While companies constitute the bulk of people who use the services of background checking specialists, others include:

* folks considering business dealings with another company or individual

* landlords screening tenants

* parents screening daycare providers and babysitters

* homeowners hiring landscapers/cleaning personnel/contractors (anyone with access to their homes)

* parents who want to check out Delaney's mom & dad before Friday's slumber party

* singles who want to make sure their partner is who he/she says they are

Just as there are those who think that these screenings aren't necessary, there are just as many who wish they had questioned the background of someone in their life. Criminals are good at lying and deceiving and the average Joe cannot even conceive what's in that criminal's mind. It only takes the restaurant valet a few minutes to make copies of your keys and the address on your vehicle's registration. The teenager who sits on Saturday night may have been convicted for a sexual crime but because he/she is a minor, the case was sealed. What's worse is there may not have been a conviction because of a plea agreement. A parent needs to know either way.

We tend to only consider our safety when crime happens to someone close to us. No one is suggesting paranoia because the likelihood of something bad happening is slim, yet everyone can agree that we need to be more aware and take nothing for granted. You're not being "nosy" or over-stepping your bounds. Protecting yourself and the ones you love is your right and your duty.

Cynthia M. Barnes is principal of Barnes Information Services, LLC, a Metro Detroit-based Business Research and Consultancy firm. She has over 15 years of experience in conducting Internet and online database research, including a specialization in public records retrieval.