Employers these days look at a whole host of consumer information about you before they offer you a job.  Consumer reporting agencies regularly furnish prospective employers with applicants' credit histories, civil judgments, and criminal records.  If any of this information is inaccurate (and it often is) - it can cost you the job.

Just ask the Philadelphia man whose consumer report contained a whopping 15 criminal offenses he did not commit.  From today's Inquirer:

"I just need work," says Charles, 37. "I have to take care of my family."

So, imagine his despair when he received a letter from Comcast, which manages the Liacouras, asking him to review an enclosed copy of his consumer report (the company requires a background check on all potential hires) and let them know if anything was in error.

His heart sank. The report indicated that he'd recently been arrested multiple times on 15 charges, including forgery and writing bad checks. It also showed, accurately, that he'd been acquitted of the charges.

He soon learned that he didn't get the job. He wasn't surprised.

"If I saw that report, I wouldn't hire me, either," he says. "It doesn't matter that I was acquitted. The report just makes me look bad."

Worse, the 15 charges were incurred by someone who had stolen Charles' identity. And, Charles says, "It's keeping me from finding a job."

If inaccuracies and errors in your consumer report are keeping you from getting a job or obtaining credit - contact us, we may be able to help. 

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires maximum possible accuracy in consumer reports and may provide you relief for consumer reports that:

• Do not report the outcome of your case, e.g. you were acquitted
• Blur the difference between misdemeanors and summary offenses
• Do not reflect your record is obsolete or expunged
• Have your records mismatched with someone else's with a similar name
• Overreport criminal information (short rap sheet extended over several pages)
• Report "records of arrest" and "other adverse items of information" older than 7 years (for jobs w/ less than $75K year salary)
• Include other inaccurate, obsolete or erroneous information. 

An inaccurate consumer report can be devastating.  The FCRA can provide some relief.  Contact us if you're the victim of identity theft or there are errors on your credit report - in your criminal history, credit history, or otherwise - we may be able to help.