What is the DPPA? DPPA stands for “Driver’s Privacy Protection Act” and it prevents people from using DMV data for non-approved purposes. Permitted purposes include vehicle recalls, government use, use by insurance companies, vehicle towing, toll roads, and more. To read the full list of permitted purposes, see this wikipedia article.
Category Archives: Background Checking
What is BLJ Data and Where Does it Come From?
March 2, 2019 – 8:27 pm
“BLJ” stands for “Bankruptcies, Liens, and Judgments.” They are civil court records that include information such as: amount owed, date filed, filing number, court name, chapter (for bankruptcies), and case status. Lien and Judgment records are filed on a per-county basis and are therefore hard to get complete coverage for. Bankruptcies are all filed through […]
Who is the head of household?
November 12, 2018 – 5:22 pm
And why? Once the household is defined, it makes sense to select one member as a ‘head of household.’ Ideally, the person selected will be the primary decision-maker in the home, so, how does a data provider decide who is the most likely household member to be the primary decision-maker?
What is a ‘household’?
October 25, 2018 – 4:26 pm
Beginning in 1980, the US Census Bureau discontinued the use of the term ‘head of family/household’ and replaced these with ‘householder’ and ‘family householder’, as well as no longer by default classifying the husband in a married couple as the ‘reference person’ in its survey. These logical legal implementations make sense in our society which […]
Security! How do potential clients get credentialed?
September 16, 2018 – 2:44 pm
With the ever-present threat of data insecurity in our modern world, it is incumbent upon those with the access to sensitive records to only share it with those that can be trusted with it. USInfoSearch has a number of strict requirements to ensure the suitability of a potential client. Here’s what we check for before […]
Skiptracing defined
August 23, 2018 – 4:55 pm
You’ve probably heard the term ‘skip tracing’, but what does it mean? The phrase “skip tracing” is derived from the old idiom ‘to skip town’, and is used to describe the process of searching for an individual who has, usually, absconded from the law in some way: think debtors who have defaulted or someone who […]
What is PII?
August 9, 2018 – 7:22 am
What constitutes Personally Identifiable Information? Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is any information used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity. Examples of PII include your full name, address, date of birth, Social Security Number, bank account number, biometric records, medical records, vehicle registration plate – a lot of which is also considered sensitive, and will […]
Understanding ‘Instant Criminal Background Checks’
July 22, 2018 – 2:31 pm
Why you might not be getting the full picture. When doing online research you might be tempted to use one of the many “Instant Criminal Background Search” products seen advertised on TV or in your google search results. Before you shell out your hard earned money for these sorts of reports, it’s important to understand […]
FCRA compliant background checks
July 7, 2018 – 2:18 am
What is the Fair Credit Reporting Act? And what is an FCRA compliant background check? FCRA stands for Fair Credit Reporting Act and it dates back to 1970. It states that landlords, lenders, and employers are not allowed to deny you any credit opportunities based upon your civil, criminal, or financial shortcomings unless the information […]
