by admin_lauth | Dec 8, 2017 | Tips & Facts
CYBER-SHOPPING FRAUD
‘Tis the season for the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping. While the stores are packed with consumers, cyber-shopping is at an all time high. Shopping in public can have potential to be dangerous with getting your wallet stolen or being robbed when putting the bags in your car. Cyber-shopping has a different kind of danger to be aware of. Be aware and prepared when shopping online.
Cyber-Shopping Frauds
We are all excited to get the “great deal” when shopping either in the stores or online. Sometimes, though, we need to sit back and determine when a deal is just too good to be true. There are so many sites set up to fraud consumers, I could not list all of them, so I am just going to list some ways these sites go about their scam:
- Copy Sites – Large company websites such as Wal-Mart, Amazon, E-Bay, are easily recognized; however, some of the smaller websites, such as Pandora Jewelry, are not as easy to determine if a site is the correct location for the National company. Websites are set up to resemble these less known company websites, selling similar looking items for cheaper prices. When you order from these sites thinking you are getting the real thing, you are sent a cheap knock off that is not worth the money you spent.
How to avoid it? Ensure you are shopping on the correct retailer sight. If the website is something other than “.com”, chances are it is a fake. Do your research and pay attention to the website. If the website is a “knock off”, you will see the difference. Did you know the “s” in “https” stands for secure? If there is no “s”, move on.
- 2. Take the Money and Run – Websites are set up with “authentic” or “custom made” merchandise. When you order from these sites, you provide your credit card information to pay for the item and the item never comes. Now the individuals took your money, you have nothing to show for it and they have your credit card information.
How to avoid it? Do your homework. Research the company, call the company to speak with an employee, read the customer reviews. Do not give your credit card out without being 100% certain the company is legitimate. If they are legitimate, they will do whatever it takes to make you feel comfortable doing business with them.
- Auction Sites – E-Bay is probably the biggest Auction Site on the web. It is also the most problematic Auction Site. When purchasing an item through an auction, there are several scams that may occur:
- The seller posts a picture of an expensive item, the bidding war begins, the auction ends, money is sent and the seller posts a picture of the purchased item stating “technically” that is all they listed for sale was the picture, not the actual item.
- The buyer purchases an item either by auction or the buy now tab and the seller requests the buyer to pay outside of E-Bay for various reasons. The buyer pays and goes to pick up the item or waits for receipt of the item. When contacting the seller due to never receiving the item, the seller states the item was never listed on E-Bay and it is not for sale.
- The auction or sale is complete. The item is received by the buyer and it is damaged or not the correct item. The seller is unresponsive to contact attempts.
How to avoid it? Always make the sure the seller is active on the site. Look for reviews. If they have no reviews, they may be new to the site and started just to pull these scams. Never pay outside of auction site. Ask questions about the item. Get the seller to provide intricate details including extra pictures. Read the description of the item carefully to see if there are any keywords that stick out making the listing unauthentic.
- Facebook Sellers – If a seller posts an item to your newsfeed through Facebook, you have to click on the link and you are re-routed to a different page. At that point, you are no longer secure. Once you enter their site, all your personal information is provided to them. Should you buy an item, they then have all your credit card information as well. It is so easy to be scrolling through Facebook, see a cute item for sale, hit the link, and within seconds you have purchased the item.
How to avoid it? Stop and think about what you are purchasing. Do not leave Facebook. Do not click on that link. Check out the website on your own. Do your homework. Ensure they have a safety symbol on their website.
Cyber-Shopping is so easy and convenient, we often lose ourselves to the fast paced life that we go for convenience over common sense. Before shopping online, do your research. Are you at a safe, secure website? Does the website look authentic? Check out the reviews of the seller, whether it’s an individual or a company. Ensure the url states “https” as this indicates a secure site. Trust your gut. I cannot express this enough. We know when something doesn’t look right, if we take the time to pay attention. Finally, if the deal seems too good to be true, it is so walk away!
“Trust your gut. It knows what your head hasn’t figured out yet.”
by admin_lauth | Nov 22, 2017 | Tips & Facts
The time has come, once again, for the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. While we all look forward to this time of year, criminals especially do as well. They rely on us being excited, relaxed and distracted. In an effort to keep our information safe, we must be overly aware during this time of year.
Traveling
During the holidays, traveling increases by 54%. That’s a lot of empty homes waiting for criminals to do their work. Here are just a few tips to keep your home safe while traveling:
- Only tell one close family member or friend that you are traveling out of town. This one person should be the one to check on your home while you are away. Having them enter your home one or two times daily would be ideal. Although they are busy as well, this will make it look like someone is there frequently.
- Do not post on social media your travel schedule. Although you think only friends and family can see this information, you are incorrect. You can take pictures and still update on the fun your having, just do it responsibly. No one needs to know you are half way across the country.
- Put your lights on timers, inside and out. If your lights are popping on and off throughout the day, anyone watching your house will tend to believe someone is home. You can get the timers from any home improvement store and they do not take long to install.
- A small final tip from my parents! Turn off your main water line before leaving. You do not want to come back to a flooded, moldy home due to a small hole in a water line. Trust me, it was not fun! Once you return from traveling, you just want to be in your own bed. If this water line break occurs, you will be back in a hotel for weeks.
Wallet and Identity
I group the wallet and identity together as the items utilized to steal your identity are generally located in your wallet. Here are just a few suggestions for keeping your information safe while you are enjoying the shopping frenzy:
- Pay with cash as often as you can. We’ve all seen the security issues with credit card machines. This can happen at any retail store. Avoid giving your card information out and pay with cash. If you do not want to carry cash, get gift cards with cash and use the gift cards instead of using your debit/credit card.
- If paying with cash, ensure you place your cash close to your person when out shopping. Put the cash in the pockets of your jeans or in a place where you would notice or feel someone trying to take the cash from you. Do not place it in your purse on a cart where you would turn your attention away, for even a second. All it takes is a second to turn your head away and your purse is gone.
- Along with the cash, put all identification (driver’s license, social security card, credit cards) information in your pockets as well. Always make sure your information is close enough so you will know if someone is trying to get to these items.
- When pulling out your cash to pay, do not pull out the large stack of bills and count it out in an obvious manner. You may not realize how closely people are watching you, but criminals are watching every move as this is their job.
- As you are buying your items, try to condense the amounts of packages you are carrying. Any bags that can be combined, do so. The more you are carrying, the more vulnerable you appear.
- When you take your items to your car to drop them off and start off again, we all do it, make sure you cover the items with either a blanket or a screen. Do not leave anything out in the open in your vehicle.
The holidays are fun and happy time of the year. Do not let criminals make this time stressful for you. Small adjustments can keep your home, wallet and identity safe. Always be aware of your surroundings, trust your gut, and keep your personal information personal.
Lauth Investigations International is a private investigation firm. We consistently work with people whose identity has been compromised. The one minute it took a criminal to steal their information created months of stress for these individuals to recover. Do not let this happen to you.
by admin_lauth | Nov 7, 2016 | Tips & Facts
What is malingering? Malingering is defined by Merriam-Webster as, “to pretend to be sick or injured in order to avoid doing work.” The most famous malingerer might be Ferris Bueller, but while he only cost his friend’s dad money buying a new car, malingering Americans cost billions of dollars a year. According to a study available in the US National Library of Medicine, malingering adult mental disorder claimants costs were $20 billion in 2011. Below are some ways you can nip malingering in the bud.
Apply standards consistently
In order to make sure employees understand expectations and don’t feel singled out, standards and practices have to be enforced consistently. If you make one employee get a doctor’s note after calling in sick then you need to make every employee do the same. Medical issues are a sensitive topic and companies can get into hot water if an employee feels they’re being treated unfairly due to their health. Consider printing out a guide explaining expectations and having employees sign a sheet acknowledging they received one so there’s no confusion if this becomes an issue.
Ask for proof
If an employee is having bad enough medical issues to miss work then they should see a doctor to find out what’s going. Getting sick for a day isn’t uncommon, but when a medical issue regularly prevents an employee from working, something needs to be done. It’s not unfair for an employer to ask for documentation of the problem.
Knowing ahead of time that proof will be required when they come back to work will help deter malingering and prevent excuses about why they couldn’t provide proof. Even if you trust the employee, always get documentation for company records and to ensure consistently applied standards.
Be accommodating to employees needs
Even if you suspect an employee is malingering, be open to accommodating their needs. If they are malingering then they’ll lack excuses for not working when the company shows it’s ready and willing to work with them. If they’re not malingering then the company will have already done the right thing by creating an accommodating and inclusive environment. Making it tougher for employees to excuse their lack of work actually makes it easier for employees with genuine issues to work.
Be patient whether they’re faking it or not
Determining if an employee is malingering can take time. One of the most famous cases of malingering is the 1927 Bruneri-Canella. Brunei, a petty thief and con-man, pretended he had amnesia and was mistakenly identified as an Italian professor that went missing in World War I. The thief kept up his charade for years even pretending not to remember his family despite them identifying him. Eventually a court determined he was faking it. Patience is needed because if an employee is faking it, eventually they’ll be caught, but if they’re being honest, rushing to judgement is a big mistake.
Investigate
When an employee continues to claim they’re having medical issues, but you suspect something is off, contact a private investigator to look into the matter. It’s never fun to accuse someone of lying, but it’s a lot less fun to lose money to a scammer. Private investigators will be able to quickly find out if the employee is malingering or genuinely having problems.
by admin_lauth | Jun 23, 2014 | Private Investigations News
Photo Courtesy of Angela N., Flickr
For several decades, animal rights organizations have provided a voice to the animals that couldn’t speak up for themselves. The fight against animal cruelty is ongoing, and despite new regulations, many animals are still kept in abusive conditions worldwide. One of the best ways to catch the offenders and put an end to the cruelty is by gathering video evidence of inhumane situations. Many of these animal rights organizations have begun hiring private investigators to do surveillance on locations that have been rumored to be abusive.
A Voice for those Who Have None
In 2009, TIME ran an article about a private eye who went undercover at a hog farm. The investigator, who went by the name “Pete”, gave up his dream of becoming a cop and left behind his family and friends to pursue a career as an animal rights investigator. His account of the farm and the ensuing court case were featured in an HBO documentary called Death on a Factory Farm. Thanks to his video evidence, Pete has been able to uncover horrible conditions at farms and factories of all kinds throughout the country. According to him, the worst was chicken farms, where barely living hens were tossed into the trash after having their necks broken.
Farms aren’t the only places being targeted by investigators and organizations alike. The Ringling Bros. Circus and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have been in an ongoing battle over claims of animal abuse. PETA has launched its own investigation into the circus, documenting video footage of circus staff beating elephants and gathering witness accounts from past circus employees. Aquariums and zoos have also been in the news after documentaries like Blackfish brought abuse at SeaWorld to the public’s eye. Zoos, kennels, and even private homes are also hot spots that may require an investigation.
Doing it the Right Way
Often, the people who look into these claims and infiltrate businesses aren’t investigators at all. And when someone who’s inexperienced in the field of investigation goes undercover, there’s the potential for serious consequences. Consider the story of Taylor Radig, an animal right’s activist who went undercover at a cattle company in Denver, Colorado. Radig was a contractor for Compassion Over Killing, an organization dedicated to uncovering and preventing animal cruelty. Her investigation was centered around gathering video evidence at the cattle farm. During her time there, Radig witnessed workers pushing and shoving day old calves, a clear sign of animal abuse. Once she presented authorities with her proof, those workers were charged with cruelty to animals. However, Radig soon found herself charged with the Class 1 misdemeanor as well, because she had neglected to report the abuse as soon as she had seen it.
Taylor Radig isn’t the only person to be charged with the very abuse she was trying to prevent, and she certainly won’t be the last. Some states have laws that require cruelty to be reported immediately, and those who view it and fail to tell authorities in time are just as guilty as the offenders. That’s why it’s important to hire someone who is experienced in the field. Even Pete, the private eye who investigated the hog farm, was unlicensed at the time of the article. He and others like him run the risk of criminal charges and lawsuits if they get caught, and the evidence might not hold up in court as well if it was obtained illegally.
For these reasons, several animal rights groups have decided that simply having an organization member go undercover isn’t enough. These groups are dealing with big companies, and investigations require careful planning that are performed according to the law. Hiring a licensed, experienced investigator who is familiar with the law can ensure that this video evidence is collected in a safe matter. After all, a court battle involving an amateur investigator takes away time and attention from the true victims here: the animals.
by admin_lauth | May 6, 2014 | Private Investigations News
Source: www.insperity.com
Hiring a new CEO, CFO, or COO can be a long and arduous process for many corporations. Sometimes, it’s easy to overlook risks in a high-ranking executive or trust dishonest information. Before making a decision, corporations should consider hiring a private investigator to perform executive background checks of a potential corporate officer. Doing so can stop an unscrupulous individual from tarnishing a company’s reputation and prevent possible litigation for negligent hiring.
Risks to Consider
Do you know if the candidate has a criminal record? Do they have a good reputation among other businesses in the market? Past mistakes aren’t always a deal-breaker, but they can provide some insight on a person’s character and ability to perform in a high-ranking position. Individuals will go to great lengths to hide their offenses or lie about themselves. A DUI may be an indicator of someone who has had a substance abuse problem, or a record of domestic violence could suggest a history of anger problems. A bad credit report could be a sign of future embezzlement problems. Some of the most common red flags that an executive background investigation should uncover are as follows:
- DUI/DWIs
- Domestic violence arrests/restraining orders
- Bankruptcy
- Arrests/convictions
- Bad bredit reports
- Theft/fraud
- Reasons for leaving past companies
There have been several cases of executives who lied about their credentials or fudged their resumes. Consider the case of Scott Thompson, once CEO of Yahoo!, who lied about having a computer science degree. Or take note of Marilee Jones, Dean of Admissions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who never earned any of her supposed degrees. These people are able to get away with dishonesty because no one had thought to question them in the past. It’s easy to look at a candidate’s job history and assume that the other big companies they worked for had already checked their credentials, but clearly that is not always the case.
Too often, executives are able to hide these red flags for years until they are discovered by an investigative reporter or through someone within the company. A corporation that hires a shady CEO can face public embarrassment and loss in shares. In 2002, shares for Veritas SoftWare Corp. dropped 20 percent after it came out that their CEO had lied about his education. Thefallacies that jeopardized these corporations’ reputations could have possibly been prevented if a comprehensive executive background investigation had taken place.
Hiring a Private Investigator
Most basic background checks will uncover things such as names, addresses, past employers, and a criminal record. It may be tempting to perform a Google search of a candidate and call it a day, but this will only give you a very general outline of a candidate and won’t always be accurate. Nowadays, people have become more aware of their presence online and have found ways to cover things up. An online search won’t turn up as many results as an investigation will, either. Many official documents and records are not available publicly online, and some states have different laws regarding arrests and offenses. Hiring a private investigator to check out a candidate’s background can uncover information that an online search cannot. A typical executive screening may include a search of:
- Employment history
- Criminal records
- Driving records
- Education
- Civil history
Executive background history investigations will provide corporations with a detailed report of a CEO’s character and work ethic before a hiring decision is made. An experienced private investigator knows what to look for and where to find it, in an ethical and legal way.These investigators will work with companies to provide an in-depth assessment of a potential executive’s background and ensure that a company has a clear view of the person they are hiring.
Did you know the “s” in “https” stands for secure? If there is no “s”, move on.
When you order from these sites, you provide your credit card information to pay for the item and the item never comes. Now the individuals took your money, you have nothing to show for it and they have your credit card information.
At that point, you are no longer secure. Once you enter their site, all your personal information is provided to them. Should you buy an item, they then have all your credit card information as well. It is so easy to be scrolling through Facebook, see a cute item for sale, hit the link, and within seconds you have purchased the item.
I group the wallet and identity together as the items utilized to steal your identity are generally located in your wallet. Here are just a few suggestions for keeping your information safe while you are enjoying the shopping frenzy:
