A new focus on accuracy in the background screening industry has emerged after several reports about inaccurate background checks appeared in the news recently. The latest story is a blog on HuffingtonPost.com titled ‘5 Stories of Background Checks Gone Awry’ that describes how background checks used when people apply for jobs, open bank accounts, or rent or buy homes can sometimes be “just wrong.” The HuffingtonPost.com blog, which lists five specific incidences of when background checks contained bad information, is available at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erin-steiner/5-stories-of-background-c_b_2427586.html. (more…)

Nationwide accredited background check firm Employment Screening Resources (ESR) has released its Sixth Annual ‘ESR Top Ten Background Check Trends for 2013’ featuring emerging and influential trends in the background screening industry selected by ESR Founder and CEO Attorney Lester Rosen. For 2013, the focus on accuracy of background check report information and the greater scrutiny of the screening industry was chosen as the number one trend. The Sixth Annual ‘ESR Top Ten Background Check Trends for 2013’ is available at http://www.esrcheck.com/Top-Ten-Background-Check-Trends-for-2013.php. (more…)

In 2012, after reported cases of inaccurate criminal background checks costing job seekers employment, the background screening industry faced greater scrutiny over accuracy of reports. This increased attention included a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report recommending regulations on data brokers, the FTC charging companies with alleged Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) violations, a National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) report on inaccurate background checks, two New York Times editorials, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) increasing supervision of background checks, and an NBC Today Show report on background check errors. In response, the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) refuted reports critical of the screening industry and pointed to an accreditation program created to improve accuracy. This focus on accuracy is Trend 1 of the 6th Annual ‘ESR Top Ten Background Check Trends for 2013’ available at http://www.esrcheck.com/Top-Ten-Background-Check-Trends-for-2013.php. (more…)

The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) Chairman Fred Giles has called an NBC Today Show report about pre-employment background checks and how background check firms make errors that mistake innocent people for criminals causing them to lose jobs “misleading” as well as “potentially dangerous.” The full NAPBS statement from Chairman Fred Giles about the NBC Today Show report is available at http://www.napbs.com/files/napbs_today_show_response.pdf. (more…)

An Omaha, Nebraska man convicted on three federal wire fraud charges in a fake background check fraud scheme was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay $126,715 in restitution, according to The Scottsbluff Star-Herald. The story, which shows why firms should look for a background screening accreditation seal, is available at: ‘Omaha man gets four years for background check fraud’. (more…)