A sociologist from University of Missouri, Richard Rosenfeld, said to the New York Times, "Every recession since the late '50s has been associated with an increase in crime and, in particular, property crime and robbery, which would be most responsive to changes in economic conditions. There is a year lag between the economic change and crime rates."
An accurate prediction, stories are now sweeping across the country noting incidents of repair fraud and theft. Imposters may be knocking on your door, offering electric repairs or services you really don’t need and others may just be sneaking in to your home and stealing anything they deem valuable.
If you hire a service worker, nanny or babysitter, contractor or subcontractor, or even go on a date during this time it is highly recommended that you obtain a background check on anyone you don’t know as an added security. But also watch out for those you do know as economic recessions are notorious for creating first-time offenders.
Not sure how to get a background check on these people?
The most accurate background check you can obtain via the internet is “applicant supplied” and one that searches criminal history at the county level, previous employment, and professional licenses. However, stay away from the “instant background check,” as these services do not contain accurate information.
What is an “applicant supplied” background check? The person who desires to work for you or date you obtains the background check on their own and provides you, an employer, a landlord, etc. with access to the background check. This system is intended to allow job seekers and all other consumers to control their personal information and verify the accuracy of credit and criminal background checks before others view them. However, it comes in handy for consumers in common, informal situations with others who pose a risk or threat.
Here at MyBackgroundCheck.com, we have special programs that protect you, the consumer. We provide one of the only “applicant supplied” background check portals on the web and it’s simple to use. You ask the person to go to the website and order the specific background check package you want to review. Once they place their order and the background check is complete, they will receive a special code to give you. You use the code to access the background check via the web on our secure server. These background checks cannot be altered and they are the most current and accurate in the industry.
If the person doesn’t agree to get a background check, take my advice and send them on their way.
Call our customer service department for more personalized information about applicant-supplied background checks at 800-300-1821 or visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com .
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!
Pastor Pleads Guilty to Stealing 200K from Church…
Churches and all other nonprofit organizations need to take a closer look at the risks of hiring pastors, volunteers or anyone without conducting background checks. In a recent case reported by Cleveland’s Newsnet5, a pastor took money from a fund for the poor, stole another church member’s identity, and took out loans against the church’s assets. This man, Donald Robinson, had already served time in a federal prison for real estate fraud in another state. A simple background check would have prevented him from victimizing this church and its members.
There are countless historical and recent incidents of pastors, priests, and other religious leaders taking advantage of their positions and financial contributions from members. Affordable background checks are now readily available to help stop these individuals from infiltrating your organizations.
All nonprofit organizations seek to gain from background checks for many reasons other than embezzlement and identity theft. Child sex abuse is a growing problem for religious organizations as well as other areas of society. The Baptist Press issued a press release last month on the initiative of the International Mission Board (IMB) to increase the use of background checks, mainly to protect children from sex abuse.
If your organization is concerned about affording background checks, the costs are far less than that of a catastrophic incident. MyBackgroundCheck.com offers a Volunteer Tracking System for Nonprofit organizations that encompasses an overall risk management program at minimal costs. This program is recommended by the National Council of Nonprofit Associations.
Please visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com/Business/Volunteer/. for more information and resources.
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!
As identity theft becomes an escalating risk for Americans, we find that the Oakland Mayor’s office failed to conduct a background check on an intern who turned out to be a known embezzler (SF Gate report here). Patricia Williams allegedly stole the bank account information of 100 donors to their Holiday Toy Drive, stole the identity of a co-worker, and charged over $10,000 on stolen account information.
In a world where private information is so easily obtained and used for fraud, every business, especially government offices, should be conducting background checks. If government offices and businesses are skimping on background checks because of the cost, imagine what this incident cost the Mayor’s office. I wouldn't be surprised if the phones have been ringing off the hook and the attorneys have already moved in for a negligent hiring kill.
Fortunately, there are solutions for those who are victims of identity theft. Because identity theft is the number one crime today, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is working diligently on solutions to help consumers. By ordering your own credit and criminal background checks you can monitor discrepancies and control who sees your information.
In addition to monitoring your own background checks, the Identity Theft Red Flag Rules issued by the FTC will be going into effect in November. Financial institutions and other users of consumer reports will now have to closely monitor your accounts for identity theft and identity fraud and respond appropriately to prevent and mitigate damages.
Go to www.MyBackgroundCheck.com to learn more about how you can take control of your personal information.
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!
An article in the Denver Post warns college graduates about the risks of embellishing resumes during the economic downturn. It’s true that the job market is more competitive than ever, the country is experiencing a serious economic crisis, and many companies are laying off or going through acquisitions. To put it lightly, it’s a tough road ahead for anyone seeking employment. However, falsifying your resume is not the answer.
Most employers conduct background checks today (80%) and, although many resumes are not thoroughly checked (according to the Post’s article), you will run the risk of the employer discovering that you misrepresented yourself. Losing a job over something as serious as resume fraud could be detrimental to your career, as most employers check employment references even if they are not conducting other types of background checks.
If there is something that may put you behind on a candidate list, be honest and keep searching for the right job for you. Please read these articles in our newsrooms on job seeking and background checks: http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com/newsroom/category/Featured-Articles.aspx.
Graduates can benefit from ordering their own background check before an employer sees it. Inaccuracies on background checks are common and it is wise to correct them before job seeking. MyBackgroundCheck.com offers services that help you manage employment references, criminal background checks, and credit reports, giving you the control to invite employers and others to view your reports over our secure server. These services can help you maintain accurate public information as well as prevent identity theft, the fastest growing crime in America.
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!
In an era of data breaches and a trend in stolen identity crime rings, it seems no one is secure. A story published today in ConsumerAffairs.com brings the reality of identity theft home to one woman, Suzanne Finch, who has been struggling for over a year to determine the source of a data breach that has altered her life dramatically.
Finch found that a data breach into Citibank’s servers may have been the cause of her personal information being used to open accounts and make purchases she never authorized. But Citibank isn’t admitting to the breach or the cause of the fraud against Finch. For anyone discovering their identity has been stolen, this story is one that leads to no resolve or hope…and government laws that do little to protect identity theft victims.
The only way for individuals to protect their identity is to take control of their personal information. Monitoring your own background checks and credit reports help keep you aware of what is happening to your your accounts before the crime spirals into an uncontrollable dark hole of uncertainty. In a world where good credit is needed to purchase almost anything, or even to obtain some jobs, Americans need to take measures to limit access to their accounts and personal information.
In some cases, stolen identities are used to commit crimes, giving identity theft victims a criminal record. With some 80% of employers conducting background checks, you may not know about this until you apply for a job or get pulled over by a police officer for accidentally running a stop sign.
Please visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com for resources and information on taking total control of your personal information.
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!