To say the State of California is a unique place would be an understatement. One way in which it stands out, which pertains to our industry, is that it’s one of only two states in the nation which does not require background screening to become a drug or alcohol abuse counselor. Recently, the Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes urged California to make changes to their process of recruiting and certifying addiction counselors, beginning with requiring fingerprint-based background screening.

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In the past week, two more decisions were made in favor of limiting the ability employers have to ask about an applicant’s criminal history. Ever since the “Ban the Box” movement was introduced as a way to help convicted criminals gain more opportunities for job interviews, it has swept the country, being adopted by both cities and entire states across the nation.

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Rochville University has long been a source of tension within the academic and employment circles; this institution provides degrees to individuals with no experience or proven knowledge in the field, for a price. These types of institutions are often referred to as “diploma mills” and it’s not uncommon to discover an applicant utilizing a fake degree from such facilities when performing a pre-employment background check, we see them all the time.

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), has put ten data brokers on notice for possible violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) after flaws were exposed during a mystery shopping operation. Employees of the FTC posed as customers seeking background information about individuals in order to make decisions about things such as creditworthiness, eligibility for insurance, and also suitability for employment.

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If you’ve read any of the past articles posted to this blog, you know by now that not all background checks are created equal. Some companies choose not to be as thorough as they should, and that’s typically their decision as long as they stay within compliance.

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At Backgrounds Online, our constantly growing list of clients covers just about every industry that exists. One of noteworthy sensitivity is child care, and it’s absolutely imperative that a thorough background check be completed when hiring anyone in this field.

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It’s beginning to feel a lot like summer around here, and we all know that means more limitations on pre-employment screening. Colorado is following the lead of eight other states in limiting the use of credit reports as part of pre-employment screening. Colorado modeled its legislation after California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.

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Mistaken identity can cause a huge threat to employers and HR representatives when reviewing background check results, it’s important to always take the necessary steps to make sure adverse action is taken upon the proper individual.

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The “ban the box” movement continues to sweep the nation, drastically changing the hiring process for HR representatives all over the country. Lawmakers on city, county and state levels are deciding whether or not to allow employers to inquire about the criminal histories of their potential hires at the time of job application.

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Earlier this month, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) issued a warning to the public about a potential scam regarding employment background checks. Although this isn’t the first background check related scam we’ve caught wind of by any stretch of the imagination, this case is unique and has been making headlines.

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