Month: December 2012

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Background Checks Criminal Records Economy Human Resources Miscellany Personal Background Checks preemployment screening Uncategorized

When Employees Rob You Blind

We all hear about employees who steal from their employers.  Since the Recession and the economic downturn, employee theft has been up considerably.  Employees have personal financial difficulties, they get into all sorts of economic trouble, and then they embezzle to compensate.   Pretty remarkable, but many go for a long time before they are finally caught.  If they are caught.

We hear about bartenders who still from the till, employees who create a false vendor account in the company files and then invoice and pay for goods and services never rendered.

But here is a woman who stole from the church. She stole more than $1 Million from the Archdiocese of New York.  A million bucks.   That’s quite a bit more than robbing the collection plate.   She was sentenced to 4 and a half to nine years in prison.    As she is an elderly woman, that’s a tough price to pay.  But as they say…if you can’t do the time…..

According to the article in the  Wall Street Journal, A the Archdiocese had not conducted a background check that would have had revealed this woman had been caught stealing in the past.

According to the article…”Collins had previously been convicted of grand larceny in 1999 for stealing $46,000 from a temporary employment agency. However, officials from the Archdiocese, who did not comment on Collins’ sentencing Thursday, have said they were unaware of  Collins past criminal record because they were not doing pre-employment background checks when they hired her in 2003.

Authorities say that between July 2004 and December 2011 as an accounts payable clerk, Collins cut 468 unauthorized checks to “KB Collins” and deposited them in a bank account she controlled. She then manipulated the Archdiocese’s computer accounting system to make it appear as if they checks had been issued to a legitimate vendor.”

 

 

Categories
Background Checks Economy Human Resources Miscellany Recruiting Staffing Uncategorized

Doctor Jailed for Lying on His Resume

For those employers conducting education verification background checks as part of their employment screening program, you should take note of the bogus claims on the part of candidates.  While most employment candidates are honest and straightforward there is a small but significant minority who will lie about their education.   Considering the weak economy and the highly competitive job market, desperate job applicants will stretch the truth, claiming degrees when they only went to college for a couple of years or, in some cases, never went at all.

In one case in the UK, an employee lied on his resume or CV.   He claimed to be both a nurse and then a doctor.   He claimed to be registered as a doctor with the Medical and Dental Council of Pakistan.  It was not true.

According to an article on BBC News…”the employee came to Britain in 2001, worked at three medical practices in the city between February 2004 and April 2011, working first as a health care assistant and finally as a locum GP.

At surgeries in Alum Rock, Aston and Sparkhill, he performed blood tests on patients and even prescribed medication.

Prosecutor Robert Davies told the court: “In simple terms the CV is almost entirely a work of fiction or misleading claims.”

So when considering an employment candidate for a position, always conduct an education verification background search.  At Corra Group, we have seen a good many counterfeit diplomas.  And all claims for degree or claims made on a resume, especially those that would prove consequential and garner liability issues, should always be thoroughly verified.

Categories
Background Checks Criminal Records Economy Human Resources Miscellany Staffing Uncategorized

South Dakota Statewide Criminal and Country Criminal Records to Increase

For those conducting background checks for employment screening please be aware that South Dakota will be raising its statewide criminal  records fees and its county criminal records fees.

As of January 1st, 2013, the statewide criminal records fee, which was formerly $15.00 will now be $20.00.   The county criminal records fee will also  increase from $15.00 to $20.00.

 

 

 

Categories
Background Checks Criminal Records Economy Human Resources Miscellany Recruiting Staffing Uncategorized

No Background Checks Enable Pedophiles Gain Entry to Boy Scouts

The Boy Scouts didn’t want to conduct background checks on their staff or their volunteers.  Now that they have embraced such a foolish policy, it is reported that pedophiles are now part of the Boy Scouts organization.  Simply lovely.

Since the 1980’s when sexual predator scandals broke out among different youth organizations a good many of these organizations started conducting background checks.  But not the Boy Scouts.  Why?  The Boy Scouts cited money, the discouragement of volunteers, and providing a false sense of security as the main reasons for not conducting background searches.    The basic tool for protecting children did not seems sensible or cost effective to the Boy Scout Hierarchy.”

The Boy Scouts claim they have an excellent screening program in place.   Evidence and the number of sexual predators working with the Boy Scouts seems to make that claim less than credible.

I will leave  it to the reader to decide.

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times..”From the time national background checks became widely available in 1985 until 1991 — when the detailed files obtained by The Times end — the Boy Scouts admitted more than 230 men with previous arrests or convictions for sex crimes against children, the analysis found.

The men were accused of molesting nearly 400 boys while in Scouting. They accounted for one in six of those expelled for alleged abuse during those years.

Scouting officials declined to be interviewed but said in a prepared statement that they have enhanced their policies over the years and tried “to ensure we are in line with and, where possible, ahead of society’s knowledge of abuse and best practices for prevention.”

“Numerous independent experts have recognized that our programs for protecting Scouts from abuse are among the best in the youth-serving community,” it said.

The Scouts’ past handling of child sexual abuse has come under increased scrutiny since October, after the court-ordered release of hundreds of confidential files dating back decades. The Times earlier obtained and analyzed a larger and more recent set of files — about 1,900 dossiers opened from 1970 to 1991.