Why is a Social Security Number important for running a Background Check?

An SSN Trace, sometimes referred to as an Address History Search, provides a foundation for history-based criminal background checks. A Social Security Number identifies a candidate’s address history, reveals any names used (including aliases, maiden names, nicknames), and must also match the candidate’s date of birth as a true identifier.

PPS validates all reports directly through the Social Security Administration’s website before releasing a report. PPS will notify you by a ticket immediately if the name entered is invalid, not the true legal name of the candidate, if the SSN entered was never issued by the Social Security Administration, and if your candidate tried to pull a “fast-one” on you by providing a bad date of birth or a fake SSN card.

PPS also provides security protection when onboarding a candidate’s SSN. What does this mean? It means that the SSN entered must be validated, or the background check is not issued as complete nor accurate. Plus, if you have a bad rep or candidate and the SSN was not validated, you cannot reload the bad SSN back into the PPS platform; you will be alerted that you must provide a validated SSN to move forward. This helps keep bad reps or candidates from re-entering the platform. If you have a master account set up with PPS, any new vendors sign up with the bad SSN on a candidate from a prior vendor, it still will kick out the onboarding process. This process protects your company from rehiring a bad rep, candidate, or employee.

Working with a reliable background screening company such as Protection Plus Solutions centers around establishing trust and security when hiring. Besides the strategic purpose of conducting a background check, such as company policy, industry regulations, and other specific reasons, the primary objective for all hires is to be “darn sure” that your hire can be relied upon. PPS provides “peace of mind with every report” because it is our primary objective to provide a person’s identity with every report. Remember, without confirming the TRUE IDENTITY of the individual you’re hiring, a background report remains uncertain. That’s why companies choose PPS over all other background screening companies.