What Will Show Up On Your Background Check? Must Watch | Washington State Attorney

Summary of Financial Strategies, Market Analyses, or Business Trends

The video primarily focuses on legal insights regarding background checks rather than financial strategies or market analyses. However, it does provide an important overview of how background check companies operate as businesses, which can be relevant from a business trends perspective:

• No Uniform background check: There is no single, standardized background check. Different employers or landlords may use various services, each with different data sources and criteria.
• Big Data Collection Business Model: background check companies invest heavily in collecting data from multiple sources (court records, parking tickets, civil suits, etc.) and monetize this data by selling access to employers, landlords, and others.
• Data Retention Incentives: These companies have little incentive to delete data that generates revenue unless legally required, meaning dismissed or non-conviction cases can still appear on reports.
• Official Criminal History vs. background check Data: The only official criminal history in Washington State is maintained by the Washington State Patrol, focusing on arrests with fingerprints and convictions. Other data found in background checks may come from third-party aggregators.
• Consumer Strategy: Individuals can pay to access their official criminal history directly from the state to know exactly what is on their record.
• Dispute and Correction Process: If errors appear on background checks, individuals should request the source of the report and dispute inaccuracies directly with the reporting company or the entity using the report.

Methodology / Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding Background Checks

• Understand there is no single definition or standard for a "background check."
• Identify which background check service is being used by the employer or landlord.
• Obtain a copy of the background check report to verify what information it contains.
• For official criminal history, obtain a report directly from the Washington State Patrol.
• If non-conviction or dismissed cases appear, know that these might still show up in third-party databases.
• If errors are found, dispute them with the reporting company or the entity using the report.
• Avoid convictions to minimize negative consequences on background checks.
• Be transparent about your history when possible; hiding information can be more damaging.
• For non-criminal civil matters (bankruptcy, protection orders, lawsuits), expect these to show up on some background checks.
• If facing a criminal matter, consider consulting a defense attorney for guidance.

Presenters / Sources

• Attorney Lance Frer, defense attorney based in Lynwood, Washington
• Washington State Patrol (as the official source of criminal history)