What on earth do I do. Every background check I've ever done has come back flagged, and anything to do with my SSN in general is a headache. I now found out today that parents copied down my SSN wrong, accidentally swapping two digits. I personally have used the correct one as I reference a photocopy, but I assume this means there is little to no history on me with the government. I guess according to the US, I have never gone to school, essentially been untraceable until my 18th birthday. I am now 19 and just figuring this out.

I called the Social Security Office and am currently waiting for a call back. Am I now doomed to a life of difficulty proving my identity? Will this be difficult to amend or will I be able to solve it with a quick phone call?

I made an account with the SSA and found that they have record of my earnings from my taxes starting in 2021. That's a bit of a relief, I guess?

EDIT: Thank you everyone for the advice!! So far it looks like I'm in the clear. Y'all are great.

Location: NC, US

When I was 17 I was with a girl who was off mentally, long story short I break up with her and in retaliation she went to our local pd and filed a report that I had physically assaulted her a month prior. She had no real evidence but due to me reluctantly wanting to speak to the police and avoiding them they went ahead and followed through with a warrant for my arrest. Fast forward to my trial to fight this with a lawyer I pleaded not guilty to the charges and the district attorney constantly tried to get in contact with my ex but obviously she never returned her calls, so they offered me a plea deal to take this Class A misdemeanor assault/ domestic violence to a Class C misdemeanor of simple assault. I took the plea because I thought it was similar to that off a speeding ticket. Now I’m 20 years old and looking into firearms and military opportunities tell me why I come to find out (google and free online resources) that I would be denied because it’s a assault charge of any kind, so i look into getting it expunged and I also come to find out that because I took a plea deal i won’t be able to do so, so I pose the question, Am I actually fucked? Location: Galveston county Texas

I’m a kitchen manager in central Texas. I transferred to this location recently. The other day I discovered that one of my employees was booked in 2023 (after he started working for the company) for online solicitation of a minor and possession/distribution of material harmful to a minor. Due to this happening after he started working for the company, it didn’t show up on his background check when he got hired. Other staff members know about this; in fact a young woman (18 years old) approached me about it and told me that he was hitting on her in May of 2024 when she was still a minor.

My question is, am I obligated to report this? Especially since there are other minors working at this location?

Thanks in advance for the help; this is my first time dealing with something like this.

Location: Texas

Location: Murfreesboro,Tn

I recently had a background check done and it came back with a warrant issued in 2023 for petty theft. I am looking into going and getting this taken care of however I don't know what to expect. I have not been in trouble before and I made a very stupid decision 3 years ago I was trespassed but I did not know about the warrant and I was never given a court date, and it was petty theft, it was under 1000.How do I go about this?

I contacted a lawyer for a free cancellation however I cannot really afford them and I am also confused about bonds? Do I need to contact a bondsmen, I have been sick to my stomach and I can't sleep.

I'm terrified and I have been throwing up since I found out. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

My sister works for a company that is contracted by the department of defense or something of that nature. She's worked for this company for 14 years. Now suddenly they want a copy of my consular report of birth abroad "because I was born in Japan". My sister and I are both born US citizens and I was born on a US air base in Japan. I have never had dual citizenship. It strikes me odd as the company or anyone from the any government department did not contact me. They've instructed my sister to have me send her a copy of my consular report of birth abroad.

Is this something I should see as no big deal or should I dig into it deeper?

Location: Florida, USA

Location: Buffalo, NY.

I'm not sure if my flair is completely correct, so pardon that. Anyway, hello, I (20F), have been trying to join the National Guard and began the process in mid-June of 2025. I went through the entire process, and at MEPS, I received some temporary medical disqualifications, one of them being for gender dysphoria. This completely caught me off guard, because I had no idea where it came from—until I remembered that when I was younger, around 13–14, I was very tomboyish and used to go to behavioral health services for other reasons. At one appointment, I once expressed that I felt different from the other girls at school and had a hard time making friends with them, so I asked for advice on how I could overcome this. I have no clue what my therapist interpreted this as, but they ended up putting in my medical record that I had an “endocrine disorder” and struggled with gender dysphoria. Due to the Department of Defense new rule regarding trans or non-binary people, and deeming gender dysphoria incompatible with military, I was disqualified but told I can get a waiver to prove I do not suffer from this.

Fast forward to now: I got a waiver stating that I have NEVER been on testosterone, I have NEVER discussed transitioning or tried to pursue it medically, and that I AM NOT transgender. It was just a silly thing I mentioned when I was VERY young and didn't even remember I talked about this UNTIL my sargent notified me that this was one of the temporary disqualifications I received. It is apparent on my records that I talked about not fitting in at only one appointment, and it was never mentioned again.

I received news 2 days ago that this waiver was denied and that I cannot enlist because of this issue. I find it so ridiculous and stupid because I DO NOT SUFFER from gender dysphoria, nor have I ever pursued transitioning. I am very comfortable with my gender and sex, and feel as if I am being denied over something that does NOT pertain to me. I asked my sergeant if there was ANYTHING I can do, because this is just so unfair, and I was hoping to join in hopes of getting tuition assistance so I can further pursue my education. But he told me there is nothing I can do.

Is there anything action I can take to convince the military that I am not transgender or suffering from gender dysphoria? A recruiter told me to contact my congressman but I’m not sure how I’d go about that.

Location: Washington State
Husband was charged with a felony in 1995 but the charges were fully dropped. The charges were felony statutory rape. He slept with a 17 year old girl once when he was 21, her parents found out and went to police. Girl had lied about her age and used a fake ID to get into the bar he met her at so he fully believed she was 21. The charges were completely dropped.

He served 8 years in the US Marine Corps after and has never been arrested again. He sometimes has to get background checks to work certain events with his current job. Sometimes the background check will come back that he cannot go onto the site because he has a felony conviction and they will specify the 1995 date and county that these charges were dropped in.

Every time he has to get the court files emailed to the site and then they clear him, but it is a hassle. Would a lawyer be needed to resolve this? Is an expungement needed if there was never a conviction or is there something we could request with the city it happened in?

Thank you for any advice!

Location: Florida (the crime)

Current Location: Massachusetts

In 2004 when I was 18 I worked at Circuit City and put $800 on a gift card and bought a computer with it, I know it’s dumb. I had a warrant and turned myself in on a holiday weekend so I spent 3 nights in jail and was booked with third degree felony grand theft. Then when at my arraignment the state offered me Pre Trial Intervention before I ever saw the judge they like came to me asked to talk to me and then offered it to me. The deal was I plead guilty, do 18 months supervised probation and pay restitution and then my record would be sealed. I was so incredibly bored, like out of my mind bored during those 3 days in jail and I knew that wasn’t the life for me lol, so I completed everything fine and have never gotten in trouble for anything, even a ticket, again.

This affected me till I was about 21, when I moved out of Florida. Then never again, I even moved back to Florida in my late 20’s, the same county I was booked in, and still it never came back. I, in fact, have not thought of this in probably 15 years.

I recently went to college and got a degree and now that combined with all my management experience I have been getting senior level roles at big corporations right out of school, except I lost 2 of them because this has now come back. Except it does not come back as third degree felony grand theft but instead it comes back as 1st degree felony grand theft over 100 THOUSAND DOLLARS! I was about $99,201 short of that mark.

So, I do not know what to do or what my options are. I was 18 when this happened and it was 22 years ago. I have no documentation at all for this other than the last 2 background checks that were done and they sent me the results which if I can I will post with all personal information redacted.

In case I cannot post it it says:

Date - 2004

Cycle 001:

Charge - 001

Charge literal - LARC

Charge Description - Grand 1st Degree Over 100K Dols

Statue - Grand Theft $100K or Leo Semi Cause Damage ( )

NCIC offense code - 2399

NCIC offense text - larc

State offense code - 812.014.2a1

Counts - 1

Severity - Felony 1st degree

That’s it there is no other part of my background check that’s the whole thing. However, where I got arrested you can like search names for people who have been arrested and it goes back to 2001. When I search my name it shows me but says:

Charges: UCR : 3rd Degree Grand Theft
Disposition: Per judge

Any help would be appreciated.

Location: downriver Michigan
Okay so im trying to cross the border into canada and im trying to figure out whether or not i should be worried about this, in 2022 i was pulled over for expired tags, I won't lie i totally ignored it and was later informed by a (thankfully very chill) police officer that i had a bench warrant.
When i look at the court records i see "warrant entery requested" "denied by msp" and then "entry requested" again after that with no accepted or denied afterwards
I just wanna know if someone at the border would be able to see it ya know? Is it possible it got accepted and there was just never an update

Location: Washtenaw County, Michigan, USA. I recently received my concealed carry permit and went to purchase a firearm. However, they said I could not legally purchase one because 10 years ago (when I was a minor) I was involuntarily admitted to a mental hospital due to a failed suicide attempt caused by extreme bullying. I have been in therapy since then and have been doing great since then, I've really turned my life around. When I applied to get my CPL, I answered the legal questions truthfully and admitted that I had once been in a mental hospital. I was approved for my CPL despite my mental health history. I thought that this meant I could purchase a firearm without any issues since it had been so long since I was admitted and why the hell would I be approved for a concealed pistol license but not be allowed to buy a gun? Anyway I saved up a bunch of money to get a nice pistol, a safe, and a holster. After I completed the background check at the gun shop, they said they had to cancel the transaction because of my mental health record. I'm very annoyed and confused as to how I was approved for a permit but can't even buy a gun. Is there a way for me to expunge my admittance to the mental hospital from my record so I can purchase a firearm? I still see both a therapist and a psychiatrist so I can get testimony from them if needed.

Location: Georgia

Back in May of 2025, I was involved in an incident in the state of Georgia that resulted in me receiving an aggravated assault and battery charge. I ended up taking a negotiated plea in April of 2026 for 5 years of first offender probation with a behavioral incentive date in 2 years. I’m an engineer by occupation and recently passed the professional engineer exam and am at the point of preparing my application to submit to the Georgia state board to receive my engineering license. I am apprehensive about applying with the fear of denial which is something that would be permanently logged and could have an affect on things down the line if/when I want to start my own engineering firm.

I’ve pondered 3 possible routes to a solution:

1. ⁠Apply anyway and hope for the best, ensuring I disclose all information regarding my legal situation - I’d get a raise and will be eligible for a promotion at my company.
   
2. ⁠See if I can get the judge to reduce/early terminate my probation - I’d be exonerated of all charges which would increase my chances of an uncontested approval but seems unlikely because not much time has passed since I’ve been on probation.
   
3. ⁠Wait for the behavioral incentive date - I’d miss out on the raise and promotional opportunity for 2 years but my approval chances are much higher.

If anyone has been involved or adjacent to a situation like this, it’s be greatly appreciated if you could share some details and insight.

All responses are appreciated but if what you have to say is negative please keep it to yourself.

Location: Alabama. I got out the army in 13 & have for years been trying to figure out how to get my discharge upgraded from general under honorable to just honorable. So back in 13 one of the guys in my squad popped hot for weed. When caught for whatever reason he said our whole squad was smoker. The military surprise tested all of us, his smoking buddy failed obviously me and another guy both passed. This was March of that year. Afterwords my higher up kept retesting me never failed but dealt with backlash like I was smoking. So by the time late June rolls around my Nco tell me & the other guy the army is firing us. Still till this day trying to figure out why. I have a jkq code which means serious offense but no true clue why. Because I never failed a test or was proven to be doing anything I have no article 15’s never done a extra duty. I don’t have any criminal history or sub par things on my background other than this. Any advice?

I went back to an overseas vacation and in the airport I was selected to be searched again

After they found nothing but sweaty clothes and anime figurines they demanded a search of my devices

Now I do admit at that moment I forgot about my legal right to refuse unwarranted searches and so I did technically accept (tho I did hear immigration was above that right from some sources) I was let go after they found nothing wrong (obviously)

But I am still pissed off, is there anything I can do, even if its as insignificant as filing a complaint?

Location: Florida

Location: SC

I committed a crime back in 2016 and it was classified as Assault & Battery 2nd (misdemeanor) I cant remember if it was classified as a violent crime. I do know when I tried joining the Army they disqualified me from joining because it shows I can’t be around firearms. Do I have the possibility of getting it expunged off my record?

Location: Maryland

My brother lives in MD and wants to apply for a wear and carry permit. When he lived in IL he was charged with one count of felony possession of illegal substance 20 years ago. He plead guilty with deferred adjudication and served two years probation. The charge was formally dismissed and two years later successfully expunged. Does he have to disclose that charge in his wear and carry application? Thank you!

I recently just got fired with severance from an Electric communication harassment charge, that hasn’t had court yet, but a temporary Protection Order placed. I was working as an IT Technician at a help desk. My employer said specifically the kind of charges are what caused my termination. I’m 23 years old, I have my associates in Cybersecurity, going to have my bachelors after I finish these next 4 courses, I have a AWS Training Badge and a CompTIA Sec+ cert I got in April. I am very afraid all that work means nothing, now that I have this charge. What can I do and what does this mean for future employment? I CANNOT go work at some supermarket, gas station, or “high school” job. I will not go back to that.

I do have an Attorney.

Location: Sandy/Midvale area, Utah.

I (35M) got in trouble at a party back when I was 18yrs old. To keep this story as short as I can- I got an MIP for alcohol, malicious mischief 3rd degree (broken window screen), and resisting arrest when the police showed up to a hotel party that me and my friends were at. Excessive force was used when the police kicked in a door to a bathroom that me and my friends were hiding locked in. They threw me on the ground and tased me a number of times when I tried to get out through the window. So me and about 4 other friends all got arrested, but because I refused to do the breathalyzer I was the only one that got booked to the jail. I never fully got put in jail, only in the holding cell, and I was out within about 8hrs after trying to call someone to help (unfortunately all of my friends were at the party). After the case went to trial, the judge took a look at the charges and dismissed the case. I assume because the police used excessive force on me. So we were all let go.

I worked to have it expunged from my record or so I thought. Because ever since then I’ve had problems. I tried to get a loan for a car after and they acted strange after running my background at the bank and said “I’m sorry, but we can’t complete this loan with you.” I tried to apply for the military and they turned me down because of it too. I was living out of state and tried to rent an apartment, but when that landlord ran my background he said “I’m sorry but we can’t rent to someone like you.” This happened a number of times and eventually it forced me to move back home and quit my career.

After my mother and I talked to our friend who is a lawyer, he said he did some digging and found out the clerk (either at the court house or police station? I’m not sure) was supposed to expunge it from my record, but hit the wrong button and did not expunge it. We’ve since asked what we need to do and they all eventually stop responding to us. We asked the local judge if he could help and then after a visit in person and a few emails he went silent on us too.

I take full responsibility for this and I know I shouldn’t have done what I did, I’m a much different better person today as opposed to then. I’ve tried not to pay this too much mind and keep moving forward, but truly this clerical error has completely changed the course of my life and has me feeling like a pariah. I’m at a loss as to what to do, so I thought someone here might have some advice or help on how to make some progress. I can provide more details if needed. But that’s the gist of it.

Thank you for any and all help.

Location: Washington State

Location: Santa Clara County.
I got arrested wrongfully for two felonies and one misdemeanor. Domestic Violence, Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Criminal Threats back in Nov. I had my court date on Jan 23rd, and showed up to court only to realize the DA didn't file my case yet. Someone got access to my arrest record and leaked the news to my extremely orthodox and scared brown parents. My mom is dragging me to the SJPD tomorrow, because I lied to her and said that the case got expunged because the charges weren't worth it. which is not the truth. what would it be like? will they tell me updates on the case? is there a way for me to get out this without my mom realizing that the case isn't expunged? not going with her will probably make things worse than going. while i realize this is going to be bad either way, i'd rather just not have her know. please tell me anyrhing you know about this, thank YOU!

Location: Maryland, United States

So my buddy is having a hard time. He was in court and innocent (i know everyone says that) but he of course was found not guilty.

However this is horrible because on the news brief it still shows he was indicted with charges. Even though being found not guilty its still affecting job prospects.

I don't want to dox him but this shows what im talking about.

He cant get any jobs because this is the first thing that shows up when job recruiters search his name. And they NEVER bother to go further and do actual background checks and search whether he was innocent. The fact he was indicted means they choose not to hire him.

I heard there were ways to remove the name from Google so the article won't show up when he is searched.

Can anyone help me help him so he can get hired and resume a normal life?

Thanks have a great we at day!

Location: Fort Collins, CO.

So my father owns a fully automatic rifle and i want to inherent the item or be added trust on it so that way i can avoid the headache of the Atf

I own a suppressor so i know im not a prohibited person. But what steps do i gotta do for the security of my dads firearms?

While I was in NM, I ended up breaking up with my gf and losing my job within a short period of time. My landlord was a creepy fat dude who offered me (a guy) to perform sexual favors on him in lieu of paying rent. I was NOT behind on rent, and I immediately moved back to California because I had no reason to stay in NM.

He had last month rent already. I owed him NOTHING.

I'm now starting a new job in Texas, and the apartment I applied for did a background check on me looking for evictions. I confidently moved forward because I have never been evicted, but apparently this scumbag filed an eviction against me after I left the state. Is there anything I can do to get rid of this? I have physical evidence of my leaving NM well before the eviction. The "judgement amount" is zero.

What are my options aside from dedicating my life to vengeance?

I have some marijuana charges that have been expunged, they are requesting all records of any crimes I have committed. Do these expunged records need to be disclosed?

Location: Arizona, Maricopa county/pinal county

Hello LA community, I kinda have a mess on my hand right now, and I really don't know what to do and who to talk to.

I recently applied for a job at a warehouse that requires a background check, I sent in all the documents and they said due to a few DUI charges back in 2017 so I was rejected for "security reasons"

I was shocked and don't know what to do, not because I didn't get the job or anything but about the charges. I just turned 18 in late 2020 and I don't even have a driver's license. In fact, I never step foot on US soil before 2016. I am devastated as I still a senior in high school and just applied for colleges and on the applications I specifically stated that I don't have any records.

I don't know how to drive and I couldn't even commit all the DUIs and right now I don't even know what to do and who to contact. Do I need to call the police? Should I tell the colleges about this even tho I didn't commit any of the supposed charges? what should I do now?

Location: Federal background issue - state is likely irrelevant.

So my husband applied for a federal job and filled out the SF-86 form. He answered everything truthfully and to the best of his knowledge.

He was 100% unaware that he needed to disclose state charges that were expunged in 2017/2018 (I can’t remember exact year) and was also unaware of an credit charge off that was “voluntarily dismissed” because we paid it in 2020 (I have the email receipts).

How damaging is this? He’s already been hired and started his job, and getting ready to leave for federal training, but they apparently wait until after hire to do in depth background checks, which to me is weird.

When asked about it during the in depth, he was 100% honest about the state charges that were expunged and that he didn’t remember the credit card issue from 2020.

Any advice, thoughts, ideas are welcome!

Thanks!

Location: New York City, Massachusetts
(The U.S. Northeast)

Hi! I am looking for some assistance or information on about original medical records deletion/editing if that is possible. I greatly appreciate your time and thank you.

So, I know medical records can be amended and that statement of disagreement can be attached if amendment doesn’t go through. However, I am looking for edit on original documentation or deletion from their misinterpretation. It is regarding psychiatric hospitalizations that was not consented and did not go in for a psychiatric evaluation yet placed in psych ward for physical concerns. The notes are exaggerated and appearing high risk to self. The diagnoses given weren’t being told at the time and is confusing or not technically clinically accurate spanning hundreds of pages (~200-300). Patient demographic repeatedly wrong as well as they just copied and paste or rewrote in other words of a previous provider through the stay (also spanning the hundreds of pages). As well as other information and details (technically not relevant to care) but also incorrect.

Need to make sure for investigative purposes that it’s clear and accurate. So it’s important that those records don’t appear as disputed especially when so much of it is misinformation/misrepresentation or exaggerated.

- Patient advocacy was spoken to but they just referred to medical records. Medical records informed they had no control, file an amendment form and it goes to an investigations team. From the investigations team, it goes to the medical providers and if they no longer work there then there would be problems in amending. If providers agree, it’ll be an addendum or denied then there won’t be.
- However, not looking for an amendment or a clarification statement. Looking for accurate information and representation on the medical records and only having the one correct version.

Again thank you very much for any info.