Background Checkers Soliciting Neighbors?

[Hoofbite]

Didn't know how to title this thread.

I had a lady show up at my door and ask me about a neighbor. Said she was a background check person with some government agency, flashed some badge and asked questions about the guy that lives next to me. I don't know the guy, see him walking his dog and that's about it and after telling her this she started asking stuff like, "any unusual activity.....drugs, terrorist behavior, etc".

What in the hell is "terrorist behavior" anyway? Odds are if I could spot something terroristic about the guy, you people would probably already know......hopefully.

Anyone else had this happen? I didn't know background checks went this in depth. Knocking on the doors of neighbors and stuff?

Is this pretty standard if you are applying for a position within the government?

Furthermore, should I tell this guy about it? I mean, if he's shooting for a job he might like to know but what if he's a suspected nut job? I probably won't tell him because I don't know the guy at all as I've only lived in my current place for like 6 months but part of me wants to let him know.

 

[ShiningStar]

its how they get into our lives? also known as "control"

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

I doubt this was someone in the government. I would call the police and verify who this person may be. Sounds like she could be an imposter. I have never heard of this in my life.

A couple of questions. Have you checked the sex offender registry for the guy?

Is your neighbor middle eastern?

Do you know your neighbor at all?

If someone did that to me, I would have asked 100 questions before answering one of hers.

I'd also ask the neighbor why this may be occurring.

 

[Hoofbite]

I doubt this was someone in the government. I would call the police and verify who this person may be. Sounds like she could be an imposter. I have never heard of this in my life.

I don't know what her goal would be. I did give her my phone number but that's not like some top secret information that couldn't be looked up.

A couple of questions. Have you checked the sex offender registry for the guy?

No. Never really thought of it. I don't have kids so not really a huge concern for me.

Is your neighbor middle eastern?

Do you know your neighbor at all?

No to both. Literally just found out the guys name after he was talking to a gas station attendant like last week.

If someone did that to me, I would have asked 100 questions before answering one of hers.

I'd also ask the neighbor why this may be occurring.

I probably should have asked her questions but I don't care to deal with this type of stuff or people in general so I often take the quickest way out. I didn't know the guy and that was about it.

I did call the PD to ask because someone showing up on a Saturday is kind of odd. Lady said that if he applied for a job with the police department it's not out of the question that they would send someone to talk to neighbors. Lady did say I should have gotten a business card so kind of wish I would have asked a few mores questions myself.

 

[WoodysGirl]

I don't answer my door to unsolicited strangers. They'd never get the chance to ask me anything about my about myself let alone my neighbors.

 

[Hoofbite]

I don't answer my door to unsolicited strangers. They'd never get the chance to ask me anything about my about myself let alone my neighbors.

I actually thought it was a package.

Couldn't see anyone through the peep hole and when I opened it she was sort of standing off to the side of my door.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

I actually thought it was a package.

Couldn't see anyone through the peep hole and when I opened it she was sort of standing off to the side of my door.

Sounds like a crazy ex wife or gf.

 

[ShiningStar]

I doubt this was someone in the government. I would call the police and verify who this person may be. Sounds like she could be an imposter. I have never heard of this in my life.

A couple of questions. Have you checked the sex offender registry for the guy?

Is your neighbor middle eastern?

Do you know your neighbor at all?

If someone did that to me, I would have asked 100 questions before answering one of hers.

I'd also ask the neighbor why this may be occurring.

sound advice my friend much better post than mine.

 

[WoodysGirl]

I actually thought it was a package.

Couldn't see anyone through the peep hole and when I opened it she was sort of standing off to the side of my door.

Yeah... I can see how she got you.

Maybe I'm just suspicious by nature. Like you, I don't really know my neighbors all that well. I know their face and I figure that's good enough if someone suspicious is floating up/down the street. I wouldn't answer any questions about them tho. Not even of the "public record" kind. Hopefully, this was just a crazy ex-girlfriend or something of that nature.

 

[TwoCentPlain]

Standard operating procedure. Nothing to worry about. Most likely some neighbor of yours applied for a government job requiring a clearance. Typically, today with many people living in apartments and moving so often, neighbors hardly even know each other. I couldn't even give you the full name of any of my neighbors the past 5 years. But, you are required to write your neighbors names in the application. Chances are your neighbor didn't even know your name and it was a standard knock on the door and fish around expedition.

5 Years ago, my good friends who are Japanese got a letter in the mail asking a bunch of personal questions about me. They were shocked and contacted me thinking I did something wrong. They were so relieved when I told them I applied for a job with...

 

[notherbob]

It sounds to me like a regular security check. When a person is hired into a position that requires security clearance, neighbors, former employers, school principles, preachers, anyone who may have some information is interviewed.

Sometimes this kind of detailed background check is done for private employers as was done about me when I went to work for Motorola back in the late 1960s. They interviewed everybody in my background.

Probably nothing to be concerned about but still, remain aware.

 

[Hoofbite]

Yeah... I can see how she got you.

Maybe I'm just suspicious by nature. Like you, I don't really know my neighbors all that well. I know their face and I figure that's good enough if someone suspicious is floating up/down the street. I wouldn't answer any questions about them tho. Not even of the "public record" kind. Hopefully, this was just a crazy ex-girlfriend or something of that nature.

Well the chick wasn't half bad looking and I don't have him pinned as a guy that would really be able to make it happen with her.

She was dressed professionally and as I said flashed a badge.

She seemed to know the guys age and stated an age I would guess to be his.

I'll probably tell him about it and see if he applied for a job of some sort.

 

[Signals]

I doubt this was someone in the government. I would call the police and verify who this person may be. Sounds like she could be an imposter. I have never heard of this in my life.

A couple of questions. Have you checked the sex offender registry for the guy?

Is your neighbor middle eastern?

Do you know your neighbor at all?

If someone did that to me, I would have asked 100 questions before answering one of hers.

I'd also ask the neighbor why this may be occurring.

This.

I would definitely be getting them to prove they are who they say they are.

 

[Idgit]

I don't answer my door to unsolicited strangers. They'd never get the chance to ask me anything about my about myself let alone my neighbors.

I don't either. There are large windows in my front room, and I'll sit there, waving politely, if I don't know the person. My wife thinks it's incredibly rude, but I figure the front door is there for my purposes, and not for theirs.

We'll occasionally get people going through the neighborhood soliciting without permits. My wife called the police on one guy that creeped her out, and they said they could have been using the clipboard as a dodge and that there had been people going through the neighborhood recently knocking, then checking for unlocked doors.

In this case, that seems unlikely, because it's such an elaborate story. I wouldn't know quite what to think, honestly.

 

[Hoofbite]

I don't either. There are large windows in my front room, and I'll sit there, waving politely, if I don't know the person. My wife thinks it's incredibly rude, but I figure the front door is there for my purposes, and not for theirs.

We'll occasionally get people going through the neighborhood soliciting without permits. My wife called the police on one guy that creeped her out, and they said they could have been using the clipboard as a dodge and that there had been people going through the neighborhood recently knocking, then checking for unlocked doors.

In this case, that seems unlikely, because it's such an elaborate story. I wouldn't know quite what to think, honestly.

Elaborate? I hope you aren't suggesting that I could be fabricating it.

 

[speedkilz88]

Elaborate? I hope you aren't suggesting that I could be fabricating it.

I believe he meant that it's unlikely she was fabricating it. Although it does happen.

 

[jobberone]

This sounds like a routine background check as a few have stated. You'd be doing someone a favor to answer her questions.

 

[EGTuna]

My brother used to do background checks for security clearances. The govt contracts it out to private companies that specialize in such things. They often ask ostensibly ridiculous questions - like asking about terrorist activity because they have to ask every question. You never know. Everything described in the original post sounds on the level. You shouldn't worry.

 

[Jammer]

When I was going through the procedures to get a top secret security clearance the government was very exhaustive in doing a background check on me. I had people I hadn't talked to in years call me up and tell me they were interviewed by the government. The people interviewed were current and former neighbors, so I wouldn't be surprised if the interviewer was legitimate.

 

[Bigdog]

That is typical. My friend got a job with NSA and they did back ground checks with people he went with in high school.