是否有完全免费的背景调查？
无论您是需要雇人做工作还是查看自己的历史，您都可能有兴趣寻找免费的背景调查服务。虽然一些提供商吹捧“完全免费的背景调查”，但这些服务的现实比选择免费或付费选项更为复杂。在这篇文章中，我们将探讨免费的背景调查，包括它们的利弊。
背景调查：免费与付费
真的有免费的背景调查服务吗？
从技术上讲，答案是肯定的。一个简单的谷歌搜索将显示有一些网站可以免费宣传快速的背景调查结果。理论上，背景调查的详细信息是可以访问的，因为这些检查旨在查找的大部分信息——从犯罪记录到法庭记录再到性犯罪者登记信息——都是公共记录。这些记录不被视为机密，在大多数情况下，任何人都可以访问或查看它们。其他类型的信息也是公共记录，例如结婚和离婚记录。
免费背景调查和付费背景调查之间存在明显区别。例如，虽然犯罪历史信息是公共记录，但这并不意味着可以免费找到它，无论是金钱还是劳动力和时间投入。与流行的看法相反，没有可以通过在线背景调查搜索轻松探索的犯罪记录中央数据库，也没有 Google 的犯罪记录版本。
逮捕记录和定罪记录通常在县一级归档，这意味着美国的犯罪记录来自 3,000 多个县。有时，县法院会向州资料库报告，这些资料库汇集了整个州的犯罪记录数据库。该信息可以在跨越全国记录的多辖区数据库中进行汇编。但是，这些较大的数据库中没有一个是全面的。
通常，提供免费在线背景调查的网站会为您提供多辖区数据库的搜索。然而，最好的数据库通常需要付费搜索，因为编译、更新和维护这些数据库需要花钱。
付费搜查还可能涉及在县法院进行的直接犯罪记录检查——这一过程有时需要法庭费用，甚至需要亲自到场的法庭工作人员。背景调查公司收取费用以支付这些额外步骤和费用的成本，以及它们所涉及的人工和时间。
我什么时候应该考虑进行付费背景调查？
您什么时候应该考虑选择付费背景筛查而不是尝试进行免费背景调查？总是。
准确、最新的背景调查需要花钱。虽然这些检查访问可公开访问的记录，但归档和保存这些记录的系统的规模和复杂性意味着找到准确和相关的公共记录信息比大多数人意识到的要困难。最好的背景调查服务始终是付费服务：您不仅要为记录付费，还要为知道如何找到它们并以易于理解的方式将它们传递给您的公司的专业知识付费。
在线背景信息数据库通常不完整、过时或不可靠。他们有最少的控制措施来防止误报。依赖它们可能意味着忽略新的定罪或危险信号，或者查找已被封存或删除的犯罪记录。最后，这些系统很少包括可以支持他们提供的报告的专业团队。
最好的背景调查服务是成熟的企业，它们可以提供指导、共享有关背景审查注意事项（例如《公平信用报告法》）的资源、回答您可能遇到的任何问题并提供有价值的客户服务渠道。
在 backgroundchecks.com，我们提供各种付费背景调查服务，从犯罪背景调查到民事法庭记录搜索，再到社会安全号码验证，可以验证一个人的身份、检查他们的地址历史并查找已知的别名或过去的名字。我们已根据这些服务提供的信息对其进行了合理定价，并且我们对完成向客户提供准确可靠信息所需的工作保持警惕。
无论您是对他人还是自己进行背景调查，可靠性都值得投资。
如何在线进行免费背景调查
如果您想对自己或其他人进行研究，互联网可能是一个有用的工具，但它并不总是可靠的。使用在线约会服务的个人通常会在同意约会或会议之前完成一些关于潜在联系的研究。虽然它不像完整的背景调查那么彻底，但此步骤可以让您安心。如果您希望进行免费背景调查，可以考虑以下几个渠道。
搜索引擎
简单地在谷歌上搜索某人不会花费一分钱，而且您可以获得关于他们的合理数量的信息。如果您正在寻找“免费背景调查”，谷歌可能是最好的起点。社交媒体资料、博客、YouTube 视频或播客、报纸文章以及个人或雇主网站上的个人简介只是您可以通过在 Google 中输入姓名来查找有关个人的一些资源。
如果结果不确定——如果你在谷歌上搜索一个有共同名字的人，这通常是一个问题——你可以尝试添加他们的中间名或中间名首字母、家乡、职业、雇主或公司名称，或任何其他可能有助于谷歌确定的补充信息您在搜索中寻找的人。
通常，如果您已经对某个人有所了解，那么搜索引擎研究是最有效的。了解他们的工作地点、年龄、长相和其他关键细节，可以更轻松地了解您是否在网上找到了合适的人。如果您在对个人的其他知识或信息最少的情况下按姓名进行搜索，您将无法知道您是在查找有关他们的信息还是与他们同名的人的信息。
社交网络
与使用 Google 一样，访问社交网络并在其中搜索个人是免费的选择。社交媒体的免费访问特性使其成为进行免费背景调查的常用工具。
在过去的 20 年里，用户在网上分享关于他们自己和他们的生活的私密细节变得越来越普遍。在此过程中，雇主使用社交媒体作为了解员工和潜在员工的工具也变得越来越普遍。您也可以通过这种方式更多地了解新邻居、同事或潜在的浪漫关系。
社交媒体背景调查有一些与搜索引擎检查相同的缺点，尤其是依靠 Facebook 或 Instagram 进行背景搜索很容易得到误报。
另一个缺点是用户有时会分享关于他们自己的非常个人化或私密的详细信息。其中一些细节——例如性取向、性别认同和政治派别——不应该被雇主访问，因为存在在招聘中产生偏见的风险。计划将社会资料作为就业前筛选的一部分的雇主应谨慎行事，以避免使自己处于做出不公平甚至歧视性招聘决定的境地。
社交媒体检查的最大例外是 LinkedIn，它的开发目的是创建一个专业的在线数据库。许多专业人士和求职者都活跃在 LinkedIn 上，维护包含最新简历信息、过去雇主的认可和其他详细信息的个人资料。在某些就业情况下，LinkedIn 可以成为一种有价值的招聘工具。
犯罪数据库
大多数免费的在线背景调查数据库都是犯罪背景调查数据库。这些数据库中很少是免费的：许多数据库宣传即时免费的背景调查结果，但一旦您输入名称并开始搜索，就会向您收费或向您追加销售。确实返回结果的免费背景调查数据库很少可靠。您不应该相信他们，尤其是在招聘情况和其他正式身份（例如住房申请或贷款申请）方面。
为获得最佳结果，请聘请经验丰富的背景调查公司来处理您的犯罪背景调查需求。
公共记录
通常，如果您直接访问来源，您会更幸运地搜索公共记录，从犯罪历史到民事法庭文件再到驾驶记录。免费搜索数据库的更新不一致，而且没有您想象的那么广泛。县法院、DMV 和其他直接数据源在一个地理区域内涵盖的信息范围更窄，但它们更准确。
在某些情况下，您可以免费在线搜索这些记录。在其他情况下，您可能需要支付费用或亲自前往某个地方才能完成搜索。
经常问的问题
背景调查可以提供哪些类型的信息？
答案取决于背景调查的类型。大多数提供免费背景调查的在线背景数据库都侧重于犯罪历史，其中可能包括逮捕记录或有关定罪的详细信息。然而，最好的背景调查服务将提供超越犯罪背景信息的选项。
其他类型的检查包括驾驶记录检查、简历信息验证（包括工作经历、教育和专业执照）、民事法庭记录搜索、参考检查和信用记录检查。大多数这些背景筛查无法从提供免费背景搜索选项的网站上获得。
免费的背景调查服务准确吗？
免费的背景调查永远不会像付费调查那样准确、彻底或最新。背景调查服务中的许多流程都涉及时间和劳动力——例如提取公共记录、将法庭执行官派往县法院以及维护专有数据库。最好的背景调查将要求您付钱给某人代表您投入时间和劳动。
我可以在未经他们许可的情况下对某人进行背景调查吗？
在某些情况下，例如如果您正在研究通过在线约会服务认识的某个人，您无需获得该人的许可即可继续进行背景调查。但是，如果您正在审查某人的工作、住房、贷款或其他正式或官方目的，则您有法律义务在继续进行检查之前通知他们并获得他们的许可。未能根据《公平信用报告法》获得书面许可可能会导致诉讼。
Whether you need to hire someone for a job or look at your own history, you might be interested in finding a free background check service. While some providers tout “totally free background checks,” the reality of these services is more complicated than choosing a free or paid option. In this post, we will explore free background checks, including their pros and cons.
Background Checks: Free vs Paid
Is there really such a thing as a free background check service?
Technically, the answer is yes. A simple Google search will show that there are websites that tout quick background check findings at no cost. In theory, background check details are accessible because most of the information that these checks are designed to find—from criminal records to court records to sex offender registry information—are public records. These records are not considered confidential, and in most cases, anyone can access or view them. Other types of information are public record, too, such as marriage and divorce records.
There is a distinct difference between a free background check and a paid one. While criminal history information is public record, for instance, that does not mean that there is no cost to finding it, whether monetary or in terms of labor and time commitment. Contrary to popular belief, there is no central database of criminal records that you can easily explore via online background check search, and there is no criminal record version of Google.
Arrest records and conviction records are typically filed at the county level, which means that crime records in the United States originate from more than 3,000 counties. Sometimes, county courthouses report into state repositories, which pull together criminal records databases for whole states. That information may be compiled in multi-jurisdictional databases that span records from across the nation. However, none of these larger databases are comprehensive.
Typically, a site offering free background checks online is offering you a search of a multi-jurisdictional database. However, the best databases usually require a paid search, as it costs money to compile, update, and maintain those databases.
Paid searches can also involve direct criminal records checks at county courthouses—a process that sometimes demands court fees or even in-person, on-the-ground court runners. A background check company charges a fee to cover the costs of these extra steps and expenses, as well as for the labor and time that they involve.
When Should I Consider a Paid Background Check?
When should you consider choosing a paid background screening rather than trying to run a free background check? Always.
Accurate, up-to-date background checks cost money. While these checks access records that are publicly accessible, the size and complexity of the systems that file and hold these records mean that finding accurate and relevant public record information is more difficult than most individuals realize. The best background check service will always be a paid service: you aren’t just paying for the records but also for the expertise of a company that knows how to find them and relay them to you in an easily digestible way.
Online background information databases are often incomplete, out-of-date, or otherwise unreliable. They have minimal controls to protect against false positives. Relying on them may mean overlooking newer convictions or red flags, or finding criminal records that have been sealed or expunged. Finally, these systems rarely include a professional team that can stand behind the reports that they provide.
The best background check services are full-fledged businesses that can provide guidance, share resources about background screening considerations such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act, answer any questions that you might have, and offer valuable customer service channels.
At backgroundchecks.com, we provide a variety of paid background check services ranging from criminal background checks to civil court records searches to Social Security Number validations that can verify a person’s identity, check their address history, and find known aliases or past names. We have reasonably priced these services for the information that they provide, and we are vigilant about completing the work necessary to provide accurate and reliable information to our customers.
Whether you are running a background check on someone else or yourself, reliability is worth the investment.
How to Run a Free Background Check Online
If you want to perform research about yourself or someone else, the internet can be a useful tool, but it is not always dependable. Individuals who use online dating services will often complete some research about a potential connection before agreeing to a date or meeting. While it is not as thorough as a full background check, this step can provide some peace of mind. Here are a few channels to consider if you wish to conduct a free background check.
Search Engines
Simply Googling someone won’t cost a cent, and you can net a reasonable amount of information about them. If you are looking for a “free background check,” Google might be the best place to start. Social media profiles, blogs, YouTube videos or podcasts, newspaper articles, and bios on personal or employer websites are just a few of the resources that you can find about an individual by typing their name into Google.
If results are inconclusive—often a problem if you are Googling someone with a common name—you might try adding their middle name or middle initial, hometown, profession, employer or business name, or any other supplementary piece of information that might help Google determine who you are looking for in your search.
Typically, search engine research is most effective if you already have some knowledge about the individual. Knowing where they work, how old they are, how they look, and other key details will make it easier to know whether you’ve found the right individual online. If you are searching by name with minimal other knowledge or information about the individual, you have no way of knowing whether you are finding information about them or someone who shares their name.
Social Networks
As with using Google, accessing social networks and searching for individuals on them are cost-free options. The free-access nature of social media makes it a common tool for running a free background check.
Over the past 20 years, it’s become much more common for users to share intimate details online about themselves and their lives. Along the way, it’s also become more common for employers to use social media as a tool for finding out about employees and prospective hires. You may be able to learn more about a new neighbor, coworker, or potential romantic connection this way as well.
Social media background checks have some of the same shortcomings that search engine checks do, particularly the fact that it’s very easy to get a false positive by relying on Facebook or Instagram for a background search.
The other shortcoming is that users sometimes share very personal or private details about themselves. Some of these details—such as sexual orientation, gender identification, and political affiliations—aren’t supposed to be accessible to employers for risk of creating a bias in hiring. Employers planning to look at social profiles as part of a pre-employment screening should tread carefully to avoid putting themselves in a position to make an unfair or even discriminatory hiring decision.
The biggest exception to social media checks is LinkedIn, which was developed with the intention of creating a professional online database. Many professionals and job seekers are active on LinkedIn, maintaining profiles that contain up-to-date resume information, endorsements from past employers, and other details. LinkedIn can be a valuable recruiting tool in some employment situations.
Criminal Databases
Most free online background check databases are criminal background check databases. Very few of these databases are free: many tout instant free background check results but will bill you or upsell you as soon as you enter a name and start your search. The free background check databases that do return results are rarely reliable. You should not trust them, especially in hiring situations and other formal capacities such as housing applications or loan applications.
For best results, hire an experienced background screening company to handle your criminal background check needs.
Public Records
Often, you will have better luck searching public records from criminal history to civil court filings to driving records if you go directly to the source. Free-to-search databases are inconsistently updated and not as broad as you might assume. County courts, DMVs, and other direct data sources cover a narrower range of information in one geographic area, but they are more accurate.
In some cases, you may be able to search these records online for free. In other cases, you may need to pay a fee or travel somewhere in person to complete a search.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of information are available in a background check?
The answer depends on the type of background check. Most online background databases that offer free background checks focus on criminal history, which may include arrest records or details about convictions. However, the best background check services will offer options that go beyond criminal background information.
Other types of checks are driving history checks, verifications of resume information (including work history, education, and professional licenses), civil court records searches, reference checks, and credit history checks. Most of these background screenings are not available from websites that offer the option to run a free background search.
Are free background check services accurate?
A free background check will never be as accurate, thorough, or up-to-date as a paid check. Many of the processes in a background check service involve time and labor—such as pulling public records, sending court runners to county courthouses, and maintaining proprietary databases. The best background check will require you to pay someone to put in that time and labor on your behalf.
Can I run a background check on someone without their permission?
In certain cases, such as if you are researching someone you have met through an online dating service, you do not need to obtain that person’s permission to move forward with a background check. However, if you are vetting someone for a job, housing, a loan, or other formal or official purposes, you are legally obligated to notify them and obtain their permission before moving forward with the check. Failure to get written permission in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act can result in lawsuits.
