment purposes describes an applicant’s credit history over the most recent seven years and is not the same as a standard credit report.  The Fair Credit Reporting Act specifies that certain information such as account numbers is not disclosed.  Other information that is included are bankruptcies, liens, and judgments.  These reports are also useful as an additional source of identity verification as they provide information on the applicant’s aliases, social security number, address history, and employment history. 

 A record of your inquiry will appear on the applicant’s future credit reports, but it will not affect their credit score.  To insure the confidentiality of an applicant’s credit report, information contained in the report cannot be read or described to clients over the phone. 

 5D Investigations will verify the existence and authenticity of any company requesting credit reports.