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Background Checks
School Directors Face Background Checks
When I see headlines like this I wonder what century we are in. You’d think in the year 2010 that background checks of school officials would have been implemented 20 years ago. In New Jersey background checks for school employees have been in place since 1986. But not for school officials. Still to this day municipalities across the country are still determining who should or shouldn’t be checked. A new bill in New Jersey would disqualify schoo…
Check Fraud Identity Theft is Rising
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert As opening new lines of credit becomes more difficult, identity thieves are gravitating toward check fraud. Check fraud is a billion dollar problem. As predicted by the Identity Theft Resource Center, check fraud, which accounted for 12% of financial crimes in 2007, increased to 17% in 2008. According to the American Bankers Association Deposit Account Fraud Survey Report, $969 million were stolen via check…
School volunteers face background checks
All across the country one by one school, administrators are slowly beginning to recognize the need to perform background checks on volunteers. In Albany County WY, “under the tentative policy, all volunteers would complete an information form when they begin their volunteer work. Additionally, volunteers would undergo screening through the Wyoming Department of Family Services and a to-be-selected national database if they volunteer more than a…
Should Dating Sites Require Background Checks?
…anted behavior, further identity and background checks would be performed. If the device does not pass, there is no need to pay for further checks. According to Jon Karl, Vice President of Marketing at iovation Inc., “We stop 150,000 online fraudulent activities every single day. At one of our international dating clients’ websites, one out of five profiles created are found to be fraudulent. We help protect their brand and keep their members saf…
One in eight applicants denied positions because of criminal history
…effective in spotting sexual predators. They list only those convicted of a crime. Because victims typically are reluctant to come forward and with statutes of limitations on molestation laws in many states, only an estimated 10 percent of sexual predators are brought to justice.” Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker discussing background checks…
Hiring Employees: How to Perform a Criminal Background Check
…you’ve lived at, those you are related to, marital status, social media profiles, current and past employers, criminal histories, driving records and credit. There is also a litany of other information that may or may not be 100% correct. These pre-employment background checks are generally a guide, but not absolute. A quick search on “Background Check” will provide dozens of resources. #2 FBI Criminal Background Check: A true criminal record c…
Baseball Coach Listed as A Sex Offender
In Ostego Michigan a local summer baseball league coach was been removed from his position Friday after school officials found out he was listed on the Michigan State Sex Offender Registry. He was coaching for a week when am aware parent notified the school, he was a sex offender from 1996. As a parent, you should be the one notifying school officials because you are aware of these issues. You can do a search on “sex offender registry”…
Should Background Checks Be Required for Dating Sites?
It’s no secret that there are kooky people both online and on the ground. The problem with the online part is kooky people seem to gravitate there. My theory is that those who have ulterior motives, an agenda of sorts, may believe they can lure in their victims easier online. I can see why they’d think that. It’s easier to lie online. There’s no body language, no intonation in ones voice, and no emotional connection to the real person. Simply pu…
Sex Offender Checks Won’t Stop Assaults
…nd, in turbulent times, people want the comfort of a romantic partner. Having a companion to share in the fear, uncertainty, and doubt can help people vent and find relief. Protect yourself from online dating scams and risks. 1. Educate yourself about self-defense techniques and personal security. Watch instructional videos or take a course. The single most effective self-defense offering on the planet is a program called “Impact Model Mugging,”…
10 Tips to Safety and Security in Online Matchmaking
…ct of being on the dating scene is your personal security. Ive partnered with Intelius.com, a company that provides “DateCheck”, a background check to vet out and look for possible redflags in your potential mate. 1. Look for red flags. If you are contacted online and they make no reference to you or your name, it may be a “broadcast” scam going to others. If they immediately start talking about marriage and love and showing immediate…
Self-checking Your Online Identity
…r a site that disparages you, Google has advice. Get a Google Profile. It’s free and it shows up on page one. Go to Knowem.com. This is an online portal that goes out and registers your name at what it considers to be the top 150 social media sites. Get a WordPress blog with your name in the address bar and blog often. You want Google to show your given name at the top of search results in its best light, so when anyone is searching for you the p…
15 Screening Tips for Hiring Honest Employees
Being a small business myself, I know how difficult it is to find the right employees. And everyone I speak to who is in business has the same problem. Unfortunately too many people lie, cheat and steal and when they come to work for you, they drain company resources until they are fired. It’s best to use prescreening services; otherwise the screening tips below will help you to hire honest employees. #1 Job Classifieds: Place and ad that says w…
Preventing Inside Jobs, Keeping Inside Hackers – Out
…ut people in a trusted place. They are granted access because that’s their job to perform certain duties and they are granted carte blanche access. Ultimately this is a people problem and needs to be addressed that way. 1. Limited Sources; only grant access to a few trusted sources. Minimize the amount of staff that has access to whatever systems in place. 2. Due Diligence; in the information age, our lives are an open book. Background chec…
Sex Offender Volunteered For High Football Team
…days should be over because we live in such a litigious society. However our “niceness” often makes us stupid. The girls on the other hand who spoke up were immediately listened to and were taken seriously. Good for them. 10 years ago, and even today sexual harassment of this nature would be blamed on the women and swept under the rug. Fortunately we are becoming more civilized. Robert Siciliano is a Personal Security Expert and Adviser t…
Auditioning For The Bachelorette
…r standards I’d probably put in place when little predators start swarming my house. Contestants for the popular ABC show The Bachelorette have to go through a grueling background check that includes a six-hour test with 1200 questions, a session with a psychologist, blood and alcohol testing. I LOVE THAT!!!!!!!! I’m sure the motivations of the producers are more in line with good TV and reducing liability, but it’s a good start. Questio…
Insider Identity Theft Can Be Most Damaging
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert Earlier this week, an IT employee was indicted for stealing the identities of 150 of his coworkers at Bank of New York Mellon, to the tune of 1.1 million bucks. He bilked almost $140,000 a year over an eight year period by compromising the online bank accounts of numerous employees and wiring money to fraudulent accounts outside the bank. This is a classic case of the fox watching the hen house. This guy wa…
Top 10 Warning Signs of Employee Theft
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that employee theft costs American employers more than $50 billion dollars each year. In a study conducted last year by The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, executives of 60 percent of the companies surveyed said they expected their employees to steal money or equipment. Another study conducted by The Chubb Group in 2004 found that 39 percent of private companies had employees who stole company funds, eq…
5 Ways to Prevent Check Fraud Scams
Check fraud is a billion dollar problem. Check fraud victims include banks, businesses and consumers. Our current system for cashing checks is somewhat flawed. Checks can be cashed and merchandise can be purchased even when there is no money in the checking account. There are 5 main forms of check fraud to watch out for: Forged signatures are the easiest form of check fraud. These are legitimate checks with a forged signature. This can occur whe…
Holiday Temps Make The Best Identity Thieves
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert This is the absolute best time of the year to be a dishonest temporary worker. Holiday hustle and bustle overwhelms managers and supervisors and they can’t possibly see everything their employees are doing. It has been said that only 10% of employees are honest, 10% of employees will always steal and 80% will steal based on circumstances. Hiring temps during the holidays becomes the perfect storm for employ…
5 Hiring Tips on How to Spot Resume Fraud
Most of us have read the resume of a friend or family member and did a double take and asked “Is this really you?” Resumes are designed to express to a potential employer your work history and skill sets. They are designed as a guide for an employer to use as a checklist to evaluate your potential. A well written resume with the right content coupled with a good interview is an interviewees best shot at getting a job. The problem with resumes is…