Check out the checkers

Lots of services offer background checks. Not all of them provide up-to-date and detailed information.

By Michele M. Melendez
Newhouse News Service, Mar. 16, 2004

Wondering if your doctor has a clean record? Scared your nanny has a shady past? Suspicious of the housekeeper?

Background-screening companies have long helped large employers use criminal history and other checks to weed out undesirables, but now some firms are marketing to families. Consumer groups and background-searchers themselves say to know what you're buying and don't rely too heavily on the report.

On the Internet, the only form of advertising for some past-checkers, one Web site urges: "Protect the ones you love." Another says a search gives the "confidence you need to make informed decisions regarding your business or family." Still another guesses that you're asking, "Can I afford not to protect myself, my family or my business when the cost of acquiring such information is becoming increasingly more cost-effective?"

Choosing a background check can be overwhelming, partly because of variations in services.

Basic checks yield a person's name, date of birth and address. More involved searches can include a person's criminal record and credit, employment and educational histories. Checks cost from $20 to $200 or more and can take a day to several days. More extensive searches will cost more.

While experts warn Web sites offering free searches can produce outdated information or hook a customer into paying for more, there are free alternatives.

Jean Ann Fox, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America, an advocacy organization, said it's easy to research those required to hold state licenses, including doctors, locksmiths and roofing contractors. Call the state licensing agency or check the state Web site for information.

"The thing you want to know: Are they licensed? Have they had any complaints or disciplinary action taken against them?" Fox said.

Families may contact professional organizations like the American Medical Association to gauge an individual's training and certification. And anyone can visit state offices or county courthouses to look up public records on a person.

Background checks can be an option for those with insufficient time or expertise to search public files.

"It's always a good idea to do what you do best and hire out the rest," said Ralph Thomas, founder of the Austin-based National Association of Investigative Specialists, a trade group for private investigators.

Experts caution against companies that promise to dig up information without the subject knowing.

"Consumers should understand that there are laws, both federal and state, that regulate background screening," said Barry Nadell, president of InfoLink Screening Services in Chatsworth, Calif., and a board member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners. "Consumers have privacy rights."

The Fair Credit Reporting Act protects individuals from unwarranted checks of personal information. Under this federal law, a potential employer must get the job candidate's written authorization. The law also says if you don't hire someone based on information found in a background check, you must tell the applicant so he or she has the chance to explain or correct an error.

Even with a thorough check, there still could be blind spots.

Say you know the applicant lived in Ohio. Order an on-site check of records in the county where the person lived, and a researcher visits the courthouse for the most up-to-date information. That kind of inspection is superior to a scan of computer databases, which are updated only periodically.

But what if the job seeker was arrested while vacationing in California? Unless you check the specific county in that state, you might miss the offense. Statewide checks are only as good as the databases used, and nationwide reviews might not cover all states, depending on the information sought.

"There are still holes there," said Sharon Vigano, president of CLUSO, a Dallas-based search company. "The report is just one factor in your overall assessment of how (the applicant) can do the job."

Brigitta Rubin, 30, of Leesburg, Va., found that out the hard way. She said a background check didn't protect her from a woman who let her baby go hungry in wet diapers.

"You may see that they have a horrible felony conviction or something like that," but not bothersome conduct that didn't land them in court, Rubin said. "Unfortunately, it gives you a peace of mind that you shouldn't have. You have to have very good intuition and interviewing skills."