Some of these outfits use public records, available to anyone at the courthouse. Most of these records do not show Social Security Numbers, and seldom date of birth. They have name and address at the time the record was created. With a name like Jones, it’s not surprising that he got some matches. A good security company will go way beyond a simple records check, but that costs more money.
If you want to do this yourself, you can do it online for about $25-50. Of course, many governments are passing laws to prevent this sort of background check and the Obama Administration will probably do the same. Why do you think that PBS is writing this story? They want to prevent companies from doing this. Hate crimes, or racism would be exempt, of course.
Same thing happened to me 20 years ago. I had to hire a lawyer to clear it up.
Databases are all but worthless these days with so many agencies, organizations and companies able to add info to them. No cross checking by anyone for accuracy.
Will only get worse.
This guy should hire a lawyer and sue for defamation. He may not need the truckdriving gig.
Change your name to Muhamed Jihad Muhamed and they’ll be forced to hire you.
Sloppy.
Such as it is, private companies compiling erroneous “history” on people and selling it and selling it and selling it.
It’s been this same pile of crap since at least the 1980s when telmarking/massmailing marketers lobbied Congress to permit them to sell private information.
They aren’t “supposed” to have Social Security numbers but they do.
The government doesn’t NEED to compile a database on Americans when google, Krogers, et al are perfectly willing to do it for them.
For a decade I was listed online as a company that I did not have. Someone in my hometown has my dad’s name (with a different middle initial) but it all seems highly unlikely.
And then there was the angry police chief who signed up some TEA party activist into gay dating websites..
Convicted? No, never convicted.
Happened to me twice.
They have me living in New Jersey, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and Mesquite, Texas.
I would never ever live in New Jersey, Broken Arrow’s nice, as is Mesquite....to pass through, on the way to some fishing spots I know of and I wouldn’t live there either but, they show up on my background.
I even have seen cars on my background I never owned and the really amazing part is my college doesn’t show.
Oh, and they even have me working at companies I’ve never heard of.
I don’t know why companies do business with these retarded A-holes.
I once had to drive all the way to my college and get my transcript because the background company came up with a complete blank on my education.
No grade school, no high school, no GED, No college.
I was told get it resolved in 48 hours or I’m fired.
I was like “Hey klownie. How the Eff do you think I made it this far? I write complicated proposals, make tons of money, teach rightin skeels to other morons who have AA and MBA and how to be a Professional Sales Person with a system of predictable results.
That was 16 years ago and FU! Corporate Nimrods.
You suck at everything and I make way more money now and kick the living %*÷÷*% out of your non-professional and so called sales people who are always late, never have any good information and crappier answers and, and! And seemingly have one sales strategy F.U.D. idiocy and the best part is your beggars always start with facilities or the IT guy.
Always go to the guy who can sign his name to the front of a check.
Flatline intellectuals.
Have fun blowing all your money at that waste of huge swathes of time Starbucks.
What a life suck but, don’t you just feel so great telling everyone how great you but “Don’t know if I’ll make quota this month”....Again?
How freakin hard is it to let someone buy something?
Oh, that’s right. You have all these closing lines...for prepubescents...
No one appreciates being talked like that a child.
They are adults and perfectly capable of making a decision.
I hate background companies. They are liars and cheats and worse ....way effin worse...totally ineffective.
I once found myself working with a violent felon, who was later fired because uhmmmm....he sucked at life and made some very overt threats.
I called him, had drinks with him and put to him straight.
He called the company and even wrote a letter of apology.
They had a freakin security guard for 6 months checking us in before we could go to our freakin desk and even checking purses and briefcases.
I put an end to that day one and said if you think I’m going let you touch my $3,000 Bally briefcase you are seriously cracked.
Rant offfennn....
This is another problem with illegal immigration and the pass they get on identity theft.
When they use a fake SSN to work, get a driver’s license or do anything else, someone innocent may end up with a fake criminal history tied to their SSN - even if it isn’t even in their name.