A recent breaking news video report from CNN’s Gerri Willis shows a woman describing how her husband’s dream job turned into a nightmare because of false information found on his pre-employment background check, a problem that “personal” background check provider MyBackgroundCheck.com may have prevented.
The woman – who asked that her identity be hidden in order to avoid further problems for her husband – told Willis that she was shocked to discover that her husband’s background check revealed two felony convictions – and the job offer was gone, even though the records belonged to another man with the same name and the same birthday as her husband.
According to CNN, the background check report came from ChoicePoint, one of the nation’s largest commercial data brokers that sell personal information obtained from public and private records to employers and law enforcement.
The case described in the CNN report is not unusual, as many background checks contain errors and inaccuracies. Robert Mather, CEO of MyBackgroundCheck.com, a leading provider of “personal” background checks that consumers can perform on themselves to keep their personal information current, claimed that a recent study showed that nearly one in five disputed background checks contained false information.
“Over one million people have purchased background checks through MyBackgroundCheck.com,” said Mather. “We empower individuals take control of their personal information and correct any mistakes before others, including potential employers, see them. We help people take a pro-active approach to the problem of mistakes on background checks, and help them avoid being the victim of identity theft and lost job opportunities.”
“With an account from MyBackgroundCheck.com, jobseekers can make sure no errors or inaccuracies exist in their background checks and find out if they have been victimized by identity theft,” Mather added. “According to recent research, identity theft and fraud increased 22 percent in 2008, affecting nearly ten million Americans.”
In the CNN report, privacy advocate Lillie Coney from the Electronic Privacy Information Center said that most people have no clue what is included in data bases that can include incorrect and outdated information. “Let’s say there was an arrest based on faulty information and it was resolved and there was no conviction,” she explained to Gillis. “They still have that original arrest record that may be in a data based somewhere that is passed along repeatedly to people outside of your knowledge.”
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who has introduced legislation to make databases more accessible and more secure, told CNN’s Gillis he believes most consumers don’t know how exposed they are. “I want to know what is in my records,” Leahy said. “I want to know how to stop misinformation on records. And today people cannot do that.”
And while the woman in the CNN story says her husband ended up getting the job after ChoicePoint corrected the mistake, she is still concerned: “This will happen again,” she told Willis, especially if her husband ever needs a background check again if he changes jobs. “That record is out there.”
For more information on how consumers – including jobseekers – can use personal background checks to protect their personal information from errors, inaccuracies, and identity theft, please visit http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com/DontBeAVictim.
Follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.
Related Blog: Can’t Get a Job? The Five Most Common Mistakes in Background Checks May Be Stopping You
tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com