Does a Criminal Background Check Include Your Credit History?

The heart of most pre-employment background check processes is the criminal history check. However, job seekers and employers alike are unclear about precisely which information will be included in the criminal background check. Does a criminal history check include credit history? Or are credit history background checks a separate tool?

Fast Facts About Employment Credit Checks

Protecting your business from fraud is fundamentally important. Not all sources of risk originate outside the business, though. In many cases, internal threats are the greater problem. Every year, companies lose millions of dollars to white-collar crime. Identifying who might be a risk factor is no easy feat—there’s no way to predict the future. However, you can control your risks in much the same way you do with criminal employee background checks. Employment credit checks can be a valuable tool in high-risk situations. There are limitations to these tools, and there are things to keep in mind when evaluating them. You may not legally be able to use credit checks for hiring in some states or job roles. Here, we’ll look at the role these tools have to play in a smart, sound hiring process. First, let’s consider what helpful information you may find and when employers choose these products to make employment decisions.

Can an Employment Credit Check Prevent Embezzlement?

It’s a shocking statistic, but the facts make it clear: many of the biggest financial threats to a business come from within. An in-depth study by an American insurer revealed that among companies that experienced significant losses from theft, approximately 90% originated with employees. Could an employment credit check prevent some of those losses? According to an FBI study, nearly two-thirds of employees would consider stealing from a business if they could do so without risk. These numbers illustrate that a thorough background and credit check procedure may be necessary.