Background Screening: A crucial service not tomorrow but today...
service
Prior to employing or hiring a candidate, it is your duty of care to obtain accurate and factual insight into who or what you are about to be dealing with. Conmen, fraudsters and a vast array of nefarious characters have for years established themselves in our business sector and are constantly looking for ways to prey on those companies that do not see them coming. Under qualified individuals or candidates misrepresenting themselves in an attempt to bypass the interview phase and worm their way into companies.
“Old school” or conventional background screening (or vetting as it is sometimes referred to) was always regarded as a HR function, often performed by junior administrative clerks carried out by phone calls and credit reference checks. This is no longer adequate and certainly not how any business should be protecting themselves from a poor hiring decision. Comprehensive background screening, including criminal record checks and OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) checks, are now as important as the practice of auditing.
Providing you with comprehensive, professionally detailed intelligence on an individual or company, you can effectively mitigate the risks associated with bringing the wrong person into your organisation or premisese
- Criminal Record Checks
- Qualification Checks
- Credit Checks
- Validity of ID
- Traffic Offences
- Previous Employment History and Truth Verification Tests (Polygraph)
- Proof of Residence via Actual House Visits
- Reasons for Gaps in a CV
- Fraud Register Checks
- OSINT (Open Source Intelligence)
- Compromised Government Relationships
- Detailed Checks of Court (Civil) or (Criminal) Judgements
This information is pertinent in determining whether an employee will become an asset or a severe liability, if hired.
Searchlight Background Screening services performed 1 364 Criminal Record Checks during the 2017/2018 calendar year.
Criminal Record Checks are our most requested background screening service. This clearly indicates that corporate South Africa is fully aware of the importance of knowing more about individuals’ previous offences.
Our Qualifications Verifications and Matric Certificate Checks are our second most requested checks, with 1 292 certificates checked for fraud in 2017/2018.
Although our verification departments get requests from virtually every industry, sector and many government departments, certain industries make up the bulk of our Background Screening Checks. These include, but are not limited to:
- Labour Brokers (predominantly Criminal Record Checks)
- Security Companies (Criminal Record and Qualification Checks)
- Logistics Companies (Criminal Record Checks, and Forklift and Driver’s License Verifications)
- Engineering and Mining Industries (Criminal Record Checks and Qualification Verifications)
- Banking and Financial Services (full suite of Background Screening Services, including fraud register checks)
Fraud Prevention and Risk Checks on Suppliers/Vendors
Just like fraudulent CVs and fake identity documents are presented by dishonest job candidates, so too are fake websites and fraudulent social media profiles that are created to deceive companies looking to do business with them. This is done by syndicates or individuals with the sole aim of scamming or defrauding you.
Performing complete Fraud Prevention and Risk checks and, if required, Due Diligence on potential suppliers is now a standard prerequisite when entering into tenders, supplier agreements and business transactions with previously un-tried individuals and companies. These Supplier and Vendor Screening Projects require specialist skills and techniques that only highly experienced Anti-Fraud and Risk Portfolio Agents should perform.
- Directorship Checks
- Database Trawls
- Fraud Listings
- Negative Media Coverage
- Compromised Business Transactions
- Ownership Checks
- SARS Registrations
- Deed Searches
- B-BBEE Verification
- Government Affiliations
- COID Verification
- Comprehensive Company Checks
- Company Reputation Checks
- Comprehensive Due Diligence Services
- OSINT (Open Source Intelligence)
- Brick and Water Resistance
- History of Trading Footprint
