This was a good article. Prior to retirement I was a fraud investigator for an insurance company. During that time I conducted over 1,000 in-depth background checks and would like to share some of the things I learned.
Commercial background check services generally scratch the surface of the available information, but are generally pretty good at picking up criminal histories (not all of them will pick up a Federal criminal conviction, depending on which one you use.) They are often terrible at picking up civil litigation, especially if the matter has not yet been fully adjudicated. For sensitive positions I would suggest a much more in-depth investigation than a pass/fail commercial background check. For example, I once investigated a new hire (in a department which handled a lot of checks) which turned out to be a serial rent scofflaw. She had used her knowledge of legal proceedings to avoid paying any rent FOR THE PRIOR EIGHT YEARS. She did this by tying up the eviction litigation with various motions until the landlord was so frustrated that they agreed to drop the proceeding if she would just go away; in one case the landlord paid her money to go away. In each of these litigations the plaintiff voluntarily dismissed the matter prior to any actual "verdict." None of the standard background search engines (Accurint, Clear, TLO) picked up these facts, and we only got wind of it from a realtor who knew one of our executives and alerted him to the possibility.
On the subject of background search engines, be aware that the report generated will sometimes conflate information of family members with the same name, or living in close proximity (i.e. Jim Jones I, Jim Jones Jr., Jim Jones IIII). Also, depending on the culture, persons from Spanish cultures may sometimes travel under several iterations of their name (i.e. Juan Carlos Valdez-Perez; Juan Perez; Carlos Valdez-Perez). In such cases it is important to confirm that the subject of the report is the same individual as the one you requested the report on. In such cases, I tried to locate data artifacts in the public records which would help identify my subject and rule out the others--things like signature exemplars on a mortgage or marriage license or traffic ticket. One background report I pulled showed that the subject had 49 prior felonies; a deeper look revealed that those belonged to several other individuals who shared the same name and the same general geographical area.
A social media search is a great source of information; it can give you an idea as to the company the subject keeps and who their friends are (but can be a little bit of a grey area, depending on where you reside). Although their friends list might be private, it is safe to assume that whomever comments on one of their photos is a friend or family. One of our company's directors once asked me to perform a background search on several women he was considering for a position of live-in nanny. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that his top pick had several Facebook accounts, one of which showed romantic photos of her with her boyfriend, whom I was able to identify as a local gang banger with a long rap sheet for violent assault, drugs and dealing in stolen property.
If you need to run a really deep background search, in addition to the commercial services, I suggest that you do the following:
>Check the Clerk of Court records for the counties the subject has lived in, including Official Records, Civil and Criminal Court records. These are often online, however in some of the smaller counties they may not be. Be aware that probate and family/domestic court records will be redacted--if you really need to see them, it will require a trip to the court house.
>Check social media. One subject was threatening our company with a religious discrimination lawsuit. He claimed to be Jewish and wanted to attend service during hours in which he was hired to work. The social media trail ultimately led to a time, only two years prior, where he claimed to be a Christian evangelist and was advertising himself as a revival speaker in a regional Charismatic publication.
>Check your state's Department of Corporations to see how many corporations they are/have been a principal in. Fraudsters will often open multiple corporations in order to deceive the unwary or play a shell game with process servers.
>Check the Federal Court Database- PACER- you will have to register for an account, and provide a credit card, but unless you are going to download a lot of information, the occasional search will not reach their de-minimis for billing. I once caught an insured who had filed an insurance claim for $200,000 in stolen property. Searching PACER showed that he had filed for bankruptcy 18 months earlier, listing only $3,200 in total property on his schedule of assets AND that he had been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his part in a (well known) crime family's fraudulent time share sales scheme. He had served 18 months and was currently out on probation. When his attorney heard these facts, he turned to his own client and said: "are you crazy, you want to go back to prison for 10 years?"
Most subjects won't need this level of background search, but for sensitive positions such as those who handle the money, I would recommend the extra effort that it entails.
AWESOME, Keith. I don’t know if you personally do the writing, or if you have “helpers.” But your writing skills are EXCELLENT. I love the organization of information and numbering-style to make it easier to read. I rarely find errors, and they are always minor. Bravo, sir.
ABOUT ME: I was involved in “classified projects” under government control for approximately 25 years, and finished my career in over 30 years in the legal field (part of those times overlapped). I was in charge of obtaining background checks for employees and storing/ maintaining classified records for 5 of those years (it was stressful 🤷🏻♂️). Now you know how important I am 😂
Okay, to ALL about this valuable article.
1. In the introduction, Keith stated to perform background checks on ALL volunteers. Do not skip anyone! From janitorial services through the Senior Pastor. ANYONE paid and ANYONE volunteering..all means all.
And, Keith mentioned this is an “essential step” in protecting the church (kids are your main concern). It’s a STEP. Don’t drop your guard just because you have this system in place. So I continue to encourage a policy that you must be a member for 1 year before working with minors. I know it sounds harsh, but it really does make some predators just go somewhere else…most want to get started right away.
2. Under the heading “Confidential,” (see also paragraphs “Legal and Ethical Considerations…Checks” and “Secure Storage”): I can not stress enough how important it is to take this one seriously. I would highly recommend finding someone who has experience in this area. Locked file cabinets are about as secure as wrapping it with kite twine and tying it with a bow. And we all know how fun it is to be notified that our data has been compromised at a company, and that usually only involves our current address and some financial data. If someone gets your background check info, “becoming you” through identity theft is now a walk in the park. I’ve been background checked too many times to count, and I still worry about who has my data how it’s being handled.
NOTE: Be smart; be inventive: I had one job where the company would only give me a plain-old-4-drawer-run of-the-mill file cabinet. The lock on these are a joke. So, I labeled the drawers with titles like, “University Policies on Grounds Maintenance.” Hardly something anyone cared about. It was really hard copies of background applications.
3. Under “Submit Information,” Keith lists previous addresses as part of the required information. True! But, if you’re like me and spent 8 years (or more) in the military, or maybe you just like to change houses a lot, you may not have a clue as to past addresses. Just be honest and come as close as possible. I was stationed on Coronado Island, CA for 3 months and lived off base. I just list the dates, as close as possible, and Coronado Island, CA as my address. I’ve never been denied a clearance/background check on lack of perfect addresses. TIP: If possible, keep a copy of yours for future reference/the next time.
3. Under “Volunteers,” Keith mentions being “fair” about approving people who may have some type of offenses on their record. I’m a huge believer in second chances. We’re all getting one through the shed blood of Jesus(Amen?). So be a blessing, not a roadblock. However, (😁) don’t be naive. Think it through, seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and don’t be overly enthusiastic about getting a new worker. Slow is good. If a person had anger management issues, there’s nothing wrong with being honest and saying, “really glad to have you on board; let’s start in this ministry-_______ , rather than with teens, because they even push my hot-buttons. Then we can move forward together.” If they get mad and are adamant about, “I work with the teens or not at all,” then you’ll know there’s still an anger management issue. Honesty is tough, but most people respect it.
4. NOTE TO KEITH: This was a long, but valuable article. Just a suggestion: Cut it off at the “Best Practices for Safeguarding Your Ministry.” While that part is also valuable, it is really a separate subject from background checks. It could easily be a standalone article/subject. It did contain some references to background checks, but they were probably covered in the main body of the article. It has been my experience that the majority of people won’t read long articles all the way through, at least not thoroughly. You’re probably an exception. Again, awesome work and very much needed. The devil’s in the details; you’re helping keep the devil at bay.
This was a good article. Prior to retirement I was a fraud investigator for an insurance company. During that time I conducted over 1,000 in-depth background checks and would like to share some of the things I learned.
Commercial background check services generally scratch the surface of the available information, but are generally pretty good at picking up criminal histories (not all of them will pick up a Federal criminal conviction, depending on which one you use.) They are often terrible at picking up civil litigation, especially if the matter has not yet been fully adjudicated. For sensitive positions I would suggest a much more in-depth investigation than a pass/fail commercial background check. For example, I once investigated a new hire (in a department which handled a lot of checks) which turned out to be a serial rent scofflaw. She had used her knowledge of legal proceedings to avoid paying any rent FOR THE PRIOR EIGHT YEARS. She did this by tying up the eviction litigation with various motions until the landlord was so frustrated that they agreed to drop the proceeding if she would just go away; in one case the landlord paid her money to go away. In each of these litigations the plaintiff voluntarily dismissed the matter prior to any actual "verdict." None of the standard background search engines (Accurint, Clear, TLO) picked up these facts, and we only got wind of it from a realtor who knew one of our executives and alerted him to the possibility.
On the subject of background search engines, be aware that the report generated will sometimes conflate information of family members with the same name, or living in close proximity (i.e. Jim Jones I, Jim Jones Jr., Jim Jones IIII). Also, depending on the culture, persons from Spanish cultures may sometimes travel under several iterations of their name (i.e. Juan Carlos Valdez-Perez; Juan Perez; Carlos Valdez-Perez). In such cases it is important to confirm that the subject of the report is the same individual as the one you requested the report on. In such cases, I tried to locate data artifacts in the public records which would help identify my subject and rule out the others--things like signature exemplars on a mortgage or marriage license or traffic ticket. One background report I pulled showed that the subject had 49 prior felonies; a deeper look revealed that those belonged to several other individuals who shared the same name and the same general geographical area.
A social media search is a great source of information; it can give you an idea as to the company the subject keeps and who their friends are (but can be a little bit of a grey area, depending on where you reside). Although their friends list might be private, it is safe to assume that whomever comments on one of their photos is a friend or family. One of our company's directors once asked me to perform a background search on several women he was considering for a position of live-in nanny. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that his top pick had several Facebook accounts, one of which showed romantic photos of her with her boyfriend, whom I was able to identify as a local gang banger with a long rap sheet for violent assault, drugs and dealing in stolen property.
If you need to run a really deep background search, in addition to the commercial services, I suggest that you do the following:
>Check the Clerk of Court records for the counties the subject has lived in, including Official Records, Civil and Criminal Court records. These are often online, however in some of the smaller counties they may not be. Be aware that probate and family/domestic court records will be redacted--if you really need to see them, it will require a trip to the court house.
>Check social media. One subject was threatening our company with a religious discrimination lawsuit. He claimed to be Jewish and wanted to attend service during hours in which he was hired to work. The social media trail ultimately led to a time, only two years prior, where he claimed to be a Christian evangelist and was advertising himself as a revival speaker in a regional Charismatic publication.
>Check your state's Department of Corporations to see how many corporations they are/have been a principal in. Fraudsters will often open multiple corporations in order to deceive the unwary or play a shell game with process servers.
>Check the Federal Court Database- PACER- you will have to register for an account, and provide a credit card, but unless you are going to download a lot of information, the occasional search will not reach their de-minimis for billing. I once caught an insured who had filed an insurance claim for $200,000 in stolen property. Searching PACER showed that he had filed for bankruptcy 18 months earlier, listing only $3,200 in total property on his schedule of assets AND that he had been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his part in a (well known) crime family's fraudulent time share sales scheme. He had served 18 months and was currently out on probation. When his attorney heard these facts, he turned to his own client and said: "are you crazy, you want to go back to prison for 10 years?"
Most subjects won't need this level of background search, but for sensitive positions such as those who handle the money, I would recommend the extra effort that it entails.
Great info Richard! Thanks for sharing.
AWESOME, Keith. I don’t know if you personally do the writing, or if you have “helpers.” But your writing skills are EXCELLENT. I love the organization of information and numbering-style to make it easier to read. I rarely find errors, and they are always minor. Bravo, sir.
ABOUT ME: I was involved in “classified projects” under government control for approximately 25 years, and finished my career in over 30 years in the legal field (part of those times overlapped). I was in charge of obtaining background checks for employees and storing/ maintaining classified records for 5 of those years (it was stressful 🤷🏻♂️). Now you know how important I am 😂
Okay, to ALL about this valuable article.
1. In the introduction, Keith stated to perform background checks on ALL volunteers. Do not skip anyone! From janitorial services through the Senior Pastor. ANYONE paid and ANYONE volunteering..all means all.
And, Keith mentioned this is an “essential step” in protecting the church (kids are your main concern). It’s a STEP. Don’t drop your guard just because you have this system in place. So I continue to encourage a policy that you must be a member for 1 year before working with minors. I know it sounds harsh, but it really does make some predators just go somewhere else…most want to get started right away.
2. Under the heading “Confidential,” (see also paragraphs “Legal and Ethical Considerations…Checks” and “Secure Storage”): I can not stress enough how important it is to take this one seriously. I would highly recommend finding someone who has experience in this area. Locked file cabinets are about as secure as wrapping it with kite twine and tying it with a bow. And we all know how fun it is to be notified that our data has been compromised at a company, and that usually only involves our current address and some financial data. If someone gets your background check info, “becoming you” through identity theft is now a walk in the park. I’ve been background checked too many times to count, and I still worry about who has my data how it’s being handled.
NOTE: Be smart; be inventive: I had one job where the company would only give me a plain-old-4-drawer-run of-the-mill file cabinet. The lock on these are a joke. So, I labeled the drawers with titles like, “University Policies on Grounds Maintenance.” Hardly something anyone cared about. It was really hard copies of background applications.
3. Under “Submit Information,” Keith lists previous addresses as part of the required information. True! But, if you’re like me and spent 8 years (or more) in the military, or maybe you just like to change houses a lot, you may not have a clue as to past addresses. Just be honest and come as close as possible. I was stationed on Coronado Island, CA for 3 months and lived off base. I just list the dates, as close as possible, and Coronado Island, CA as my address. I’ve never been denied a clearance/background check on lack of perfect addresses. TIP: If possible, keep a copy of yours for future reference/the next time.
3. Under “Volunteers,” Keith mentions being “fair” about approving people who may have some type of offenses on their record. I’m a huge believer in second chances. We’re all getting one through the shed blood of Jesus(Amen?). So be a blessing, not a roadblock. However, (😁) don’t be naive. Think it through, seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and don’t be overly enthusiastic about getting a new worker. Slow is good. If a person had anger management issues, there’s nothing wrong with being honest and saying, “really glad to have you on board; let’s start in this ministry-_______ , rather than with teens, because they even push my hot-buttons. Then we can move forward together.” If they get mad and are adamant about, “I work with the teens or not at all,” then you’ll know there’s still an anger management issue. Honesty is tough, but most people respect it.
4. NOTE TO KEITH: This was a long, but valuable article. Just a suggestion: Cut it off at the “Best Practices for Safeguarding Your Ministry.” While that part is also valuable, it is really a separate subject from background checks. It could easily be a standalone article/subject. It did contain some references to background checks, but they were probably covered in the main body of the article. It has been my experience that the majority of people won’t read long articles all the way through, at least not thoroughly. You’re probably an exception. Again, awesome work and very much needed. The devil’s in the details; you’re helping keep the devil at bay.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU DO!
ABC
Great piece. Emphasizing the duty to protect, particularly children, is crucial.