Today, a vast majority of employers perform a background check of potential new-hires, and these applicants are required to supply them with their Personally Identifiable Information (PII). This includes their name, date of birth and Social Security number, which is exactly the data needed in order commit identity theft. In such a situation, virtually nothing exists to ensure an individual's data privacy.

Hidden danger

The typical job applicant is unaware that his or her PII may be forwarded to a data repository or off-shore call center, with virtually no consideration for privacy protection—minus the security that privacy laws in the United States provide. (Note that the European Union (EU) states are an exception in regard to this trend.) This can be done because there is no requirement to notify prospective employees when their personal information will be transmitted to a location outside our borders and it is not given the protection it deserves.

Currently, job candidates’ PII is often sent “off shore” to labor markets whose standards are lower than those prevailing in the United State, and the aim is to increase the employer’s bottom line. When this is done, little thought is given to the notion that handling the personal information in this manner means that these applicants are at great risk of identity theft.

Common practice

An employee’s PII is often “re-purposed” by various background screening companies, used in some other product or format, and then sold to a variety of customers who then resell the data numerous times. Today, this practice is a breeding ground for the loss of privacy and widespread identity theft.

The result is that there is no practical way for American citizens to protect themselves from identity theft overseas. The prohibitive cost makes it impossible for them to seek the assistance of foreign police, rely on foreign courts or file a legal complaint when their identity is stolen. Consequently, they are totally unprotected.

Where Pre-Employ.com fits in

As a major employer-service provider and background-check company, we aim to protect employee’s PII. With this in mind, we adhere to the policy that it is never to be repurposed, resold or sent outside the United States without your written permission. For additional information, view our Data Privacy webinar at http://www.pre-employ.com/Webinars/Data-Privacy-Webinars.aspx.

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