Method and system of verifying and authenticating background and consumer records

• US 7,979,908 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2006
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ireviewnow LLC, SecurTest, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Securetest Incorporated
• Inventors: Millwee, Steven C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Arani; Taghi T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rahman; Mohammad L
• Application Number:
  US11/351,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20060184395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/229, 713168-174, 713182-186, 713/166, 726 28- 30, 726/8, 726/21, 726/26, 380/233
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/645 using a third party

Abstract

A method and system of verifying and authenticating the accuracy of public or private background reports. These reports contain information about consumers, such as aggregated data about criminal history, security clearance qualifications, security access authorization, credit, insurance and medical claims, and other public and private information wherein applicants, employees, individuals, credit reporting agencies, background screening entities, and consumers self-authenticate the accuracy of the records. The consumer report and a self-authentication questionnaire is delivered to the consumer by hand, email, facsimile, securely online, mail, overnight express, courier, or other delivery means, which is returned by similar methods with the completed questionnaire.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for retrieving and storing personal history that is collected from a subject of a search after the search is conducted, the search being ordered by a third party, comprising the steps of:

providing a database comprising background information about a plurality of individuals in which the background information has not been checked by any of the individuals and in which access to the database by any of the individuals is restricted and information therein cannot be pre-screened and accessed by one or more of the individuals;

transmitting one or more passwords over a computer network to only a third party who is a subscriber of the database;

receiving the one or more passwords from a computer network from the third party;

providing the third party access to the database;

receiving a search request for background information about a subject, the subject comprising a person of interest from the plurality of individuals in the database;

transmitting data comprising background information about the subject over the computer network to the third party;

after transmitting the data comprising the background information about the subject, then transmitting identical background information about the subject over the computer network to the person of interest;

displaying the background information about the subject to the person of interest on a display device;

displaying a plurality of fields on a display device that prompt the person of interest to enter personal information;

receiving personal information in the fields from the person of interest;

displaying a plurality of YES and NO questions related to the background information about the subject on the display device that prompt the person of interest to answer the YES and NO questions;

receiving at least one of YES and NO answers from the person of interest corresponding to the YES and NO questions;

transmitting the personal information with the YES and NO answers over the computer network to the database;

associating the personal information and YES and NO answers with the background information about the subject; and

storing the personal information and YES and NO answers in the database as an appendix to the information about the subject, the personal information with the YES and NO answers providing context for the third party such that any adverse or derogatory data in the background information about the person of interest is mitigated; and

displaying the background information with the appendix to the third party.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising displaying at least one field for entering narrative data on the display device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising receiving narrative data corresponding to the at least one field.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting the narrative data with the personal data and YES and NO answers over the computer network to the database.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

associating the narrative data with the background information about the subject.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

storing the narrative data in the database along with the personal data and YES and NO answers as the appendix to the background information about the subject, the personal information, YES and NO answers, and narrative data providing context for the third party such that any adverse or derogatory data in the background information about the person of interest is mitigated.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the background information stored in the database comprises at least one of credit report data, public background reports, private background reports, current employment data, past employment data, and criminal background data.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the personal information comprises at least one of a first name of the person of interest, a last name of the person of interest, a social security number of the person of interest, a birth date of the person of interest, a street address of the person of interest, a city of residence for the person of interest, a state of residence for the person of interest, and a zip code.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the YES and NO questions comprise at least one of a question asking whether the search request was authorized by the person of interest, a question asking if any criminal history report in the background information about the person of interest is correct, a question asking whether the person of interest has been convicted of any crime, a question asking whether the person of interest has been convicted of a misdemeanor, a question asking whether the person of interest has been convicted of a felony, and a question asking whether the person of interest is on parole.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising displaying text adjacent to the at least one field for entering narrative data on a display device, the text requesting at least one of:

the person of interest to explain why an employer should hire the person of interest despite any relevant criminal history of the person of interest, the person of interest to explain which records in the background information are not the person of interest'"'"'s information, and a typed signature from the person of interest.

11. A computer system for retrieving and storing personal history that is collected from a subject of a search after the search is conducted, the search being ordered by a third party, the system comprising:

a microprocessor operable to;

provide a database comprising background information about a plurality of individuals in which the background information has not been checked by any of the individuals and in which access to the database by any of the individuals is restricted and information therein cannot be pre-screened and accessed by one or more of the individuals;

transmit one or more passwords over a computer network to only a third party who is a subscriber of the database;

receive the one or more passwords from a computer network from the third party;

provide the third party access to the database;

receive a search request for background information about a subject, the subject comprising a person of interest from the plurality of individuals in the database;

transmit data comprising background information about the subject over the computer network to the third party;

after the data comprising the background information about the subject is transmitted, then transmit identical background information about the subject over the computer network to the person of interest;

display the background information about the subject to the person of interest on a display device;

display a plurality of fields on a display device that prompt the person of interest to enter personal information;

receive personal information in the fields from the person of interest;

display a plurality of YES and NO questions related to the background information about the subject on the display device that prompt the person of interest to answer the YES and NO questions;

receive at least one of YES and NO answers from the person of interest corresponding to the YES and NO questions;

transmit the personal information with the YES and NO answers over the computer network to the database;

associate the personal information and YES and NO answers with the background information about the subject;

store the personal information and YES and NO answers in the database as an appendix to the information about the subject, the personal information with the YES and NO answers providing context for the third party such that any adverse or derogatory data in the background information about the person of interest is mitigated; and

display the background information with the appendix to the third party.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is further operable to display at least one field for entering narrative data on a display device.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the microprocessor is further operable to receive narrative data corresponding to the at least one field.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the microprocessor is further operable to transmit the narrative data with the personal data and YES and NO answers over the computer network to the database.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the microprocessor is further operable to associate the narrative data with the background information about the person of interest.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the microprocessor is further operable to store the narrative data in the database along with the personal data and YES and NO answers as the appendix to the background information about the person of interest, the personal information, YES and NO answers, and narrative data providing context for the third party such that any adverse or derogatory data in the background information about the person of interest is mitigated.

17. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the background information stored in the database comprises at least one of credit report data, public background reports, private background reports, current employment data, past employment data, and criminal background data.

18. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the personal information comprises at least one of a first name of the person of interest, a last name of the person of interest, a social security number of the person of interest, a birth date of the person of interest, a street address of the person of interest, a city of residence for the person of interest, a state of residence for the person of interest, and a zip code.

19. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the YES and NO questions comprise at least one of a question asking whether the search request was authorized by the person of interest, a question asking if any criminal history report in the background information about the person of interest is correct, a question asking whether the person of interest has been convicted of any crime, a question asking whether the person of interest has been convicted of a misdemeanor, a question asking whether the person of interest has been convicted of a felony, and a question asking whether the person of interest is on parole.

20. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is further operable to display text adjacent to the at least one field for entering narrative data on a display device, the text requesting at least one of:

the person of interest to explain why an employer should hire the subject despite any relevant criminal history of the person of interest, the person of interest to explain which records in the background information are not the person of interest'"'"'s information, and a typed signature from the person of interest.