Many employers are heavily reliant on employment background checks. Part of the reason is of course the influence of 9/11 but employers are checking much deeper in a prospective employee’s past than whether or not that person belonged to any subversive groups.

For instance, once a prospective employee gives a prospective employer the right to perform a background check, today they will check on much more than the previous job history or their education. The possible employer in addition to these checks, may very well look into such records as court records, military records, medical records, driving records and even the credit history of the prospective employee.

Much of that information is readily available to someone looking for another on the Internet, and many investigative companies do just that, but if an employer wishes an in depth report on a person, then the prospective employee must sign a specific consent form. Delving into medical records, for instance, will require a specific consent form. It is an extremely rare occurrence though for a prospective employee to refuse to sign that form, as unemployment grows lately. Once consent is given to this kind of investigative background check, at times there is a possibility of non-relevant information.

As an American, a prospective employee is protected by the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a consumer advocacy organization, and of course the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Protection is also available through the Privacy Act of 1974, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Always remember that whatever is posted on the Internet is open to public investigation. Many employers now check the Internet for such things as what is posted on MySpace, for instance. It’s not so much as the possibility of losing privacy that matters, but often it represents a part of our national security. Thus be aware of what your employment background check may reveal, but know that it also protects you and your family.

I am renowned for being very objective when I write about something, so when asked to write about online background checks, it stands to reason that I would turn to one of the large search sites, and put in a search for “online background check.” The returns were positively shocking, as it brought back a possible 68,900,000 possibilities.

All that this points to is that there are apparently millions of groups or people performing online searches for online background checks! Assuming that if even 1/3rd of the results are online scams, that’s 22,737,000 possible scam sites.

If you are searching for an online background check on someone, you are better off relying on your attorney for instance, to have a professional gather together information for you. Chances are that rather than using an online background check, he will personally know of or utilize someone who is a bona fide investigator.

I am not sure if it’s a case of one bad apple spoiling the bunch numerous times, or if there are actually a plethora of scam artists involved in online background checks, but there are so many complaints registered against online background check sites, that one becomes extremely wary of using them. Some sites even have large sites built specifically to complain about one solitary company.

The problem it seems, is if you need a background check and you try to do it online, you have no point of reference for what’s reposted. For instance there have been numerous occurrences of someone doing an online background check on someone who has an intensive rap sheet, only to be told that there are no arrest records on that individual.

Thus, if you intend to use an online background check, it would behoove you to check with the Better Business Bureau, and do an extensive search yourself first by Googling the individual, and also Googling the company you intend to use. You’ll have to be objective if a few bad results show up on the company, as often it’s a matter of plain sour grapes that occasioned the report, but if you receive an avalanche of reports search again!

Most landlords want to have a reliable tenant check done on prospective tenants, but many do not know how to do so. Turning to the online services may or may not turn up a scam tenant check or perhaps a truly reliable tenant check.

Most companies that are legitimate tenant check companies will require you to receive written authorization from the prospective tenant, and they will want it for their own files. A good number of the times, the tenant has to agree to such investigations of his banking information, criminal history, rental history, current and past residences, employment verifications, and of course the consumer’s credit report.

Usually the cost to the owner of the property is minimal, as opposed to losing two or three months worth of rental payments, and having performed such a check usually results in a somewhat better caliber of tenants. It may also be useful in preventing tenant turnover.

Use of a tenant check often results in having to perform fewer evictions, experiencing lesser apartment damage, keeping the operating costs of owning tenant-occupied property down. Also, there are a few state laws that may create a property forfeiture if you allow your tenant to occupy the property with the knowledge that the tenant has been arrested for making or selling drugs in the past, or even be in possession of large amounts of drugs with the intent to deliver. There have even been times when the owner of the property was found guilty of allowing drug trafficking on their property.

It should be more than obvious to you now why you should use tenant check verification on any prospective tenants. Remember to always have the tenant’s written authorization prior to performing a tenant check. This will often guarantee that the information you receive is good information from a reliable tenant check company.

Why Research Somebody’s Marital Status?

“Here’s the one-and-only comprehensive source of information available anywhere on how to determine whether a U.S. citizen is married or divorced. Marriage & Divorce Records, USA explains in simple language the process of searching for free online marriage and divorce records, and also provides all the public-records links and phone numbers you’ll need to check out someone’s marital status.”

Easy-to-understand introductory tutorial on how to access marriage and divorce records throughout the U.S.

Links to all currently-available state/county web sites providing public online-access to marriage/divorce records

Telephone numbers/addresses for all 3200 U.S. counties

Links/telephone numbers/addresses for all 50 state (and D.C.) vital records repositories

How to verify someone’s identity

Online Marriage Records Database (Searchable)

Online Divorce Records Database (Searchable)

“First and foremost, a background check is a way to gather information for a wide array of purposes. Background checks provide important pieces of information on others such as their legal name, address of residence, business address, occupation, criminal records, marital status, property records, phone numbers and more. Many of the background check companies make their services available online which provides an extra added convenience to the customer. Basically, a background check order can be placed within a few short minutes.”