Why Are Background Checks Important in Today’s Society? How Do They Help Prevent Fraud and Protect Public Safety?
Background checks are not a new concept, but they have gained significant importance in today’s society. With increased access to information, the increase in criminal activities, and the rise of identity thefts and frauds, background checks have become a crucial element in safeguarding public safety. Background checks are now a necessary way to keep businesses, organizations, and individuals safe from potential risks.
In this article, we will explore the importance of background checks in today’s society and how they can prevent fraud and protect public safety.
What Are Background Checks?
Background checks involve gathering an individual's information from various sources such as their education, employment history, criminal record, and credit history. It provides a comprehensive insight into their background, which helps uncover any potential red flags or past offenses that might disqualify them from a certain job or position.
Why Are Background Checks Necessary?
Background checks are necessary for various types of organizations, businesses, and institutions for different purposes. Employers run background checks on potential candidates to ensure their suitability for the job. Background checks are also essential for volunteer organizations to ensure the safety of the vulnerable population.
Moreover, background checks help landlords in screening their tenants, loan lending companies in assessing their credit history, and businesses in looking for potential partnerships.
How Do Background Checks Prevent Fraud?
Fraud prevention is one of the primary reasons businesses and organizations run background checks. Background checks can prevent fraud by revealing any past criminal offenses such as identity theft or fraudulent activities and employment history inconsistencies. If an individual has a history of fraudulent practices, it is likely that they might repeat the same. By implementing background screening processes, businesses can easily eliminate such individuals from their recruitment process.
Fraud can impact businesses financially and can further dent their brand reputation. Background screening helps businesses protect their finances as well as their brand reputation.
How Do Background Checks Protect Public Safety?
Background checks play a significant role in protecting public safety. In the healthcare industry, background checks are used to weed out healthcare providers with criminal records. Individuals with a history of drug abuse, Medicare fraud, patient privacy violations, and malpractice are unfit to serve as healthcare providers and thereby pose a threat to public safety.
For the education and childcare sectors, requiring background checks before hiring employees help in ensuring the children's safety in their care. Children are vulnerable and need special protection against individuals with a history of child abuse or any other criminal activities.
Background checks are also essential for policymakers, government agencies, and law enforcement entities in maintaining public safety. Screening individuals involved in sensitive positions such as intelligence agencies, military, or law enforcement helps to detect any potential threat they might pose.
Real-Life Examples
Background checks have become increasingly prevalent in today’s society and have helped in identifying potential threats and preventing fraud. Here are a few real-life examples demonstrating the importance of background checks:
• In 2020, a healthcare worker in New York was arrested and charged for stealing confidential information from over 75 patients and selling it online. Background checks could have helped in identifying any red flags that posed a risk to patient privacy.
• In 2019, a childcare worker in Texas was arrested for sexually assaulting a minor. The employee had a history of sexual assault on a child but landed the job because the hiring company failed to conduct a background check.
Conclusion
In conclusion, background checks have become a necessary tool in today’s society to prevent fraud and protect public safety. From employers to government agencies, background checks are essential for safeguarding vulnerable populations and maintaining public trust. Background checks not only protect businesses, but they also save time and money, reduce legal liabilities, and protect people’s reputations. Thus businesses, organizations, and government agencies must adopt background checks as part of their recruitment and employee screening protocols.
