Both experts and laypersons alike have argued that in utilizing the internet for purposes of automation and convenience, we have sacrificed our security as our personal information floats in the ether. In an age where a great deal of the fraud that occurs in the United States happens in cyberspace, consumers are being cautioned more than ever to steel themselves against the ever-evolving mousetrap of cyber fraud. From our private investigators, here are the best ways consumers and corporations can protect personal information online in 2022.
Strong login credentials
When everything is online—banking, shopping, email, asset protfolios—it can be difficult to remember every username and password, and therefore users may be inclined to use the same username and password for every account. However, experts insist that in order to best protect personal information, users must have a unique username and password for every account and platform where their personal information could be vulnerable to cyber fraud.
Use both upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters like the “@” symbol to strengthen the credentials.
Do not use personal information as passwords
Do not store passwords on internet sites where they can be vulnerable to cyber criminals.
Avoid phishing scams
Phishing scams involve using deceptive correspondence, typically an email, in which the sender requests personal information of the target, often masquerading as an official agency such as the IRS. To protect personal information from these phishing scams, users must be vigilant and educated of the signs of phishing scams.
Be wary of images such as logos or color schemes that appear similar to a branded company or agency, but contain differences that the consumer eye may not immediately notice.
Be wary of any unsolicited communication from a corporation or a federal office.
Refrain from clicking on any images or hyperlinks in the emails as they could contain malignant viruses that can infect your devices.
When in doubt, just delete.
Social media scams
Social media connects billions of people in seconds—a feat unlike anything we’ve seen in the history of mankind—but this is also how scammers can connect to their targets on a personal level in the interest of stealing their information.
Scammers can use hidden URLs by virtue of tools that shorten hyperlinks, thereby obscuring the destination. This can lead to malware being surreptitiously downloaded onto your device.
Other forms of these scams include a bait-and-switch operation in which answering questions to a personality quiz can be used against you to steal your information.
Remember to always keep your anti-malware and anti-spyware protections up to date so that your devices have a first line of defense in preventing cyber fraud. If you have been the victim of cyber fraud, contact Lauth today for a free consultation on how we can help you find the criminals responsible at 317-951-1100, or visit us online at www.lauthinveststg.wpengine.com.
In the hospitality industry, success and longevity have always been measured by the customer’s experience. After all, the goal of any hospitality business is providing guests and customers with quality service 24/7. Giving guests the best experience means hiring the best professionals to attend to their needs. The demand for quality staff is becoming a tall order for some in hospitality, which is one of the many industries that is suffering as the result of what is being called the Great Resignation. As the labor shortage continues to ravage both businesses and nonprofits alike, owners are more incentivized than ever to improve retention in hospitality.
The Great Resignation is one of many reasons business owners are incentive to improve retention in hospitality. The Great Resignation is the name given to the burgeoning phenomenon in which employees are leaving jobs—not simply in search of better pay—but for a healthier corporate culture that can improve their quality of working life. The Great Resignation is just one of many factors that has contributed to the vast labor shortage throughout the United States, and hospitality industries are on notice to create better working environments for their employees, or continue the struggle against high rates of turnover and loss of profit. Luckily, there are a few strategies that hospitality leadership can utilize to ensure they are providing their workforce with the best corporate culture available.
Prioritizing Health and Safety
In these pandemic times, health and safety of employees should be a no-brainer for employers. Employers should be bending over backwards to provide proper sanitation and protection for their employees in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but their physical health is not the only thing that needs safeguarding. In the pandemic, employers must remain sensitive to employee needs, especially with regards to time off for both illness and personal time in order to avoid burnout in these turbulent times.
Engagement from Leadership
More than ever, engagement from leadership is paramount to improve retention in hospitality. Even in non-pandemic times, it’s easy for leadership to get fixated on big-picture items and not the daily operations that impact the workforce. As such, lower-level problems can go by the wayside, written off for another day, and allowed to fester in the meantime.
Increases in Compensation
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage on, more and more employees are pushing for hazard pay if they must continue to work closely with the public. Fewer industries work closer with the public than hospitality. In hotels, staff is required to clean rooms where sick persons may have been exposed. Those in the restaurant industry have felt some of the strongest impact of the pandemic because of how often they are exposed intimately to the public by getting close to take an order or coming into contact with their dirty dishes. As such, leadership who are in a position to offer hazard pay or pay raises to their employees while they continue to work through a pandemic would be wise to do so in order to improve retention in hospitality.
If your company is having repeated problems with employee retention, it might be time to have a corporate culture audit. Lauth Investigations International has a comprehensive corporate culture audit program suited for companies of all sizes and industries. Call 317-951-1100 or visit us online at www.lauthinveststg.wpengine.com for more information.
With every decade that passes, a new wave of wild corporate scandals emerge—from Martha Stewart’s criminal insider trading through to Joseph Meli’s ticket ponzi scheme—and with them come a new roster of compliance legislation. No doubt, these laws are vital for keeping both consumers and businesses safe. They reflect an ever-more sophisticated world that increasingly calls for international cooperation and high-tech solutions for keeping those of dubious morality honest. When corporations are believed to be acting dishonestly, a compliance investigation is in order.
It’s great to have safeguards in place that center on our best interests, but for companies facing down an impending compliance investigation, the logistical scale of keeping track of every line of legislation and monitoring compliance across different teams and sites can get dizzying. At this juncture, a private investigator becomes the ultimate ally—able to launch efficient and effective corporate investigations that ensure every aspect is on-point, and that the company in questions has documented proof that they were taking every possible step to ensure their actions are to the letter of the law.
Beyond the lens of government, shareholders are also more invested than ever in knowing that their capital is in safe hands. They want to feel confident that regulators are doing their jobs, and that those driving their interests are engaged with the growing number of laws and regulations—100% vigilant to any and all possible irregularities, and committed to compliance and ethics.
Why Call a Private Investigator Ahead of a Compliance Inspection
These days, many larger companies have a Chief Compliance Officer on their payroll. This executive position places one person in charge of overseeing company-wide compliance and steering the culture that supports it. No doubt, it can be useful for reducing potential conflicts of interest, but it doesn’t eliminate them entirely. Of course, for smaller companies, the possibility of hiring a dedicated CCO is out of the question—leaving potential conflict of interest inherent by nature.
The assistance of an external private investigator able to conduct impartial corporate investigations can become an invaluable asset—particularly when a company finds itself under the microscope of a compliance investigation. This simple solution serves as an ultimate gesture of diligence and transparency. By asking a private investigator to audit operations and build a full picture of the state of play, the company makes clear that they are ruled by integrity and unwilling to compromise on behalf of consumers, shareholders, and society at large.
The Practicalities of a Compliance Investigation
A compliance investigation may involve cross-checking data, matching practices to policy and legislation, or launching covert surveillance operations at different facilities or franchisee locations. Crucially, it is a tailored process that reflects the unique nature of the organization at hand and the compliance legislation and policy to which its integrity is pinned. Corporate investigations specialists understand that no employer can see every detail that goes on under their watch. But, with the assistance of seasoned private investigators from Lauth Investigations, that employer can effectively expand their scope and meticulously account for each and every intricate compliance requirement, for total peace of mind. If you are seeking support in assessing your current compliance standing, our team is ready to advise you. Getting in touch comes with no obligation, but we think you’ll be surprised at the confidence that comes with knowing your compliance standards are locked down.
I wonder, does your human resources director or CEO have a private investigator on their speed-dial list?
If the answer is no, then you may be missing a trick. Because today, the private investigator has become an indispensable asset in ensuring the smooth functioning of many American businesses. Often this journey begins during the company’s very inception, as investigators are tasked with gathering relevant corporate intelligence and carrying out due diligence assessments of those who will fill key roles or be granted pivotal partnerships.
As the business grows and evolves, the human resources director knows that they can turn to a private investigator for crucial candidate background checks and internal investigations, while leadership may lean on their skill set whenever a legal dispute or security concern arises.
In fact, contemporary businesses are increasingly turning to corporate investigators for preventative solutions to problems ranging from employee theft to white collar crime, and from intellectual property theft to eroded corporate culture. In essence, a private investigator well seasoned within the corporate sphere is an ideal ally—impartial, diligent, and goal-oriented—in the effort to get things done right.
Turning To a Private Investigator For Corporate Intelligence Gathering
Within the contemporary corporate world, information is currency. Getting the lowdown on your competitors and knowing what’s about to move within your market area can be make or break, so why not turn to a professional dedicated to uncovering the facts?
Not only are private investigators armed with a myriad of resources that allow them to take corporate intelligence gathering far further than your internal team would be able to, but they also give total peace of mind that information seeking is carried out in a legally compliant and ethically sound manner.
Your trusted private investigator comes with the skill set needed to gather information about the strategies of the movers and shakers within your field. They can carry out detailed market analyses and assess the strengths and weaknesses of both your competitors and potential collaborators. Finally, they are also well versed in identifying market risks, as well as uncovering concealed crime such as fraud, theft, or embezzlement—whether it’s happening under your roof, or someone else’s on your radar.
Why Conduct a Corporate Intelligence Investigation
There is a myriad of reasons why information gathering may be called for, but at a few certain junctures, this important step should be considered vital. Whenever a company is poised to expand—whether domestically or internationally—corporate intelligence is not only poignant; it is indispensable. Is the perceived market niche as open as you think it is? Might another party be about to sweep in and steal your thunder? When armed with the answers, you can decide whether to leap or pivot.
Equally, when a business venture on the table poses significant financial or reputational risk, a timely investigation can help you avoid costly missteps. Periodic assessments of whether competitors are following similar avenues, jumping ahead, or even stealing your ideas can allow contemporary brands to safeguard their hard-earned reputations and crucially, their bottom lines.
Nothing fuels innovation like healthy competition—and in order to be competitive, it is vital to know where both rivals and partners are positioned on the board. In this sense, the private investigator can serve as a lens that casts focus on crucial information, and a cog that keeps your company in efficient motion. When it comes to making sound decisions about the strategies that will win you the game, few professional relationships offer greater reward. If you are ready to learn more about the potential value of corporate investigations for your business or organization, contact Lauth Investigations International today.
There are few skill sets more diverse than that of the legal attorney. Whatever their area of expertize, the dedicated attorney will leave no stone unturned and no legal strategy unexplored in the name of achieving the best possible outcome for their clients. However, when case complexity escalates, assets cross state lines, or witnesses fall off the grid, there is another broadly-skilled professional to which the attorney can turn—the private investigator, professionals who can be particularly valueable as a legal investigator, or a corporate investigator.
Diligent Legal Investigations Win Cases
Private investigators often lighten the load of attorneys and their staff by simply adding another set of eyes, ears, and hands to their usual duties. Highly skilled at tugging on relevant strings of information and spotting patterns or inconsistencies, a private investigator is an ideal ally when documents, filings, and data must be sourced, compiled, and analyzed in order to build an air-tight case.
Of course, there are also avenues open to a private investigator through which even the best attorney would be unable to follow. Licensed investigators can harness surveillance tools in order to track those who don’t want to be tracked or find those who wish to remain hidden. They can conduct computer forensics and unearth incriminating digital footprints, delve into the same databases as law enforcement agencies, and follow leads across state lines.
When it comes to mounting legal investigations in cases of fraud and white collar crime, there is no better collaborator than a specialist corporate investigator. Adept at uncovering illegal activity in the workplace, they will be able to meticulously and strategically comb through an organization’s operational history and practices in order to bring evidence of wrongdoing to light.
Building a case often means drawing together puzzle pieces that are broadly spread. Providing a boost of gravitational pull to that effort, a private investigator can take on demanding tasks such as locating, verifying and interviewing potential witnesses. They can unearth concealed financial assets or gather fresh evidence to confirm or refute claims—and they can do these things while drawing from a resource pool that extends beyond those available to any attorney’s office.
Legal Investigations and Key Litigation Support
Crucially, a private investigator—seasoned both in supporting attorneys and helping companies or individuals gather evidence that will stand up in court—is the perfect ally when the time comes to develop a defense strategy.
Just as a corporate investigator knows their way around lifting the curtain on workplace criminality, a specialist in legal investigations will understand how to provide impactive support for sound legal standing. This may mean analyzing the evolving strategies for holes or vulnerabilities, examining and cross examining the defense in preparation, or aiding in jury pool assessment while helping to safeguard the client’s right to a fair trial.
From standard paper pushing to deep-dive evidence gathering; from surveillance to litigation support: a well-versed private investigator is an asset that every attorney should have in their toolkit. Here at Lauth Investigations International, we are proud to provide tailored attorney and legal services, conducted by highly skilled and legally fluent investigators.
Whether uncovering debtor assets, supporting criminal defense cases, or gathering powerful evidence of harassment or discrimination, we know what goes into building a legal strategy that is iron-clad. Discover more about this specialized branch of the investigative work that we do or contact our team today to discuss how we can help you win your next case.
