How to Know When You Need to Run a Background Check
As trusting individuals, it may seem that running a background check on someone is a knee-jerk reaction or at best, an over-reaction. Humans naturally want to trust one another, but before you do, it is essential to know whether that person has earned this level of trust from you. As identity theft and con-artists become more prevalent, the need to run background checks has also risen. The good news is that with today’s technology, you can easily find background information with just a few clicks of a mouse. If you’re not sure whether you need to run a background check, here are a couple of instances where it would be extremely beneficial. 1. Online or Real-World Dating. When you start dating someone online, you are relying on them to tell you the truth about themselves. While the majority of people on the internet may be honest, forthright people, you cannot always rely on the information that they provide. If the person you have been dating online wants to meet with you in person, it becomes even more important to find out all that you can about them. Before you find out that the person you’ve been talking to is a 14 year old with too much time on their hands, take the time to run a background check. Even if you’re dating someone in the “real world” you can still benefit from running a background check. This can help you learn more about someone and can help you avoid making a mistake that may have large consequences. This is even more necessary if your children are using the internet to communicate with their online friends. Chat rooms have become breeding grounds for pedophiles and many children have been kidnapped, sexually abused or conned into giving pertinent information about where they live after online encounters. As a parent, do your best to find out as much as you can about your child’s online friends and if possible, run a background check on them. You may be surprised by the results. 2. Leasing property. When you entrust someone to care for your property, you should know as much about them as you can. Background checks can unearth information about past landlord/tenant disputes, problems with law enforcement, or even disputes over unpaid rent. You can save yourself a lot of time, money and possibly the destruction of your property by taking the time to run a background check on your prospective tenants. 3. Hiring a new employee. Is your new employee going to take your customer’s information and use it or sell it? Employee’s theft of customer identities is on the rise and you owe it to your company to make sure that your new employees are honest people without criminal records. This step can save you and your customers a great deal of money. Your loss prevention department can also use this information to cut down on employee theft or embezzlement.
