The risks associated with a bad hire are significant, including fraudulent or unethical activity, an unsafe work environment, a decrease in productivity, and the attrition of good employees. The risks associated with a poor tenant are equally costly, including uncollected rent, disruptive behavior, and attrition of good tenants. A Social Security Number Trace (SSN Trace) can be a critical background check tool in helping to prevent a poor hiring or tenancy decision.
For starters, the SSN Trace provides verification of whether the SSN entered is a valid number. It also provides the following information: the applicant’s full name, the state the SSN was issued in, and the date when the SSN was issued. Further, it can provide any counties of residence, thus providing a starting point for County Criminal Background Checks, the most current repository of criminal information. By providing this information, the SSN trace is a great tool for checking for fraud.
The SSN trace can be purchased as part of a criminal background checks package or as a standalone service. As a standalone search, it is most often used by the tenant screening industry to reveal addresses the potential tenant has withheld.