For most jobseekers currently looking for work, the more exposure they get through resumes, applications, and networking – both online and off – the better their chances are of finding work.
Unfortunately, according to an article in the Contra Costa (CA) Times, exposing personally identifiable information (PII) such as names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers (SSNs) and driver’s license numbers also increases the chances of jobseekers suffering from identity theft.
The Contra Costa Times reports that the World Privacy Forum – a nonprofit, public interest research group – receives many phone calls each week from jobseekers who have been victimized by identity theft while searching for work, a problem that should only get worse in a bad economy.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), over 50,000 Californians reported being victimized by identity theft in 2008 – the second highest rate in the nation – and employment-related identity theft beat out credit-card fraud and accounting to rank first with 20 percent of all identity theft complaints to the FTC from the state. Overall, the damage caused by identity theft in 2008 was nearly $50 billion.
In the article, the World Privacy Forum offers several tips for jobseekers on preventing identity theft, including:
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Avoid vaguely worded job offers;
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Choose job search sites and resume databases with good privacy practices;
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Never put a SSN on your resume (federal or state jobs are exceptions) but provide it when at an interview or when asked permission for a background check;
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Don’t scan IDs or driver's licenses for a job offer, and;
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Post a resume directly on the Web site of the employer or company you wish to work for.
Another way for jobseekers to protect sensitive personal information from identity theft is by performing “personal” background checks on themselves to ensure their employment data is current, secure, and accurate. Besides protecting against identity theft, these background checks can also be used by jobseekers for employment purposes, since most employers these days – 80 percent according to the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) – require job applicants to undergo some type of pre-employment background check before hiring.
Where can jobseekers find "personal" background checks? While most background check firms only service employers, MyBackgroundCheck.com – the nation’s leading provider of applicant-supplied background checks – helps both jobseekers and potential employers keep personal information safe from identity theft during the pre-employment background check process.
For more information on how personal background checks can help protect jobseeker data from identity theft, 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
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An article in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) – “More Job Seekers Scramble To Erase Their Criminal Past” – reveals that many jobseekers looking for work in a tight job market are rushing to legally clear criminal records that would appear on pre-employment background checks that delve deeply into their sometimes checkered pasts.
According to statistics cited in the WSJ article, millions of American jobseekers fear their criminal pasts will show up on background checks. While over 50% of American men had been arrested in 1967, that figure is now an estimated 60% due to arrests made in connection with domestic violence and illegal drugs, with the annual number of arrests for possession of marijuana more than tripling to 1.8 million from 1980 to 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
At the same time, the WSJ article notes that background checks have become more affordable and commonplace since the September 11 terrorist attacks, and more than 80% of companies performed background checks in 2006 compared with fewer than 50% in 1998, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). In addition, the article asserts that background checks can help lessen employer liability from workplace theft – which cost retailers over $15 billion last year according to the National Retail Federation – and workplace violence that costs billions more in legal costs and lost work hours.
In the WSJ article, two men – both veterans – were used as examples of jobseekers with criminal pasts affecting current employment opportunities:
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An Air Force veteran was refused temporary employment because a background check by the temp agency turned up a 1986 conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (when threatened, he once pretended a silver brush was a knife). More than 20 years after a "no judgment" finding by the judge and a $60 fine, the man is still fighting to erase the arrest from criminal records and background checks.
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A veteran turned jobseeker back from Afghanistan after serving in the Army for 15 months was unable find work with the New York City Police Department because of a 2002 conviction of illegal possession of a gun found on a background check, this despite scoring in the 98th percentile on his civil-service exam. The man is now serving another overseas tour.
With unemployment is currently above 10% and potential employers choosing from the largest talent pool in decades, the WSJ article clearly shows that a growing number of American jobseekers hope to boost their odds in a tough job market with “clean” background checks by clearing their criminal records of minor crimes through legal means, a process known as “expungement” in which official records of minor crimes may be shredded, erased, sealed, or blocked from view.
Along with expungement, jobseekers can make sure that their information on their criminal records is current and accurate by running “personal” background checks on themselves to see what potential employers will see. By purchasing their own background checks, jobseekers take a pro-active step in their search for employment, stand out from the crowded field of applicants, and show potential employers that they have nothing to hide. While most background check companies focus only on employers, MyBackgroundCheck.com – a pioneer in consumer requested and applicant supplied background checks – offers jobseekers the opportunity to perform “personal” background checks on themselves to help them find employment in a tight job market.
To learn how personal background checks help jobseekers find work, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. To follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.
tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!
An error on a background check may prevent a prospective employee from getting hired for work, but could an error on a background check get an already hired employee fired from a job?
The answer is “Yes” according to an article in the Baltimore Sun that tells the story of a woman in Maryland who was fired from her job after an error on a government background check mistakenly deemed her “unsuitable” for work on a government contract even though she had no criminal record.
According to the Sun, Eschol Amelia “Amy” Studnitz, 59, lost her $58,000 a year accounting job at Corporate Mailing Services (CMS) in July because a background check investigation for the Social Security Administration (SSA) – the government agency CMS had won a contract to handle mail for – was returned as unsuitable for the low-level (Level 1) security clearance needed for all employees at the CMS facility in Arbutus, Maryland.
However, the Sun reports that the SSA wrote a follow-up letter to CMS in August reversing its decision on the background check so that Studnitz could work on the new contract, but Studnitz was not reinstated by her former employer due to reorganizing and supposed performance shortfalls or hired elsewhere in this tough job market. Studnitz has also asked Representative Roscoe Bartlett (R - MD) to look into her case, and Bartlett is also considering legislation to address future similar situations where inaccurate government criminal background checks are the cause of action for loss of jobs for government work, according to the Sun.
With background checks becoming increasingly common, the Sun report on Studnitz’s firing shows the impact that glitches in databases used during the background check process can have on employees, employers, and even the government. While firings based on mistakes in background checks are relatively rare, errors and inaccuracies on background checks do occur and should be avoided at all costs – especially when the cost includes employment. Some jobseekers are literally taking background check investigations into their own hands by ordering “personal” background checks on themselves to make sure their personal information is accurate, current, and secure.
While most background check companies focus only on employers, MyBackgroundCheck.com – a pioneer in consumer requested background checks – offers both jobseekers and current employees the opportunity to perform personal background checks on themselves to protect their personal information. For more information on personal background checks, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. To follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.
tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!
While many types of identity theft cases have been duly reported on this website, a unique story from New Hampshire tells of an identity thief who allegedly committed identity theft while awaiting sentencing on a conviction for identity theft.
According to SeaCoastOnline.com, Ramie Marston, 40, who was waiting to be sentenced for stealing her nanny's identity to make over $60,000 in fraudulent purchases, allegedly committed identity theft using a businessman's credit card, checks, and debit card to purchas $8,000 in unauthorized goods that included a diamond ring, a puppy, and music downloads.
Marston is also being investigated by police in several areas for a string of alleged identity thefts committed after her guilty pleas in June to three felonies related to identity theft, SeaCoastOnline.com reports. She is scheduled to be sentenced in October.
Identity theft is committed by all types of people. As a result of identity theft cases like this, consumers should be far more wary about protecting their personal information. This particular case shows that some “serial” identity thieves will possibly keep committing identity theft even after prior convictions.
To help protect against identity theft, “personal” background checks – where people perform background checks on themselves – can ensure that personal information is current, accurate, and secure. While many background check firms only service businesses, MyBackgroundCheck.com – a pioneer in consumer requested background checks – offers individuals affordable “personal” background check services. Over one million individuals have purchased background checks through MyBackgroundCheck.com. For more information about personal background checks, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.
tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning jobseekers to be cautious during their search for employment and to watch out for background check scams, phishing attacks, and identity theft.
According to the BBB, with the national unemployment rate close to 10 percent, and 13 states experiencing unemployment rates in the double-digits, the threat of identity theft, phishing, and background check scams targeting job seekers is rising with unemployment rates because scammers are out to take advantage of the unemployed.
In a press release, the BBB warns jobseekers to beware of three scams in particular that could lead to lost money, missed opportunities, and identity theft.
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Job Offers Requiring Upfront Fees: Recently, job ads from a company in Florida claiming it needed 2,500 employees for their new headquarters asked applicants had to submit $24 to pay for a background check, money that was later discovered only went to the company’s owner. Similar schemes are appearing across the country.
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Job Placement Companies Making Promises They Can’t Deliver: Job placement companies, or headhunter firms, usually do NOT charge the job seekers but are paid by companies that need help filling positions. However, one Maryland company charged $195 and guaranteed it could find jobseekers work, but the jobseekers didn’t receive call backs, jobs, or refunds.
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Phishing Attacks By Fake Businesses To Commit Identity Theft: "Phishing" involves spam e-mails with job offers directing jobseekers to websites designed to solicit financial information for identity theft. The jobseekers may also find out they have been hired and immediately be asked for bank account or Social Security numbers.
In order to avoid identity theft or background check scams, the BBB advises jobseekers to be cautious when responding to unsolicited e-mails from supposed employers, fully research job placement companies, and not pay money to employers up front for services such as background checks without vetting the companies first.
To avoid background check scams and protect against identity theft, jobseekers may also want to perform "personal" background checks on themselves to make sure their personal information is current, accurate, and secure. While many background check firms only service employers, companies like MyBackgroundCheck.com – a pioneer in consumer requested background checks – offers "personal" background checks for individuals to use as jobseekers and consumers to use to protect against identity theft. Over one million individuals have purchased background checks through MyBackgroundCheck.com in the past year.
For more information about how jobseekers can use personal background checks to help prevent identity theft, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, call 1-800-503-2364, and follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.
tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!