Incorrect background checks that confuse people of same or similar name are costing job applicants that all-important job offer. But you can run a background check on yourself before it's too late.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer  reported a decorated military veteran (with no criminal record) named Mark Johnson was unable to get a job offer at a trucking company because his file was married to that of a pedophile.

More and more employers are using automated background checking services that bungle information about the people they're supposed to be researching.

You have a right to correct things on a report, but there's no clearinghouse to guarantee that if you correct it with one group, every single other organization running background checks will also correct it. You have everything from mom-and-pop operations to big data companies doing background checks, according to the newspaper report.

Two pieces of advice here.

First, for you employers, make sure that you're using companies that employ human intelligence to run background checks. A computer won't get the job done.

Second, for you individuals, check your records yourself and see what's out there about you.