In another sign that accuracy is becoming the number one issue with criminal background checks of job applicants, possibly even more so than issues of discrimination and privacy, two recent editorials published in the New York Times – ‘Faulty Criminal Background Checks’ and ‘Accuracy in Criminal Background Checks’ – both examined the accuracy of criminal background checks used by employers and called for more regulation of the screening industry by the federal government. The NY Times editorials are available at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/25/opinion/faulty-criminal-background-checks.html and http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/10/opinion/accuracy-in-criminal-background-checks.html. (more…)

In a case representing the first time the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has charged a background screening company that delivers reports to employers with violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a leading background screening firm, also known as a consumer reporting agency (“CRA”), has agreed to pay a $2.6 million penalty to settle charges that it violated the FCRA multiple times. A press release from the FTC about the settlement is available at: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/08/hireright.shtm. (more…)

A report from FOX6 News in Milwaukee, Wisconsin tells the story about a local woman hired by a department store who suffered from a case of mistaken identity when a criminal background check run on her uncovered a 2006 conviction for battery, a conviction she did not disclose on her job application since the crime was committed by her twin brother who had the same birth date and similar name. The story, which serves as an example why job applicants should be proactive and try to “self” background check themselves to avoid errors, is available at: http://fox6now.com/2012/07/22/broken-records/. (more…)

The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) has announced in press release that a recent study of background screening companies affirms the accuracy of background checks and refutes a report recently issued by the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) that accused background screeners of routinely making mistakes. The NAPBS report, scheduled to be released later this summer, found that 98 percent of background screening providers surveyed encountered consumer disputes less than 5 percent of the time out of millions of background checks performed annually, and more than 95 percent of those disputed background check reports were ultimately found to be accurate. The NAPBS press release is available at: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/6/prweb9603002.htm. (more…)

In recent weeks, inaccurate criminal background checks from data brokers containing errors that cost job seekers employment have come under fire on several fronts, including a final privacy protection report from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommending regulations on data brokers, a letter sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) asking for a strengthening of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a report from the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) on inaccurate background check reports, and an article written by safe hiring expert Attorney Lester Rosen, CEO of accredited background check firm Employment Screening Resources (ESR), that is available at http://www.esrcheck.com/articles/NCLC-Report-on-Criminal-Background-Checks-Inaccurate.php. (more…)