Background Check

A comprehensive investigation into an individual's history is often conducted for employment screening, onboarding new customers, or mitigating risk in financial transactions. 

Background checks typically involve verifying information from various sources, including employment records, education credentials, criminal history, and sanctions lists.

Understanding Background Checks in Digital Identity Verification

Here's a breakdown of common elements included in background checks for IDV purposes:

• Employment Verification: Confirming previous employment positions, titles held, and dates of employment through direct contact with employers or verification services.

   

• Education Verification: Verifying attendance and qualifications obtained from educational institutions by contacting the institutions themselves or utilizing credential verification services.

   

• Criminal Record Checks: Searching relevant databases maintained by law enforcement agencies to identify any criminal convictions or adverse rulings against the individual. The scope and availability of criminal record checks vary by country within Africa.

   

• Sanctions Checks: Screening the individual against international and national sanctions lists to identify any associations with restricted entities or individuals.

Benefits of Background Checks for Businesses

• Enhanced Due Diligence: Background checks provide valuable due diligence tools, allowing you to verify the information provided by individuals and mitigate the risk of fraud or identity theft. This is particularly important in online environments where face-to-face interactions might be limited.

   

• Informed Decision-Making: The insights gleaned from background checks can empower you to make informed decisions regarding hiring, onboarding new customers, or entering into business partnerships.

   

• Reduced Risk of Fraud: By uncovering potential inconsistencies or discrepancies, background checks can help deter fraudulent activities and safeguard your business from financial losses.

   

• Building Trust and Confidence: Demonstrating a commitment to thorough background checks fosters trust with customers and partners. This is crucial for building long-term relationships and fostering a secure digital identity ecosystem in Africa.

At Smile ID, we understand the complexities of conducting background checks in Africa.  With our solutions, we leverage our:

• Global Network of Partners: Our established network of trusted data sources and partners across Africa ensures access to comprehensive and reliable information. We currently have data access to over 500 million identities across 5 markets in Africa. 

   

• Regional Expertise: Our team possesses in-depth knowledge of African regulations and data privacy laws, guaranteeing compliant background checks. 

Conclusion

A background check is a thorough investigation into someone's past, often conducted for employment screening, onboarding new customers, or reducing risk in financial transactions. It typically involves verifying information from various sources like employment history, education, criminal records, and sanctions lists. 

Background checks can also be used for renting a property, obtaining a professional license, or even for personal reasons. However, the specific information accessed and used is regulated by law and can vary depending on the location and purpose of the check.

Smile ID offers comprehensive AML checks to help businesses achieve compliance and perform proper checks on their users. Our solution empowers businesses to screen users across 1,100+ global and African sanctions, PEP, and adverse media watchlists. 

Businesses can easily integrate our technology into their existing workflows via APIs. Book a free demo to see how it works.