How Checkr Mistakes Affect Consumers With Criminal Past
Checkr background reports often contain errors, including mistakenly mixing criminal records of different individuals. However, the most frequent mistakes occur with consumers who already have a history of criminal cases. Checkr frequently fails to update the status of these cases, sometimes reporting outdated or irrelevant information. In some instances, it may even report a closed case as still pending, leading to serious consequences for the affected individuals. This is why consumers with a criminal history are more likely to encounter Checkr’s mistakes, as the company often fails to update records in a timely manner.
What Does Checkr Report Show?
A Checkr background report typically includes the following information about a job candidate:
Personal Information - Full name, date of birth, partial SSN;
Criminal Record - Details of any pending or past criminal cases, including misdemeanors and felonies;
Driving Records – Information on traffic violations, DUIs, and license status (if applicable);
Sex Offender Registry Check – Verification against national and state sex offender databases.
Some extended background checks may also include a candidate’s past employment history and verification of their education.
Checkr gathers information from various sources and data vendors across the internet. Each section of the report may be compiled from multiple different sources, ensuring a broad but sometimes inconsistent collection of data. Since information is collected from multiple sources, and different vendors use varying matching algorithms, records may sometimes be attributed to the wrong consumer. This often leads to employment denials or delays, causing unnecessary hardship for job seekers.
Does Checkr Show Pending Charges?
Yes, under the FCRA Law, Checkr has the legal right to report criminal cases even if there is no final decision on the case yet. Moreover, pending cases tend to raise greater concerns for potential employers than resolved cases. This is because there is uncertainty about whether the individual will be convicted and, if so, what the legal consequences will be. Employers are unlikely to hire someone who might face imprisonment in the near future due to an unresolved criminal charge. The lack of clarity surrounding pending cases makes employers more cautious.
Consumers should keep in mind that, regardless of a case’s status, it must be reported accurately. If a case is pending, it can be listed as such, but once it is resolved, the background report should be disputed and updated with the most recent case information. Ensuring accurate reporting is crucial to prevent outdated or misleading records from affecting employment opportunities.
How Are Dismissed Charges Shown On a Checkr Background Report?
Many consumers mistakenly believe that once their criminal case is dropped or dismissed, it will no longer appear on their background check or affect their chances of employment or other opportunities. However, this is not the case. The Fair Credit Reporting Act has specific rules regarding the reporting of dismissed or dropped cases, and under these regulations, such cases can appear on a background check for up to seven years from the date they were originally filed. This means that even if the charges were ultimately dismissed, potential employers may still see them when conducting a background check, which could impact hiring decisions.
It is important for consumers to understand that this rule applies only to dismissed or dropped cases. If a case resulted in a conviction, it does not fall under the seven-year reporting limitation. Instead, convictions can be reported indefinitely, regardless of how much time has passed since the conviction occurred. As a result, individuals with past convictions may find that their criminal history continues to appear on background checks for the rest of their lives. This can create significant challenges in securing employment, housing, and other opportunities, making it crucial for affected individuals to be aware of their rights and options under the FCRA.
Expunged Convictions on Checkr: Will They Still Show Up?
If you find an expunged or sealed criminal record on your Checkr report, you may have grounds to take legal action and sue for a violation of your consumer rights. Under the FCRA law, sealed or expunged cases should not appear on Checkr reports, as well as on any other commercial background reports.
Checkr frequently retains sealed records on consumer reports for years, causing frustration and confusion for many individuals who struggle to understand why they are repeatedly being rejected by prospective employers. When a background check contains outdated or legally restricted information, job seekers may face unnecessary obstacles in securing employment, despite having legally cleared their records. The failure to remove sealed or expunged records can have severe consequences, preventing individuals from moving forward with their careers and rebuilding their lives.
This issue could easily be avoided if Checkr properly verified records directly with the courts. When a case is expunged or sealed, the record should no longer be accessible to background check companies. However, because Checkr gathers information from various unverified sources across the internet - rather than obtaining official court records - it often fails to update its reports with the most recent case statuses. This leads to serious inaccuracies, where records that should no longer exist continue to appear in background screenings.
As a result, many individuals remain unaware that their legally cleared records are still being reported, leading to repeated employment rejections. Employers, relying on these inaccurate reports, may unknowingly deny qualified candidates based on outdated or incorrect information. This highlights the urgent need for more rigorous verification processes to prevent Checkr from harming job seekers with unreliable data.
If you have been affected by inaccurate information on your Checkr report, please complete the form below, and our team will contact you with the next steps.
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