Fake background check

[newyorker]

I was wondering about doing fake background check where you hire employees and tell them you will do it, but in fact you wont. I don't know how many businesses do this, but it might work when you don't want to see "bad people" applying to your company. I don't know if it's legal, but some companies might have other reasons to do background check but only for every second employee they hire just to save money. Can you please explain if there are any consequences for your potential employees you will do BC when you won't or I shouldn't take it seriously. Maybe it's very common for most business just to scare people or maybe this is a very serious topic and you can't lie. Thanks.

[Harold Mansfield]

You don't have to fake anything. Just put a statement on your applications saying a background check may be required.
Case closed. Do it or don't do it. It's up to you. These days everyone pretty much expects it. It may actually be prudent to do at least a preliminary one. Don't want to hire anyone with warrants or on the FBI, Homeland Security or Interpol most wanted lists.

[billbenson]

For the cost of data these days, I think you would be crazy not to do a background check unless it's for a high turnover job. Everybody has some skeletons in their closet. The information you may gain from a background check may help you better manage an employee.

Take information like lifestyle vs historic household income. If someone is really tight for money they will be more likely to steal. Even good people do drastic things in drastic situations. That doesn't mean don't hire them, but it gives you a lot of information on how to manage them.

Just my opinion.

[Brian Altenhofel]

Take information like lifestyle vs historic household income.

Requesting that information from an applicant will land you in very hot water.

[Blessed]

Requesting that information from an applicant will land you in very hot water.

But I wonder - is there a way to find this sort of info in a background check? Definitely not by asking questions that could lead to allegations of discrimination or invasion of privacy but how much can you find out in a background check? I'm sure it depends a lot on how much you pay...

[newyorker]

Yes,basically we want to check only criminal records (state and federal). Our employees won't deal with cash and get paid by check only (they will receive tips thou). If you don't know, we offer 1on1 airport pickup (without vehicles) where someone who is local will meet you at the airport and escort you to your place. This service is for international clients (~80%) so our employees are bilingual. Why we need to do a BC? First of all we don't want to match our airport concierge with a client of opposite sex for known reasons. Also matching someone who is very knowledgeable about the city with a blind kitten (especially first time visitors) can be dangerous. Of course chances of robbery, kidnapping or rape are low but even 1% must be blocked by what we call a background check. That's why I was wondering...

[Harold Mansfield]

But I wonder - is there a way to find this sort of info in a background check? Definitely not by asking questions that could lead to allegations of discrimination or invasion of privacy but how much can you find out in a background check? I'm sure it depends a lot on how much you pay...


In NV, if you want to work in a casino, bar, or any place that handles cash and has machines..which here also includes just cashiering at a supermarket...you get the full background check. Criminal, Credit, Child Support...Nationwide. Standard. Drug test too.

Driving a limo, same thing. Clean record. No tickets. Drug test.

Go higher in management, and it's even more invasive.

Obviously each state has different laws on what is allowed, but generally the odds are on the employers side, not yours.
No, they can't ask you things like "Are you gay", but in 29 states it's not illegal to fire someone for being gay. If you live in what is laughingly called a "Right to work" state, it's even worse.


Where I live, there is no way that you could run a service such as the OP is speaking of without a thorough background check of your employees. You can't even have one traffic ticket. I would think not doing a BC is opening you up to all kinds of liability and potential lawsuits down the road.

[billbenson]

Requesting that information from an applicant will land you in very hot water.

I have no idea in the legalities.

I do know that I would want as much information as I can get. Whatever information you can get allows you to hire / manage a new hire better.

[Blessed]

That's what I was thinking Harold.

I have a friend who is an RN and who works contract for a few different companies - every time she hires on with someone new she gets a full background check - complete with fingerprinting.
My dad works as a civilian for Homeland Security and has a high level of security clearance - once again, a pretty invasive and full background check.

Neither of these people object to the background check - because they have nothing to hide and they know it's necessary in their line of work.

[Harold Mansfield]

That's what I was thinking Harold.

I have a friend who is an RN and who works contract for a few different companies - every time she hires on with someone new she gets a full background check - complete with fingerprinting.
My dad works as a civilian for Homeland Security and has a high level of security clearance - once again, a pretty invasive and full background check.

Neither of these people object to the background check - because they have nothing to hide and they know it's necessary in their line of work.

When I first got to Vegas, it took me a while to get used to some of it. Especially the drug testing for every job. I still see that as an unnecessary and unreasonable search. But in grand scheme of things, making money was more important than smoking pot. I also have to admit that drug use in Vegas in the service industry was really high when I got here in '94. Crystal and Coke were still popular like it was the 70's, so I understood.

Also, when it comes to drug testing..that's a company mandate, not a state one. It sounds cold, but you don't have to work there. No one owes you a Bartending job or any other job.

A lot of people confuse corporate power to invade your personal life with the Government. True, the government passed laws that allow them to do it, but a drug test is not government invasion of privacy, it's a corporate one.

The Bartenders union also requires drug testing. Again, not the Government and considering the amount of money that you have access to, I understand. I have a ton of stories of bartenders who walked off with 2,3, and $4k from just a neighborhood bar.


I definitely understand it for drivers, which actually comes from The U.S. Department of Transportation, not the state. Limo drivers are held to the same standard as over the road truckers.

The one that still bothers me is the credit check. To me it's a catch 22. Most times you fall behind because you are out of work or not making enough money, so you apply for better and the credit check prevents you from actually doing better. To me that's BS. One of those "The system is stacked against you" things.

[billbenson]

Harold, I think Florida requires random drug testing and a test at the time of employment. The last time I had a real job was in 2000 and only for a few months and I had to take one and they did random testing but only on people they could afford to fire. It wasn't really random.

A lot of my opinion from the post above comes from my Sears security job when I was in college in the late 70's. We not only had to look for shoplifters, but had to look for employee theft. Fired a lot of employees and had a few arrested during the 3 years I did that. It would have been helpful to have more information on employees.

You are looking at this from the employee standpoint. The OP was looking at it from the employer standpoint. I'd want that info if I was going to hire someone. I wouldn't necessarily use any info to immediately disqualify someone.

[Brian Altenhofel]

Florida's only requirement on employers to do random drug testing that I could find is if they want a discount on Workers' Compensation "insurance".

I know several business owners here in Oklahoma that don't do drug tests because they'd rather have a stoner than an alcoholic working for them, though they do have a zero-tolerance policy for using on the job.

Nationally, nearly 10% of employees go to work high (http://www.cnbc.com/id/102009068), with more than 80% having reported scoring drugs illegally. In Florida, only 2.6% of welfare applicants failed state drug tests (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/us/no-savings-found-in-florida-welfare-drug-tests.html?_r=0).

By the way, here's the Sixth Circuit's recent opinion on credit checks for employees (http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/14a0071p-06.pdf). (The first sentence is pure gold: "In this case the EEOC sued the defendants for using the same type of background check that the EEOC itself uses.")

[singhabhishek251]

In IT industry all big companies are doing this and I do not think any small company can even afford a thorough background check, may be they will call your previous company to check if you were working there or not and that is enough if someone answers no matter if that is a garage phone number, a friend's phone number or anything else.
But big IT companies do take it seriously to maintain the quality of employee they hire.

[Zkivanova]

Fake background check? Who needs it when a real one is so fast, easy and affordable! Even if you state in the ad background check will be required, a lot of guys would want just to try their luck just in case you don’t do it... and if you don’t, they win, you may lose, you may lose big time. Just to save some dollars. I would never ever risk my business because of few bucks. When I am about to hire someone, I do the interviews, short list few people, check their social media, do second interview and run background check only to the best candidate.<link removed>