Vertical Screen, Inc. through its subsidiary, Business Information Group, Inc., provides pre-employment and pre-contractual background checks to employers and other organizations. The following information will assist consumers to:

• Order a free copy of their credit report in accordance with the FACT Act;
• Order a free copy of your own Background Screening Report (if one was processed by Business Information Group, Inc. upon your authorization to a Business Information Group, Inc. client)
• Dispute the Accuracy of a Background Screening Report generated by Business Information Group, Inc.
• Obtain contact information for Business Information Group, Inc.

FACT ACT Information

Free Annual Credit Report

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACT Act) of 2003 that amended the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), provides the ability for consumers to obtain a free copy of his or her consumer file from certain consumer reporting agencies once during a 12 month period. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires the three national credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) provide a consumer with a free copy of his/her credit report, upon request, once in a twelve month period. Free credit reports are available under the FCRA at www.annualcreditreport.com, the only authorized source under Federal law; or by calling 1-877-322-8228 or mailing a request to Annual Credit Report, PO Box 105281, Atlanta 30348-5281. You will need to provide your full name, address, SSN and date of birth, as well as a statement as to whether you would like your credit report from one, two or all three credit bureaus.

Obtaining your Background Screening Report from Business Information Group, Inc.

If you have previously had a background report run on you by Business Information Group, Inc. you may request a free annual file disclosure pursuant to the Free Annual File Disclosure Rule, 16 C.F.R. Part 610, under the following circumstances:

• Once in a twelve-month period. This is often referred to as a "Free Annual Disclosure," available from National Specialty Consumer Reporting Agencies.
• Within 60 days of consumer receiving an adverse action notification.
• Upon providing written certification that the consumer is unemployed and intends to apply for employment within 60 days.
• Upon providing written certification that the consumer is a recipient of public welfare assistance.
• Upon providing written certification that the consumer has reason to believe that the file on the consumer contains inaccurate information due to fraud.

The FCRA describes a "disclosure" as "all information in the consumer's file at the time of the request". Further, some state laws also entitle consumers to free disclosures and/or Background Report copies in other circumstances.

Regardless of whether any of the criteria listed above have been met, you may contact Business Information Group, Inc. and request a Disclosure and/or a copy of the Consumer Report/Investigative Consumer Report (Background Screening Report) of which you are the subject that we have prepared at the request of one of our clients. This service is provided at no charge to you. Please note that proper identification will be required.

Please note that Business Information Group, Inc. only prepares Background Screening Reports at the request of our client who must obtain authorization. Therefore, unless you have previously authorized a prospective employer to obtain a Background Screening Report from about you, Business Information Group, Inc. will not have a file of which you are the subject. If you have not applied for employment with an employer that conducts pre-employment background reports, then you will not have a file with Business Information Group, Inc. Generally, a consumer will be informed of the name and identity of the background firm that was utilized by an employer on the Consent and Disclosure forms that an applicant must sign prior to a background report being requested.

Consumer Contact Information

Under state and federal law, consumers have the right to access a copy of their background report and to dispute the accuracy of any information contained within it.

BIG offers three convenient methods for consumers to contact our Consumer Care Department.

ONLINE

Contact us online by visiting http://consumercare.bigreport.com.

FAX

Contact us by fax at 1-888-495-8476.

MAIL

Contact us by mail:

Business Information Group
Consumer Care Department
PO Box 541
Southampton, PA 18966

Please make sure to include the following in any fax or mail correspondence:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Full Social Security number (for identification purposes)
• Address
• Phone number
• Details of the request/dispute and any additional relevant documentation

Upon receipt of a consumer inquiry or dispute, Business Information Group, Inc. will reinvestigate any disputed information pursuant to the Fair Credit Report Act (FCRA).

Consumers with questions can also contact our Consumer Care hotline at 1-800-260-1680.

Please note that Vertical Screen and its subsidiary, Business Information Group, Inc., is a consumer reporting agency. We are not involved in any hiring or appointment decisions made by our clients and cannot explain why any adverse action has been taken.

Listed below are some additional resources the US Federal Trade Commission publishes to assist consumers.

• Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) Text
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
• Summary of Rights Under FCRA: English Version
• Remedying the Effects of Identity Theft

You may also wish to review our Privacy Policy for further information on how we handle and protect your information.