1. Lack of Accurate Records-- "Free" online criminal records are not updated daily. Most are updated every few months and some states or counties only update annually.
2. Incompleteness of Information-- Online "Free" Criminal Records do not provide all the details of an offense; these can only be obtained by ordering a detailed criminal search from a pre-employment firm such as USA Background Search.
3. Candidate Identification--you need to make sure the date of birth and name match. If you aren' t careful, on a "Free" online source you may find records of someone who has the same name, but different date of birth and falsely assume they are the same person.
4. Legal Limits on Time-- Legally for most states employers are only permitted to view and use criminal records from the past 7 years. Some "Free" online sources provide records/data much further back than that and you legally cannot use this information. If you view information that is older than what you can use, you may unintentionally form a bias against the person which opens up potential lawsuits (discrimination, other) to both your company and you personally.
5. Liability-- If you only look at a "Free" online records search, you are responsible for FCRA compliance, putting your organization under extra liability.

By using an established, fully insured pre-employment screening firm such as USA Background Search, you eliminate the above risks and simplify your screening process. We provide you with the most detailed, up to date, and relevant information you need to make a more informed hiring decision.