There is No "Off the Grid" (and Why That’s Good For Business)

You may think you’re safe from identity theft or fraud because you live off the grid.

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In other words, you've taken all the steps to stay private:

- You don’t go online or use social media

- You shred every personal document that comes into your home or office

- You challenge any authority who asks for your personal information

But unless you started at birth, it’s too late to prevent your information from going public.

Everyone Shares Personal Data

Functioning in the daily world requires everyone to hand over at least some personal data. There are public records that you cannot avoid. Such as vehicle registrations, voter records, property ownership, and property tax records. There are also magazine subscriptions, health club memberships, alumni directories, retail rewards cards, etc. The fact is, there's no such thing as off the grid. Lien records are public data that businesses can access when assessing a potential partner's financial standing.

‍So how is this lack of personal privacy a good thing for your business?

‍Well, there are lots of people staying off the grid for malicious reasons. For example, a person may try to hide their identity during a background check. This person changes the year of their birth or supplies a deviation of a company or school name, so their negative records are hidden.

Fortunately for businesses, it's possible to spot this fraudulent attempt (thanks to those unavoidable public records keeping us on the grid.)

Specialists, like Business Screen, are trained to utilize this wealth of public information and verify identity in corporate investigations before any negative business decisions are made. Implementing customer risk management strategies can further protect businesses from fraud or other malicious behavior.

‍How does Business Screen verify an identity?

‍Before running a business background check, we confirm that any information the subject provided is correct. We do this by using many of the public records and resources available. We then address any discrepancies that could lead to an inaccurate report. By going this extra mile, our clients are confident they’ll get the whole story behind a candidate. Even if the subject is attempting to stay “off the grid.”

For more information on our business background check services contact us here.