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Man says background check linked him to criminals with same name

Terry Lee Jackson says convicted criminals with his name prevented him from passing a background check. "I'm an old Bubba from the Southeast," he said.

ATLANTA — A local man said he was blindsided by the 28-page background check his employers handed him Monday as they fired him.

"I've never stolen. I've never done drugs. And I'm not a violent person. This has shut me down," Terry Lee Jackson told Channel 2's Tony Thomas.

Jackson called himself "old Bubba from the Southeast."  He insists he's not the 57-year-old Terry Jackson charged with three counts of armed robbery or another Terry Jackson listed on the Connecticut sex offender registry, but that's who the background check linked him to.

"Have you ever lived in Connecticut?" Thomas asked him.

"Nope," Jackson responded.

Though, he does admit he's had scrapes with the law, including federal charges, but nothing that would cost him a warehouse job. 

Without a paycheck, Jackson worries he'll soon lose his car and house.

"How do you protect yourself?" Jackson said.

Here's a table from  ClarkHoward.com on how to screen yourself:

The Company Records Kept Contact Information
Experian, TransUnion, Equifax Your credit history, Social Security Number and other personal info Free annual credit report from major bureaus required by federal law available at 1-877-322-8228 or annualcreditreport.com.
LexisNexis
 Information from government public records and some courts on real estate, liens, bankruptcies, professional licenses, death filings Pre-employment self-check starting at $24.95 for national criminal file from some courts, or $64.95 for search that includes employment or education verification.
CriminalSearches.com Searches criminal records, civil filings and traffic and other minor offenses Freemium service with pay models available at CriminalSearches.com.
Reputation.com Scans the Internet for defamatory or offensive material about you. Helps get it removed or suppressed. Services begin at $10 a month.

WSBTV

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