Social Security | VerifyProtect Blog

Identity Theft Alert: Be Careful When Making Copies

Friday, May 14th, 2010

You make copies of I9s, social security cards, driver’s licenses, etc. all the time. It’s just routine, right?

Certainly, it’s a common practice to take a record of a new employee’s information as well as other critical business and human resources docs, but have you ever wondered what happens when a copy is made?

Check out this investigative report from CBS. If you’re not thoroughly surprised and a little concerned, watch it again.

Does this mean that you should never use a copy machine? Of course not. But when you dispose of your digital imaging unit, it’s critical to have the drive scrubbed clean. That way, you’ll protect your business and your employees.

VerifyProtect: Fast, Secure, Affordable Background Checks.

Join VerifyProtect on Twitter.

Tags: Background Checks, Cbs, Critical Business, Digital Imaging, Human Resources, Identity Theft, Investigative Report, Social Security, Social Security Cards
Posted in Identity Theft, In the News, Security Risks | No Comments »

Should Background Checks Be Used at Homeless Shelters?

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

A recent editorial from the Northwest Herald (Illinois) caught our eye.

In the piece, editor Kevin Lyons makes a good case for homeless shelters to require those receiving long-term assistance to undergo background checks to ensure the safety of the other homeless persons. Basically, these types of background checks would screen out the more violent individuals, leading to a more secure experience and environment for the rest of the people at the shelters (including volunteers.)

It’s an interesting concept and one that could have many merits. Obviously, it would have to be studied to find out how background checks could easily be run on people who may not be willing to give their real names (or may not have or know their social security numbers.)

What do you think? Would background checks allow community homeless shelters to better serve their target populations?

VerifyProtect: Fast, Secure, Affordable Background Checks.

Join VerifyProtect on Twitter.

Tags: Background Checks, Editorial, Herald Illinois, Homeless Persons, Homeless Shelters, Kevin Lyons, Merits, Northwest Herald, People, Real Names, Social Security, Social Security Numbers, Target Populations, Term Assistance, Violent Individuals, Volunteers
Posted in Background Checks and Screening, In the News | No Comments »

The Simple Way to Choose the Background Screening You Need

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

You know you need to background screen new employees… but how do you decide what kind of background screening someone like Angela in accounting needs versus what Dwight in sales needs? (Any “Office” fans out there…?)

At VerifyProtect, we’ve developed a tool to help you instantly decide which background screening package is right for you. It’s fast, it’s simple and it’s accurate. Oh, and it’s right here.

All you have to do is answer a few questions, such as what type of position your new hire will have, whether or not the person will handle money and other various factors. It’s the quickest, most reliable way to choose what you need to keep your company safe.

Oh, and if you’re wondering… we would recommend at a bare minimum that Angela’s position be required to pass a multi-state criminal screening, pre-employment credit report, statewide criminal screening and previous employer verification. For Dwight, we’d recommend a social security search/trace, multi-state criminal screening, previous employer verification and statewide criminal check.

VerifyProtect: Fast, Secure, Affordable Background Checks.

Join VerifyProtect on Twitter.

Tags: Accounting, Angela, Background Checks, background screen, background screening, Bare Minimum, credit report, Criminal Screening, Dwight, Employer Verification, Employment Credit, Money, Social Security, social security search, State Employment, The Office
Posted in Background Checks and Screening | No Comments »

Legitimate Employers Don’t Ask for Background Screenings Upfront

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

No wonder so many job candidates don’t want to submit to background screenings; after all, there are plenty of scammers out there who try to get applicants to give them personal information before an interview has even taken place!

It’s important for all job seekers to realize that legitimate employers never ask for background screenings as part of the initial vetting process. It wouldn’t make sense (or “cents”.) Instead, legit companies wait until they have someone they’d like to hire, at which point they initiate a background check on that individual.

If you’re looking for new employment, never give out your information (e.g., social security number, bank account data, home address) until you and the prospective employer are in negotiations for your placement. Otherwise, you’re probably taking a huge risk.

Subscribe to this blog via email (input your information in the upper right-hand corner to be the first to receive VerifyProtect’s updates)
VerifyProtect: Fast, Secure, Affordable Background Checks.
Join VerifyProtect on Twitter.

Tags: background check, Background Checks, Background Screenings, Blog, Home Address, Information Security, job seekers, Legitimate Employers, Negotiations, Prospective Employer, Risk, Scammers, Security Bank, Social Security, Social Security Number, Vetting Process
Posted in Background Checks and Screening, Identity Theft | No Comments »