When most people think of fair credit laws like the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”), they tend to only think of credit reports from the Big Three credit reporting agencies, Trans Union, Experian and Equifax. However, the FCRA is broader than that. It protects consumers from inaccurate reports sold to their employers or potential employers. Increasingly, employers are using consumer reports to screen job applicants and make promotion decisions in all types of industries, from banking to trucking and food service. These reports are referred to as “employment reports” or “background screening reports.” They contain information about a consumer’s past work history, criminal record history, public records and other information. Unfortunately, like traditional credit reports, employment reports are often riddled with errors that can cause a person to be denied a potential job, or even to lose an existing one. The damage can be very significant, especially in a tight job market.
Fortunately, the FCRA regulates both the companies that sell employment reports and the employers who use them. The law protects consumers in the following ways:
- It requires that employment reports meet the standard of maximum possible accuracy;
- It requires consumer reporting agencies to give consumers contemporaneous notification when an employment report contains negative information;
- It requires employers to notify consumers when a job is denied or terminated due to an employment report;
- Permits consumers to dispute inaccurate information in an employment report.
If you have been victimized by an inaccurate employment report or an inaccurate screening report, contact Healey Law, LLC, and Bob Healey will walk you through the process. The primary goal is to get a copy of the inaccurate report which was sold to the employer and send a dispute right away.
For a free consultation, contact Bob Healey at (314) 401-3261 or [email protected].
Bob Healey is a licensed attorney and principle with Healey Law, LLC, a full-service St. Louis law firm, specializing in handling cases for accident and injury victims, injured workers, and consumers who have been abused or mistreated by debt collectors, banks, mortgage companies and credit reporting agencies. With 4 convenient locations in Chesterfield, Downtown St. Louis, North County (Bridgeton near DePaul Hospital) and South County (on Tesson Ferry across from St. Anthony’s Hospital) the attorneys at Healey Law, LLC have over 25 years of experience representing clients in the State and Federal Courts in both Missouri and Illinois. For more information visit: http://www.healeylawllc.com
