If Sterling ran your background check and something on it was wrong, you’re not alone. Sterling runs more than 75 million background checks every year for over 40,000 companies. When a company works that fast and handles that much, mistakes happen. And when they do, you’re the one who pays for it — not Sterling.
If a Sterling mistake cost you a job, a promotion, or your current position, you may have legal options. A federal law called the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) protects you. Here’s what to look for, what to do, and how we can help.
If you’re dealing with a Sterling mistake right now, reach out for a free consultation — the sooner we’re involved, the more we can do to help.
With Sterling processing this much volume, the same handful of errors turn up constantly:
Any one of these mistakes can cost you a job, delay your start date, or cost you a promotion — even when none of it is your fault. If this sounds like what happened to you, here’s what to do next.
If you think your Sterling report has a mistake, here’s the process — no need to handle it solo.
If a Sterling mistake already cost you a job, a promotion, or income, reach out for a free consultation now — the sooner we know about it, the more we can do to help.
Whether you’re just starting to look at your report, or you already tried to fix it yourself and it didn’t work, here’s what working with us looks like:
Sterling isn’t the only background check company we’ve seen make these kinds of mistakes. We’ve also helped people with problems from First Advantage, Checkr, and other major background check companies.
Knowing who’s really behind your report matters. Sterling has been doing background checks since 1975 — making it one of the oldest companies in the business. In 2024, a company called First Advantage bought Sterling in a deal worth $2.2 billion. Sterling still uses its own name and runs its own reports, but it’s now part of First Advantage.
It doesn’t matter which name is on your report — Sterling or First Advantage. Either way, your rights are the same, and so is the company responsible for getting it right.
You may not have even known Sterling ran your background check — a lot of people don’t. Sterling works with big, well-known companies across almost every industry, including Kroger, Lego, Kimberly-Clark, Siemens, Manpower, W.W. Grainger, HunterDouglas, Crocs, and Allied Universal.
That’s a lot of people getting checked by one company. And when a company handles that much work, even a small number of mistakes adds up to a lot of people affected — this time, it happened to you.
You don’t have to just take our word for it that this happens. In 2019, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a case against Sterling Infosystems in federal court in New York, alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Sterling ended up paying $6 million back to consumers and a $2.5 million fine.
That case happened years ago, and it doesn’t mean every Sterling report has a problem — most don’t. But it does show something worth knowing: the government has found that Sterling didn’t always follow the law on the same kind of accuracy problems people still deal with today. If you’re dealing with something like this now, that history is worth taking seriously.
It doesn’t matter which name is on your report — Sterling or First Advantage. Either way, your rights are the same, and so is the company responsible for getting it right.
A Sterling mistake shouldn’t cost you a job you already earned. At Sherman & Ticchio, we help people across New York and New Jersey fix inaccurate background checks and take legal action when a background check company won’t fix a real mistake.
Reach out for a free consultation, and let us help protect your job and your record. Don’t let a Sterling mistake hold you back — contact Sherman & Ticchio now.
How Trustworthy Is Sterling as a Background Check Company?
Sterling’s size and accreditation suggest it’s trustworthy, but that doesn’t mean every report is accurate. It’s been in business since 1975, is accredited, and is now part of First Advantage — but it’s also faced federal enforcement action for FCRA violations, and errors are still a real possibility given how many reports it processes.
Why Do Most People Actually Fail a Background Check?
Most people who fail actually do so for accurate reasons — a real criminal record, a gap in employment, or a failed verification. Sometimes, though, it’s not accurate at all. Maybe someone else’s record got attached to your name, or a case that got cleared years ago is still sitting on your file like it’s active. If your results don’t match what actually happened, don’t just assume the report is right — go look at it closely.
When Can You Take Legal Action Against Sterling?
Yes — if the mistake caused you real harm, like losing a job or having an offer taken back, and Sterling didn’t follow the law. Contact us for a free consultation to find out where you stand.