Many companies simply rely on a cheap background check that’s purchased from one of many database companies on the Internet offering instant background checks.

Many of these databases are dangerously incomplete. What the database companies are really selling are limited records purchased from a patchwork of jurisdictions over time.

Often, the database company does not update the records after they purchase them.

For example, your database report may show that an applicant had an offense that resulted in deferred adjudication. However, that applicant may have recently done something to violate that agreement which resulted in an arrest or a conviction and the outdated database may not show you the new information. These database can be used a “pointer” devices to see if they uncover any other issues, but we don’t recommend they ever be your sole source of information.