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HITACHI ★ JVC ★ MITSUBISHI ★ PANASONIC ★ PHILIPS ★ SANYO ★ SAMSUNG“If you are concernedabout the safetyof your personalinformation, thereare a number ofquestions to ask thescreening companyabout how yourprivacy is protected.”ProService - June 2007 4Service Providers in all industries contin-ue to hear and talk about backgroundscreens, and in fact, the topic just won’tgo away. Thereason? Everyone is talkingabout them.BACKGROUND SCREENSPart 1★ SHARP ★ SONY ★ THOMSON ★ TOSHIBA ★Clean Room TechnologyTech Assistance Call Center★ PLASMA★ HDTV★ DLP★ LCDServing Today’s Technology and BeyondZENITHCorporate Headquarters: 5233 S. Hwy 37, Bloomington, IN 47401800-844-7871 • Fax 800-844-3291e-mail: pts@ptscorp.com • www.ptscorp.comScott Lindeman • PlusOne SolutionsConsumers are at the core of this topic and areraising background screens; criminal, driving,and registered offender checks, to a new levelof awareness. They are telling manufacturersand retailers that not only should these companiesknow who they are dispatching, but thatall appropriate steps should be taken to ensurethe individual does not pose a threat to thecustomer’s family, property or personal safety.Consumers have also told their legislators,who, in several states, have proposed bills toincrease consumer safety by expanding thebackground screening from only payroll staffto independent contractors, too. Several yearsago Texas made it a law.In recent years, the media has captured andrepeated stories of criminal activity perpetratedby individual service workers who weregiven access to consumer’s homes and alreadyhad a violent criminal record. These stories arerepeated in the news over and over increasingthe public’s awareness.In reality, these unfortunate service eventsare extremely rare. Not only are the greatestproportion of service providers not criminals,most are educated, qualified professionals whocare about their work, their customers andwho do an outstanding job. But, in a time ofsensationalism, the “call gone wrong” is whatpeople remember.While there is not yet an industry standard forbackground screens, the trend is gaining momentumand within a short time completingthe background screen will become a standardlike insurance and licensing. Industry organizationsand consumer groups are already workingtogether to define acceptable standardsfor screening individuals who have access toconsumer’s home. Major companies like Sears,Home Depot, Lowes, GE and Federal Warrantyexplicitly require background screens and moreare about to follow.You may think, “OK, I guess I’ll complete ascreen, but what about the safety of my personalinformation?Background screen applications require basiccontact information, including a social securitynumber. This number provides the sole abilityto track individuals with the consumer reportingagencies and various criminal databasesand to differentiate John S. Smith in Little Rock,