Business Information Group Inc or BIG is one of numerous employment background check agencies you’re likely to face during your job search. Find out who they are, what they do, and what rights you have under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
What is Business Information Group BIG?
Business Information Group, Inc. or BIG was founded in 1989, and is based in Pennsylvania. It is part of the Vertical Screen family of applicant screening companies and provides screening services exclusively to the financial services Industry. It boasts that it “has rapidly grown into the premier applicant screening services provider – serving many of the world’s largest financial services firms.”
BIG provides virtually every type of screening and background check by using the applicant’s name, birth date and social security number including:
Sex offender registry
County, state, national, and federal criminal checks
County and federal civil checks
Global Watchlist Search
Driving records
National and international employment and education checks
Personal and professional references
Drug checks
Credit checks
Social Security number tracing
The company also offers new hire and post-employment screening. This includes identity and immigration status verifications, employee audits and monitoring, random drug testing, and risk and compliance checks. The company is accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS).
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Were You Harmed By False Information or Errors In Your Business Information Group Report?
Whether you get hired or promoted often depends on the information learned from an employment background check. A background check can come in many shapes and sizes. It may be as simple as verifying your social security number. Or it may include a detailed report of your credit and criminal history, or even information gathered from interviews of your friends and neighbors about your character and reputation.
Whatever the scope of the background check, the FCRA sets strict standards for how employers and background check companies get consent for and conduct background checks, and what they can do with the information they find.
If a background check company like BIG fails to meet those standards, the FCRA gives you rights.
Background checks are susceptible to errors. Individuals who handle public and private data about you can make mistakes and computer systems can also fail to to be accurate. Here are some of the most common causes for inaccurate info showing on your report:
Wrong or incomplete data in original documents
Typos such as number transposition
Copying, filing, and search mistakes
File corruption in computer system
Duplicate information
Outdated negative information
Mistaken identity
Identity theft
What are my Background Check Disclosure and Consent Rights?
You have a right to know if an employer will use information from a background check against you and an employer cannot obtain background check information without your express written consent.
A background check company cannot hand over your information to an employer unless the employer certifies that: (1) it has “clearly and conspicuously” disclosed to you in a separate document that it may obtain a background check; (2) you have authorized it to get the background check; and (3) it will provide you with advance notice of any adverse action based in any part on the background check report, a copy of the report, and a summary of your rights under the FCRA.
What if I get an adverse action notice from an employer after a background check?
If an employer takes “adverse action” against you by denying you a job based partly or completely on information in a background check report, the employer must give you notice of that fact. The adverse action notice must include the contact information for the background check company and an explanation of your rights to dispute the report.
Can criminal convictions appear on my background check after 7 years?
Yes, but a background check company must take reasonable steps to ensure its report is as accurate as possible. The FCRA also puts limits on the negative information a job screening report can include. A report cannot list civil suits, judgments, arrest records, paid tax liens, accounts in collection or most other negative information after 7 years, or bankruptcies after 10 years. It also cannot list expunged convictions. However misdemeanor or felony criminal convictions that go on record and are accurate can stay on your background check indefinitely.
Can I dispute a false disposition on my background check report?
If you don’t get a job because of information in a background check report, you are entitled to a copy of the report. You also have the right to dispute the report if it has errors or includes information it shouldn’t. If you dispute a report, the background check company must investigate and correct any errors within 30 days.
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Can I Sue Business Information Group if my background report includes errors?
If you lost out on a job or promotion because a BIG background check report included inaccurate or illegal information, you may be able to sue in federal court. If you sue and win, you may be entitled to your actual damages or statutory damages up to $1,000, plus punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs.
Actual Complaints Against Business Information Group – BIG
Hardworking people just like you who lost job opportunities due to an inaccurate or unfair Business information Group employment background check report have already sued the company for FCRA violations. Justia lists at least 6 federal civil lawsuits against Business Information Group,all of which allege violations of the FCRA due to improper employment screening reports.
For example, on August 27, 2017, a consumer sued Business Information Group inthe federal district court for the Eastern District of Virginia for violating the FCRA in connection with an employment background check and that he lost employment opportunities and suffered emotional distress, reputational harm and other damages. The complainant alleged that he applied for a job with First Republic Bank and his eligibility for hire was subject to a background check. BIG prepared the background check but failed to use reasonable procedures to ensure the maximum accuracy possible of the report as the FCRA requires. According to the complainant, Business Information Group falsely listed a state tax lien even though the lien had been filed in error, vacated and withdrawn by a notice in the file and the taxing authority had notified the credit reporting agencies of the fact that it was vacated and withdrawn. BIG’s report also stated falsely that the complainant owed collections on an account re “ATT” when the complainant had no such debt. Due to the false and inaccurate information in the BIG report, First Republic Bank told the complainant he was ineligible for hire and denied him employment.
This is just one of at least 6 federal civil FCRA lawsuits filed against Business Information Group. Most of those lawsuits allege that Business Information Group did not take reasonable steps to verify credit, debt or criminal background information and caused them to lose job opportunities. Some complainants filed their lawsuits as class action complaints, on behalf of themselves and similarly situated people.
Contact Information
Business Information Group 1105 Industrial Highway Southampton, PA 18966 Phone: 800-369-2612 Website: https://www.bigreport.com/
Ready to Assert Your FCRA Rights?
Fired or Not Hired Because of a Business Information Group BIG Background Check? If so, you’re in the right place.
● Our 12-year track record of helping hardworking, regular people just like you speaks for itself. We have the experience, knowledge, and dedication to get you the best results possible. ● We’ve helped more than 25,000 consumers recover more than $50 million. ● We work to restore your reputation and get you the compensation you deserve. You focus on living your life. ● We care because we know what it’s like to lose out on a job because a faceless company didn’t follow the law. ● We will fight hard for you and won’t stop. We are not afraid to stand up to big, powerful companies. That’s what we do. ● It won’t cost you a penny out of pocket – you pay nothing until we win money for you.
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If you’re ready to assert your rights and fight incorrect information in your background check, we can help you get justice. Complete our form for a FREE case evaluation, or call 844-685-9200 NOW
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About the Author:
Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
Denied contract by Brighthouse Financial due to report from BIG