How to spot a fake DBS check

It can be difficult to spot a fake DBS check if you don’t know what you are looking for, but there are a few surefire ways to know if a check is real or not.

This is fairly important if you are getting a DBS check as recruitment and employment fraud are both big issues that you need to avoid.

Here is how to spot a fake DBS check.

A Request for A CRB Check

Until 2012, DBS checks (Disclosure And Barring Service checks) were referred to as CRB checks (Criminal Records Bureau checks), and today all legitimate companies only offer DBS checks. If a company approaches you asking for money for a CRB check, it is very likely that they are trying to commit fraud, so you should withhold your money and go to another company.

The Price

There are set prices for DBS checks if the employer is processing it, starting at £26.00 for a standard check and going up to £44.00 for an enhanced check. If the costs are much higher than this, it is likely that the company is fraudulent.

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If a third party company is processing the check for you, you may have to pay an extra fee, but this should not be more than around £70.00 in total.

If you want to find out more about basic DBS checks, head to Basic DBS Checks.

The Industry Body

Some industries, such as the security industry, only permit certain companies to process checks. In the case of the security industry, only the SIA process checks, so if you work in the security industry and another company tries to process the check for you, it is very likely that they are fraudulent.

Eligibility

According to Gov.UK, only certain jobs require a DBS check. The majority of jobs don’t require a DBS check; in general you will only need one if you work in the security, healthcare or education sectors. If you are not working with children or vulnerable adults. it is unlikely that you will need a check, so if a company asks for one, it is very likely that they are trying to commit fraud.

It is worth noting that anyone can apply for a basic disclosure check, but this is different from a DBS check.