They ask for proof of graduation, transcripts, employment or salary, and even conduct credit checks.
The findings are of interest, the researchers say, because many companies conduct credit checks on potential new hires as part of the employment screening process.
Allegedly needed Social Security number to conduct credit check even though customer has had a landline account with Verizon for many years.
Dorsey wondered why only established businesses, and not smaller entrepreneurs, were able to conduct credit card transactions; his search for an answer resulted in Square, a more accessible credit card reader.
Peter Bell, the executive director of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association, said that counselors would verify borrowers' identification "by asking for personal information," and that some might conduct credit inquiries so they could ask specific financial questions.
"It was... part of the scheme and artifice to defraud that the defendant, Jonathan Woods, sold his purported expertise on how to conduct credit card fraud to people over the Internet, such as what BINs to use when, in fact, the information was worthless and many of the BINs were nonexistent," the indictment notes.
For example, many financial institutions conduct credit risk assessment using point-of-sales (POS) terminal transactions, which infer revenue.
Employers want these numbers to conduct credit inquiries, but credit bureaus accept inquiries without Social Security numbers.
Many merchants already request photo ID when conducting credit card transactions, but having no photo on file to compare it to means the possibility for identity theft and fraud still exists.
Don't trust your gut and accept someone before conducting credit and reference checks.
