Are Fingerprint Background Checks Reliable?


Effective and reliable, fingerprinting has clearly become the preferred solution for criminal background checks in various fields. But what is it?

A fingerprint is a mark or impression left by the papillary ridges (surface of the palms or ends of fingers where the sweat pores are open) present exclusively on an individual’s hands and feet. These are unique for each individual, including twins, but they differ for each finger of the same person. Fingerprint data is largely used in various sectors for background checks, especially to identify a person’s criminal record.

 Most industries use this service to protect people and property within their premises from malicious acts such as theft and intrusions. Whether it is an employer, any regulatory authority of a profession, an organization, or even the owner of the apartment that you wish to rent, they may ask for the authorization for a fingerprinting service to establish a criminal history to check the past acts of all individuals. For instance, an employer might get a fingerprint background check done to potential candidates as a step to assess whether the person’s collection of data on offenses such as convictions, charges, pending warrants, court orders, and others might negatively affect the job they are going for. Companies can conduct fingerprinting scans to trace an individual’s previous records, whether it concerns recruits, volunteers, promotions, or other business needs.

Other types of file verifications that are based on the provisions of names (even previous names and aliases), date of birth, addresses, and other points of data of applicants can easily be modified. They are not always reliable due to the common surnames of people, misspellings, use of nicknames, and several name changes. On the other hand, fingerprints are much more effective. Each person’s fingerprint is unique and there have also been several advancements in the technologies used to scan fingerprints over the past years. Hence, an individual cannot fake his identity, and more thorough and accurate information can be retrieved. Additionally, it is also a background check method that meets government requirements, particularly when there are immigrants involved in employment screening.

Nowadays, background checks have become a necessity since it defines once and for all whether a person poses any kind of risks to any domain. If you own a company and want your new hires to go through this process, Brevard Background Check provides professional fingerprinting services and fingerprint for Level II criminal background checks State (FDLE) and federal (FBI). Contact them for more information!