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Become a Background Screening Client

Pre-Employment Screening Services


Industry Information

2007 Annual Applicant Statistics

  • 9.5% have a criminal record
  • 47.5% have motor vehicle violations including DUI's and possession of drugs
  • 42.9% of credit reports have negative information
  • 48.1% of past employment verifications had inconsistencies
  • 22.6% provided false or inconsistent information about their education
  • 6.8% have filed a worker's compensation claim
  • 3.4% test positively for drug use


Kroll (formerly InfoLink Screening Services) offers a comprehensive list of pre-employment background checks and verification services to help companies screen applicants and Hire With Confidence®. We offer the flexibility of ordering services individually or establishing a standard screening program, which our experienced staff can help you design. As a cornerstone to your search program, Kroll recommends the Five Points Search to protect your business.

    Five Points Search

  • Social Security Trace
  • Criminal History Report
  • Criminal Federal Court Search (District)
  • Motor Vehicle History Report / Driving Records
  • National Criminal Database Search
  • First Alert

    Additional Criminal Records

  • Criminal Federal Court Search (Nationwide)
  • State Sexual Offender Registry
  • State Repository Search
  • State Incarceration Records
  • OFAC Foreign Nationals Search

    Financial Reporting

  • Credit History
  • Liens and Judgments

    Verifications and References

  • Employment Verification
  • Employment Verification Plus
  • Education Verification
  • Professional License Verification
  • Military Service Verification
  • Prior Employer Drug and Alcohol Test Results
  • Professional Reference Interview
  • Management Reference Interview
  • Executive Reference Interview

    Specialty Services

  • Workers Compensation History
  • OIG Medicare/Medicaid Fraud Report
  • FACIS Level 1 Search
  • FACIS Level 2 Search
  • FACIS Level 3 Search
  • Prohibited Parties Search
  • Financial Institution Enforcement Report
  • Retail Theft Database

    Civil Records

  • Civil Federal Court Search (District)
  • Civil Federal Court Search (Nationwide)
  • Civil Superior Court Search

Search Descriptions


    Civil Federal Court Search (District)

  • Search of Federal district courts for civil cases involving alleged violations of federal statutes or constitutional rights. Cases may be brought by individuals, companies or governmental entities seeking monetary damages, an injunction, and/or another remedy provided by law. Case information will include the party name, case title, the court in which the case is located, case number, filing date, nature of suit and closing date.

    Civil Federal Court Search (Nationwide)

  • Search of U.S. Federal districts for civil cases involving alleged violations of federal statutes or constitutional rights. This nationwide search covers all U.S. Federal districts excluding Alaska, Guam, Idaho, New Mexico and Northern Marina Islands. Cases may be brought by individuals, companies or governmental entities seeking monetary damages, an injunction, and/or another remedy provided by law. Case information will include the party name, case title, the court in which the case is located, case number, filing date, nature of suit and closing date.

    Civil Superior Court Search

  • Search by Plaintiff, Defendant, Attorney, or Case Number of Superior Court filings of $25,000 or greater. Kroll can also search civil municipal court records (cases under $25,000), but does not recommend the search as civil records contain individuals' names only with no other identifiers.

    Credit History

  • Kroll recommends Credit History reports for employees that can affect the company financially. This necessarily includes all employees in accounting functions, but may also include other employees that may, for example, be entrusted with a corporate credit or purchasing card. The credit history reports Kroll conducts are designed for employment purposes, so they do not count as an inquiry on the individual’s report or reveal either date of birth or a credit score. The report includes verification of the applicants’ name, their current address and two previous addresses, current phone number, current employer, up to three previous employers, and any aliases associated with the Social Security Number. The credit summary portion of the report contains the complete file including public records (i.e., liens, judgments, etc.), collection accounts, current or previous delinquent accounts, types of credit, total indebtedness, and “profile” (i.e., account charged off, repossessed, etc.). Kroll provides an immediate free First Alert when clients order a Credit History via our web-based solution.

    Criminal Federal Court Search (District)

  • Search of Federal district courts for convictions of crimes that occurred on federal property and convictions of federal laws such as tax evasion, mail and wire fraud, drug trafficking, immigration law violations and postal offenses. Records provide a criminal history from the date of disposition, parole or release from imprisonment.

    Criminal Federal Court Search (Nationwide)

  • Search of U.S. Federal districts for convictions of crimes that occurred on federal property and convictions of federal laws such as tax evasion, mail and wire fraud, drug trafficking, immigration law violations and postal offenses. This nationwide search covers all U.S. Federal districts excluding Alaska, Guam, Idaho, New Mexico and Northern Marianes Islands. Records provide a criminal history from the date of disposition, parole or release from imprisonment.

    Criminal History Report

  • County criminal searches are recommended to protect against workplace violence and employee theft. Kroll performs searches of current records directly at local county Superior and Municipal courts. Criminal searches are available nationwide as well as in the U.S. territories and Canada. We recommend a search of all counties of residence and any AKAs that are identified in an applicant's Social Security Trace. Using Kroll’s network of researchers, we access the most current information available and report felony and misdemeanor convictions based on applicable federal and state law.

    Kroll does not use online or CD-ROM databases, which may be out of date and inaccurate. The FTC in a staff opinion letter stated that "an employment screening service that uses 'stored data' (which may be as much as 90 days old) does not comply with" the Fair Credit Reporting Act Section 613(2). State Repositories are available in some states, but many provide partial or out-of-date information because they are not frequently updated. Except where the repository is updated daily, state repository searches should not replace county criminal searches.

    Education Verification

  • Education verification is recommended for managerial positions as well as most business office functions. Statistics reveal that education is one of the things that applicants falsify most often on employment applications. Kroll generally verifies college degrees, unless clients ask that we verify high school also or “highest degree” earned. Kroll’s Education Verification will report the applicant’s dates of attendance, graduation date and degree earned. Some educational institutions will report GPA.

    Employment Verification

  • Past Employment Verification is recommended for all employees. It is approximated that 40% of all resumes and employment applications contain falsified information. Kroll’s in-house Reference and Verification Department offers two employment verifications. Our standard Employment Verification reports the employer’s name, applicant’s title, dates of employment, salary history (upon client’s request), whether they are eligible for rehire, and we ask for additional comments. We also offers an Employment Verification “Plus” that adds questions about the applicant’s initiative and drive, follow-through, problem solving skills, organizational skills, work attitude and dependability. If an Employment Verification Plus is ordered but a past employer will only provide information requested in the Standard Verification, Kroll will only charge the standard Employment Verification fee.

    Employment Verification Plus

  • Past Employment Verification is recommended for all employees. It is approximated that 40% of all resumes and employment applications contain falsified information. Kroll’s in-house Reference and Verification Department offers two employment verifications. Our standard Employment Verification reports the employer’s name, applicant’s title, dates of employment, salary history (upon client’s request), whether they are eligible for rehire, and we ask for additional comments. We also offers an Employment Verification “Plus” that adds questions about the applicant’s initiative and drive, follow-through, problem solving skills, organizational skills, work attitude and dependability. If an Employment Verification Plus is ordered but a past employer will only provide information requested in the Standard Verification, Kroll will only charges the standard Employment Verification fee.

    Executive Reference Interview

  • Kroll offers three types of Reference Interviews: Professional, Management and Executive. The Professional Interview includes questions that relate to the applicant's professionalism, work ethic, and adaptability. The Management Interview includes the entire Professional Interview and additional questions that focus on the applicant's management capabilities. The Executive Interview includes the Management Interview and adds questions that focus on the applicant's executive management skills and capabilities. Additionally, you are allowed to add 3 of your own questions to customize the Executive Interview for the specific position or industry.

    FACIS Level 1 Search

  • This is a search of sanction information as taken by the Office of Inspector General (OIG), the General Services Administration (GSA) and other federal agencies. The information reported in this level meets the government’s minimum requirements for sanction screening as set forth in the OIG’s Compliance Program Guidance.

    FACIS Level 2 Search

  • This is a search of sanction information as taken by the Office of Inspector General (OIG), the General Services Administration (GSA) and other federal agencies. The information reported in this level meets the government’s minimum requirements for sanction screening as set forth in the OIG’s Compliance Program Guidance. FACIS Level II also provides disciplinary action information from multiple agencies and one state of choice.

    FACIS Level 3 Search

  • This is a search of sanction information as taken by the Office of Inspector General (OIG), the General Services Administration (GSA) and other federal agencies. The information reported in this level meets the government’s minimum requirements for sanction screening as set forth in the OIG’s Compliance Program Guidance. This is a service that includes a search of disciplinary actions taken by federal agencies as well as those taken by licensing and certification agencies in all fifty states.

    Financial Institution Enforcement Report

  • is a report on anyone who has had formal enforcement actions taken against them by the Federal Reserve for violations of laws, rules, or regulations, unsafe or unsound practices, breaches of fiduciary duty, and violations of final orders. Formal enforcement actions include cease and desist orders, written agreements, removal and prohibition orders, and orders assessing civil money penalties. It is composed of by 5 sources: 1. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ( FRB) 2. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) 3. National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) 4. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) 5. Office of the Thrift Supervision (OTS)

    First Alert

  • Kroll’s First Alert is your first line of defense for screening applicants. First Alert is a free service provided with all online searches. Within a few seconds, First Alert verifies that your applicant has provided a valid Social Security Number by checking against issued Social Security Number algorithms. If the number is valid, it will be highlighted green and the year and state of issue are displayed. If the Social Security Number is highlighted orange, the number may be invalid. If the number is highlighted orange or the Social Security Number was issued before the applicant was born, we recommend that clients clear up the issue before proceeding with their search.

    Liens and Judgments

  • The Liens and Judgements includes a State and Federal Tax Lien Search and a Recorded Judgments Search. The State and Federal Tax Lien Search is conducted on a county level to discover claims on property or goods of a subject by a governmental tax agency, determining if there is a legal requirement to pay past tax obligations before other payments. The Recorded Judgments Search search provides records of civil judgments that are recorded at the county level, generally at the recorder’s office. The records can be filed by or against a subject. A summary of the judgment will be obtained. Recorded judgments results are filed by subject name, with no secondary identifier.

    Management Reference Interview

  • Kroll offers three types of Reference Interviews: Professional, Management and Executive. The Professional Interview includes questions that relate to the applicant's professionalism, work ethic, and adaptability. The Management Interview includes the entire Professional Interview and additional questions that focus on the applicant's management capabilities. The Executive Interview includes the Management Interview and adds questions that focus on the applicant's executive management skills and capabilities. Additionally, you are allowed to add 3 of your own questions to customize the Executive Interview for the specific position or industry.

    Military Service Verification

  • Kroll's Reference and Verification Department verifies the branch of service and current status.

    Motor Vehicle History Report / Driving Records

  • While some companies believe driving records should be used only if an applicant will be driving a company car, crimes are not isolated to where we live and work, and Kroll believes motor vehicle information exposes important character issues. By searching an applicant's driving record, we learn about suspended licenses, failures to appear in court and arrest warrants. In addition, drug and alcohol related driving offenses, such as driving under the influence and possession of drugs, may serve as a warning of potential substance abuse problems that can affect job performance. Please note that California Motor Vehicle History Reports may only be ordered within a package of searches unless you have a CA DMV requestor code. Contact Kroll for more information.

    National Criminal Database Search

  • The National Criminal Database Search is a comprehensive database search that provides same day access to the largest criminal database available with millions of offense records. It is a valuable information resource that may discover convictions in counties not identified in a Social Security Trace or Credit History Report if the subject never lived in the county. Records from states are indexed from state correctional institutions, sexual offender and violent offender lists, the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) and some state and county court records. Click here to view a listing of the data sources included in this search.

    OFAC Foreign Nationals Search

  • Search of the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bank of England Terrorist list and Canadian Office of the Superintendent of Institutions list (OSFI). The list contains names of foreign nationals (individuals and entities) that the U.S. government currently has sanctions against; whose property may be blocked; who is restricted from exporting by the U.S. Department of Commerce; and whom no U.S. person may have dealings with. Individuals on the list include known terrorists and international narcotics traffickers.

    OIG Medicare/Medicaid Fraud Report

  • The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) excludes individuals listed in the Sanction database from working in Medicare, Medicaid and other Federal health care programs. Kroll searches the Cumulative Sanction Report and Debarred Contractors List from the General Services Administration.

    Prior Employer Drug and Alcohol Test Results

  • Check with past employers to obtain information whether applicant 1) took a drug test, 2) failed any drug test, or 3) refused any drug test. Pursuant to 49 C.F.R., previous employers must provide information on past employees' drug and alcohol tests within the two previous years. Information will provide dates of confirmed positive tests for drugs, confirmed alcohol test results of 0.04% or greater, and refusal to take a controlled substance test within the past two years.

    Professional License Verification

  • Kroll's Reference and Verification Department conducts professional license and certification verifications. Our reports reveal the validity of applicants’ professional licenses, date of issue, renewal and expiration dates, current status and any disciplinary action.

    Professional Reference Interview

  • Kroll offers three types of Reference Interviews: Professional, Management and Executive. The Professional Interview includes questions that relate to the applicant's professionalism, work ethic, and adaptability. The Management Interview includes the entire Professional Interview and additional questions that focus on the applicant's management capabilities. The Executive Interview includes the Management Interview and adds questions that focus on the applicant's executive management skills and capabilities. Additionally, you are allowed to add 3 of your own questions to customize the Executive Interview for the specific position or industry.

    Prohibited Parties Search

  • The Prohibited Parties Search is a search of the following five lists: 1) Debarred Parties - Parties denied export privileges under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) as administered by the Office of Defense Trade Control (DTC). 2) Denied Persons List - Parties denied export privileges as administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security. The list may be found in the Export Administration Regulations, 15 CFR Part 764 Supplement No. 2. 3) Entity List - Entities subject to license requirements because of their proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The list may be found in the Export Administration Regulations, 15 CFR Part 774 Supplement No. 4. 4) Specially Designated Nationals, Terrorists, Narcotics Traffickers, Blocked Persons and Vessels - Parties subject to various economic sanctioned programs administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). 5) Unverified List - Unverified Parties List - Parties to past export transactions where pre-license checks or post-shipment verifications could not be conducted, and persons in foreign countries in transactions where BIS is not able to verify the existence or authenticity of all parties to the transaction, requiring heightened scrutiny by the exporter as set out in 15 CFR Part 732 Supplement No. 3.

    Retail Theft Database

  • National Theft Database contains exclusive theft and shoplifting incidents from one third of the nations largest retailers and thousands of locations nationwide. Contains approximately one million retail theft records gathered from thousand of store locations throughout the United States. Effective at weeding out applicants with history of theft while working or shopping at a retail-related establishment.

    Social Security Trace

  • The Social Security Trace provides the following information: (a) Name and name variations used by the individual, such as maiden, divorced or previous names (b) Current and former address(es) associated with that SSN (c) notification if the social security number entered is not associated with your candidate or has been used in a previously filed death benefit claim. This information helps determine which counties and names we should search in our investigation. Clients that use Kroll's web-based service receive a free instantaneous First Alert when they enter a subject's Social Security Number.

    State Incarceration Records

  • Search of state and federal district prison records, which are updated 48 hours after inmates are paroled. The search reveals if the subject has served time in prison for a felony conviction, providing their release date, any current warrant information for parole violations, and sometimes a picture I.D. This search may be conducted in addition to county criminal searches for greater due diligence where a statewide information is not available from a state repository or the National Criminal Database Search.

    State Repository Search

  • State repositories provide statewide searches of criminal convictions; however, Kroll cautions clients about state repositories because few of them are accurate and up to date. Except where the repository is updated daily, state repository searches should not replace county criminal searches. They may, however, be used in conjunction with county searches for a thorough investigation.

    State Sexual Offender Registry

  • Per Megan’s Law, sexual offenders must register when they move. There are currently more than 386,000 registered sex offenders nationwide. Sexual offender registry searches are statewide searches of registered sex offender databases. Kroll recommends this search when companies have on-site childcare or other people at risk.

    Workers Compensation History

  • Worker’s compensation searches are highly recommended in manufacturing and production environments or wherever physical activity such as lifting is part of the job requirement. This information enables employers to avoid placing employees in positions that may pose risk of re-injury and identify habitual claim filers. Workers’ Compensation History is a statewide search available in most states, but must be conducted post-offer. The search identifies workers compensation claims against an applicant’s past employers. The history will report the last five (5) events and include case numbers, locations, case status, dates of injury, body parts injured, type of injury, and all party information including lien claimants. When applicants have filed workers compensation claims against past employers, they often intentionally leave them off their employment applications; you may use falsification of an employment application as grounds for revoking a conditional job offer or terminating a recent hire.

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