While Beacon Plumbing & Mechanical, Inc claims that it runs criminal background checks on all of its employees, what they do not state is if they use a database or conduct the proper due diligence by conducting a county search on each of the residential addresses associated with the applicants. It is important to know and understand the difference between running a database search on an applicant, and checking the county courts. A database can contain millions of records of felons, however, this data is often times arbitrary, and it is very limited in county records.

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Another reason why conducting inferior background checks or none at all create huge risks for employers. Yet I still run across some employers who think they don’t need to screen employees. Then there are those who think a eight or ten dollar database check is sufficient. Well tell that to the jury!

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It is always a great idea to conduct a background check on an employee, especially one who is going to work around children, as in the case of an Ice Cream Truck driver. This story indicates that the Bureau of Criminal Identification will conduct a check for $20-$30.00, however, be warned that their database is flawed. Not every county in Ohio reports to BCI. It is recommended that you conduct a residential history of the applicant and contact every county they have resided in to determine any crimes. In addition, you should conduct a nationwide sexual offender search through the Department of Justice.

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While it is possible for FBI checks to be inaccurate, its highly unlikely in this case. The common inaccuracies with the FBI check is that it does not have a comprehensive coverage with respect to jurisdictions. The FBI gets its data from law enforcement agencies and state criminal record repositories. These sources only represent about 65% of all records available. The records are often just arrests and do not contain updates on the court case. If the case has been dismissed it is possible they have the right person but the wrong information. The FBI uses a fingerprint to match identity so as for a case of mistaken identity its unlikely in this case.

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I believe that North Dakota is behind the times by not requiring background checks for their employees. While it is not mandatory, I certainly hope that each school district across the state will conduct their due diligence and use background checks as a part of the hiring process.
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How do hackers grab your personal data out of thin air? Agent Peterson said one of the most common types of attack is this: a bogus but legitimate-looking Wi-Fi network with a strong signal is strategically set up in a known hot spot…and the hacker waits for nearby laptops to connect to it. At that point, your computer—and all your sensitive information, including user ID, passwords, credit card numbers, etc.—basically belongs to the hacker. The intruder can mine your computer for valuable data, direct you to phony webpages that look like ones you frequent, and record your every keystroke.

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It seems the recent demand spike for nurses has resulted in nursing supervisors making $100,000+ per year. Unfortunately it turns out with the rising salaries that the number of felon nurses being hired is also on the rise. 1 in 20 in Texas to be exact.

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A Wagoner man has sued to recover $165,000 in certificates of deposit that were embezzled by a bank employee.

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The US fares badly when it comes to compliance with the law. Statistics have demonstrated that time and again, with recent ones providing further reiteration. It seems that the more our criminal laws are refined, the more they’re put to the live test. Americans sure love a challenge, right or wrong. Fortunately, we have the means to cope. One of the pillars of that strength is our Police, and the public system to go with it.

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The FBI warns consumers of recently reported spam e-mail purportedly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which is actually an attempt to steal consumer information. The e-mail advises the recipient that direct deposit is the fastest and easiest way to receive their economic stimulus tax rebate. The message contains a hyperlink to a fraudulent form which requests the recipient’s personally identifiable information, including bank account information. To convince consumers to reply, the e-mail warns that a failure to complete the form in a timely manner will delay the issuance of the rebate check.

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