Without comprehensive background checks on employees, employers don’t know what they don’t know.
What could you be missing as an employer with a business to protect? While it’s true that many employers opt for background checks on employees in their hiring process, not every employer exercises the proper amount of due-diligence in clearing a prospective employee to work. While different job descriptions will demand different levels of due-diligence, and each field will require a different focus within a person’s background, the bottom line is that some employers fail to go the extra mile when searching for the right person for the job.
Background checks for employees are a common-sense investment in the long-term health of your business. Background checks, when conducted thoroughly and properly, can provide invaluable insight into the candidate being considered for employment. Comprehensive background checks for employees reduce turnover, prevent losses, and protects the social ecosystem of the workplace from things like hostile work environments, decreases in productivity, and erosion of profits. When your business model places employees in close contact with customers in a transient capacity—as in employees regularly service different customers every day in close proximity, typically offsite away from official company property—those employers must go the extra mile in securing comprehensive background checks for employees
For a prime example of why companies must invest in comprehensive background checks for employees, look no further than the ride-share company, Uber. By the very nature of its design, ride-sharing is a system that can place both the drivers and their passengers at risk of physical harm. From the beginning of 2018 to the end of 2019, Uber had received more than 6,000 sexual assault complaints against their drivers. That number sheds a powerful light on a disturbing problem within the company’s hiring processes. “At the scale that Uber operates, we’re going to see both the good and the bad that happens in society because we’re operating so many trips every single day,” said Tony West, Uber’s chief legal officer. Because the nature of ride-sharing places customers in such close, private quarters with their drivers, the threshold for what the company considers fit to drive must be higher. Though Uber claims to thoroughly vet or otherwise screen each employee before they are hired, thee has been testimony from former Uber drivers who said that they began driving the same day they applied—not nearly enough time for a thorough background check into the driver’s history. This can leave Uber open to various forms of litigation on behalf of the victims, including fines and settlements that will erode profits.
Now imagine the company in question isn’t Uber, a multi-million-dollar corporation. The financial impact of even one lawsuit on behalf of a victim who was assaulted by an employee can be devastating to a small business. When your business model places employees in close personal quarters with customers, it’s imperative that you keep the safety of your customers and your business protected. Lauth investigators are there for our clients when they need comprehensive intelligence on a candidate’s background. We can identify candidates whose background should disqualify them from hire and prevent your business losses in the process. Through our licensure by the state, Lauth has access to nation-wide verified databases. These databases paired with our brand of due-diligence and integrity ensure that our clients are getting the intelligence they need to protect their business. If you need our background check services for your business, call 317-951-1100 for a free quote or visit us online at our website.
A nonprofit background check for supervisory board members is not only prudent in the name of good hiring practice, but also in the name of protecting the nonprofit from toxic leadership that can rot the organization from within. Luckily, a private investigator can provide the intelligence needed for full transparency.
When it comes to nonprofits organizations, knowing who to put in charge is paramount to the organization’s mission. When executives or professionals who serve in a supervisory capacity misbehave, it can have devastating consequences for the organization. From litigation to bad public relations, misconduct has the potential to damage the name of a nonprofit organization for years. That’s why it’s so imperative to run comprehensive, thorough nonprofit background checks on supervisory board members and executives.
United Way recently came under fire in the news after allegations surfaced regarding a hostile work environment. An anonymous letter allegedly authored by former employees of Untied way cited instances of racism, harassment, and nepotism on the part of leadership and failure to act on those abuses by leadership. This ended with a Untied Way board member stepping down after she intimidated one of the alleged authors of the letter.
However isolated individual instances of this type of misconduct may seem, the phenomenon of identifying and curing toxic workplace cultures is becoming more urgent. Corporations and nonprofits alike across the country are starting to take a more comprehensive look at how the internal operations of their entity can manifest in harmful ways. Lack of oversight and accountability are two ways in which toxic work environments flourish. That’s why many charitable organizations are opting for nonprofit background checks on their proposed leadership to ensure that the true mission of the nonprofit remains intact.
Private investigators are ideal professionals to conduct nonprofit background checks. They can review the relevant items on a subject’s background check that might interfere with their ability to supervise a nonprofit, such as criminal history, work history, and litigation history. Private investigators have diverse experience in evaluating human behavior and performing a risk assessment regarding their capacity in a supervisory role. Private investigators are able to place such relevant items in context. For example, a long address history might indicate a history of transience, which can translate to lack of dependability and lack of accountability. However, if the subject was forced to move again and again by virtue of their employment, that is important context that is needed in the investigation summary.
There are obvious items that would appear on a background check for a nonprofit board member that would pique interest, such as criminal history and work history. However, a background check does not have to be limited to what’s on paper in a nonprofit background check. Private investigators are adept in reviewing facts found, but they are also adept in searching for what’s outside the databases. Private investigators can locate and speak with former employers, former supervisors, and former supervisees who have worked with the prospective board member. By getting to the human sources during fact-fining in a nonprofit background check, private investigators can illuminate the professional and personal impact of that person on others. This creates a more transparent picture of how a prospective board member may impact the nonprofit.
An internal investigation of United Way’s internal operations downplayed the allegations proffered by those who authored the letter. However, given the misconduct from board members following the allegations, United Way might invest more in nonprofit background checks going forward. If your organization is experiencing pervasive issues with misconduct, including racism, harassment, and discrimination, call Lauth Investigations International today for a free quote on our corporate culture audit program and learn how you can improve your organization from within.
When you’re considering marriage, you should also considering running a background check on your partner to protect your assets.
Even if you didn’t meet your significant other in cyberspace, you could still be at risk for con artists and scammers. That’s why more individuals are turning to private investigators to perform background checks on their potential life mates.
One of the most critical decisions we make in life is who to legally bind ourselves to in matrimony—not only because of the vows we make to each other, but also because the legal union in most states means entitling the other person to half of your assets. There is an unexpected trend of private investigators—especially female private investigators—in countries where arranged marriage is woven into the fabric of culture. Many families seek to control familial relations and extensions for many reasons, like politics, financials, business consolidation, and status. As recently as 2017, arranged marriage accounted for 55% of marriages throughout the globe, leaving traditional marriage in the minority. This creates a niche market for private investigators to properly vet potential spouses in countries like India, China, Pakistan, Japan, and Israel to name a few.
Even though arranged marriage is not a major part of Western
culture, that doesn’t mean that engaged individuals in the United States
shouldn’t do their due-diligence when it comes to their life mate. When it
comes to your assets, you should expect facts, not fiction. That’s why hiring a
private investigator to perform a background check on your intended can save a
great deal of heartache and financial distress. Even a basic background check
from a private investigator can unearth risk factors. Private investigators
will pull criminal history, litigation history, credit history, and history of
residence to corroborate proposed facts about your romantic partner. It’s true
that there are many “people finder” databases on the internet that claim their
results are accurate and worth the cost of purchasing the report, and therefore
an individual could conduct a background check themselves. However, private
investigators must comply with specific security protocol and licensing in
order to have access to verified databases on par with certain law enforcement
agencies. This means that the quality of data entry comes with a much higher
degree of accuracy, and will be updated regularly with regards to both public
and private records. “People finder” databases cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, which
may lead to additional misinformation, especially with regards to criminal and
litigation history.
Private investigators also have years of experience that contextualize
available information on a subject. For example, residence history is
traditionally part of a basic background check. If the subject has a long
history of moving between jurisdictions, or from state-to-state in short
periods of time, a private investigator might examine this information—and based
on context—determine that the subject has a history of transience, which could
indicate a lack of reliability or a flight risk. If a subject’s credit history
is consistently poor, that would be a financial red flag that might disqualify
a subject as a spouse.
Private investigators bring valuable contexts to background
investigations that empower individuals to make critical decisions in their private
or corporate life. When two people get married, they often conduct other litmus
tests in order to determine long-term cohabitation, such as blood tests for
their health, or pre-marital counseling to determine their level of preparation.
Background checks are just another measure for you to ensure that your life and
your livelihood are protected.
Don’t let executive misconduct ruin your corporation…
When it comes to running a business, the executives who are the visionaries and decision-makers that shape a company should always remain above reproach. White collar crimes have the potential to pull a business up from the root with devastating consequences. Unfortunately, Americans know from media coverage and social media that there’s few things we are more attracted to than stories about high-ranking officials and the misconduct that negatively impacts their businesses—both in profits and in public relations.
Many will be familiar with the recent news of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ high-profile divorce following allegations of infidelity, in which his ex-wife became the richest individual in history by virtue of divorce proceedings. The fallout from executive misconduct can leave a trail of legal fees, government sanctions, violations, and public relations-related crises that can devastate a company from the top down.
Thought to be coined in 1932, the phrase “white collar crime” now refers to a spectrum of frauds and other crimes committed by high-ranking executives and officials. The most common characteristics of white collar crime contain aspects of deceit, concealment, or violation of company policies and/or state and federal law. The motive is financial, with executives skimming off the top of a company’s profits for their own use. These crimes are sometimes thought of as “victimless crimes,” with no regard to how the fallout from a fraud or scheme can impact the company, and therefore the families of its employees. The types of fraud include, but are not limited to:
Bank fraud
Blackmail
Bribery
Cellular phone fraud
Computer fraud
Counterfeiting
Credit card fraud
Currency scheme
Environmental schemes
Extortion
Forgery
Health Care Fraud
Insider trading
Insurance fraud
Investment schemes
Kickbacks
Larceny/theft
Money laundering
Racketeering
Securities fraud
Tax evasion
Telemarketing fraud
Welfare fraud
Weights and measures
Corporate fraud and white collar crime of this nature remain one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s top priorities when it comes to identifying and indicating perpetrators. While involvement by government agencies may seem like the end of the line, there are ways companies can get out in front of executive misconduct by hiring a private investigator to investigate these matters.
Private investigators have a unique reputation as slick operators who fly under the radar, but they are invaluable professionals to companies in the throes of a corporate crisis because they are independent and objective. Objectivity is the priority when dealing with executive misconduct and white collar crime, as any allegations or evidence presented against the executive must be presented by an individual with no stake in the outcome of the investigation. Private investigators are independently contacted by a business or corporation to investigate the alleged executive misconduct, and can gather evidence and collect witness statements without the air of bias. Because private investigators are independent contractors, there is no fear of reprisal on behalf of coworkers and other employees at the company. This leaves no lead discounted or ignored. They can investigate employees at all levels, and determine how (if at all) the executive is receiving assistance in their fraud from subordinates. One of the most attractive qualities in a private investigator is that their objectivity makes them crucial witnesses in any legal proceedings that may result from the investigation.
Businesses and corporations should never be beholden to CEOs, presidents, and other high-ranking executives who behave badly. Executive misconduct and corruption are like aggressive weeds that must be pulled from the root in order for businesses to flourish. When it comes to rooting out bad leadership, consider hiring a private investigator to navigate a tricky investigative path that can end in quality operations and peace of mind for businesses large and small.
If you have a corporate crisis like executive misconduct, we can help. Call Lauth Investigations International, a family-owned-and-operated investigative firm with over 30 years of providing successful solutions to clients in Indianapolis and throughout the nation. Call 317-951-1100 for a free consultation, or to learn more about our services, please visit our website.
In the first decades of the 21st century, we have witnessed advances in technology unprecedented in human history. It was once costly and cumbersome to rely on technology to work for you. The reality today is astonishingly different. To view this article, you likely performed a Google search (or whatever your search engine of choice) and clicked through several links to get here. Advances in technology have made it possible for the search engine to collect the data you spread through the internet and use data to determine what kind of advertising you’ll see in the side banners of the websites you visit. For many in America, our phones and our cameras are the same device. Clunky security systems are a thing of the past, and spy cameras can be made as small as a button. This new reality has a name: surveillance capitalism.
There was a time in the United States where changing your identity was as simple as grabbing what you can carry, hopping a train or hitchhiking to a new location, and introducing yourself to others under a different name. Now, in the world of surveillance capitalism, almost every piece of data you put out in the world, either online or on an official form, will likely be entered into a database where you can be tracked by anyone with the proper clearance. At Lauth Investigations International, we use databases like these every day to perform skip traces, asset searches, and background checks. And then there’s the omnipresent threat of “Big Brother,” a moniker often attributed today to the government agencies, law enforcement, and other surveillance platforms who are constantly watching us on what can only be imagined as an IMAX display of viewing screens. Not to mention the entities that might be surveying us and our information in a manner not exactly above reproach, such as Google, Facebook, and every demonym of foreign hackers who see America’s obsession with its surveillance culture as its Achilles heel.
It’s not all doom and gloom, of course. Humans in America and abroad have reaped the top-tier benefits of surveillance capitalism, such as using the “Find My iPhone” to locate someone who has been reported missing. In the recent high-profile case of a missing young woman from Brooklyn, Iowa, Mollie Tibbetts, law enforcement were able to use data collected by Mollie’s Fitbit to piece together her last hours. This information would eventually lead investigators to the man who is now charged with her first-degree murder. Just this past week, an American couple was saved in Bali after a scooter accident left them both without a way to call local authorities for help. Mikey Lythcott, 36, was able to turn on the roaming data on his cell phone, and with a single bar of service, managed to pen a desperate call for help to his Facebook friends. The United States Consulate in Bali was contacted, and help was sent to the couple’s location. Knowing how well technology can work for us makes it that much more frustrating when we feel it has violated our privacy, such as the aforementioned data-mining that helps target you for specific advertisements.
In addition to impacting the way Americans live their lives, surveillance capitalism has already become a constipator for many well-established areas of the economy, such as journalism, transportation, and—in a fascinating irony—private investigations. While surveillance capitalism has certainly had a significant impact on American culture, there are many who have a misunderstanding of its omniscient power. In a recent article titled, “A Private Investigator on Living in a Surveillance Culture,” a private investigator named Judith Coburn, shared an anecdote where a client completely underestimated the available technology:
“Two lawyers working on a death-penalty appeal once came to see me about working on their case. There had been a murder at a gas station in Oakland 10 years earlier. Police reports from the time indicated that there was a notorious “trap house” where crack addicts were squatting across from the gas station. The lawyers wanted me to find and interview some of those addicts to discover whether they’d seen anything that night. It would be a quick job, they assured me. (Translation: they would pay me chump change.) I could just find them on the Internet. I thought they were kidding. Crack addicts aren’t exactly known for their Internet presence.”
Frustrations like these are rampant in investigation firms across the country, but the advancements in technology do not prevent the use of tried-and-true analog methods, such as old-fashioned tailing surveillance, or telephone ruses without the use of any fancy phone surveillance tech.
The concept of the “right to be forgotten” was forged in the European Union, with individuals voicing their concerns about their inability to “determine the development of their life in an autonomous way, without being perpetually or periodically stigmatized as a consequence of a specific action performed in the past.” Given the surveillance tech available to citizens, both private and public, it sounds like an unattainable status for anyone who uses social media, the internet, or walks by a security camera on their way to work every day.
In February, 2018, NPR published an article titled, “Google Has Received 650,000 ‘Right To Be Forgotten’ Requests Since 2014,” detailing the mountain of requests fielded by the multi-national technology company to remove certain URLs from their search results on the condition the content is “inadequate, irrelevant or excessive in relation to the purposes of the processing.” The article goes on to say this means it is up to the discretion of a private company to determine what is in the best interests of the people who use their services, which is a tall-order in a capitalist society. Whether the policy proposed in the EU will ever be universally enforced—both in Europe and around the world—education regarding this newfound culture in which we find ourselves is paramount to protecting yourself and your loved ones from the evils of surveillance capitalism.
Carie McMichael is the Communication and Media Specialist for Lauth Investigations International, a private investigation firm based in Indianapolis, Indiana–delivering proactive and diligent solutions for over 30 years. For more information, please visit our website.