Security means that we can confidently get onto an airplane without the worry that our flight could result in someone trying to blow themselves and the aircraft into smithereens, right? Well, after 9/11 and the recent Christmas Day bombing attempt that left the bomber injured in an, ahem…unfortunate place, the government is now taking steps to swab passengers’ palms for explosive residue for added protection in the air.

Though the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) had been previously only swabbing some pieces of carry-on luggage for traces of explosives, now they are saying that taking it one step further and swabbing palms is the best move.  Though CNN describes swabbing luggage as searching for “the needle in the security haystack”, security experts are saying that the TSA’s decision to swab hands is an excellent decision.

Criminal background searches cannot be done on passengers prior to boarding a plane, but the TSA can make huge strides toward preventing a recurrence of the Christmas Day bombing by testing passenger’s hands before boarding an aircraft. The TSA has just announced that after beginning a random swabbing of hands in the immediate time period after the Detroit, Michigan attempted bombing of Flight 253, they will now expand their swabbing operations immediately.

Since employment background screening is already done on airline employees, security personnel, and airport staff, these additional measures of hand swabbing are expected to greatly improve the level of security in-flight as well as boost airline passenger confidence. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano made a statement to CNN saying, "We know that al Qaeda [and other] terrorists continue to think of aviation as a way to attack the United States. One way we keep it safe is by new technology [and] random use of different types of technology."

Not only do airlines and passengers feel that this is a good move on the TSA’s part, security expert Tony Fainberg also applauded the practice of hand swabbing. He went on to comment to CNN that he felt that “Looking at the hands means you will probably get a better dose [of traces of explosives].” The new procedures will add and swabbing to places in the boarding process including the checkpoint lines, during screening, and even at the gates. The TSA hopes to one day have machines available that will automatically check passengers’ hands for explosives residue.

In the transportation sector, security is one of the most crucial aspects of the entire industry. In the workplace, it should be no different. From criminal background searches to employment background screening, workplace safety is imperative to a company’s success. Without an employment screening firm in place to check employees before they are hired, companies are simply hiring blindly and hoping for the best. In a world where Internet fraud and identity theft, felony convictions, and resume falsification are some of the realities of applicants’ backgrounds, isn’t it good to know that AccuScreen is there to weed out the “Employee from Hell” and help you hire the best?

In today’s economy, the ups and downs can mean that many unemployed are left in its wake. From customer service reps and auto mechanics to retail workers and executives, no one seems impervious to the dip that the economy has taken. With the unemployment rate now estimated to be at nearly 20% (including those who are still laid off but no longer looking for work), it can seem hopeless for job seekers. However, many unemployed Americans are now taking hold of the reigns and starting their own companies in order to survive. Here is the story of one of them.

Many women are choosing to start companies that are service based, including wedding planning, consulting, and selling home-based products like MaryKay and Avon. These are excellent options for women to harness their existing talents and to be able to make some significant income for themselves to support their family. Not only is it smart to go into business doing something they are skilled and experienced in, it usually has the added benefit of doing something they enjoy.

One such story from CNN shows the perfect example of someone who was a victim of the economy and has risen from the ashes to redeem herself and her career. Jennifer Thomas, a media consultant, was forced to leave her job as a TV news producer due to downsizing. She used the opportunity to start her own media consulting job and now caters to celebrities. She explained to CNN that taking those first steps can be very scary, but that with “generous friends and mentors, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance” it is entirely possible.

For new business owners like Jennifer Thomas, careful thought and consideration need to be taken when hiring staff to help expand the business and to delegate the day-to-day tasks to others. An incredible amount of trust goes into employees; making sure that the right people are being hired is key. For starters, getting an employment screening done (including a criminal background check) are extremely important steps that cannot be overlooked.

Many times, our employees are helping with sensitive portions of our business, including the handling of money, trade secrets, client interactions, and credit card information. It is therefore imperative that we take every precaution to pre-screen employees to be sure that they can be trusted. AccuScreen has helped companies for over 15 years in hiring the very best employees; those that can be trusted and who have no trouble passing a criminal background check.

Another problem that can arise when hiring employees is discovering later that they never received the degree they claimed to have earned. Other resume lies often discovered include employment gaps not reported, job titles and salary history exaggerations, as well as lies about certifications earned. When you are running a business where you count on your employees’ performance (and what company doesn’t), you need to do thorough employment screening and a criminal background check every single time.

Avoid hiring the “Employee from Hell” by using AccuScreen’s trusted, accurate, and thorough background check process. Use them every time. No exceptions.

As someone who helps other companies to protect themselves against criminals finding their way into the workplace, it was especially disturbing to see several high profile people get caught in resume falsification only to be forced to resign and forever humiliated. These are the resume lies that keep my business going – job title lies, degree falsification, salary history inflations, and the covering up of a criminal past. Though the following people’s reputations were completely tarnished, there is a lesson to be learned from every one of the cases.

1.       Ex-CEO, Lotus Corporation, Jeff Papows was exposed as a fraud in 1999 by The Wall Street Journal. Not only did he tell some big lies, but he falsified information that wasn’t even relevant to his being hired. First, he lied about the rank that he held in the military. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he also claimed to have earned a Ph.D. from Pepperdine University. The final lie that was uncovered was that he did not have parents that were living. For his resume falsification, he resigned from his position.

2.       Former Football Coach at Notre Dame, George O’Leary had it all going for him; a team of college kids looking up to him and hanging on his every word and the trust of the school faculty and the community. Unfortunately, it turns out that Coach O’Leary wasn’t as decorated and degreed as he had claimed. In several resume lies that were uncovered in early 2001, the coach admitted that he had lied about his academic accomplishments and background as well as his experience as an athlete. Fortunately for the school, only five days after he was hired, the truth came out and the coach resigned from his position.

3.       Once CEO of Bausch & Lomb, Ronald Zarrella was hired for his MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business. It turns out that he did attend the school for four years but never earned his MBA. The employer failed to perform an employment screening and education background check to test him for resume lies. Due to the resume falsification, Zarrella was forced to give up his bonus of more than a million dollars. In a surprising twist, the company kept Zarrella because they said he was too valuable to let go.

4.       Marilee Jones, former Dean of Admissions for MIT was found to have falsified her education credentials. She had claimed to be a scientist with degrees from two different colleges and also claimed to have earned her doctorate degree. She decided to resign from her position in 2007 when school officials caught wind of her resume lies.

5.       Ex-CFO of Veritas Software, Kenneth Lonchar was living the good life…that is before his world came crashing down around him. Not only had Lonchar completely fabricated his accounting degree and his “Stanford MBA”, but even after he was exposed and resigned, the company suffered a stock loss of 16% of its value as investors scrambled to have nothing to do with the company.

These are all good lessons in telling the truth. If someone is unqualified for a position, even if their resume states that they are qualified, their background needs to be checked. Resume lies and resume falsification is rampant and more of a problem today than ever before. Don’t take a chance; check applicants with AccuScreen.

An otherwise healthy woman, save for a kidney infection, died at the hands of two doctors in the United Kingdom in 2002, according to a hearing that took place last month. Their mistakes were described as “catastrophic blunders” by the Daily Mail Reporter online. When hiring doctors, nurses, or people for any profession, it is vitally important to check their background for criminal activity, unsafe practices, resume lies, and to verify their qualifications for that position.

The victim of the two doctors was being treated in surgery for removal of a kidney stone and the doctors missed the fact that she was actually suffering from a kidney infection. The General Medical Council was told by police that her death was completely avoidable and was due to the severe negligence of the physicians.

Several officials commented during a hearing that took place on January 11:

Dr. Hines “fully to appreciate the nature and extent of an infection resulting from an obstruction of the ureter and did not order further investigation or delay surgery in order to fully assess her clinical state. 'Once the procedure was completed with unequivocal evidence of an infection, Hines did not ensure adequate antibiotic therapy or level of nursing to ensure continuous monitoring of her.”

Also explained about the other physician, Dr. Timmis: “When Timmis was eventually called to the hospital by Hines, he decided to transfer the patient…to the intensive therapy unit at Whipps Cross Hospital without effectively preparing her or sufficiently stabilizing her to ensure she could withstand the transfer. There was no adequate monitoring of the patient. The result of these serial failures was catastrophic.”

These types of gross negligence errors usually are not the first mistakes that doctors have made when something of this scale occurs. That’s why it is essential for hospitals and medical facilities to thoroughly conduct criminal background searches of each and every employee that cares for patients. This type of service will catch any resume lies, mistruths, and deviant tendencies.

Once the hearing was in full swing, the General Medical Council added the following points about the case and the shortcomings of the physicians:

·         Dr. Hines admitted he should have recognized the kidney infection from the start.

·         He also admitted failing to conduct a dip stick urine test to check for while blood cell count, an indicator of an infection being present.

·         Dr. Hines recognized not ordering a repeat blood test that would have also confirmed the presence of an infection.

·         He admitted to not going back to the hospital when a nurse paged him during the night before her surgery when the patient’s blood pressure was falling, her breathing was labored, and her pulse was increasing.

·         He denied that surgery was a risky action to take considering the patient’s state at the time.

·         He also denied that the patient should have been sent to Intensive Care for closer monitoring.

·         Dr. Timmis, however, admitted to all of the charges, including not making sure that the patient was well enough to be transferred and that she was not properly monitored during the move in the ambulance.

Here in the United States, similar event have taken place where patients have died in the care of physicians they trusted with their lives. Don’t let one of your staff become the next killer; check for resume lies and do criminal background searches with AccuScreen today!

Employment screening is a form of checking the background of an employee before they are hired by your company for their services. In today’s world, many crimes exist that once were never conceived of. Crimes over the Internet, wire fraud, identity theft, and the like can all be attributed to street thugs who have turned themselves into PC-toting criminals. With more than violent crimes being a threat to employers these days, here are four reasons why employment screening must be a vital part of the hiring process, no matter what the position that needs to be filled.

1.       Nannies and in-home caregivers. When it comes to individual care for medical reasons or for daycare, knowing that the person coming into your home or facility is crucial. There have been many cases of elder and child abuse, neglect, and sexual misconduct between caregivers and their clients, so don’t take the chance. The small cost is worth the avoidance of painful, and sometimes even deadly, consequences. You’ll be able to run a criminal background check, check their DMV record, and truly find out if they are qualified for the position. Be safe and hire an employment screening service!

2.       Delivery drivers and trucking companies. Nothing is more important than your drivers’ driving records and safety record. Now, there are national databases that employment screening firms can access to find out this information and report it to you prior to hiring drivers. One such tragedy that especially hits home is one in Mission Viejo, CA several years back where a minivan was hit from behind on the freeway and a woman’s three children were instantly killed. The driver had been cited for various unsafe practices that his employer may not have been aware of.

3.       Financial institutions. Banking is one of the industries where criminal activity gravitates to. For obvious reasons, money is extremely appealing to criminals and they will do whatever it takes to get on the “inside” and take advantage of their position of trust. This is why a criminal background check is so crucial in this particular field of work. From fingerprinting and FBI criminal records checks to finding out local and state-level convictions, this is the most thorough employment screening that can be done to be sure someone is “clean”.

4.       Hospitals and medical facilities. You might live in a shell if you haven’t seen stories in the news on a regular basis of nurse’s aides, nurses, doctors, dentists, and other medical professionals who have been accused of atrocious acts against their patients. From sexual assault while patients are under the influence of anesthesia to physical abuse and even murder (remember Dr. Michael Swango?), crimes against patients do occur. Not only can these hiring disasters lead a hospital to have a tainted reputation and the total distrust of the community, but it exposes them to huge lawsuits for negligent hiring. Make sure you know who your doctors, nurses, and orderlies are before you hire them.

Don’t compromise your business, your customers, or your own employees’ safety by hiring carelessly! Hire AccuScreen today and you’ll be sure that your next employee is the right person for the job before they start their first day with you.

The Mirage of Actual Job Losses Has Been Exposed…and the Truth is Not Pretty

In a report by CNNMoney today, the public has learned that the job losses that have been reported by government agencies is not quite accurate; to the tune of nearly a million lost jobs. During the past few years as the “Great Recession” has made its way into our workplaces and bank accounts, the number of people who were reportedly unemployed during this time hovered at about 7 million. As if that number wasn’t staggering enough, it has been discovered that the US Labor Department’s numbers were underestimating job losses by about 1 million jobs.

With the economic downturn having officially begun in December of 2007, the number of losses is astronomical for such a short period of time. One expert that was interviewed during the CNNMoney story said, “"It confirms that things were actually worse on the ground than what the reports suggested." This new information has been uncovered as a result of a revision being done by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as they review annual payrolls for U.S. workers.

Some of the major contributing factors to the huge job losses between April 2008 and March 2009 included Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy protection, the complete halt of the stock markets and financial sector, and the economy sinking into the depths of a near Depression. The scariest part of their findings thus far is that nearly 5 million jobs were lost during that single, twelve-month period of time. This loss is staggering and is almost double the jobs that were lost since the records have been kept (dating back to 1939).

The good news is that many companies are starting to hire again. Economists are predicting a total gain of about 13,000 jobs for January (according to Briefing.com), after a loss of 85,000 jobs during December 2009. This means that more companies will be ready for employment background screening and criminal background check services again. For many hiring managers, it may feel like it’s been ages since they have been given the green light to hire new employees.

The temptation may be to choose people who say they have worked in a particular field and are qualified to the hilt. However, resume lies are everywhere and because of this tough economy, hiring managers are actually finding that more candidates are lying on their resumes than ever before. This phenomenon is most likely due to several factors including the amount of time the applicant has been unemployed, the specific field they work in, and what shape their personal finances are in.

Remembering to hire an employment background screening company like AccuScreen can make all the difference in hiring the best employees. From a criminal background check to salary history and job title verification, they do it all. One easy-to-read report, guaranteed accurate, and ready within 1-3 days! What more can you ask for when getting ready to hire new employees? As an employer, you can’t afford not to use AccuScreen’s services!

After poring over resume after resume, weeding out the unqualified folks, you find out that the 3 candidates you’ve selected all have fluffed their self-proclaimed skill set and experience with resume lies and resume falsification. What’s worse is when you miss that step altogether and hire them. At best, you may have hired an unqualified person who will make mistakes and end up being fired. At worst, you may have inadvertently hired a dangerous criminal whose malicious intentions are aimed for your company, your customers, and your employees.

The trend that companies are seeing right now, especially small businesses is one of great financial and legal loss due to poor hiring practices. This economy has placed constraints on everyone’s resources, employers and job seekers alike. For the employer, sometimes a job position suddenly opens up and needs to be filled in short order. The temptation can be to fill the position too quickly because one candidate stands out above the rest. If a resume looks good on paper, the applicant must be qualified…right? Not necessarily so.

Resume falsification is one of the trickiest things to catch if you don’t who to turn to for deciphering. Sure, you can sometimes tell when someone is lying because their story doesn’t match or they are unable to provide consistent information during an interview. But, what are you supposed to look for…really? Enter an employment background screening service like AccuScreen.

This type of employment screening goes much further than the everyday reference check and verifying places of employment. This service looks deep into the applicant’s past and uncovers facts that they may not have been truthful about. Truths that can be hidden from view include the school they attended, whether they earned a degree, their salary history, criminal record, job titles held, and much more. Drug testing results, business ownership, driving records, tax liens, and lawsuits can also be included in the background search.

In a survey that was conducted by a major payroll company last year, it was found that businesses had suffered about $10,000 in losses for each employee that was hired and underperformed or made gross errors. These dollars lost, in this economy, can add up to huge losses as company size increases. Major contributors to these losses include high turnover, wasted time in recruitment and training, as well as underperformance and lost business caused by these types of employees.

For small businesses, one single loss of $10,000 can have a huge impact on their bottom line. When companies are struggling just to survive in these economic times, it’s nearly deadly to their company to hire the wrong person. The right way to proceed for any company, whether they are large or small, is to prescreen employees through employment background screening. Catch the resume lies before you hire so you don’t lose out on more than you bargained for!

In the town of Merrillville a nightmare took place for one paralyzed patient who was under the care and supervision of Golden Living Centers. Not only did the victim of this nightmare have to endure sexual abuse by one of his “caretakers”, there was nothing he could do to stop him; he was paralyzed due to a stroke. What’s worse is that the alleged perpetrator had been accused of the same sexual misconduct by another patient in 2009.

These atrocities happen more than nursing homes, medical centers, and hospitals would like to admit. However, with the proper employment screening and criminal background searches in place, these unthinkable crimes can be avoided. Though the Merrillville nursing home stated that they conducted a comprehensive background check on their employee before he was hired, the fact remains that two of their patients have been allegedly victimized.

The suspected abuser was investigated last year by the nursing home staff when the first allegation was brought to their attention. The caretaker denied the allegations and stated that his patient was uncomfortable with him being homosexual and made up the charges to avoid contact with him. Unfortunately, another victim has now surfaced and the question remains: Did the caretaker abuse the first victim after all?

In the healthcare industry, and especially in the care of the elderly, abuse and negligence have been the center of many lawsuits by victims and their families. It is unusual for sexual abuse allegations to be a part of a lawsuit for these types of patients. It is more common, however, to find that caretakers who have been convicted of a crime had been accused of some sort of abuse by patients at some point during their career.

This is the main reason why criminal background searches and employment screening are vital in the healthcare field. No matter what the crime on record, it is up to the staff to find the information through an employment screening service. Once the criminal record has been uncovered, the staff can make a decision about whether or not to hire the individual. Violent crimes, sexual offenses, and assault charges are just some of the many crimes that medical staff should be looking for as major red flags.

With any employment screening service, such as AccuScreen, thoroughness and accuracy are taken to ensure that every bit of information is exposed. From minor offenses allowable by law to felony charges and drunken driving or drug charges, nothing gets past the watchful eyes of AccuScreen’s technologies and databases.  Further, they can provide clients with necessary drug testing results, DMV and driving records, salary history, verification of a degree or certification, criminal background searches, and much more.

When you need help with finding out who your applicants really are, ask the experts at AccuScreen. Not only will your candidates’ truths be exposed, you’ll avoid hiring the “Employee from Hell”.

The beautiful and quaint area of Cheshire Connecticut shows no obvious signs of the trauma the community went through only two short years ago. At 300 Sorghum Mill Drive, a horrific home invasion, four assaults, and three murders took place that led to one man losing his home and his entire family. A heart-shaped garden now lies in the spot where the family home once stood.

Dr William Petit was a well-known and loved physician in the small community about 20 miles North of New Haven. All seemed well on that fateful night of July 23, 2007 as the family was asleep in their home. At about 3:00 in the morning, however, they were awakened by the sound of two robbers, and soon-to-be murderers, who would savagely beat Dr. Petit and lock him in his own basement as they continued their seven-hour attack on the rest of the family.

Though a criminal background check and criminal background searches would have revealed that both of the suspects, Hayes and Komisarjevsky, had been convicted prior on burglary charges, they both had been paroled at the time of the invasion. This crime has led to a number of reforms in Connecticut’s judicial system, including the throwing out of “administrative reviews” made by three Board Members without the suspects being present or interviewed. This was, in fact, the main reason why the two suspects were out on parole at the time.

Some other changes that have been made into law included the composition of the Board of Pardons and Paroles to add a staff psychologist to the Board so they can do a more through criminal background check and criminal background searches by opening access to the computerized juvenile court’s records which had previously been kept from the review board. The Board Members argued that when they were reviewing the cases of both suspects, they did not have the full disclosure of that information at the time.

Regardless of how grossly the system failed the community of Cheshire, the fact remains that Dr. Petit is now without his two daughters and his wife. He tearfully spoke to the media and said, “Because men murdered Michaela, she cannot make homemade sauce, play with her friends, or kiss me goodnight. Because men murdered Hayley, she cannot experience her college years at Dartmouth, row on the Connecticut River, or sit and chat with me. Because men murdered Jennifer, she can no longer comfort a student at Cheshire Academy, talk with her parents and sister, or sit with me on our porch.”

Those statements were made as Dr. Petit spoke to the media during a hearing that was held to determine if the death penalty should be repealed. It was first repealed and ultimately vetoed by the Governor. Both suspects could face the death penalty if they are found guilty for the crimes they are being charged with: felony murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, and arson. The Petit’s home had been set ablaze by the suspects after Petit’s wife had been strangled and his two daughters tied up and sexually assaulted. They died of smoke inhalation.

This case emphasizes the damage that a criminal can make to someone’s precious life and to their family. In the business world, criminal employees can also do irreparable damage once hired. Avoid these damages in the first place by hiring AccuScreen to perform a pre-employment criminal background check on each of your candidates!

Online security should never be taken lightly. From personal information to financial banking entry, phishers are out there, lurking in the darkness…just waiting to get a hold of your most important passwords and logins so they can gain access to your accounts. The most recent security breach seems to have taken place on Twitter today. CNN reported that phishers were sending emails to Twitter members so they would click on links to read a direct message from a fake person, thus requiring them to log in first to read their message. Unfortunately, the site that the email takes members to is not Twitter.

Who do these criminals think they are? Masquerading as a site you trust in order to gain your confidence and steal from you. This is why criminal background searches and employment screening were invented! In the world of data transfer, identity theft, and online fraud, the security of our personal and financial information has never been more sacred…or so easily compromised. Though Twitter is not the first, or last, site to experience being the target of a malicious phisher, there are things that people should be looking out for in order to help them avoid becoming the next phishing scam victim.

1.       According to the CNN story that broke today, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone stated that users should not only look at the site design but the Web address to where they have landed. Hackers are exquisite craftsmen, designing their phishing site to look exactly like the real thing. Be it your online banking site, credit card company, or social networking site, they are able to easily transform a blank Web page into what looks like the real thing.

2.       Look at the Web site address before proceeding to enter in your login information! The real site will have their company name right before the “.com” in the URL. The fake one will have it somewhere in the URL, but not in the right place (because it’s taking you to another site entirely).

3.       Change your password regularly! Twitter users should change their password today to eliminate access that they may have already inadvertently given the phishers from today’s incident. On a regular basis, Internet users should change their passwords every 30 days to best protect themselves…and don’t use the same password on every site. This is one of the best ways to change it up and keep your online accounts safe from hackers.

4.       When criminal background searches and employment screening are a regular part of your hiring process, be sure to also let your existing employees know about these dangers online. Since most companies allow the Internet to be accessed from workers’ computers, it’s important to set some guidelines to protect the company’s valuable information. In addition to having firewalls, anti-virus software, and other measures on the network, employees may need to be told what sites are or are not acceptable to visit (or employers can simply block them). If an employer doesn’t wish to restrict their employees, make sure they are warned about the signs of phishing scams so that the business’ infrastructure is not compromised.

Though employment screening and criminal background searches are the very best ways to protect your company from the threat of hiring an “employee from hell”, these online measures should also be taken to protect yourself and your employees from phishers, scammers, and fraudsters in the cyber world.