After the Background Check – Quality Control Checks on Nannies

In previous blog posts we have talked about background checks in relation to hiring a nanny.

We have even been interviewed by the New York Daily News on how to run a background check on a nanny.

What happens after the background check?

As scary as it sounds, just because someone passed a background check, doesn’t mean they are the attentive, loving and responsible nanny you seek.

We have been hired in the past to perform what we call “quality control checks”.

In short, we perform surveillance on the nanny when she is with the children she is supposed to be taking care of and report the findings back to the parents with surveillance footage and reports.

In one case, we followed the nanny and children to a local park.  We found that the nanny was preoccupied on her cell phone the entire time, while the children ran around completely unsupervised.  One of the children left the park and walked to a nearby ice-cream truck parked on the street corner.  The scary part was that the nanny never noticed until the child returned with an ice-cream cone.

When the parents watched the footage, they fired the nanny on the spot.

Though this particular nanny passed the criminal background check without incident, irresponsibility and negligence take other investigative tactics to prove.

Due Diligence Red Flags

Before you enter into any business agreement, either as the buyer or seller, it’s imperative to perform a Due Diligence investigation to assess the background and the reputation of the company and the principals that run the company.

Background Investigations determine if the company or any of its key people, such as the CEO, CFO or COO, have any of these red flags:

Criminal / Civil Records: State or Federal criminal records, a litigious history, history of substance abuse, driving under the influence or soliciting a prostitute could be considered “red flags”.

Bankruptcies:  Filed either as an individual or a company.

Liens: Federal tax liens, credit issues or grievances filed with the U.S. Tax Court.

Ongoing lawsuits or Judgments: Lawsuits that is personal or professional.

Regulatory Issues: Regulatory complaints or disciplinary actions taken by a state or federal agency.

Assets: Multiple properties which could imply that someone is living beyond their means or has obtained them in a nefarious way. Credit inquiries.

Reputation: Multiple divorce filings, history of sexual harassment or misconduct and news stories.

Professional History: Falsifying educational or working history.

 

 

Proving Elder Abuse with Surveillance

According to the Administration of Aging, there are almost 40 million senior citizens in America, roughly 13% of the American population.  As life expectancy increases yearly, in 2014 you can expect to live to be around 78 years old, so …

Charmed Robbery – White Collar Crime

On White Collar Crime Wednesday, we usually outline famous (infamous) white collar crime cases such as; where the term Ponzi Schemeoriginated, the Real Wolf of Wall Street and the Types of White Collar Crimes.

Today’s title should allude as to what we are blogging about today.  Con-men (and women) and their ability to charm, convince and deceive people out of millions of dollars.

Bernie Madoff (Madoff Ponzi Scheme) and Jordan Belfort (better known as the Wolf of Wall Street) had one characteristic in common, charm.

According to various studies conducted by the Association of Certified Examiners, approximately 90% of white collar criminals have no previous criminal record.  It also shows that the higher the monetary value of the economic crime, the less likely that the perpetrator will have a previous criminal record.

How do you protect yourself and your business?

White Collar Criminals need four components to exist: Money, Trust, Greed and Opportunity.  When you remove one of these (especially trust and opportunity) your chance of being a victim significantly decreases.

Most criminals will only commit a crime if they believe the benefit trump the risk.  Do not be too trust worthy and also surround yourself with objective and trusted advisors – outside of the firm you are working with.

 

 

 

 

Is someone following me? When private investigators are hired for counter surveillance

At the CMP Group we perform all sorts of surveillance.  In past blog posts we have talked about the different types of surveillance an investigative firm are commonly asked to perform; cheating spouse, personal injury and child custody.

There’s another type of surveillance too, counter surveillance.

Counter surveillance is when a client hires an investigative firm to make sure that no one is following them (i.e. another investigative firm, stalker, disgruntled employee, corporate espionage agents, ex-lovers).

How is counter surveillance done?

In short we would follow you and identify vehicles and individuals who seem to be following you.  Once we identify the person(s) that are following you, we would attempt to identify them if you are unsure who they are.

Keep in mind someone may not just be following you on the street but also via your technology via spyware that can be installed on computers, tablets and phones).  To combat this, counter surveillance may include:

• Bug Sweeps (Technical Surveillance Counter Measures –TSCM)
• Computer forensics

What do I do with that information?

If you know that person (ex, stalker, disgruntled employee, etc.) and are fearful of them, counter surveillance may offer proof that they are stalking you which will facilitate action by your local authorities, such as a restraining order.

World Cup Security – Executive Protection

Every major sporting event comes with their unique security challenges. At the Sochi Winter Olympics we blogged about threats of terrorism and political unrest.

In Brazil we see a myriad of challenges. While terrorism is a concern, more consideration is being given to protesting crowds and the crime in Brazil.

Soccer’s FIFA World Cup should be looking for protection against both foreign and domestic threats. Brazil has American bomb-busting robots, German anti-aircraft tanks and Israeli surveillance drones at their disposal.

Unlike the terrorism concerns at Sochi’s Winter Olympics, authorities are focused on unruly fans, political unrest, drug trafficking and citizens that are protesting against the cost of the games. These concerns address both the players and fans, but there are extra steps to take in terms to securing someone who requires high-level security – executive protection.

At the CMP Group we have a division that provides executive protection to clients world-wide.

Each individual and organization has unique security requirements.
-Risk and Threat Assessment
-Advance Logistical Evaluations

Secure the area, wherever you are.
– Executive Travel Coordination
– Have access to armor plated cars and explosive detection devices.

Here are some things that are considered when planning for executive protection detail.

Each individual and organization has unique security requirements.
-Risk and Threat Assessment
-Advance Logistical Evaluations

While security guards are mostly using brawn, executive protection details combine brains and brawn.

Brawn
Former law enforcement and military professionals are trained in hand to hand combat and weaponry.

Brains
Able to identify threats based on intelligence regarding the protectee and pinpointing threats.