Criminal Background Records Blog - Public Records

Criminal Records Expungement

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:12:00 GMT

The role, process and reasons for expungement within the criminal background check industry,
along with why it uses and needs the criminal record expungement option.

An expungement proceeding is a legal action in which someone with a criminal conviction record gets approved by a court judge to have their criminal record sealed or destroyed. The current dictionary definition of an expungement is “The process by which record of criminal conviction is destroyed or sealed after the expiration of time."

There is not one universal way to get criminal conviction records expunged. The laws surrounding expunging records from file are different from state to state and jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The process itself is not a criminal proceeding, but a civil action where the person wishing to eliminate a certain criminal record goes before a judge as the plaintiff, and then makes a request for their criminal record to be removed as a public record. Even if the request is granted the criminal record in question would still exist to certain government eyes, but would no longer be of public record. To the person getting the expungement, they can go on as if the criminal record never existed and legally does not have to tell any future employer or anyone else about the expunged criminal record. Criminal records are indeed public records as criminals are not a protected class and their criminal activity (crimes for which they have been convicted of in a court of law) remains available to the general public.

Most often, once a criminal record is sealed or expunged, all records relating to the court case get removed from public record. In many instances online criminal data providers may still show expunged records in their repositories. They do of course (by law) have to delete these records, but must be given notice first. After a judge has formally expunged a criminal record on an individual, that person can then legally deny or fail to acknowledge ever having been convicted with that crime. This means that the person whose record is expunged can treat the event as if it never occurred.

Eligibility for an expungement of a criminal conviction record is based on the current law of the jurisdiction/court in which the criminal record was created. The person to whom the criminal record is attached to is usually the only one that can petition for an expungement. In order to qualify for consideration of an expungement the individual in question must meet certain conditions before a formal hearing can take place. Here are some general conditions usually in place in any US State or jurisdiction:

The seriousness of the offense convicted of and the type of offense committed (felony vs. misdemeanor etc.)
Completing satisfactorily the terms of any previous sentence
The amount of past incidents that are on your file
You must have completed all probation requirements without any incidents
Satisfying a certain waiting period between the incident and expungement
Cannot have any incidents that interfere or intersect with the criminal record in question
Cannot have any other ongoing or pending criminal investigations or proceedings at the time of request

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com gets requests all the time asking to remove criminal conviction records from its system and to permanently delete them from all source data feeds containing the criminal record. CriminalBackgroundRecords.com always complies with these requests as long as they are backed up with the appropriate legal documents. Only a United States judge can grant an expungement.

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CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is “An Information Enterprises Solution”

Data Relevancy and New Precision Search Matching

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:05:00 GMT

And other reasons why it is a good time to check out or re-visit CriminalBackgroundRecords.com

More and more of our prospective clients have been telling us that they want more relevant criminal history reports with higher precision and less frivolous and erroneous data. They want to look at a report, know it is the person they have investigated and have the information they are seeking perfectly clear in front of them. They do not want to spend their time trying to decipher complicated, confusing and poorly formatted criminal background record reports.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com over the years has established its reputation as a company that not only listens to their customers requests, but also makes changes and product upgrades according to them. Over the course of this year CriminalBackgroundRecords.com has made unprecedented upgrades to the overall quality of its criminal history reports. The two major initiatives they focused on were report-formatting and data relevancy. The site has also invested heavily in a new precision search algorithm that gives its clients the information that they are seeking without bogging them down with irrelevant or unnecessary data. In addition to these achievements CriminalBackgroundRecords.com has also made significant advancements in its overall background checking retrieval system, making this a good time to visit or re-visit the site as a candidate for your criminal background retrieval requirements.

2 BIG Reasons why it is a Good Time to Visit or Re-Visit www.CriminalBackgroundRecords.com

REASON #1 – Along with offering monthly billing, packaged background check solutions (including Employment Screening packages), we are now giving better pricing than we were able to offer last year.

REASON #2 – Better quality criminal history reports with a better background retrieval system (which now incorporates precision search matching with higher data relevancy).

Our Proposal to your Company:
We are currently offering heavily discounted pricing for the following Background Check Package:

You get both of the above background checks plus a Free National Sex Offender Check, Free America’s Most Wanted Search and Free International Terrorist Database Search for one low bundled price.

If this is the solution you are looking for, please let us know by sending an email to: bd@CriminalBackgroundRecords.com and a representative will then contact you straight away.

This has been a CriminalBackgroundRecords.com News Publication - All rights reserved
CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is “An Information Enterprises Solution”

Outsource Your Criminal Background Check Requirements

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:05:00 GMT

Businesses & Organizations across the country are trusting CriminalBackgroundRecords.com with their Criminal Background Retrieval Needs, Find out how to Join Them!

Information Enterprises, inc. CriminalBackgroundRecords.com site has been pioneering the criminal background check industry for almost a decade. During that time the site has been constantly evolving to meet the requirements of its customers and the background retrieval industry. If you are looking for a trusted partner to perform your background checks, you won’t be disappointed with CriminalBackgroundRecords.com.

Below is a snapshot of what background checks and solutions the site is currently offering the marketplace.

Our current individual product offering is as follows:

*To qualified companies and organizations we also offer other products like Eviction Record Checks, Credentials Checks, and Professional Verifications including Education & Employment Verifications.

**All our Criminal Background Checks come with a free National Sex Offender Check, free America's Most Wanted Criminals List Search, and free International Terrorist Background Search.

Our current screening solutions are:

Employment Screening - available to any business & organization based in the USA
Tenant Screening – available to every landlord, leasing agent, realtor, property manager, apartment management company & owner in the USA
Applicant Screening - available to any legitimate organization based in the USA

We also offer custom made background check solutions to the US Federal Government, All 50 US States, all 3,143 counties and every city, town, parish and local government in the USA. Our government codes are as follows:

CAGE/NCAGE CODE: 4EY40
NAICS: 561611
SIC: 7375

This has been a CriminalBackgroundRecords.com News Publication - All rights reserved
CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is “An Information Enterprises Solution”

Central Billing for Multiple Accounts

Fri, 15 May 2009 14:27:00 GMT

Now Offering Central Billing for Multiple Accounts
Along with Administrative Usage Monitoring, Reporting & Control
For Large Companies and Organizations in the USA

Due to large demand of central control for criminal background checks, employment screening and tenant screening in the USA, CriminalBackgroundRecords.com has created a new environment now available for companies and organizations operating in multiple offices, areas and states. These clients wanted multiple accounts/users, and central administrative usage monitoring and reporting. This is now possible with CriminalBackgroundRecords.com and is becoming a much more popular background screening solution with large processing customers throughout America.

This is how it works and how we customize this solution for well qualified customers:

Define how many individual user accounts need to be setup along with which background checks each of them are allowed to perform.
Each user account needs to fill out our Monthly Billing application form as each User ID needs to be registered (we walk each individual user through this process if need be).
We setup a Master Account that can monitor and view the transactional usage & other activity on all the individual user accounts from one view.
• We will create the Master Account for you or whoever is going to be overseeing/monitoring your transactions including all criminal background checks.
We will send you a monthly invoice each month that includes all of the individual user accounts on it. Very simple, just one bill each month for all activity.
If your goal is to start running background checks in such a system ASAP, we will have a business development representative work with you on setting up all your accounts and other necessary prep work. Remember significant volume discounts are available so please ask about our pricing.
We can have all your user accounts, master account, billing etc., all setup within a few days!

This opportunity is extremely valuable to large corporations, organizations and government agencies that have or want individual user accounts across multiple offices or states. This new platform gives your organization the flexibility of multiple user accounts and the security and oversight that comes with central control (through usage monitoring and all encompassing reports). CriminalBackgroundRecords.com delivers this new platform complete with central invoicing, administrative access and only one bill to pay each month which includes a breakdown of all individual user account activity.

For more information regarding this new platform or to sign up for it, please contact our Business Development Team at: bd@infoeinc.com or bd@CriminalBackgroundRecords.com

This has been a CriminalBackgroundRecords.com News Publication - All rights reserved
CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is “An Information Enterprises Solution”

Tenant Screening Background Checks

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:14:00 GMT

How Criminal Background Checks and Verifying Your Applicants SSN

Fits into Your Tenant Screening Model

Tenant Screening and Resident Screening also known as Applicant Screening or Rental Screening is the process of discovering whether or not a potential renter meets an already established rental acceptance criteria. This article seeks to explain that criminal background checks and social security number validations discover information about an applicant that could reveal data inconsistent with that provided on a rental application. It will also bring to light the benefits of adding these additional screening components to your existing tenant screening processes, and how they can aid in keeping your community safe while at the same time preventing costly evictions, lawsuits and even property damage.

Why should I pay for Criminal Background Checks as part of my Tenant Screening process?

Performing a statewide criminal background check or national criminal background check used to take more than a day to complete, making it difficult for apartment unit leasing agents to make quick decisions on perspective tenants. Now most applicants apply to many rental properties before moving in to one and do not have the patience or the liberty to wait more than a day to find out if they have been accepted. If you are one of those residential communities that never ran criminal checks because they took to long, it may now be time to re-consider.

These days property owners, apartment managers and landlords have the dual responsibility of running both a profitable operation and providing a safe environment for their residents to live in. They understand that running a profitable apartment rental business and keeping their community safe are not conflicting initiatives.

What is Considered Negligent Leasing in the Apartment Industry Today?

When a lease is signed prematurely it can result into negligent leasing. To avoid the risks associated with premature leasing it is recommended that you complete a series of background checks including a criminal background check and social security number validation on your applicant(s) prior to signing a lease. These background checks can reveal applicant fraud and past criminal convictions that are considered rejectionable offenses and can be filtered out prior to leasing. Verifying the information disclosed on a rental application is the responsibility of the party leasing the apartment unit. Conducting employment verifications internally or outsourcing them is also highly recommended prior to leasing.

Recidivism in the form of repeat offenders can be discovered by running a simple criminal background check prior to signing a lease. You can reduce your exposure to real risks present when screening new tenants by running criminal background checks. Properties trying to avoid theft, violence and property damage by previous offenders can accomplish this by running a criminal history check on applicants before accepting them and signing a lease.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com makes the criminal background checking process easy and does it by meeting the demands of realtors, landlords, property managers, property owners and apartment leasing agents in the USA. Adding a criminal background check and social security number validation to your applicant screening model will benefit your overall goals of profitability and community safety.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com provides criminal background checks and social security number validations in the form of professional informational reports. We do this online for a reasonable fee, and provide exceptional service to all our clients. We offer criminal background checks at the state, county, and national levels and grant generous discounts to qualified businesses and organizations throughout the United States of America.

We only serve the American Marketplace.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is “An Information Enterprises Solution”

Employment Screening Background Checks & FCRA Compliance

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:31:00 GMT

The staff at CriminalBackgroundRecords.com has heard from human resources managers, individuals and other corporate personnel throughout the United States regarding issues pertaining to employment screening practices. What we have found is that there is a lot of confusion and uncertainty regarding the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) and what real life employment screening practices need to do to remain or become compliant. The top issues on this list include how to appropriately use public records like criminal background checks in the business world, how to protect yourself from applicant fraud, and how to ensure that your company has procedures compliant with applicable law relating to hiring, firing or promoting of employees primarily as defined in the FCRA. This article addresses these concerns and demonstrates why using a background check provider like CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is a wise choice in today’s market place. The availability and feasibility of quality criminal background checks, along with social security validation, gives employers the ability to effectively screen applicants within their desired timeframe demanded by the industry.

Today there is another tool available to employers in addition to criminal background checks. This tool is the social security number & address history trace. This important new component to a sound employment screening model is known as an SSN Trace, SSN Validation, or SSN Check. This quick search can determine if the SSN being used by an applicant is in fact valid, and to ensure that this applicant is in truth who they claim to be. Performing a criminal background check today in conjunction with an SSN Validation and address history trace is a wise choice.

Commonly asked Employment Screening Questions:

Do all employers need to have applicants or employees sign a release form before performing a background check? YES, and must give disclosure (FCRA - 1681B).
If an applicant/employee requests to review a copy of their criminal background record, does the employer need to show or provide a copy of the criminal record to the applicant? NO, under federal law you are not required too, unless there is an adverse action. However, state laws vary; for instance Massachusetts Law gives all employees full access to their files at their place of employment.
If an employer takes adverse action on an applicant or employee because of a criminal background check, does the employer need to give notice stating that a criminal background check has adversely affected them? YES, employers must notify the applicant.
Are employers required to keep criminal background checks on file? Currently this is up to the judgment of the employer.
Knowing that a county criminal search is the most trusted criminal history check available in the USA today, why do employers run instant state or instant national criminal background checks first and not county checks? Coverage - They want a larger area covered to enhance their chances of finding a record if in fact one exists. Speed - A county search can take days to complete and in order to not create a bottleneck in employment screening processes, the faster searches are preferred. NOTE: The quality of instant criminal searches has dramatically improved over the years. Statewide instant criminal background checks & the National instant criminal background check if accessed through a provider like CriminalBackgroundRecords.com are now very reliable.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) & Background Checks (Public Records) for Employment Purposes
(Sections 604, 606, & 615 of the FCRA explain the responsibilities of using consumer reports for employment purposes.)

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com adheres to part 2 of section 613 of the FCRA
CriminalBackgroundRecords.com (a site owned and operated by Information Enterprises Inc.) has customers that use its criminal background checks for employment purposes. For such customers the site maintains strict procedures to ensure that whenever a criminal history record is found in conjunction with legitimate employment purposes, that it is confirmed through a county background check to ensure that the record in question is in fact current and accurate. These policies are in place so that employers can be confident that the criminal information they are receiving is both complete and current.

The FCRA is designed primarily to protect the privacy of consumer report information and to guarantee that the information supplied by consumer reporting agencies is as accurate as possible. Amendments to the FCRA — which went into effect September 30, 1997 — significantly increase the legal obligations of employers who use consumer reports. Congress expanded employer responsibilities because of concern that inaccurate or incomplete consumer reports could cause applicants to be denied jobs or cause employees to be denied promotions unjustly. The amendments ensure (1) that individuals are aware that consumer reports may be used for employment purposes and agree to such use, and (2) that individuals are notified promptly if information in a consumer report may result in a negative employment decision. Federal Trade Commission – Details and URL found at the bottom of this document

Most of today’s employers perform criminal background checks on their applicants. They also pull other consumer reports as part of their pre-employment screening processes. And some employers even perform background checks on current employees (usually for reassignment, promotion or retention purposes). Not all employers are the same, for instance; one employer may only want a reference check while others may want to see driving records and criminal history reports. For security jobs or high level positions usually an investigative consumer report will be ordered. This report differs from the others in one key aspect; it includes interviews with the applicant’s friends, neighbors, and associates which addresses the very character of the person. An investigative consumer report has separate legal issues concerning it. These investigative reports have stricter compliance issues than regular consumer reports like credit checks or criminal history checks and therefore have specific guidelines associated with them that are spelled out in the FCRA (You can read them in Section 606 - Disclosure of investigative consumer reports).

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com actively incorporates compliance issues into its product offering, and constantly is enhancing the quality of its background reports. A sound screening policy that we would recommend to employers is to run a social security validation check along with a statewide or national criminal check first and then if a record is found (that would adversely effect the applicant) to then run a county search where the record was found in. This ensures you are getting the most accurate and complete record available before making any employment related decisions based in part or in whole by the public record information we provided.

Bundled Employment Screening Background Check Packages are now available from CriminalBackgroundRecords.com and include combinations of varying criminal background checks and a social security validation & address history trace. Each option includes a free National Sex Offender Check, Terrorist Database Search & USA Most Wanted List Search. Please visit us online at: www.CriminalBackgroundRecords.com where you can become a member for free and start accessing quality criminal background checks today, over the Internet in minutes!

If you are interested in reading more about employment screening background checks practices and the use of consumer reports; we recommend that you, employers, and human resource professionals throughout the United States read the following article from the Federal Trade Commission under “Facts for Businesses” titled: “Using Consumer Reports: What Employers Need to Know” found at the following URL: www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/credit/bus08.shtm

This has been a CriminalBackgroundRecords.com News Publication - All rights reserved
CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is “An Information Enterprises Solution”

Monthly Billing with Net Terms – Member Benefits for Criminal Background Check

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:53:00 GMT

Monthly Billing with Net Terms Now Available
Also, More Reasons Why it is a Good Time to Become a Member of CriminalBackgroundRecords.com

If you are a new user of our online criminal background checking system or a long time customer, this article is worth a read. You may be able to get more out of CriminalBackgroundRecords.com than you are currently aware of. We want you to know that we are not a static company, but an evolving entity that is constantly making upgrades to our website, transactional system, criminal background retrieval processes, criminal reports, billing options, customer services, quality controls, security safeguards, customer confidentiality and information protections, infrastructure, general operations and all other relevant parts of our business.

Payment Options
We offer a variety of ways to pay for a criminal background check on our website. As a convenience to you we accept PayPal, Google Checkout, Credit Cards including Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express, and now accept Company Checks through our new monthly billing service.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com Monthly Billing Service
As a monthly billed member of CriminalBackgroundRecords.com you will get Net 15 payment terms. This should help your company’s cash flow and make life easier for your accounts payable department.

Example:

You place multiple background checks in January
At the end of January we send you an invoice via email for orders you placed in January
Then you have 15 days from date of invoice to pay the bill (February 15th would be your due date).
That’s it! You can process criminal background checks 24/7 every day of the year!

As a monthly billed member you can view previously placed orders, old invoices, and have access to other useful information like employment screening documents.

Employment Screening
For people using our background checks for employment screening purposes, they will have access to industry forms and other documents as a courtesy to help them remain compliant with current laws and regulations regarding issues pertaining to hiring, not hiring, promoting, retaining and reassigning potential or active employees.

Here are some of the forms and documents we provide to our clients:

Employer Certification – Required when requesting consumer reports for employment purposes.
A Summary of Your Rights Under the FCRA
Sample Employee Release Forms like Adverse Action Letters
And informational pieces like “What Employers Should Know”

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com has taken a proactive role to help keep its members compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and all other laws pertaining to employment screening and the proper use of consumer reports like criminal background checks. Although we do not offer legal advice as we are not a law firm; we do value our clients and want them to remain compliant with current laws affecting their business and so we offer certain informational pieces to promote awareness and due diligence.

Reasons why it is a good time to become a monthly billed member – A List of Benefits

Speed. We free up your valuable time with our online background checking system

Once you log into our site the data entry required to run a criminal search is minimal
Most of our criminal background checks can be performed instantly

Account History. We store your order results for 60 days and make them only available to you. This allows you to access and print out previous orders.
Convenience. You can order background checks 24/7 any day of the year
Transactional. Run criminal background checks with SSN Validation & Address History Traces
Choice. Run national background checks, statewide, multi-state and/or any county in the USA
Payment Options. Pay with either PayPal, Google Checkout, Credit Card or Check
Paperless. Have invoices emailed to you while taking advantage of our Net Terms
Storage. Enjoy your own allocated storage space on one of our servers

Store invoices, previously placed orders, account information and more

Human Contact. Get direct access to a client specialist and our customer service team

*CriminalBackgroundRecords.com has policies and procedures in place to help thwart its customers from using its furnished reports for any illegal use and/or purpose including unlawful discrimination, identity theft, violation of privacy, and defamation of character.

Our Security Features and Why our Clients Trust Us. Feel Safe running Criminal Background Checks with CriminalBackgroundRecords.com

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:32:00 GMT

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com has been conducting criminal background checks over the Internet for over 7 years and has never had a breach in its security safeguards. Not only is our transactional information encrypted and kept confidential, we also implement third party solutions to further enhance our overall security efforts.

We also have in place the following Security Safeguards:

We have been a long time user of Scan Alert’s Hacker Safe product; (recently changed to McAfee SECURE). This product helps us protect our customers from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams. Our site is tested and certified every day to make sure we pass the rigorous McAfee Secure Security Scan. You will notice the active McAfee Secure logo on our homepage along with today’s date, this shows that the site has passed all security tests as of today.

We encrypt the information captured and transferred over the Internet on our site. We have a GeoTrust Secure Site Seal on our site indicating that the information you send to this site is secured using SSL encryption — the industry standard method for safely transferring information over the Internet.

Firewalls (both software & hardware). Sensitive data like our customers personally identifiable information is kept secure and confidential and only released for billing and other functions necessary for fulfilling your background check search request.

Trust. We are an Accredited Business with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). We have been a member since 2002. Currently our BBB Rating is A+ (the highest possible ranking).

Internal Procedures. Limitations on personnel password access to our servers, databases and other critical systems are strictly enforced.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is serious when it comes to securing and protecting the data sent to and from its website. CriminalBackgroundRecords.com feels the best way to protect its customer’s online identity is by protecting the information they enter on the site including their personally identifiable information. Due to the sensitive nature of the information captured and sent on CriminalBackgroundRecords.com, all transactions are stored in non-publicly accessible areas and are transmitted in encrypted form.

We employ these and other security safeguards to help protect all personally identifiable information our users provide to us from loss, misuse, and/or unauthorized alteration. As a transactional website we handle the facilitation of Credit Card, PayPal, and Google Checkout orders and do so with current SSL Encryption technology. Whenever we ask you to transmit sensitive information, such as a credit card number, your address etc., that information is encrypted and not decipherable until it reaches its final destination.

For more on CriminalBackgroundRecords.com Security Features visit the sites Security Page at: www.CriminalBackgroundRecords.com/security.html

This has been a CriminalBackgroundRecords.com News Publication - All rights reserved
CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is “An Information Enterprises Solution”

E-Verify Citizenship and Immigration Status - Criminal Background Checks & Social Security Verifications

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:07:00 GMT

Proving Citizenship and Immigration Status
Criminal Background Checks & Social Security Verifications
And a peek into the US Citizenship & Immigration Services

On March 1, 2003, service and benefit functions of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) transitioned into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS). The USCIS which can be found online at: http://www.uscis.gov/ outlines their E-Verify system which is free to employers and lets them know the employment eligibility of new applicants/employees. However, it appears that they do not allow you to use the system until after you hire the applicant. If you have questions about E-Verify then you can reach them in Washington DC at: 202-272-8720 (E-Verify is part of the SAVE Program). The E-Verify search tells you if someone is eligible to work in the US by giving their current immigration status. This check should be used by employers as a tool to sift out ineligible employment prospects. CriminalBackgroundRecords.com and its parent company Information Enterprises, Inc. like this program because it is an extra tool for employers that helps to eliminate social security number mismatches, improves the accuracy of wage and tax reporting, protects jobs for authorized U.S. workers, and helps U.S. employers maintain a legal workforce.

Currently CriminalBackgroundRecords.com offers an SSN Validation & Address History Trace product that is separate from our criminal background checks. Although this search will not tell you if an individual is legally authorized to work in the USA or what their current status is with the Immigration Office (USCIS), it is still very valuable. This check can be performed very quickly and will verify when the social security number was issued, where it was issued, to whom it was issued to and will show names and addresses associated with it. This SSN Search is now commonly used in conjunction with either a statewide criminal background check or national background check. Our criminal background checks do sometimes return social security numbers within the records themselves for validation. However, this does not happen every time as criminal court records have historically been archived by date of birth and not social security numbers. Still, neither our national criminal background check nor SSN Search will tell you if someone is a US Citizen or what their current Immigration Status is. Having a social security number does not prove that you are a US Citizen, nor does it act as a singular qualifier proving your eligibility to work in the USA. You would have to contact the USCIS (formerly the INS) directly for confirmation. The only other option available is to physically get a copy of the individual's birth certificate or certificate of naturalization showing that either by birth or legal process this person has become a US Citizen.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com offers the following FREE searches with all its criminal background checks:
We include a Most Wanted Background Check with each Criminal Search. This pulls information from the following sources: Top Ten FBI Most Wanted, FBI Most Wanted Fugitives, US Marshals Most Wanted, US Secret Service Most Wanted, Americas Most Wanted and other state departments of public safety.

We also include a Full Terrorist Background Check with each criminal background search. We check the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") of the U.S. Department of the Treasury with every criminal search.

In addition to the two free searches above, we also include a National Sex Offender Registry Check (including all 50 states) with each background search. Each state in the nation has a sex offender registry which maintains a database of sex offenders. The information stored varies from state to state, but in general most state sex offender background reports include high-risk offenders and persons who have been convicted of, found guilty of or plead guilty to committing or attempting to commit sexual offenses. Many of these records include mug shots & photos when a match is found.

Here is a more detailed breakdown of what is covered in our Sex Offender Search

High-Risk Sex Offenders - Individuals with real recidivism concerns from all 50 US States.

Sexual Predators - Sexually violent offenders & persons obtaining or seeking non-consensual sexual contact with another person and/or has committed sex crimes, such as rape or child sexual abuse.

Department of Corrections - Convicted sex offenders who were under the supervision of the DOC.

Crimes Against Children - Kidnapping, felonious restraint and/or child abuse, including people convicted of, found guilty of or plead guilty to committing or attempting to commit sexual offenses and other crimes against children.

This has been a CriminalBackgroundRecords.com News Publication - All rights reserved
CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is "An Information Enterprises Solution"

Interact with staff, background industry experts and more through our new BLOG!

Fri, 16 May 2008 17:35:00 GMT

With this new Blog, end users of criminal reports, industry people, and information technology persons can all converge on one front to address their questions, concerns and ideas. The word "blog" is just a shortened word for "web log" that has gained in popularity and now is considered a word of its own with its own meaning. Blogs have become increasingly popular on the Internet and have allowed people who are far away from each other to come together on a website they share a mutual interest in. Sharing ideas, commentary, news and concerns regarding the background retrieval industry (with people all across the USA) is now possible and very easy to do. So please visit us at blog.CriminalBackgroundRecords.com and start voicing your opinion today.

Blogs are found on many websites and are usually maintained by an individual, company or organization that adds regular ongoing entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other information for others to read. CriminalBackgroundRecords.com's new interactive Blog now allows browsers and users to ask questions like, "What happens when someone goes to court for a proposed crime?" or "what is the difference between a felony, misdemeanor or infraction offense?" With the new fully functioning blog, people can educate each other as to what a felony, misdemeanor, and infraction are, as well as how certain sentencing works in the USA.

This online blog is for everyone from criminal history searching experts to someone wanting clarification on their own criminal record. Now there is a platform and place to voice criminal background industry questions. A place to find out what exactly makes up a criminal conviction record to why a criminal record can be different than an arrest record. It is a free place to learn, question, and confront common truths and misconceptions pertaining to the criminal background retrieval industry. Get educated on police policies, US court system operations, US department of corrections and US law.

The USA is comprised of 50 individual states representing 3,143 counties. At CriminalBackgroundRecords.com you can conduct a county criminal background check in any county in the USA. You can also conduct a criminal background check at the state level in 48 states. National criminal checks are also available and include additional free searches like a national sex offender check and terrorist list search.

Below is a breakdown of the major criminal background checks available in the USA
(all of which can be searched at CriminalBackgroundRecords.com)

County Criminal Background Check:
A county search is the most current, accurate and complete search available in the US today. However, you need to know the state and county you want to perform this search in; otherwise it will not be effective. This search entails having a professional court researcher manually pull the complete record in question for you. It typically takes a day or more for your search results to come in. County criminal background checks go back seven years and include felony and misdemeanor conviction records.

Statewide Criminal Background Check:
The statewide criminal background search is the most popular criminal background check used today in the USA. Statewide criminal checks are available in forty-eight states. This search includes all commonly looked for information including department of corrections info, bodily characteristics, sentence info, case number and court records (including felony convictions and misdemeanor offenses).

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com online statewide criminal searches include a free national sex offender report, free terrorist database criminal background check, and a free US most wanted criminal database search.

Multi-State Criminal Background Check:
Multi-State criminal searches can cover two or more full states and usually include additional free searches like a sex offender registry check, the terrorist database search (which is maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and lists such international terrorists sometimes called Specially Designated Nationals or SDNs), and a free criminal check of the US Most Wanted list including FBI, Secret Service and Americas most wanted criminals.

National Criminal Background Check:
CriminalBackgroundRecords.com has an instant national criminal background check which consists of 46 US states. This search includes a national sex offender check and other free criminal background checks made available to the US market as public records.

Understanding common criminal industry terms and what they actually mean…

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 11:00:00 GMT

Police Records vs. Criminal Records vs. Background Checks vs. Criminal History
vs. Conviction Records vs. Court Records vs. Arrest Records

What does it all mean? Are the terms above used interchangeably? Or, are they different? Is a police record the same as a criminal record? Are arrest records listed in an online criminal report? When you are looking up someone's criminal history, are you really looking for a background check? And, if so, what information do you think you'll get back from that criminal background investigation? CriminalBackgroundRecords.com thinks it is important to break down these common terms, and better explain what to expect in the background search process, as well as what to expect when viewing a criminal background record.

When looking for a criminal background history, the most commonly used search terms are as follows...

First, we will break down some common phrases used in the background retrieval industry and explain both their "real meaning" and their "commonly understood meaning". We will parse out the real and the actual from the rumors and the hearsay.

We want to help breakdown these terms to their core meaning in order to better educate the large market of people looking to perform some kind of background check. CriminalBackgroundRecords.com wants to deepen its customers and potential customers understanding of criminal records, how they are obtained, how they are stored, how they are searched, and what to expect in your criminal report search results...

Since we currently only cater to the US market, we will begin with US law. In US law, "a conviction is the verdict that results when a court of law finds a defendant guilty of a crime." This means that if someone was arrested by the police for a supposed crime, then went to court, and then was found, "Not Guilty" than this record simply stays an "arrest record" NOT a criminal record. Using an arrest record as part of a decision to hire, fire or otherwise harm or harass an individual is wrong, and also opens you up to huge legal risks.

Criminal histories/backgrounds are maintained and updated by many varying sources. Typically, criminal history information is first generated by law enforcement agencies such as your local police departments. Local police departments, sheriff's offices, and other police agencies usually maintain their own internal databases. On the state government level, state police, state troopers, highway patrol, correctional agencies, and other law enforcement agencies also maintain separate databases. Law enforcement agencies often share this information with other similar enforcement agencies and this information is usually made available to the public in various ways. Again, as discussed in the paragraph above, a police record may just be an arrest record, and until an actual criminal conviction for say a felony offense is made, there is no criminal record. Making decisions solely on arrest records is not a good idea.

Sex Offender Records are considered Criminal Records
Registered sex offenders have information about their crimes readily available in state sex offender registries. With each instant statewide or national criminal record search, CriminalBackgroundRecords.com includes a free national 50-State sex offender check. That means that whether you run a criminal search in Texas, Florida or the entire US, you will get a national sex offender check in addition to a criminal check in Texas, Florida or the entire country. All of CriminalBackgroundRecords.com instant criminal searches come with a free national sex offender check.

The Department of Correctional Services in many states make criminal records available to the public, and are certainly included as part of a state or national criminal search with CriminalBackgroundRecords.com. In most cases, juvenile records/files are protected, and their criminal information is typically sealed and not made available to the public. Correctional information will tell you if someone has served time in prison, currently are incarcerated as inmates, physical characteristics and of course their current status. CriminalBackgroundRecords.com will give you correctional information, in all our search types, wherever it is available.

State Government
Some states have official "statewide repositories" that contain criminal history information contributed by county, municipal, and other courts within the state. Court records are the best source for criminal case information concerning an individual. These state repositories are usually accurate if the state requires supervision of the uploading of criminal data from the local courts (we hope this will be the norm soon). Some states make reporting to a central repository a voluntary activity. With each state having differing criminal record uploading procedures or no criminal record uploading at all, the information obtained from these repositories can be incomplete. However, with that said, there have been huge positive steps made in this area of criminal history searching, and for the near future, this means of acquiring and searching criminal records at the state level is getting better and better.

Federal Government
The federal government maintains extensive criminal histories and acts as a central repository for all agencies to report their own data. The NCIC (National Crime Information Center) is one such database. Generally, and with few exceptions, the records compiled by the federal government in the NCIC are not made available to the public. Some websites and criminal data re-sellers claim to offer an NCIC record search. These claims are most always fraudulent. Before ordering a criminal report online, be sure to read the description of the search you are ordering prior to placing your order. If a company or website does not reveal the description of the search you are interested in ordering, it is probably best to stay clear from ordering from that provider. The rule of thumb on this is simple; if clear, up to date, descriptions of a criminal search are not available, then that provider is most likely using an old, incomplete database that may or may not have the criminal data you are looking for.

What are the "Terrorist Database Background Check" and "Most Wanted Search??"

All of CriminalBackgroundRecords.com instant criminal checks include a free terrorist database search and "most wanted" list search. Below is the breakdown of what these two free criminal searches are and what to expect in your search results.

Terrorist Database Background Check:
We check the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") of the U.S. Department of Treasury with every criminal search. OFAC administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on United States foreign policy and national security goals against targeted foreign countries, terrorists, international narcotics traffickers, and those engaged in activities related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. As part of its enforcement efforts, OFAC publishes a list of individuals and companies owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, targeted countries. It also lists individuals, groups, and entities, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers designated under programs that are not country-specific. Collectively, such individuals and companies are called "Specially Designated Nationals" or "SDNs." Their assets are blocked by law and American individuals and companies are generally prohibited from dealing with SDNs. Results have full name, date of birth if known, address, country, title, program, remarks like AKA's. These records are screened individually and carefully, and reported to the proper law enforcement entities when a match is made.

Most Wanted Criminal Search:
Comprised of several state agencies most wanted such as: Top Ten FBI Most Wanted, FBI Most Wanted Fugitives, US Marshals Most Wanted, US Marshals Major Cases, Alabama Department of Public Safety, Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Kansas Most Wanted, AFT Most Wanted, US DEA Wanted Fugitives, DTIC Fugitive Top List, US Secret Service Most Wanted, Americas Most Wanted, Connecticut Department of Public Safety and Texas Most Wanted.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com hopes this article helps its browsers and users become more educated in the criminal data industry, and more informed as to what exactly to expect in a criminal report, and why a criminal report from one company/website can differ from another company/website.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com launches “SSN Validation & Address History Trace” Product

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 10:58:00 GMT

SSN Validation & Address History Trace
The perfect compliment to a criminal background check!

After five years of providing criminal history reports to businesses, organizations and individuals, CriminalBackgroundRecords.com has now added a new product to compliment their existing arsenal of criminal background record searches. CriminalBackgroundRecords.com calls this product the "SSN Validation & Address History Trace." This new product uses a social security number search to test for validation of the social security number entered and returns all addresses associated with that social security number (SSN).

The Social Security Number Validation & Address History Trace is typically used as an add-on search for a criminal background check, but can also be used as a stand alone search. As a stand alone search this product is mostly used to find people by the addresses that show up on the search results. For the tenant screening industry it can also be used as a "skip trace" tool to find tenants that left while still owing money.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com does not require that its customers run a criminal background check when ordering an SSN validation and address history trace. For a price of $14.95 you can run an SSN Validation & Address History Trace independently of running a criminal background check. The validation part of this new search checks for the authenticity of the social security number entered along with when the SSN was issued and to whom it was issued too. This new search is a great tool for checking against fraud. It also gives addresses that can be used as a "people search" product or tool to help find someone.

SSN Validation - This part of CriminalBackgroundRecords.com SSN Validation & Address History Trace Search does the following:

Verifies whether or not the social security number entered is valid
Displays the name of the person to whom the social security number was issued
Shows what US state the social security number was issued in
Tells you the date when the social security number was issued
It will also give you the date of birth (DOB) of the person associated with the social security number, but only if it is on file

Address History Trace - This part of our SSN Validation & Address History Trace Search does the following:

Shows all names connected with the entered social security number
Gives all addresses associated with the social security number entered

When you order an SSN Validation & Address History Trace through CriminalBackgroundRecords.com you get all of the above searches in one comprehensive search.

The CriminalBackgroundRecords.com SSN Validation & Address History Trace is a tool that provides validation of the social security number entered, along with simultaneously performing a name and address history trace based upon the same social security number entered. This search then returns all names, addresses, and SSN information associated with the social security number you entered.

Cost for the SSN Validation & Address History Trace is $14.95 per search. This is a non-instant search, where your search results will be emailed to you, usually within 2-hours on business days.

Now accepting ‘Google Checkout’ as form of payment for criminal searches!

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 10:53:00 GMT

Introducing **Google Checkout^TM**

Google Checkout online payment services became available in the United States on June 28, 2006. And less than a year later CriminalBackgroundRecords.com added it as a payment option for its users when placing orders for criminal background checks. More and more Internet buyers are switching from standard credit cards to alternate forms of payment when ordering online. Google Checkout is one of these online payment alternatives, and CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is now welcoming its users. We here at CriminalBackgroundRecords.com have recognized this trend and have pinpointed its momentum to a few simple facts; people want to avoid credit card fraud, want a safer way to order online without revealing their personal financial information to online retailers, and to simplify the ordering process by data entry reduction.

What is Google Checkout?

Google Checkout is an online payment processing service provided by Google Inc., aimed at simplifying the purchasing process of paying for products and services over the Internet. Users store their credit card, debit card and their shipping information in their Google Account. This allows them to purchase goods at participating online stores at the click of a button. In addition, Google Checkout also offers fraud protection, as well as a unified page for the purposes of tracking all purchases made and to display the current status of each order/purchase.

How does Google Checkout work?

With Google Checkout, buyers use a single username and password (instead of manually entering billing and shipping information) to complete purchases online.

Here's how it works in a nutshell:

Find something you'd like to purchase online that accepts Google Checkout.
Add it to that online retailers shopping cart or ordering page
Check out and complete your purchase, click the Google Checkout button.
- You'll need to log in to your account, or create one if you haven't already.
Review your order details and place order. That's It!
- After placing an order, you will get a confirmation email with receipt.

Why did CriminalBackgroundRecords.com add Google Checkout as a payment option?

Google Checkout lets you easily send money through the Internet without compromising the privacy of your credit card, debit card or other financial information. Google Checkout makes online shopping quick and easy so you can order criminal history checks more conveniently than before.

Using Google Checkout at CriminalBackgroundRecords.com has these benefits:

Shop with confidence.
- Google Checkout's fraud protection policy covers you against unauthorized purchases made through Google Checkout, and Google Checkout does not share your purchase history or full credit card number with sellers, not even CriminalBackgroundRecords.com...
No more entering your billing & shipping info every time you place an order.
No need to create multiple accounts and passwords.
Track all your orders and shipping in one place.
Control commercial spam.
- You can keep your email address confidential, and easily turn off unwanted emails from online stores where you use Google Checkout.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com added Google Checkout as a new form of payment for its criminal background reports because of the sheer size and influence Google Inc. has over the Internet. We know and recognize that other methods of online payment; primarily PayPal (which is also available as a payment option for background checks on this site) currently has significantly more online users than Google Checkout. However, we expect the use of Google Checkout as an online payment option to increase as the marketing arm of Google Inc. starts to flex. We know that Google will continue to improve upon its current products and most certainly its Google Checkout product. With the large amount of people power and financial resources Google has at its fingertips, we can expect this online payment alternative to continually improve. For current updates and information regarding Google Checkout, you can visit the official blog of Google Checkout at: http://www.googlecheckout.blogspot.com/

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com an Information Enterprises Inc. solution delivers high quality, well-formatted, substantive criminal background reports to the entire United States. This site can perform county level criminal background checks in every county in the nation. CriminalBackgroundRecords.com also conducts statewide instant and non-instant criminal history checks, and can even do a national criminal search (currently covering forty-six of the fifty US states). Even though the national background check does not include a few states, this site still offers criminal background checks in every state in the country. It is now possible for current members and new customers to use Google Checkout to order their criminal background checks online. And now that CriminalBackgroundRecords.com has added Google Checkout as a payment method, current members and new customers have more payment options, leaving the choice of payment up to you, the customer.

We have also added Google Checkout as a form of payment for our criminal history reports in order to allow new users (who may only exclusively use Google Checkout when ordering online) to have the opportunity to purchase criminal background reports from the industry leader.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com aspires to be the most trusted source for online criminal background reports in the USA, and hopes this press release demonstrates our willingness to improve our current product suite and the overall customer experience.

We now accept PayPal as means of payment for our criminal reports!

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:47:00 GMT

PayPal vs. Credit Cards

More and more online buyers are using PayPal as an alternate form of payment for their online orders. Why? We have gathered that with rampant use of credit card fraud, online buyers wanted a safer and easier way to order online without exposing their credit card numbers, and of course to save some money by avoiding credit card fees.

What is PayPal?

PayPal lets you easily send money through the internet without compromising the privacy of your credit card information. CriminalBackgroundRecords.com added PayPal as a new form of payment for its criminal background reports and other background searches it offers because of the demand of millions of online buyers choosing PayPal instead of the standard credit cards when ordering online. We understand why Internet purchasers are choosing PayPal over alternate forms of payment, mostly credit cards, and that is because PayPal is safer, easier and currently has no additional fees applied to the use of it. Why is PayPal safer than using standard credit cards? PayPal is safer because you can still pay with your credit card, bank account or PayPal balance without exposing your account numbers to the merchant (website that you are buying something from). Easier because through the checkout process you do not need to enter your financial information over the merchant's website as PayPal already has your financial information on their end and therefore does not require you to re-enter it. This simple method actually reduces the overall ordering time as you only need to enter your PayPal email address and password, two inputs of usually memorized information.

Paying online with PayPal at CriminalBackgroundRecords.com gives you all the following benefits:

Speedy ordering all through the criminal search checkout process.
Safe online ordering of criminal background checks without revealing or exposing your credit card details.
You get to choose if you want PayPal to debit your credit card, bank account or to pull money directly from your current PayPal balance.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com delivers formatted, substantive background reports from county level criminal background checks to geographically comprehensive national criminal searches throughout the USA. We offer criminal background checks in every state in the nation, and now with PayPal as a new payment ordering mechanism on the site; we are making it possible for our current members who prefer to use PayPal as a form of payment to do so. We have also added PayPal as a form of payment for our criminal history reports in order to allow new users (who may only exclusively use PayPal when ordering online) to have the opportunity to purchase the best criminal background record reports available on the Internet today, with the payment method they trust the most.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com hopes this article helps its browsers and users become more educated in the varying online payment methods available today, and more informed as to what exactly to expect when using PayPal to purchase criminal background reports from our site.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com announces new instant services.

Mon, 21 Apr 2003 10:44:00 GMT

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com announces new instant services.

America’s first online, real-time, instant criminal background check service (with no membership requirements) is now available through Information Enterprises, Inc.’s new website: www.CriminalBackgroundRecords.com. This new website was created in response to the growing demand for fast and accurate criminal background searches. Businesses and individuals have doubled the amount of criminal background checks conducted in the U.S. over the past four years. Advances in database technology, lowering costs, and better criminal storage at the state level, and criminal checks being included in the tenant screening industry have contributed to this phenomena. This new site was designed to give all United States citizens fingertip access to criminal background histories anywhere in the country.

To perform a search on this site, all you need is the name and the date of birth of the person you are investigating, and a valid credit card. After you specify which of the thirty-three “instant states” you wish to perform a search in, an instant search immediately sends your search parameters to one of our interconnected repositories before displaying the results to you. You can perform statewide searches in other non-instant search states as well. These searches take only a few days to complete.
You can choose to search within up to thirty-three instant states on www.CriminalBackgroundRecords.com.

The website offers county-level criminal background searches in all fifty US states. This is accomplished with the help of independent court researchers who process paper and electronic records in every county searched. Criminal histories are checked at courthouses, district attorney’s offices, sheriffs’ offices or other places where public records are stored.

The “Instant National Search” covers 33 U.S. states at once. This is the most comprehensive “no wait” criminal background search available today.

The most thorough search the new website offers is the “National Search Plus!” which covers most U.S. states. This search offers the largest coverage of any single search available. It covers all the 33 U.S. states found in our Instant National Search, with a separate 100,000,000 criminal records search with results returned in less than a week.

Criminal Background Records Blog - Public Records

Criminal Records Expungement

Data Relevancy and New Precision Search Matching

Outsource Your Criminal Background Check Requirements

Central Billing for Multiple Accounts

Now Offering Central Billing for Multiple Accounts Along with Administrative Usage Monitoring, Reporting & Control For Large Companies and Organizations in the USA

Tenant Screening Background Checks

Employment Screening Background Checks & FCRA Compliance

Monthly Billing with Net Terms – Member Benefits for Criminal Background Check

Monthly Billing with Net Terms Now Available Also, More Reasons Why it is a Good Time to Become a Member of CriminalBackgroundRecords.com

Our Security Features and Why our Clients Trust Us. Feel Safe running Criminal Background Checks with CriminalBackgroundRecords.com

E-Verify Citizenship and Immigration Status - Criminal Background Checks & Social Security Verifications

Proving Citizenship and Immigration StatusCriminal Background Checks & Social Security VerificationsAnd a peek into the US Citizenship & Immigration Services

Interact with staff, background industry experts and more through our new BLOG!

Below is a breakdown of the major criminal background checks available in the USA(all of which can be searched at CriminalBackgroundRecords.com)

Understanding common criminal industry terms and what they actually mean…

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com launches “SSN Validation & Address History Trace” Product

Now accepting ‘Google Checkout’ as form of payment for criminal searches!

We now accept PayPal as means of payment for our criminal reports!

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com announces new instant services.

Now Offering Central Billing for Multiple Accounts
Along with Administrative Usage Monitoring, Reporting & Control
For Large Companies and Organizations in the USA

Monthly Billing with Net Terms Now Available
Also, More Reasons Why it is a Good Time to Become a Member of CriminalBackgroundRecords.com

Proving Citizenship and Immigration Status
Criminal Background Checks & Social Security Verifications
And a peek into the US Citizenship & Immigration Services

Below is a breakdown of the major criminal background checks available in the USA
(all of which can be searched at CriminalBackgroundRecords.com)