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If you find yourself in a situation where your background is being investigated, such as for a job interview, housing application, or lease negotiation, you may feel worried about what information will be uncovered. However, there is a simple way to ease your concerns by running a personal background check to ensure you’re aware of any potential issues.
BeenVerified is a reliable background check service that offers the option to hide your public information if you’re dissatisfied with the results of your personal background check report.
To obtain a clear understanding of the information available about you and its accuracy, it’s recommended that you search for your own name online. This search can serve as an educational tool to comprehend the process of data evaluation and enable you to monitor it better.
What is a Personal Background Check?
When conducting a personal background check, one can uncover any public information available about themselves, including a criminal record. This information can be accessed by potential employers or clients who conduct such checks.
There are several ways to find out what information exists about you. Although background checks are mostly done by employers, anyone can ask for one. To ensure your own credibility, you can run a personal background check on yourself before doing business with someone or dating someone.
What Will You Find If You Run a Background Check on Yourself
To conduct a personal background check on yourself, it’s necessary to thoroughly examine all personal identifying information within both state and federal public records. By utilizing just a name, phone number, or email address, an individual can conduct public records searches to gain a better understanding of themselves.
Conducting a personal background check on yourself can uncover a vast amount of information about you, including your personal details such as name, address, employment history, sex offenders, social media accounts, relationships, date of birth, education level, previous addresses, criminal and court history, and assets.
If you’re seeking all the necessary information, relying solely on hand-searching public data may not be fruitful. Opting for a professional background check service can enhance the precision of the information you discover about yourself.
By utilizing your identification information, personal background check services can search their extensive collection of public and government records to collect any pertinent details. These details are then compiled into a comprehensible and shareable background report.
- A full name
- Aliases
- Educational background
- Age and date of birth
- Criminal and arrest records
- Social media profiles
- Employment history
- Professional licenses
- Photographs
- Liens
- Weapons permits
- Civil court records
- Financial assets
- Bankruptcies
Why Should You Run a Background Check on Yourself
See What Potential Employers Could Discover About You
When a company is in the process of hiring, HR departments typically investigate the online presence of potential candidates, which includes their social media profiles, professional networks, and other publicly available information.
It's prudent to be aware of the details that may be found through a basic Google search, even if you're not currently looking for a job.
Check for Incorrect Criminal Convictions
The effectiveness of a government agency is solely dependent on the performance of its staff. Therefore, it’s crucial to acknowledge the likelihood of errors occurring from time to time. One possible mistake is the linking of your identity to a criminal record if you happen to share a name with an individual with such a record. This type of unlawful activity is referred to as identity theft.
Beth Givens, the head of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a non-profit organization focused on consumer advocacy and information, explains that individuals who fall victim to criminal identity theft may not be aware of a criminal record being associated with their name until they’re stopped by the police for a traffic violation, and are subsequently arrested after the officer runs a check on their driver's license number.
In case of errors on your criminal record, you can contact the relevant government office to have them corrected.
Find Out if There's Anything About You on the Dark Web
BeenVerified, a US-based background check company, has warned that personal information may be traded on the dark web. Although the dark web is challenging to access and use, only a small number of individuals are familiar with its navigation, let alone searching for confidential data.
The possibility of theft and resale of personal information, such as credit card and bank account numbers, login details for social media accounts, and driver's license information, is a genuine concern.
To stay ahead of fraudulent activities, it’s crucial to seek assistance from a trustworthy company that specializes in conducting personal background checks on yourself.
Discover Fake Social Media Accounts Using Your Personal Information
A new addition to the list of commonly asked questions concerns the proper procedure for reporting a suspected phony Facebook account.
It’s possible that someone may create a fake social media account using your name and photo without your consent by stealing your publicly available information and pictures. It’s important to be aware of the potential for identity theft on social media.
Individuals who steal your identity and utilize it to construct a fraudulent social media account may possess the intellect to obstruct you, causing it to be arduous to locate any impersonators, despite your diligent attempts.
Review Long-Forgotten Posts That You or Other People Made
Reflect on your online activity and consider all of the statements and messages you have shared.
It’s possible that at some point in the past, you may have shared a viewpoint on a public platform that contradicts your current beliefs, or you may have a friend who uploaded images from a raucous gathering that you would prefer to keep private.
It’s important to recall and acknowledge these overlooked pieces, regardless of your current life stage.
How Do You Run a Background Check on Yourself
It’s advisable to conduct a personal background check on yourself to have control over the personal information that is accessible to everyone. To make the procedure faster and more convenient, one can opt for a background check service.
BeenVerified is a platform that enables people to access information that isn’t available through regular search engines. By conducting a personal background check on yourself through BeenVerified, you can discover data that would not be accessible otherwise.
- Public photographs
- Social media profiles
- Selling of personal information on the dark web
- Contact information
- Registered assets (vehicles, real estate, etc.)
- Criminal, arrest, and traffic records
- Education and jobs
- Civil court record
- Possible relatives, roommates, associates, friends, and ex-lovers
- A thorough report on the location history
To ensure the correctness of your public record data, you can make a formal appeal to the relevant government bodies. Also, you can utilize several search engines to perform your self background check.
It may require a significant amount of time to confirm your details, and not everyone possesses the necessary skills to identify vulnerabilities in security. However, with a BeenVerified self background check, you can address these concerns promptly and without difficulty.
By providing your full name, location, and state, as well as making a payment, you can obtain a comprehensive report online and gain control over your life.
How to Run a Personal Background Check on Yourself
If you’re seeking employment, admission to a college, or making a charitable donation, you may need to furnish your records for scrutiny. It’s hard to predict the information that might be revealed about you in such a scenario. However, you can conduct a self background check on your own past to find out.
A comprehensive self background check of an individual's background may include various types of checks. Apart from academic qualifications and driving records, criminal background checks are commonly conducted by several companies.
Court Records (County, State, and Federal)
It’s possible that a previous incident in your personal history could hinder your job prospects. To determine if you have any past criminal convictions or arrests on your record, you can utilize an online criminal background check service. It’s crucial to gather all relevant information to ensure a successful job search.
To find out if you have any criminal convictions or arrests on your record, it’s important to obtain a report from the court(s) where your charges were filed. It’s recommended that you reach out to both local and federal courts to ensure that you have all the necessary information.
If you want specific documents from a county court, you might have to go there in person. It's necessary to make your request for county court records in person, as most county courts mandate this.
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), employers are not allowed to view details of an arrest if it did not result in a conviction and occurred more than seven years ago. If your background check report contains information about an older conviction, you have the right to challenge it.
Driving Records
In every state, there are distinct regulations that dictate the timing and methods of recording a driver's past. If you have ever possessed a driver's license in any state, you can check your driving record on the DMV website of that particular state.
Some states may require a fee for obtaining records, and not all employers may need to see your driving record. However, jobs that involve extensive driving, such as those of truck or bus drivers and nannies, may require you to provide this information.
Credit Report
To demonstrate your financial reliability, it’s recommended that potential employers review your credit history, rather than just your credit score, before making a final hiring decision. It’s important to note that even small mistakes on your credit report can have significant consequences.
It’s advisable to check your credit report on a regular basis. Under the Fair & Accurate Credit Transaction (FACT) Act, Every 12 months, you have the option of receiving 1 complimentary credit report from every single one of the three main credit reporting agencies. Every year, AnnualCreditReport.com offers free access to your credit report.
By reviewing your credit report, there are a number of things you can gain knowledge about.
- Your level of debt in proportion to your income
- The regularity with which a credit report request was made
- Your current debt load
- Any debts that have been assigned to collections
It's important to note that your credit score isn't part of a free credit report and requires a separate purchase. If you come across any mistakes on your credit report, you can have them taken off by following the procedures outlined by the FTC.
Education Report
To verify a person's educational qualifications, employers and organizations may request official copies of their diploma and/or transcripts, or utilize a third-party agency such as the National Student Clearinghouse.
If you anticipate that your transcripts may be needed, make sure to request copies of them. It's important to double-check that they contain no mistakes since they may be required by potential employers or other organizations.
As per the guidelines of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), students have the right to obtain a copy of their academic records and rectify any errors present in them, according to the National Student Clearinghouse's 2018 report.
Online Footprint
As per a study conducted in 2013, 77% of companies use social media as a tool for hiring employees. It’s advisable to assume that your social media profiles will be scrutinized during the application process for any job, educational institution, or voluntary work.
It’s important to ensure that your photos and messages are kept private unless you intend for them to be viewed by everyone. Additionally, it’s advisable to remove any content that may seem unprofessional.
So, How Do You Run a Personal Background Check On Yourself?
Before applying for a rental property, education, or new job, it’s important to thoroughly check your criminal record, credit report, and online presence in order to identify any errors and dispute them. Conducting a regular self background check is an effective method for monitoring your personal records.
FAQ – How to Run a Personal Background Check on Yourself
Where Does Your Personal Background Check Data Come From?
Companies that conduct background checks can access an extensive collection of criminal conviction records, sourced from various databases online. These databases consist of hundreds of source lists, such as local courts, state prison departments, and state court administration offices, among others.
To enhance the accuracy and comprehensiveness of search results, billions of records from third-party data suppliers are utilized.
How Current Is the Personal Background Check Data I Am Searching?
A service that conducts a self background check gathers information from various sources that are available to the public, including county courts, administrative offices of state courts, state prison departments, and other similar sources.
The data sources dictate the frequency at which we receive updates, and we have no control over them. Despite this, we put in a lot of effort to obtain and sustain our data, which sets us apart from others. We constantly evaluate our methods to ensure that we deliver top-notch, timely outcomes.
DISCLAIMER: You may not use the non-FCRA approved services mentioned in this article or the information they provide to make decisions about consumer credit, employment, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. These services don’t provide consumer reports and are not consumer reporting agencies. (These terms have special meanings under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 USC 1681 et seq., (“FCRA"), which are incorporated herein by reference.)
The information available on our website may not be 100% accurate, complete, or up to date, so do not use it as a substitute for your own due diligence, especially if you have concerns about a person’s criminal history. The services we mention do not make any representation or warranty about the accuracy of the information available through our website or about the character or integrity of the person about whom you inquire. For more information, please review each service’s Terms of Use.