5 Ways to Spot Fraudulent Requests for DBS Checks

In 2008 the Metropolitan police set up SAFERjobs (Safe Advice for Employment and Recruitment) which is a non-profit, joint industry and law enforcement organisation. SAFERjobs works hard to raise awareness of recruitment fraud and help prevent criminal activity by fake/fraudulent employers. 

Unfortunately, employment fraud continues to be one of the most prevalent crimes in the UK. With this comes fake requests for criminal record checks. SAFERjobs have released advice for job seekers who suspect a request for a check may be fraudulent. 

How do I know it might be fake? 

1.1Outdated Requests 

In England and Wales, the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) was replaced with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) in 2012.  

However, many fraudsters will still ask for money in advance for a ‘CRB check’. If someone has requested you pay for a CRB check, you may just want to look a little deeper into this to make sure it’s genuine. 

2. Eligibility 

Only certain roles require a Standard or Enhanced DBS check. Most of these roles lie within the education, healthcare and security sectors. If your job doesn’t involve coming into contact with children or vulnerable adults, and you aren’t in these sectors, it may be a fraudulent request. However, you can always check first if your role is eligible for a DBS check here. 

Anyone can apply for a Basic Disclosure for any position. You can apply for it yourself through a registered body such as ourselves here.

3. Look deeper 

Ask who is processing the DBS check. If it is the employer (registered body) you can contact the DBS on 0300 0200 190 or Disclosure Scotland on 0300 0200 040 to confirm if they are a genuine registered body. 

If it is an Umbrella Body (such as Personnel Checks) you can check whether they are a genuine umbrella body here. If the umbrella body is genuine you can contact them to check that the employer is registered to use their service. 

4. Industry bodies 

Many industry bodies require DBS Checks to be processed directly with them in certain circumstances. For example, new care providers have to apply directly with the CQC for their DBS Check. This is the same in childcare settings, but new businesses apply directly with OFSTED. If you are working in the security industry, usually only the SIA are permitted to run checks for this line of work. 

If you are asked for money upfront for a check, please check the authenticity.  It’s always best to do research into the rules around DBS Checks in any industry that you are applying to.

5. Costly affair 

Umbrella bodies and third parties usually charge an administration fee but if you are asked to pay over £70.00 for a Standard or Enhanced DBS or over £50.00 for a Basic Disclosure with a third party, this may be a scam. 

If you have any doubts, don’t part with any money during the recruitment process. Always bear in mind, that most organisations will want you to start the role as soon as possible, so won’t ask you for payment upfront. However, it isn’t illegal for businesses to expect applicants or staff to pay for their own DBS Checks, it just isn’t best practice.

If you would like more information you can visit the SAFERjobs website here. 

For more information about anything in this article, or, how our screening solutions can help you, get in touch! You can give us a call on 01254 355688 or drop us an email at letstalk@personnelchecks.co.uk