The Social Security Number (SSN) is a very important identity. It will be used to find a whole lot of information concerning you. What have you been up to since the day you got issued with the SSN? This is going to be presented in a background check report. The SSN is the tool that is required to conduct the check. When you are hiring a new employee, you will want to know whether the information they are presenting to you is true or not. This is going to be done through the background check and the SSN tracing.
Background checking
A background check is generally your history since the day you were born. It will not have personal details like your medical history but it will have details of your education and professional background. If you have a criminal record, then it will also appear in the report. These documents are most important to employers and even they need to get permission in order to conduct the check.
The authorization for a background check will have to be in written form. You will not just tell them, “Go and run a background check.” There must be written evidence that you have given the permission and your SSN to do the checking. Anyone who runs a background check on you without your permission is liable for a lawsuit.
SSN tracing
While a background check is going to show all sorts of details concerning your life, an SSN trace is a bit limited. The trace will report the names and addresses that are associated with your social security number. It may also show where the SSN was issued and whether it is still valid. There are people who use social security numbers belonging to people who died years ago.
Generally, anybody who orders for a background check must include a social security number trace in the screening package. This trace will provide independent validation of the address and name history that can be used when running searches on criminal records. You really do not want to hire a criminal to work for you, right? Any job applicant who has something to hide will omit all of the names that they have used. Alternatively, they will fail to provide a comprehensive address history.
Who orders for the SSN traces?
There are several reasons why you might need to have an SSN trace conducted on a person. This is vital information not just for employment purposes. A majority of the times, the people who ask for the trace to be carried out are the prospective employers. Credit providers might also need to verify your SSN. Before you take a mortgage or an auto loan you can expect for this to be carried out.
Security intelligence agencies might also need to carry out a trace. This however is done secretly most of the time. They will not notify you when they want to carry out the search. If there is sufficient evidence to show that you are engaging in criminal activities then they will just do the trace.
Author bio
Molly Brighton is a criminal investigator. She is also a blogger on various security matters. If you would like to find out more about SSN trace, background checks and such issues then you are most welcome to visit her site.