Many people have been denied employment due to information on their pre employment background check - but nothing is more disappointing than cases of mistaken identity.

Most people don't know this, but criminal records are filed based on name and date of birth - not on social security numbers.

With 315 million people living in America, there are bound to be many people who share the same name and date of birth, especially for people with common names.

Knowing if there is someone out there with your name and date of birth, who has a serious criminal record, can help you avoid misunderstandings during your job search and prevent delays that could exclude you from consideration for a good job.

The people featured below figured this out the hard way.

A Case of Mistaken Identity

Catherine Taylor Stay-at-home-mom No criminal record Applied for job with Red Cross Offer revoked a few days later Failed background check Delays proving her case caused her to lose the job         Catherine Taylor Long rap sheet Multiple drug felonies Lived in different state

A Case of Mistaken Identity

Leonard Smith Law abiding citizen Good work history Applied for new job Failed background check Delays proving his case caused him to lose the job         Leonard Smith Convicted sex offender Serving a prison sentence

A Case of Mistaken Identity

James Hines No trouble with the law Trying to support his family Failed background check Delays proving his case caused him to lose the job         James Hines Convicted sex offender Lives in a different state