If you are looking for a job, you can expect that any potential employers are going to want a background check performed on you. Different potential employers will want to know different things about you. There are several reasons employers use background checks for pre-employment screening.

Employers need to be careful about who they hire since negligent hiring lawsuits are happening more often. If an employee's actions hurt another individual, the employer may be liable. Therefore, the employer will want to check your past for any red flags that might tell them you are a risk to their company. Hiring the wrong person can drain a company financially and harm the career of the hiring manager.

Recent happenings have increased the need for thorough pre-employment screening.

Almost every state has a law in place that anyone who works with children will need to undergo a background check. This has come about because of the countless cases of child abuse and child abduction. Employers must make sure children are safe.

The events of September 11, 2001 have increased the need of thorough screening and identity verification. New applicants and long-time employees are checked following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The professional and private lives of corporate employees, officers and directors are examined now more than ever since the collapse of Enron.

Resume fraud is on the rise. There have been numerous news reports on employees supplying false or inflated information in an effort to obtain a job they may not even be qualified for. Human resource professionals are aware that some resumes contain false information. Performing a background check on a potential employee can give them insight into whether a person is honest and trustworthy.

Criminal background checks are required in most states for certain jobs. For instance, background checks are required by law in almost every state when the job involves small children and the medical profession. Anyone working with the elderly will most likely will be subject to a background check.

The internet contains numerous databases containing millions of records of personal data. As the cost for these services drops, employers are finding that it makes more sense to perform background checks.

You may feel that you don't have anything to hide, and therefore, are not concerned. However, running a background check on yourself can reveal undesirable information. A detailed check might contain information that is irrelevant, isn't what it appears to be or just outright wrong. Some information may even be illegal to use when being considered for a job. Therefore, you may want to order your own background check so that you know what it contains and you will be prepared to face your potential employers. If it contains negative information, you may be able to explain what had happened.

It's a depressing situation. You've worked hard to make sure your resume is top-notch, and you finally found the job of your dreams. After sending your resume and a cover letter, you were asked to interview for the job! You prepared for the job interview, you looked sharp and you spoke clearly and confidently about your abilities. The interviewer seemed impressed with your skills and experience, and you were sure you would get hired for the position. However, a few days later, you received the dreaded phone call or email saying: "I'm sorry, but you are not what we are looking for right now." What went wrong?

Applicants may be passed over for a variety of reasons; however, one possible answer to this question may surprise you. It could be that your potential employer ran a background check on you and was not satisfied with the results. Most employers will run background checks on applicants before hiring them, and a criminal record can prevent them from hiring even the best of applicants.

Even if you have never committed a crime, are you aware of what is on your background check? Mistakes are possible; it could be that there are false charges on your account that you have never heard of. Smart job seekers stay on top of their game by running a background check on themselves. This will allow you to verify all information on your report and dispute any false charges.

It can be incredibly frustrating to be turned down for a position that you felt confident you would get, especially when you don't understand why. While there are many reasons why an individual may not get hired, having false information on your background check doesn't have to be one of them. By doing a background check on yourself, you can correct mistakes on your record and be sure that inaccuracies on your account don't stop you from getting hired.

If you have never been a victim of identity theft, please read this. There are ways to help prevent identity theft from happening. For those who have already been a victim of identity theft, this article should prove helpful to you as well. There are ways to reduce the risk of identity theft and everyone can benefit from being more informed on the subject. Identity theft is taking place every day and is increasing at a rapid rate all across the U.S.

Monitoring your background check can help to prevent identity theft. This method has proven highly effective in determining whether you could be at risk for identity theft. Monitoring your own background check will give you the ability to find any false information that someone else could have entered while stealing your information. You may not believe this is happening today, but it is becoming more prevalent across the U.S. Identity theft is one of the worst crimes committed against an individual. Personal records are stolen and used by the person stealing them. You are at risk of having your social security number stolen, along with your phone numbers and other private information. Many insurmountable problems result from identity theft.

The consequences of being a victim of identity theft are difficult to comprehend. The result of losing private information can cause numerous problems and personal grief for months or even years to come. Monitoring your background check can prevent identity theft. Take precaution, be safe. Don't let identity theft happen to you. Visit http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com to learn more about monitoring your background check and preventing identity theft.

Victims of identity theft have to endure many problems in connection with the crime, but recently an identity theft victim in New York who tried to get married was surprised to find out someone else had already tied the knot using the identity theft victim's name.

According to a story in the New York Post, the identity theft victim – Sara Benitez, 44, from Queens – went to the marriage office and was shocked to discover records showed she was already married to man she had never met.

Plagued by identity theft since 1992, Benitez later discovered an identity thief – Araceilis Cherico, 46 – had stolen her identity and used it to get married, divorced, ignore parking tickets, and even collect a refund from the IRS, the Post reported.

While Cherico will be sentenced to 60 days in jail and have to pay thousands in back taxes and penalties, the DA's office is helping Benitez get her “marriage” expunged so she can marry her long-time boyfriend, according to the Post.

The nation’s leading provider of applicant-supplied background checks, MyBackgroundCheck.com offers consumers are variety of “personal” background check options – in which individuals perform background checks on themselves – to use as jobseekers, students, volunteers, and tenants, all while protecting themselves against identity theft. For more information on how personal background checks can help prevent identity theft, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 800-503-2364.

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MybackgroundChk.

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A team of experts has come up with a “Top 10” list of identity theft predictions for 2010, and the immediate future does not look any brighter for victims of the crime.

According to a press release, the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) – a non-profit organization established to support identity theft victims and broaden public awareness of the crime of identity theft – and nationally recognized identity theft expert Robert Siciliano have teamed up to create a Top 10 list of identity theft predictions for 2010 and beyond.

1. The recession will lead to more identity theft scams, since identity thieves always find a way to use difficult economic times to their advantage.
2. Identity thieves will take advantage of high unemployment rates by tricking jobseekers with fake job listings and work-at-home scams.
3. The number of individuals with no criminal history who will begin to explore the crime of identity theft for financial gain will increase.
4. Child identity theft and identity theft cases perpetrated by people close to the victim – such as friends, roommates, and fellow workers – will increase in tough economic times.
5. Medical identity theft will rise as high unemployment and high medical insurance costs cause uninsured people to use the coverage of friends, relatives, or strangers to get medical care.
6. Insider identity theft will increase due to the failure to secure workplaces to prevent identity thieves from gaining access to personal information contained in databases or paper files.
7. Individuals will fall victim to Governmental identity theft after they apply for government assistance and benefits using their own Social Security Numbers (SSNs), leading to complications with government institutions.
8. Criminal identity theft – when one individual uses another’s personal information to avoid having a criminal record – will grow, leading to loss of employment and benefits, and to arrests of identity theft victims.
9. Social media identity theft will increase, allowing identity thieves hack social media accounts with “phishing” to create infected links or false pages to steal personal information from users and their “friends.”
10. Over the next two years, identity theft crimes – and the  number of victims – will increase unless changes are made in information security, especially to the current system of identification that has few safeguards to protect consumers.

While these predictions show how identity theft could get even worse, the crime is already a problem for millions of people. According to Javelin Strategy & Research, identity theft and fraud increased 22 percent in 2008, affecting nearly ten million Americans. And those numbers are expected to get worse before they get better.

To help protect against identity theft, MyBackgroundCheck.com – the nation's leading provider of applicant-supplied background checks – offers individuals “personal” background check services to help keep personal information current, accurate, and secure. For more information about personal background checks, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. Follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.

pr@mybackgroundcheck.com