Full Service Background Check Solutions
Protect your business with regulatory compliant background screening services tailor made for the US employers.
cFIRST, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, provides cost-effective and customized background check services through an industry leading, easy-to-use web-based system. We are ISO 27001:2013 certified, NAPBS empaneled and FCRA compliant. We are a trusted source of background verification information for organizations ranging from small, local business owners to global Fortune 500 companies.
Identity Check Services
Social Security Number Trace
Address History/SSN Trace
Using provided name and social security number, a past address history search retrieves information from the credit bureaus to reveal addresses of record from the past 3 to 5 years. The addresses found will be used to populate the location of the criminal record searches.
Content Based Social Security Number Verification
CBSV is the only true way to validate SSN, providing direct access to the SSA Master File and Death Index. CBSV will validate personal identifiers: Name / SSN / Date of Birth / Death Indicator. Specific release required.
TAT 24 hours
Motor Vehicle Report
Provides information relating to license status, and any history of violations from the State Motor Vehicle Records Bureau.
Response Time – Instant
Passport Validation
Confirms your candidate’s identity by validating the information that appears on their passport.
Response Time – 24 hours
Criminal Search Services
County Criminal Record Search
Best practice dictates the use of county criminal record searches in all counties of residence. This is the only criminal search that can be considered the most up to date and accurate. Dependent on the jurisdiction, the search will go back at least 7 years. Felony and misdemeanor records will be reported according to applicable local, state and federal laws.
Statewide Criminal Search
Local index and centralized state repositories are searched in available states. Although every state possesses a state repository, due to differing state legislation, some repositories are incomplete or offer limited access. Only states with sufficient access and data are available.
National Criminal Record Locator Search
The National Criminal Record Locator Search is a database check that searches over 800 million records nationwide. Data found in this search comes from diverse sources such as statewide repositories, local county information, Department of Corrections and Administration of Courts records. Because this is a database search, all data found using this locator tool at the originating source to ensure the information is complete and up-to-date.
Federal Criminal Search
A Federal Criminal Record Search searches for offenses against federal law by district from one of the 94 Federal District Courts nationwide. Federal violations generally will not appear in either a county, nationwide or statewide criminal check, which search for offenses against state law. Federal offenses can be very severe involving kidnapping, drug trafficking, interstate transportation of stolen goods, bank robbery, and embezzlement.
Nationwide Sex Offender Record Search
A real-time search of publicly available sex offender information from all states, including District of Columbia, US Tribes and Territories. Information provided will vary by jurisdiction
Response Time – 1 to 24 hrs
Global Watch Database
Search of US and foreign sanctions and watch lists. Sources include lists from FBI, DEA, OIG, SDN, BATF, ICE, OFAC, SDN, SAM and assorted international sources such as Interpol and foreign sex offender registries.
Response: Instant
Verification Services
Employment and Education Verification
Verify the provided employment or educational history, including dates of employment and job title, degree or level of education obtained. If allowed, performance, rehire status, reason for departure and any other general comments will be provided in the report.
24-48 hrs
Professional License Verification
Confirms an individual’s professional license, type of license, date and state issued from State Records or online system
Response Time – 24 to 72 Hours
Military Service Verification
National Personnel Records are searched to verify if the candidate has been an active member of military or has ever served with the military.
Response Time – 24 to 72 Hours
Reference Verification
Verifies through candidate’s professional references insights into various things such as attitude towards work, job skills, interpersonal skills, work ethics, strengths, weaknesses, punctuality etc.
Response Time – 24 to 72 Hours
Additional Services
Instant Credit Report
Contains credit information of the applicant. Based on applicable state law, the report includes seven to ten years of credit history, payment history, delinquencies, bankruptcies, defaults and collection action.
Response Time – Instant
County Civil Search
Provides records of civil cases (contract disputes, property damage & probate cases) at the county level from court records.
Response Time – 48-72 Hours
Federal Civil Search
Identifies civil cases involving federal law filed in a U.S. Federal District Court
Response Time – 3 days
Facis Level 1, 2 and 3
FACIS® Level 1 meets the federal government’s minimum requirements as outlined in the OIG’s Compliance Program Guidance and includes: OIG, GSA, DEA, FDA, PHS, ORI, TRICARE and OFAC-SDN data (federal only) and Medicare Opt-Out.
FACIS® Level 1M is the recommended baseline and minimally required compliance search for candidates employed by organizations receiving government funding. It includes: FACIS® Level 1 plus State Medicaid sanctions, 42 HEAT sources and 51 AG Notice and Release sources, and state level procurement/contractor debarment sources.
FACIS® Level 2 brings into focus a specified state and includes: FACIS® Level 1 / 1M as well as additional state-level board / source information for one specified state.
FACIS® Level 3 is the gold standard of sanction and exclusionary searches and includes: All sources included in FACIS® 1 / 1M / 2 and the sanctioning boards from all 56 U.S. jurisdictions across all provider types. This accesses more than 3,000 sources.
Social Media & Online Media Check
Online and social media sources such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Bing, and Newspaper search engines are searched for a list of keywords for your candidate to find out anything suspicious.
Response Time – Instant
Drug Screening
Indicates the presence of illegal or prescription drugs in the body via blood and urine tests conducted by laboratories. We partner with independent companies to provide complete screening services.
Response Time – 1-3 days
Frequently Asked Questions
That is up to you. We will build screening packages based on your needs and policy.
Most background checks are ordered to confirm information provided by your prospective employee or employee. Depending on your industry or the role, you may want to check for criminal records, verify their education claims and/or their work history, confirm professional licensure, or check sex offender registries.
It is best practice to have a background screening policy in place before conducting background checks on your employees. Contact our Compliance Manager to discuss this in more detail.
The foundation of a criminal record check is an Address History Search in conjunction with County Criminal Record Searches.
Because offenses against state law are processed at the county level, this is the only search that can be considered the most up to date and accurate. Dependent on the jurisdiction, the search will go back at least 7 years and include any reportable felony and misdemeanor records found. Records will be reported according to applicable local, state and federal laws.
It is recommended that you search the counties of residence and employment. If ordered with our Address History Search, our system will populate these counties based on that result. We encourage you to review the result and add additional counties based on their knowledge of their work/residence history.
Clients may want to consider adding a State Criminal Record Search and/or a National Criminal Record Database Search to identify potential records available outside of the counties of residence.
State Criminal Record Searches are conducted at the state’s repository where available. They will include offenses processed throughout the state. Adding a State Criminal Record Search on top of County Criminal Record Searches will enhance your background check. Neglecting to check at the county level, and only checking at the state level runs the risk of missing more recent or pending records that haven’t made it to the repository. And often, records found do not have updated dispositions and other information critical to your assessment.
A Federal Criminal Record Search is a search for offenses against federal law. County and State searches are looking for offenses against state law. You will not find federal offenses filed at county courts or state offenses filed at federal courts – separate searches need to be conducted to capture both. Our Nationwide Criminal Record Locator is a database of criminal records and results may include both state and federal offenses, but are never to be considered a complete or up-to-date search.
Yes. When running a background check for employment purposes, disclosure and consent are required. cFIRST will provide you with samples of all necessary forms.
A flagged search on your report is simply an indicator that there is a discrepancy in the result.
An example would be if an employer provided a title that differs from the provided title in an Employment Verification request. This may or may not be an issue upon your review, depending on the discrepancy.
All criminal records found are flagged as well. Again, this may or may not be an issue, depending on the offense and your policy.
Flags do not indicate a need for adverse action.
The FCRA spells out the rights consumers (the employees you screen) have with respect to background reports prepared by CRAs, like us, including the right to dispute the accuracy of the reports and our obligations to reinvestigate such inaccuracies.
The FCRA describes the obligations employers have to provide notice to consumers if information in the background report is going to be used adversely against them. And finally, the FCRA spells out the responsibilities of CRAs when preparing and providing such background reports for a limited purpose such as employment.
The regulations governing the actions of professional background screeners as well as end-users (you) are spelled out in the FCRA and the CFPB’s A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Notice to Users of Consumer Reports: Obligations of Users Under the FCRA.
Background screening, when conducted by a CRA, is highly regulated including by the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as well as state and local consumer protection laws. In addition the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is active in this space and just last year issued revised enforcement guidance on the use of criminal background checks for employment screening purposes, which is directed toward employers who use such reports.
Getting started is very easy. Simply complete the form on this page and an account representative will be in touch within 24 hrs to implement the process. Or, feel free to call 513-898-0646 and we’ll be able to help you right away. Typically, we can get you up and running within 2 business days.
Why cFIRST?
Top-notch, secure and technology-backed processes
Comprehensive, Customized Background Verification Solutions – across verticals and sectors
Awarded and trusted by world’s largest companies
Strong international presence and networks allow cFIRST to carry out intensive checks across the globe
Best in-class service quality and excellent turnaround times
Convenient data entry/report retrieval processes
ISO 27001:2013, ACBCB, QIC, IAF certified, NAPBS, NASSCOM NSR empaneled company
10+ years in the industry with 5000+ clients and 2 million+ background checks
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Phone:
+1-513-898-0646
Email: suzanne.moore@cfirstcorp.com