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OPENonline · Employment background checks

Lost a job offer over an OPENonline background check?

OPENonline, now part of Universal Background Screening, runs employment background checks covering criminal records, driving records, credit and employment history. If your report is wrong and the company won't fix it, the Fair Credit Reporting Act lets you sue.

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Who OPENonline is and who relies on its reports

OPENonline was an Ohio-based employment background check and investigative services company. On July 16, 2020, Universal Background Screening, an Arizona company, announced that it had acquired OPENonline, and the CFPB’s list of consumer reporting companies now says OPENonline has been acquired by Universal Background Screening. The CFPB’s listing links OPENonline’s website to Universal’s site, and Universal lists its headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona.

The CFPB says an OPENonline report may include verification of credit history, employment, salary, education and professional licenses; criminal arrest and conviction records; fingerprint results from state and federal criminal databases; driving records; drug, alcohol and health screening results; and verification of nonprofit and volunteer activity. Employers and other users order these reports after getting your authorization, so if you signed a background check form for a job, you can ask the employer which screening company it used.

Background check errors usually come to light only after an offer is pulled. Our guides to Sterling, HireRight and First Advantage cover similar problems with other screening companies.

Errors that show up on OPENonline reports

Criminal and court records are often matched by name and birth date alone, and verification data passes through several hands. Common problems include:

  • Wrong-person criminal records. A case belonging to someone with a similar name or birth date.
  • Outcomes left out. Dismissed charges or acquittals reported as if they were convictions.
  • Sealed and expunged cases. Records a court has sealed or expunged still showing up.
  • Duplicate entries. One case listed several times, making it look like several offenses.
  • Bad verification data. Wrong employment dates, titles, salary or degree information.
  • Driving records that are not yours. Violations from another driver’s record.
  • Obsolete items. Arrests that did not lead to conviction, civil suits and judgments older than seven years.

How to dispute OPENonline

These steps use the contact channels on OPENonline’s CFPB listing:

  1. Get the report the employer used. If an employer plans to take adverse action based on the report, it must first give you a copy and a summary of your rights. You can also request your file through the Universal Background Screening page the CFPB links for report requests (universalbackground.com), by calling 877-263-8033 (Option 1), or by writing to OPENonline. The CFPB says OPENonline provides one free report every 12 months if a client previously requested a report on you.
  2. Dispute in writing. Mail a dispute to OPENonline, Attn: Compliance, 7127 South Riverside Pkwy, Tulsa, OK 74136. Identify each item that is wrong, explain why, and ask that it be corrected or deleted.
  3. Send proof. A dismissal or expungement order, a certified court record showing a different birth date, a W-2 or pay stub for job dates, or a diploma or transcript.
  4. Tell the employer right away. If you received a pre-adverse action notice, let the employer know you are disputing so it can wait for the result.
  5. Dispute with the source too. The CFPB advises disputing with both the reporting company and the company that supplied the information.
  6. Keep copies of everything you send and receive.

How to contact OPENonline

  • Report request page (linked by the CFPB): universalbackground.com/credit-report/employment-credit-report
  • Phone: 877-263-8033 (Option 1)
  • Mail for file requests and disputes: OPENonline, Attn: Compliance, 7127 South Riverside Pkwy, Tulsa, OK 74136
  • Universal Background Screening (parent) mailing address, per the CFPB: P.O. Box 5920, Scottsdale, AZ 85261

Your rights under the FCRA

  • Accuracy (15 U.S.C. § 1681e(b)). OPENonline must follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy, which includes matching records to the right person and reporting how a case ended.
  • Public records for employment (§ 1681k). When it reports public-record information for employment that is likely to hurt you, it must either notify you at the time or maintain strict procedures to ensure the information is complete and up to date.
  • Reinvestigation (§ 1681i). After you dispute, it must conduct a reasonable reinvestigation, free of charge, generally within 30 days, and correct or delete information that is inaccurate, incomplete or cannot be verified.
  • File disclosure (§ 1681g). You may see all information in your file and its sources.
  • Reporting time limits (§ 1681c). Arrests that did not lead to conviction, civil suits, judgments and most other adverse items older than seven years may not be reported for most jobs. Criminal convictions are not subject to that limit.
  • Employer duties (§ 1681b(b)). An employer must get your written authorization and, before taking adverse action, give you a copy of the report and a summary of your rights.

Can you sue OPENonline?

Yes, if OPENonline reported inaccurate information because it did not follow reasonable procedures, failed to meet the § 1681k public-record rules, or failed to reasonably reinvestigate after you disputed. Examples include a conviction belonging to someone else matched to you by name, or a dismissed case reported as a conviction.

What you may recover. For a negligent violation, you may recover your actual damages, such as lost wages from a job you did not get, plus emotional distress and attorney’s fees and costs (15 U.S.C. § 1681o). For a willful violation, you may recover actual damages or statutory damages of $100 to $1,000, punitive damages, and fees and costs (§ 1681n).

The deadline. An FCRA lawsuit generally must be filed within two years after you discover the violation and no later than five years after it occurred (§ 1681p).

Keep the offer letter, the pre-adverse and adverse action notices, the report, your dispute and the company’s response.

Get a free case review

If an OPENonline report cost you a job, act quickly. FCRA Attorneys represents consumers in federal court on contingency, so there is no fee unless we win. Contact us for a free case review, or see our background check practice and the other companies we cover.

Questions about suing OPENonline

Can I sue OPENonline?

Yes, if the facts support a claim. The CFPB lists OPENonline as a background screening company, which makes it a consumer reporting agency. If it reports inaccurate information without reasonable procedures, fails to follow the FCRA's public-record rules for employment, or fails to reasonably reinvestigate your dispute, you may have a claim.

Is OPENonline part of Universal Background Screening?

Yes. Universal Background Screening announced on July 16, 2020 that it had acquired Ohio-based OPENonline, and the CFPB's listing says OPENonline has been acquired by Universal Background Screening. The CFPB's listing links OPENonline's website to Universal's.

How do I get my OPENonline report?

The CFPB links to a Universal Background Screening web page for report requests and lists a phone line at 877-263-8033 (Option 1) and a mailing address for OPENonline's compliance department in Tulsa, Oklahoma. If an employer took adverse action based on the report, you are entitled to a free copy.

What does it cost to bring a case?

There is no fee unless we win. FCRA Attorneys handles these cases on contingency, and the FCRA lets a successful consumer recover reasonable attorney's fees and costs from the company.

Related reading

Sources

Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.

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