What does Public Record Check search for?

What does Public Record Check search for?

What does the Public Records Check search for?

The Credibled Public Records Check (also referred to as Softcheck™) scans publicly available information that may be associated with a candidate. It draws on sources such as public criminal court records and decisions, negative news and press coverage, public social and biographical profiles, and international watchlists and sanctions lists.

⚠️ Important: The Public Records Check is not a criminal record check. It does not search official police or government criminal databases. Instead, it surfaces publicly accessible records and mentions that may warrant a closer look as part of your screening process.

What the check looks for

The Public Records Check screens for a wide range of themes, grouped below for clarity.

Offences against a person

  • Domestic, elder, or child abuse
  • Assault or battery
  • Kidnapping, abduction, or unlawful confinement
  • Murder or manslaughter
  • Robbery
  • Sexual offences, including sexual abuse and exploitation
  • Human or organ trafficking
  • Terrorism
  • Obscenity and exploitation-related offences

Offences against property

  • Arson
  • Burglary and trespassing
  • Counterfeiting or forgery
  • Copyright infringement
  • Possession of stolen property
  • Theft, larceny, embezzlement, misappropriation, or extortion

Drug and alcohol-related offences

  • Drug trafficking or distribution
  • Possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia
  • Impaired driving (DUI or DWI)
  • Public intoxication

Financial and white-collar offences

  • Fraud, scams, or swindles
  • Bankruptcy fraud
  • Bribery, corruption, or kickbacks
  • Money laundering
  • Mortgage fraud
  • Identity theft or impersonation
  • Cyber and computer-related crime
  • Securities violations, including insider trading and securities fraud
  • Tax-related offences
  • Organized crime or racketeering

Planned or attempted offences

  • Conspiracy
  • Planned or attempted crimes

Regulatory, sanctions, and watchlist matches

  • Professional misconduct or a revoked licence or registration (for example, in healthcare, financial services, or real estate)
  • Regulatory action, audits, defaults, or forfeitures
  • Presence on banned director lists
  • Presence on global sanctions lists and watchlists (such as OFAC lists or the BIS Entity List)
  • Politically exposed persons (PEPs)

Understanding your results

Every result returned by the Public Records Check should be reviewed carefully and in context. A single finding is not automatically a cause for concern. For example, a one-time bankruptcy filing or an audit may simply reflect an honest situation, whereas a pattern of repeated filings could point to something that warrants further review.

ℹ️ About the "Review" status: You may see a status of Review on a completed check. Because this search matches on publicly available information by name, it can occasionally surface records that belong to a different individual with a similar or identical name. This is expected behaviour, not an error. We recommend reviewing each finding against the candidate's full details to confirm whether it is a genuine match.

Need help?

If you have questions about a specific result or status, our team is happy to help. Reach out to us at support@credibled.com. 😊

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