Attention: Our services are not provided to home-based or non-commercial based businesses.

NAPS Background Checks regularly expands and improves its service offerings to meet newly identified demands both domestically and internationally. If you review our services very carefully, you may discover “not all services are alike”. The industry is ever changing and new products are constantly developed. However, a new product may actually be the same product just packaged differently.

Statewide Criminal: Statewide criminal histories are obtained from State Police, State Clerk of Courts, Department of Public Safety or the Administrative Office of Courts (AOC). There are a few states, which do not receive information from all of their counties, Therefore, NAPS cautions its client about relying on state repositories because they lack complete record information and may not contain up to date information. Statewide searches cover more area and are extremely more effective when used in conjunction with federal and county search investigations.

County Criminal: This direct access provides the most up to date information for Due Diligence reporting. NAPS contracts with courthouse and abstract researchers nationwide to go directly into the county courthouse and “hand search” records for criminal history accuracy. NAPS recommends searches under all names used by the applicant, in all federal courts, statewide repositories and county courts where the applicant has resided or worked.

Federal Criminal: District or Statewide; Statewide Federal Criminal Searches allow customers to search an entire state’s Federal records under one search. Crimes not prosecuted or recorded at the county or state level, which involve federal offenses such as tax evasion, mail and wire fraud, drug trafficking, immigration law violations, custom violations, interstate firearms violations, and postal offenses violations will be recorded in a separate Federal US District Court. It is conceivable that a person that is not a career criminal could have no record in a state or county court but have a record in a Federal District Court.

Nationwide Criminal: U.S. National Criminal File search is actually a “private database” search. This search is a multi-jurisdictional compilation of criminal and sex offender records in "participating" states and counties across the US. Though "National" in scope, data provided is compiled from multiple public record data sources and is NOT an entire compilation of all records from all states. This database product should only be used in conjunction with Statewide, Federal and County criminal searches and DOES NOT substitute for an in-person courthouse search of criminal records.  NOTE: This service “used by itself” is a Non-FCRA Compliant Product. The “End User” is responsible for ensuring record accuracy before taking adverse action against the consumer. In order for NAPS Background Checks to ensure this product is FCRA Compliant, the “End User” must authorize additional on-site research on all hits for record accuracy.

Homeland Security/Terrorist Watch List: Search of 45 National & International Terrorist and Fugitive Watch Lists. National (32): DEA Major International Fugitives, DEA Most Wanted Fugitives, Defense Trade Controls (DTC) Debarred Parties, FBI Crime Alerts, FBI Fugitives - Crimes Against Children, FBI Fugitives - Cyber Crimes, FBI Fugitives - Criminal Enterprise Investigations, FBI Fugitives - Domestic Terrorism, FBI Fugitives - Violent Crimes: Additional, FBI Fugitives - Violent Crimes: Murders, FBI Fugitives - White Collar Crimes, FBI Kidnappings & Missing Persons, FBI Most Wanted Terrorists List, FBI Parental Kidnappings, FBI Seeking Information, FBI Seeking Information on Terrorism, FBI Televised Sexual Predators, FBI Top Ten Most Wanted List, Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN), Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations Most Wanted Fugitives, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF) Most Wanted, U.S. Bureau of Industry & Security Denied Entities List, U.S. Bureau of Industry & Security Denied Persons List, U.S. Bureau of Industry & Security Unverified Entities List, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) Most Wanted Fugitives, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) Most Wanted Human Smugglers, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) Wanted Fugitive Criminal Aliens, U.S. Marshals Service 15 Most Wanted, U.S. Naval Criminal Investigate Service (NCIS) Most Wanted Fugitives, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Most Wanted, U.S. Secret Service Most Wanted Fugitives, International (13): Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade List, Bank of England Financial Sanctions List, European Union Terrorist List, Foreign Agent Registrations List, Interpol Most Wanted List, OSFI Canada List of Financial Sanctions, Politically Exposed Persons List, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Most Wanted, Russian Federal Fugitives, Scotland Yard's Most Wanted, United Nations Consolidated Sanctions List, World Bank List of Ineligible Firms, World's Most Wanted Fugitives. NOTE: This service “used by itself” is a Non-FCRA Compliant Product. The “End User” is responsible for ensuring record accuracy before taking adverse action against the consumer.

Sex Offender National: NAPS conducts a nationwide search, through the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Sex Offenders Registry (SOR) website for those offenders who are “required” to register. Sex offenders are considered to be a sexually violent predator when they have two or more convictions for an offense, and/or have been convicted under Title 18, U.S. Code. Section 2241 – Aggravated Sexual Abuse. For most offenders, address verification is on a yearly basis, but for those who have been designated as a sexually violent predator, address verification is required every 90 days.

Sex Offender Single State: NAPS conducts a statewide search, where available, of the State Sex Offenders Registry (SOR) for those “required” to register in the state they reside. High Risk Level and some Moderate Risk Level offenders often appear in the registry, while many Low Risk Level offenders are not considered a threat to the community and are less likely to be listed.

Sex Offender EXPRESS: This service is an INSTANT “National Private Database” search, containing “some” Sex Offender Records from all 50 States including Puerto Rico and Guam for those offenders who are “required” to register. High Risk Level and some Moderate Risk Level offenders often appear in the database, while many Low Risk Level offenders are not considered a threat to the community and are less likely to be listed. NOTE: This service “used by itself” is a Non-FCRA Compliant Product. The “End User” is responsible for ensuring record accuracy before taking adverse action against the consumer. In order for NAPS Background Checks to ensure this product is FCRA Compliant, the “End User” must authorize additional on-site research on all hits for record accuracy.

Back to Top

County Civil: Researchers go into the county level court to research civil cases for upper and lower courts. This report can be utilized to understand the character of an individual who may prove to be litigious in the future, and reveals what county civil court actions they have been involved in. Civil Judgments, Liens, and Bankruptcy records can be an important part of information for our clients in determining hiring and promotion decisions.

Federal Civil: Civil actions filed in the U.S. District Court are recorded in Federal District Courts. Includes plaintiffs and defendants in civil litigation, judgments or liens relating to Federal statutes.

Motor Vehicle Report: NAPS provides “INSTANT” MVR reports containing information dating back 3 years up to 10 years depending on the state searched. Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) prohibits the release and use of certain personal information from State Motor Vehicle records. Section 2721 of the DPPA allows “permissible use” in the normal course of business by a legitimate business or its agents, employees, or contractors, but only to verify the accuracy of personal information submitted by the individual to the business or its agents, employees, or contractors or to verify information relating to a holder of a commercial driver’s license that is required under Chapter 313 of title 49 U.S.C.S. A driving record can reveal suspended licenses, failures to appear in court, arrest warrants, drug and alcohol driving offenses, motor vehicle accidents, and minor traffic violations.

Commercial Driver's License Information System (CDLIS): Mandated by the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act (CMVSA) of 1986, CDLIS supports the issuance of commercial driver licenses (CDLs) by the jurisdictions, and assists jurisdictions in meeting the goals of the basic tenet "that each driver, nationwide, have only one driver license and one record" through the cooperative exchange of commercial driver information between jurisdictions. CDLIS allows employers and their agents to comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requirements (§ 391.21-391.27), by searching within the "Commercial Driver's License Information System" for any prior licenses, current CDL and up to three prior licenses held by said individual. Provides you with: Present Jurisdictional State and Driver's License Number, Name, DOB, Social Security Number Match, Up to Three Previously held CDL Numbers and AKA Information.

Credit Reports: For Employment or Tenant Screening: Reports are procured through primary credit information companies, and must be utilized consistent with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The address is cross-referenced to the SSN to detect any fraud shield alerts; includes the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) check and displays consumer’s initial, extended and active duty alert messages added by the consumer. Credit reports include applicant’s name(s), SSN, previous addresses, and previous employers, public records including liens, bankruptcies and judgments, delinquent accounts, types of credit, total indebtedness, and payment history. Credit reports are important when issuing credit for rental purposes or when applicants are to be assigned to fiduciary responsibilities, management positions, have access to cash, valuable property, or have company credit cards.

Social Security Number Identification: Under the GLB federal law, the Graham-Leach-Bliley Act, it is necessary to have a “permissible purpose” under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to access this information. Commonly referred to as a TRACE report. This is a search of national credit bureau “header files,” using the subject’s social security number. A header file is the top section of the credit bureau file; containing name(s), AKA’s, current and previous address information and year or year range in which the SSN was issued. It also alerts you to possible fraudulent activity. Beware of products being sold as SSN TRACE Products, which are actually “national private name & address databases”. The National Credit Bureau “header file” is the most reliable source used in the background screening process for determining names and residence jurisdictions.

Electronic I-9 Form & E-Verify: Employment Verification Program (EVP): The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) legally mandates that U.S. employers must verify the employment eligibility status of newly hired employees and makes it unlawful for employers to knowingly hire or continue to employ unauthorized workers. Noncompliance, whether intentional or caused simply by oversight, has severe legal and financial consequences imposed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as the potential of a corporate image tarnished by negative publicity. NAPS provides employers with a new and expedient method to mange your Form I-9 process, offering a web-based service to verify whether your employee has a legal right to work in the United States. Through our affiliation with Form I-9 Compliance, a federally approved Designated Agent of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) for Form I-9 employment verifications, our firm increases the efficiency and validity of Form I-9 employment verifications and processes. Using information on newly hired employees’ I-9 Forms, you will be able to verify the accuracy of Social Security numbers, Immigration “A” numbers and I-94 numbers and in real-time obtain employees’ legal right to work status through a unique DHS issued verification number.  For information on how to set up this service, click here.

FACIS-MED SANCTION OIG/GSA SEARCH: Medicare and Medicaid Government Sanctioning, Debarment or Exclusion, will determine if your applicant is excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and other Federal health care programs as imposed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the General Services Administration’s (EPLS) Excluded Parties List System (OIG/GSA). Individuals are excluded from participation if they have any sanctions in a specific category that include but are not limited to: patient abuse/neglect conviction, felony or misdemeanor health care fraud conviction, felony or misdemeanor controlled substance conviction, license revocation, suspension, surrender, federal/state health care program exclusion/suspension, quality of care violation, fraud/kickbacks, failure to disclose required information, failure to grant immediate access, failure to take corrective action, default on health education loan or scholarship obligation. This service was designed to assist CFO's, CCO's, Risk Managers, Human Resources and Medical Staffing Services Personnel in precluding employment of an excluded individual or entity where reimbursement is sought from any federal healthcare program. Depending on your chosen search level, this service may contain information from all 50 states on individuals who have been the subject of State licensing board sanctions, been excluded from federal healthcare programs as well as any adverse actions taken by licensing boards of State governments.

Three distinct levels are available.

FACIS LEVEL 1 conducts a search of the sanction information as taken by the OIG, the GSA and other federal agencies. The information reported in this level meets the government's minimum requirements for sanction screening as set forth in the OIG's Compliance Program Guidance.
FACIS LEVEL 2 combines the Level 1 search of the federal agencies with the disciplinary action information from multiple agencies in ONE (1) state of choice.
FACIS LEVEL 3 is the most robust search option, allowing you to conduct a search of disciplinary actions taken by federal agencies as well as those taken by licensing and certification agencies in all “50” states.

Back to Top

Workers Compensation: Searches are accessed through the State’s Department of Industrial Relations. The search identifies workers compensation claims against an applicant’s past employers. Before this search is ordered an employer must have a conditional offer of employment and a notarized signed release from the applicant. The report will contain case numbers, locations, case status, dates of injury, body parts injured, type of injury, and employer identification. This search is NOT available in all states. Highly recommended in production, automotive repair, construction, and manufacturing environments or wherever physical activity such as lifting is part of the job requirement. This search can identify habitual claim applicants and applicant’s ability to perform a job function. Worker’s Compensation fraud alone can cost Businesses more than $5 Billion annually.

Verification and Reference Checks: It is approximated that 53% of all resumes and employment applications contain falsified information. Our trained interviewers are well prepared to provide you the most accurate and complete information available. We retain and update our Company and Academic databases daily, which provides our interviewers with accurate contact information for the fastest turnaround time possible. International Verifications: NAPS has the resources to conduct Employment and Education verifications in over 100 Foreign Countries to support our customer’s need for International coverage. Established relationships with International vendors, available 24 hours a day, provide language interpreters, eliminating time zone and language barriers. Due to the increased cost associated with providing this service, additional fees may be incurred. Turnaround time excludes holidays and weekends and reports may be subject to delays from third parties.

Employment Verification: NAPS employment verification report provides you with applicant supplied information in comparison with the verified information. This easy to read report will detail falsified or inaccurate information in a comparative format. Some companies will only provide the basic information such as dates of employment and title, while others provide more detail and interesting comments. Our interviewers are trained to seek answers on job performance and character related issues. There are a number of companies, which outsource verifications to a 900 number clearinghouse service that provides dates and title only for liability reasons. While timely in nature, these verifications are subject to additional costs.

Education Verification: NAPS verifies educational information including dates attended, major/minor, year graduated, degree, diploma or certificate received and available GPA’s, awards and achievements. Statistics reveal that education is often falsified on job applications. It is our experience that while many applicants are forthcoming with their educational degrees, some have falsified diplomas and/or information regarding their educational training. Fake degrees “Diploma Mills” are becoming a very real problem but can be verified through proper investigation. We recommend never taking an applicant’s word or apparent diploma without verifying its accuracy. Whether it is High School, General Education Diplomas, Technical, Trade, or Colleges and Universities, let NAPS provide you with confirmation of an applicant’s training and education.

Licensure Verification: NAPS will contact the appropriate state licensing agencies to verify license and certifications for all types of professional certificates held, including but not limited to physician, attorney, nurse, teacher, pharmacist, certified nurse assistant, plumber, electrician, land surveyor, dentist, dental hygienist, interior design, cosmetology, engineer, dietician, social worker, athletic trainer, and many more. Verifying an applicant’s professional accomplishments assures your organization that its vital professional standards will be consistently maintained.

Personal or Professional Reference: Collecting information from personal and professional references is an excellent way to provide insight into an applicant’s general character and professional integrity. Our investigators seek answers to questions on work ethic, goals, performance, and general character traits as well as investigate the type and length of relationship between the applicant and the reference. Since employers are hesitant to provide this information, personal and professional references can be a valuable tool in uncovering the character of an individual or in determining if your applicant meets your qualifications.

Drug Testing: - NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) certified testing facility provides a comprehensive 10-panel Non-DOT urine drug screen as well as the Federal DOT NIDA 5. This is a certification of the presence of amphetamines, barbiturates, cocaine, marijuana, PCP and opiates, methadone, methaqualone, propoxyphene and benzodiazepines. Samples may be collected either at a designated collection site or performed on the employer's premises (certain restrictions apply).  Drug Screen Program Brochure | Sample Report.

Back to Top

With the increase in global recruiting efforts, more and more employers are requesting overseas applicant data before making a hiring decision. NAPS can provide many of our reports internationally, but our success is dependent upon various factors. Political climates are susceptible to global changes and accessibility of information varies regularly in certain areas of the world. Each country's privacy policies, culture, and record keeping methods determine the success of foreign searches. Court Records are not always public records like the United States. Therefore our researchers always try to utilize different sources of criminal searches include courts, police agencies, government agencies and prosecution offices to complete searches. The sources and the rights to obtain data through these sources vary by country, and in some countries they may have specific privacy laws and regulations on how personal data is collected and used for pre-employment screening purposes. The availability of the data is also dependent upon the country.

Turnaround Time: In the U.S., the average turnaround time for education and employment verifications is typically three business days. However, it is important to realize that business standards in the rest of the world are much different than in the U.S. and because of this the typical turnaround time is five to ten business days with longer delays possible in some cases due to factors beyond anyone's control. Many less developed countries do not have centralized computer systems, and going through paper work that has been archived slowing the search often completes the searches. Depending on the country there may be language barriers, time differences and name variations that make a search more difficult and naturally slower to complete. Some countries celebrate different holidays, which can mean offices shut down for a number of days, again slowing the search. NAPS, Inc. is committed to doing everything we reasonably can to turn orders around as quickly as possible. For instance, we review the status of every order locally every day and communicate with our overseas researchers accordingly. We subsequently update status notes as meaningful progress is made and notate delays caused by factors beyond our control.

Here are some additional factors affecting turnaround time:

• International time difference: When we receive an order from a U.S. firm, keep in mind that much of the rest of the world is still asleep--the order processing is by necessity delayed until the next business day.

• International calendar: Holidays in the rest of the world cause schools and businesses to be closed at times when the U.S. is open for business.

• Political and economic considerations: Infrastructure in some areas of the world in which we are asked to obtain verifications is poor to non-existent in so far as record keeping, telephone and fax services, internet access and consistent business practices are concerned.

• Research: Quite often, the contact information contained in an international verification requires additional research to locate the employer or school. This sometimes requires additional information; interpretation skills, letter writing and a near-investigation level of effort to establish contact with the verifying party or determine whether they are still in business.

• Business customs and practices: In the U.S. most businesses are staffed and open 9-5, M-F. There is invariably an office manager, human resources representative or staffing office that can assist with verifications. That is not always the case outside the U.S. In some countries, verifications can take a number of voice mails, e-mails and faxes before someone responds. If the employer is small, the office may only be staffed intermittently.

• Criminal Records: We utilize worldwide court researchers, government contacts and private agencies when conducting International Criminal Record searches. The International Criminal Records search will report crimes and offenses comparable to felonies in the United States. When available, the International Criminal Records search will report less serious offenses as well. Turnaround times and availability of records vary greatly with International Criminal Record searches. Please call for details.

• Employment Verification: We verify the applicant's previous or current employers, verifying at least: start date, end date as well as position information. Employment verifications are more likely to be completed if the business phone number, dates of employment, position held, and salary is provided.

• Education Verification: We verify dates of attendance, graduation date and degree information. Success with education verifications is dependent on having the years attended, date of graduation or anticipated date, the name enrolled under, student identification number (if available), and type of degree and specialized certification obtained.

• Credential Verification: We verify the applicant's previous or current license, certification or other credentials. Access to such records can be limited. Please call us to discuss what it is you need to obtain.

Each country's political climate, privacy policies, culture, and record keeping methods determine the success of foreign searches. With political climates changing regularly, accessibility varies regularly in certain areas of the world. When conducting education and employment verifications, some schools simply will not release any degree information according to their privacy laws, making it difficult to obtain the information needed. In many cases we are forced to comply with the privacy laws in place, in order to obtain any information at all. We must provide the information and release forms that they require and remain in compliance with their unique laws at all times. Some schools or employers need the applicant to contact them directly in order to release the information, and other schools will not accept a standardized release form and will only accept a release form approved by their laws.

If both the job and the applicant reside in the foreign country you are searching, then the rules of the foreign country will apply. If the job and the applicant reside in the U.S., then it is acceptable for you as the employer to apply the same rules that would apply in the U.S. Since the job is to be performed in the U.S. it is likely that you will make your decision under the rules that the U.S. currently have in place. It can get tricky when the job is in the U.S. and the applicant is currently living abroad. In this case, keep in mind that as an employer you must use due diligence before bringing the applicant aboard. The decision is in your hands as the employer. The ways in which you use the information found in your search and the unique privacy laws of each country govern the ways in which criminal records can be used in your employment decision.

"International Search Tips"

Improve your success ratio by collecting as much information about the applicant as possible before ordering the background check. Include questions on your employment application to obtain the length of time an applicant has lived in the country and their addresses. Since many foreign workers "Americanize" their name when they reach our shores, be sure to request their full real name. Names are used in different ways depending on the country. Many Spanish-speaking countries such as Mexico and Puerto Rico use the Mother’s maiden name as an important part of their identity. For example, in Puerto Rico the mother's maiden name is part of every person's name. Even when they are married they still carry their mother's maiden name within their name. Because of this, all information and documentation in the court is filed under the full name (including mother's maiden name). Therefore it is very important to know the mother's maiden name when searching for criminal records. In India, using the Father’s name as a key part of a person’s identity is very common. Therefore it becomes an important piece of information when conducting a search. The more information obtained and provided at the start of the search will improve your success since it minimizes communications and narrows the scope.

Back to Top

LEGAL NOTICE: NAPS is not acting as legal counsel and cannot provide legal advice. Customers should recognize the importance of working with counsel to develop an employment/tenant screening program specific to their needs. NAPS encourages its customers to work with their legal counsel to ensure that client’s policies and procedures related to the use of CRA-provided information are in compliance with applicable state and federal laws.

Home  |  Mission  |  Tools  |  Services  |  Compliance  |  FAQs  |  Login  |  Contact