Background Check by Social Security Number
With the help of the Internet nearly anyone can conduct a background check by Social Security number in just a matter of minutes. But since Social Security numbers are used primarily on state and federal forms, it is not easy to obtain this information, at least not legally. The reason for this is simple, if a person has your Social Security number, he can apply for credit cards and steal your financial identity.
The only people who have the right to ask you for your social security number, besides the government, are your employers. A boss will use this information to perform a background check by Social Security number. But before he does, it is customary that he receive your consent through a legal form.
Why do employers perform a background check by Social Security number? The obvious answer is that they want to avoid hiring a criminal. That would be bad. But the truth is that a thorough background check by Social Security number gives a potential employer access to more information than he really needs. For instance, most quality reports include financial information, such as outstanding liens or bankruptcies, as well as your current and previous home addresses and telephone numbers. Of course, some of this information is relevant, but most of it is not.
And that is why employers ask applicants to sign a form before they perform a background check by Social Security number—it gives them the right to snoop around and learn much more about you than they really need to. That said a background check by Social Security number is the most effective and affordable way for a company to discover vital information, like whether or not an applicant is a convicted felon.
