Quick guide to ID Checks

Beth Ritchie

17 Apr

min to read

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When onboarding new staff it is crucial that employers are confident that candidates are who they say they are to mitigate the risk or fraud of foul play which might threaten the business. Employers must be able to rely on their staff and a trustworthy workforce is one of the most valuable assets a business can have.

Pre-employment identity checks are comprised of two elements, the first confirms the attributed identity of the candidate, including their name, age and place of birth, and the second verifies the biographical identity, such as address history and country of residence.

Identity checks make use of a variety of elements to ensure that the check results are accurate, and usually include the verification of official identity documents such as passports or driving licenses, as well as address verification through utility bills, electoral roll and/or credit database.

The CPNI (Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure) warn that prospective employees may lie about their identity financial gain or to avoid detection, but also to obtain genuine documents (such as payslips) legally. Therefore, it is crucial that the identity of all new employees is confirmed to protect your business, other staff and your customers against imposters.

Identity checks are also useful to corroborate the identity information obtained from or used by other checks, such as DBS, providing an extra level of protection that is virtually impossible to cheat.

Identity checking has become even more crucial with the increase in remote working due to the coronavirus, as well as in recruiting from the global labour market. In both cases, face to face contact prior to hire is rare, these checks help mitigate the risk of hiring someone who is impersonating someone else or attempting to forge their identity.

Veremark are world leaders in digital Identity Checks and you can request identity checks for your candidates within seconds as a single check or as part of a check bundle. Our easy to use software will keep you informed of where you are in the checking process and results can be obtained in as little as 2 days.

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FAQs

What background check do I need?

This depends on the industry and type of role you are recruiting for. To determine whether you need reference checks, identity checks, bankruptcy checks, civil background checks, credit checks for employment or any of the other background checks we offer, chat to our team of dedicated account managers.

Why should employers check the background of potential employees?

Many industries have compliance-related employment check requirements. And even if your industry doesn’t, remember that your staff have access to assets and data that must be protected. When you employ a new staff member you need to be certain that they have the best interests of your business at heart. Carrying out comprehensive background checking helps mitigate risk and ensures a safer hiring decision.

How long do background checks take?

Again, this depends on the type of checks you need. Simple identity checks can be carried out in as little as a few hours but a worldwide criminal background check for instance might take several weeks. A simple pre-employment check package takes around a week. Our account managers are specialists and can provide detailed information into which checks you need and how long they will take.

Can you do a background check online?

All Veremark checks are carried out online and digitally. This eliminates the need to collect, store and manage paper documents and information making the process faster, more efficient and ensures complete safety of candidate data and documents.

What are the benefits of a background check?

In a competitive marketplace, making the right hiring decisions is key to the success of your company. Employment background checks enables you to understand more about your candidates before making crucial decisions which can have either beneficial or catastrophic effects on your business.

What does a background check show?

Background checks not only provide useful insights into a candidate’s work history, skills and education, but they can also offer richer detail into someone’s personality and character traits. This gives you a huge advantage when considering who to hire. Background checking also ensures that candidates are legally allowed to carry out certain roles, failed criminal and credit checks could prevent them from working with vulnerable people or in a financial function.