How can I find out if an employer relied on incorrect public records about me?

As noted above, if an employer runs its own background check—instead of hiring an agency to do a consumer report—it must disclose to you any public records it relies on. Specifically, the employer is required to ask you whether you want copies of these public records. If you checked “yes” when asked whether you want a copy (which it is recommended that you do), by law the employer must send you the public records in the mail and give you the opportunity to examine them thoroughly. If you find incorrect or misleading information, you can inform your employer about the false information, so he or she does not rely on it as accurate. Then you can attempt to get the errors fixed.