Although it is an important piece to any background screening process, not all background checks include identity verification. Without this critical step, an organization is vulnerable to becoming a victim of identity fraud, which, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FCC), was the most commonly reported type of fraud in 2019. Using a social security number (SSN) to confirm identity offers several benefits, including more accurate results, an expanded name search, and follow-up on limited results, while the risks of not confirming identity include: wasting time on a background check for the wrong person, a poor candidate experience, reduced likelihood of complete verifications, needless adverse action, and reputational damage. A few steps to build identity verification into the background screening program are: collecting complete candidate data, including an SSN trace in the background screening program, and working with a trusted background screening partner.
