Importance of SSN and Criminal Checks

Administering a Social Security Number/Address Trace is crucial in the performance of criminal checks…. employment or pre employment background screening. From the use of the SSN, you can obtain the information necessary for revealing a potential criminal past.

Using a Social Security Number/Address Trace will lead you to valuable information, such as:

• What year the SSN was issued
• Under what name was the SSN issued
• Is the SSN valid
• What state the SSN was issued in
• Whether or not it “matches” with the individual you are performing the background search on.
• The candidates past and present addresses
• Any aliases and/or maiden names
• Chronicled work history
• Chronicled resiidence history

All of this information combined, gives the person conducting the criminal background investigation the basis of where to execute the search. A person’s SSN follows them around from county to county, state to state, workplace to workplace, and dwelling to dwelling. This is because of Uncle Sam, and the need for people to pay their taxes. This is by far the most exhaustive, all encompassing search in existence.

Everyone can relate to being asked for their SSN uncountable times throught their lifetime…purchasing a home, buying a car, obtaining a loan, applying for a credit card, applying for a job, renting a home….etc.

It soon becomes very self-evident why a Social Security Number Trace is just the logical place to begin in a pre employment background screening, or any other kind of screening.

While criminals will make various attempts to cover up their past, through devising aliases, using someone elses SSN, submitting an invalid date of birth, etc. Eventually all of this gets associated with their SSN.

In short, the candidates SSN either matches with their name and date of birth, or it doesn’t. Obviously, if it doesn’t match, red flags go up, and the reason for the individual presenting the information in the first place, (i.e. applying for a job or a loan) is likely to be denied, and the fraud reported….again, another record attached to their SSN.