是否对您进行了背景调查？

你怎么知道是否有人对你进行了背景调查？在这篇文章中，我们将研究背景筛查、某人可能使用它们的场景、有关背景筛查披露的法律法规等。  

介绍

有人在你的过去挖掘吗？背景调查在就业和住房筛选以及其他查询中很常见。但是，个人也可能在其他情况下对您进行背景调查，无论是执行“信任但验证”研究的浪漫伴侣，还是决定您是否值得他们花时间的潜在商业伙伴。

想知道是否有人在您的历史中闲逛是可以理解的。隐私是一件宝贵的事情，如果有人在您不知情或未经您许可的情况下了解您，这可能会让您感到不舒服。你怎么知道有人对你进行了背景调查？

披露和同意：工作、住房等的背景调查

了解某人是否对您进行了背景调查的最简单方法是直接听取他们的意见。 

背景调查在招聘过程中最为常见。雇主想知道他们正在招聘谁，而聘用前背景调查可让您高枕无忧。通过使用就业背景调查来验证简历信息并检查危险信号，雇主可以保护自己、他们的客户和他们的其他员工——以及公众——免受潜在的疏忽。然而，虽然大多数雇主对他们雇用的每一位员工进行背景调查，但他们不能不通过特定的披露和同意步骤来这样做。

在进行背景调查时，雇主必须遵守《公平信用报告法》或 FCRA。FCRA 包括多项指南。 

首先，雇主必须提供一份披露表格，通知背景调查的对象。此披露必须与除背景调查同意书以外的所有其他申请表和材料分开。受试者必须同意，确认他或她收到了披露，并允许雇主继续进行背景调查。任何雇主都不能在不遵守此协议的情况下合法地对您进行任何背景调查——无论是犯罪记录搜索还是工作经历验证。 

您永远不应该怀疑招聘经理是否对您进行了就业前背景调查。如果没有提供披露或同意，那么要么没有背景调查，要么雇主的就业筛选过程违反了法律。

在所有类似情况下，您都需要同意进行背景调查，例如当您申请住房或贷款或信用卡时。在这些申请过程中，物业经理、信贷员或信用卡公司必须披露他们调查您背景的意图。您需要同意这些背景调查才能继续进行。

其他背景调查情况

背景调查不仅限于工作、住房、贷款或信用卡申请。邻居可能会对您进行背景调查，以确保他们没有住在毒贩的隔壁。潜在的另一半可能会进行背景筛查，看看您是否有犯罪背景。潜在的商业伙伴可能会检查您的过去，看看您是否有任何破产或曾经卷入过严重的民事案件。

在大多数情况下，这些背景调查不如涉及就业或贷款申请的检查正式。个人审查您可能不会使用除 Google 搜索之外的任何资源来调查您的背景，但他们也可能会支付专业的背景调查费用。在任何一种情况下，您都不太可能收到有关这些背景调查的披露或同意请求。 

您可能会惊讶地发现，后台数据并未隐藏或保护在只能由某些个人或团体访问的私人中心中。大多数背景数据都是公共记录——犯罪记录、民事法庭记录和信用记录都是公共记录中的信息示例。 

虽然有关于如何使用这些记录的法律、限制和规定，但同样的限制并不总是适用于访问信息。正是出于这个原因，邻居、恋人或潜在的商业伙伴可以在您不知情或未经您同意的情况下检查您的背景并查找有关您的信息。

您如何跟踪这些背景调查是否正在发生？在许多情况下，您不能这样做，例如，如果有人使用 Google 查找有关您的信息，则无法阻止或跟踪该行为。您可以设置 Google 快讯以在线查找新的提及您姓名的内容，但您无法随时知道是谁在执行这些搜索。同样的原则适用于许多其他类型的背景调查，从犯罪历史筛查到性犯罪者登记处搜索。如果信息的预期用途不需要您的同意，您通常无法确定是否有人在调查您的过去。

信用报告是一个例外：您可以设置信用监控来跟踪个人、机构或企业检查您的信用记录的情况。出于多种原因，此服务很有用。首先，它可以防止身份盗用。如果有人在您不知情的情况下提取您的信用报告，则很有可能是身份盗窃或欺诈。其次，当有人对您进行背景调查时，信用监控可以让您了解最新情况。 

由于除非您收到披露信息，否则很难跟踪其他类型的检查，因此知道有一种可以持续跟踪的背景检查类型会令人感到欣慰。

对自己进行背景调查

最终，对你的生活影响最大的背景调查——找工作、买公寓或贷款——是需要你事先同意的背景调查。虽然您可能并不总是知道它们正在发生，但其他检查通常对您的日常生活不太重要。因此，了解背景调查报告上显示的内容可能比有人访问时更重要。

对自己进行背景调查是了解雇主、房东和潜在合作伙伴可能会看到什么的一种方式。如果有任何不准确之处，您可以在它们不公平地使您失去机会之前解决它们。

如果雇主在招聘过程中对您进行背景调查，并根据您的背景调查决定取消您的工作机会，您将能够根据 FCRA 的要求查看报告副本。尽管如此，在它影响了你的工作机会之后看到这份报告——即使你可以对就业背景调查结果提出异议——比在你申请之前发现这些问题更令人担忧。这个概念反映了对自己进行背景调查的价值。   

经常问的问题

当有人对您进行背景调查时，会显示什么？

这个问题的答案取决于支票的类型。犯罪记录检查可以发现犯罪历史事件。工作经历验证检查将涉及检查您在简历中提供的工作经历信息是否准确。民事历史法庭检查会发现您过去参与过的民事案件。驾驶记录检查将显示驾照吊销、违规和其他与驾驶相关的详细信息。  

您可以在某人不知情的情况下对其进行背景调查吗？

如果您是雇主、房东、债权人或出于正式目的调查个人背景的任何其他人，则法律可能要求您通知对象您计划进行背景调查。如果您正在调查一个不太正式的人——例如，如果您通过约会应用程序与陌生人联系并想在同意与他们约会之前了解更多信息——那么您可以在他们不知情的情况下调查他们的背景。

我怎么知道我是否通过了背景调查？

在任何雇佣过程中，如果您未通过背景调查，FCRA 要求雇主以书面形式通知您。类似的法律适用于住房和其他正式的背景调查情况。如果您没有收到您未通过检查的不利行动通知，您可能已经通过了背景调查。

您应该对自己进行背景调查吗？

在开始找工作、申请住房或寻求贷款之前，对自己进行检查总是值得的。例如，也许您过去曾因犯罪而被定罪，但此后从您的记录中删除了该定罪。对自己进行背景调查是确保记录被正确删除并且不会出现在就业筛选或住房背景调查中的一种方法。或者，您可能正在申请涉及驾驶的工作并希望查看自己的驾驶记录。在任何这些情况下，自我搜索都是明智的一步。 

How can you know whether someone has run a background check on you ? In this post, we will examine background screenings, the scenarios in which someone may use them, laws and regulations around background screening disclosures, and more.

Introduction

Is someone digging around in your past? Background checks are common during employment and housing screenings, among other queries. However, individuals might run background checks on you in other scenarios as well, whether it’s a romantic partner performing “trust but verify” research or a potential business partner deciding whether you are worthy of their time.

It is understandable to want to know if someone is poking around in your history. Privacy is a precious thing, and it can be uncomfortable to think that someone is learning about you without your knowledge or permission. How can you tell if someone ran a background check on you?

Disclosure and Consent: Background Checks for Jobs, Housing, and More

The easiest way to know whether someone has run a background check on you is to hear it from them directly. 

Background checks are most common in the hiring process. Employers want to know who they are hiring, and pre-employment background checks provide peace of mind. By using an employment background check to verify resume information and check for red flags, employers protect themselves, their customers, and their other employees—as well as the public—from potential oversights. However, while most employers run background checks on every employee they hire, they can’t do so without going through specific steps for disclosure and consent.

When running a background check, an employer is beholden to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, or FCRA. The FCRA includes multiple guidelines. 

To start, the employer must provide a disclosure form notifying the subject of the background check. This disclosure must be separate from all other application forms and materials except the background check consent form. The subject must provide consent, verifying that he or she received the disclosure and gives the employer permission to move forward with the background check. No employer can legally run any background check on you—be it a criminal history search or an employment history verification—without following this protocol. 

You should never be left wondering whether a hiring manager ran a pre-employment background check on you. If there was no disclosure or consent provided, then there was either no background check or the employer broke the law with their employment screening process.

You will need to provide consent for background checks in all similar situations, such as when you apply for housing or for a loan or credit card. During these application processes, the property manager, loan officer, or credit card company must disclose their intentions to investigate your background. You will need to give consent for these background checks to move forward.

Other Background Check Situations

Background checks are not exclusive to jobs, housing, loans, or credit card applications. A neighbor might run a background check on you to make sure that they aren’t living next-door to a drug dealer. A potential significant other might conduct a background screening to see if you have a criminal background. A potential business partner might examine your past to see if you have any bankruptcies or have ever been involved in a serious civil case.

In most cases, these background checks are less formal than checks involving employment or loan applications. The individual vetting you might not use any resources beyond Google searches to look into your background, though they may also pay for a professional background check. In either case, you are unlikely to receive a disclosure or consent request for these background checks. 

You may be surprised to learn that background data is not hidden or secured in a private hub that can only be accessed by certain individuals or groups. Most background data is public record—criminal records, civil court records, and credit records are all examples of info in the public record. 

While there are laws, limits, and regulations about how these records can be used, the same restrictions don’t always apply to accessing the information. It is for this reason that neighbors, romantic interests, or potential business partners can check your background and find information about you without your knowledge or consent.

How can you track whether these background checks are happening? In many cases, you can’t—for example, if someone uses Google to find out things about you, there’s no way to prevent or track that behavior. You can set up a Google Alert to find new mentions of your name online, but you can’t know who is performing those searches at any time. The same principle applies to many other types of background checks, from criminal history screenings to sex offender registry searches. If the intended use of the information does not require your consent, you usually cannot determine whether someone is looking into your past.

Credit reports are an exception: you can set up credit monitoring to track instances when individuals, agencies, or businesses check your credit history. This service is useful for several reasons. First, it protects against identity theft. If someone is pulling your credit report without your knowledge, there is a good chance that identity theft or fraud is at play. Second, credit monitoring can keep you updated when someone runs this background check on you. 

Since tracking other types of checks is difficult unless you’ve received a disclosure, it can be comforting to know that there is a type of background check that you can track consistently.

Running a Background Check on Yourself

Ultimately, the background checks that will have the most impact on your life—to get a job, an apartment, or a loan—are the ones that will require your consent up front. While you might not always know that they are happening, other checks are typically less significant to your day-to-day life. As such, it may be more critical to know what appears on your background check report than when someone is accessing it.

Conducting a background check on yourself is one way to see what employers, landlords, and potential partners may see. If there are any inaccuracies, you can address them before they cost you an opportunity unfairly.

If an employer runs a background check on you as part of a hiring process and decides to disqualify you from the job opportunity based on your background check, you will be able to see a copy of the report under the requirements of the FCRA. Still, seeing this report after it has impacted your job chances—even if you can dispute the employment background check findings—is more concerning than detecting these issues before you have applied. That concept reflects the value of running background checks on yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

When someone does a background check on you, what shows up?

The answer to this question depends on the type of check. A criminal records check could find criminal history incidents. An employment history verification check will involve checking that the work history information you provided on your resume is accurate. A civil history court check will find civil cases that you’ve been involved with in the past. A driving record check will show license suspensions, infractions, and other driving-related details.

Can you run a background check on someone without them knowing?

If you are an employer, a landlord, a creditor, or anyone else looking into an individual’s background for formal purposes, you are likely required by law to notify the subject that you plan to run a background check. If you are investigating someone less formally—such as if you have connected with a stranger via a dating app and want to learn more about them before agreeing to meet them for a date—then you can look into their background without them knowing.

How do I know if I passed my background check?

During any employment process, employers are required by the FCRA to notify you in writing if you have failed a background check. Similar laws apply to housing and other formal background checking situations. You have likely passed a background check if you do not receive an adverse action notice that you have failed the check.

Should you do a background check on yourself?

Running a check on yourself is always worthwhile before starting a job search, applying for housing, or seeking a loan. For instance, perhaps you have been convicted of a crime in the past but have since had that conviction expunged from your record. Running a background search on yourself is one way to make sure that the record was properly expunged and won’t appear on an employment screening or housing background check. Alternatively, maybe you are applying for a job that involves driving and want to view