The Background Investigator October 2012 Edition

Volume 12 Number 10 October 2012

Though its recent popularity is greater than ever before, the background check industry has roots that extend farther back than one might think. Many developments came together to create the industry as we know it today. Here are ten of the pioneering people and organizations in background screening: 1.Henry Fielding – The creator of the forerunner to the modern police records system, Henry Fielding’s contributions to law enforcement and modern private investigation is undeniable. His Bow Street Runners, the first professional police force, were responsible for several advancements in criminal justice.

2.J. Edgar Hoover – His creation of the first fingerprint database and obsession with data collection left an indelible mark on the methods investigators use to collect information.

This story continues on Page 3

Oxford, England Courthouse Photograph by Steven Brownstein

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Shortly after Missouri Rep. Todd Akin made his combustible comments about how women subject to “legitimate rape” were unlikely to get pregnant, a couple of office workers Article at a large energy company got into a heated discuscontinues on Page 9 sion about whether Rep. Akin’s views had…..

Yahoo CEO Caught Padding his Resume Recently it was determined that the CEO of Yahoo had “bent the truth” regarding his educational background. Mr. Scott Thompson claimed to receive a Bachelor’s degree in accounting and computer science from Stonehill College. Researchers looking into his background determined that Mr. Thompson had only received a degree

in accounting; he never re- reference to him holding a ences to Thompson’s comceived a degree in comput- computer science degree an puter science degree from er science. “inadvertent error”. his official biography on their website, and issued Now Mr. Thompson’s lie This seems highly implau- the following statement: is causing Yahoo major sible; there are references “This in no way alters the headaches. For years, bio- to Mr. Thompson’s comfact that Mr. Thompson is a graphical statements have puter science degree feahighly qualified executive been published about tured in numerous pieces of with a successful track recThompson that contains marketing material and in ord leading large consumer this fraudulent information. his biographies on websites technology companies”.

Even his bio on Yahoo’s such as PayPal and eBay website claims that he has (where he previously If the HR department at received a degree in com- served as president).

Yahoo had simply conductputer science. Yahoo inied education verification tially dismissed the rumors Yahoo has finally admit- prior to appointing Mr. about Mr. Thompson’s ted the truth: Yahoo is cur- Thompson, they would refalse credentials, calling the rently deleting all referalized that he didn’t have the credentials he claimed and could have avoided this PR nightmare. It should be noted that Mr. Thompson resigned from Yahoo.

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PUBLISHER Steven Brownstein

CONTRIBUTORS: Mike Sankey, Les Rosen, Dennis Brownstein, Derek Hinton

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COVER PHOTOGRAPHER: Steven Brownstein

PURPOSE: “Dedicated to pre-employment screenings everywhere” The Background Investigator is published by Steven Brownstein, LLC, PMB 1007, Box 10001, Saipan, MP 96950. Phone: 670-256-7000. Copyright 2012 by Steven Brownstein. Some material in this publication must not be reproduced by any method without the written permission of the copyright holder.

he and his wife Sarah became crusaders for more stringent gun control laws, Continued from front page which spawned the Brady Handgun Violence Preven3.Eugene Francois Vidocq tion Act. This law requires that all people attempting – One of the most imto purchase a firearm must portant and controversial first submit to a backaspects of a full background check is the ability ground check. to access sensitive consumer report information; this is due in part to the work of French convict-turnedlawman Eugene Francois Vidocq who created the world’s first credit reporting agency.

Top Ten Of Our Industry

4.Allan Pinkerton – America’s first private investigator, the legendary Scottishborn Allan Pinkerton was responsible for many advancement in law enforcement and investigative techniques in both the public and private sectors.

Les Rosen (#6) with Steven Brownstein (#8)

6.Lester Rosen – The founder of Employment Screening Resources, Lester Rosen formed his firm in 1996 after working for the Doane Agency.

Qualified as a employment screening expert and a recognized expert in the field, Mr. Rosen is one of the industry’s foremost figures.

the leading non-profit trade association for companies that offer background screening services. Their mission of promoting ethical hiring and compliance with federal law places them among the figureheads in the industry.

website was designed in 2005 to streamline the employment verification process even further by creating a system for verifying past salary and employment information.

The background screening and investigative industry 8.Steven Brownstein – In is an ever-evolving one; as response to the lack of in- legal implications and admissibility changes, so dustry standards, Steve must the service providers Brownstein held the first background check industry and industry leaders. These conference in Long Beach, companies and individuals have aided dramatically in California in 2000. This creating today’s multiconference led to more million dollar industry. events in Tampa, Florida on an even larger scale and strove to introduce an industry standard system.

9.Pre-Employ.Com – As one of the very first internet -based background screening companies, PreEmploy.Com helped to revolutionize the process of background checks by streamlining and speeding up the process.

5.Jim and Sarah Brady – After being injured in the assassination attempt on President Reagan, Jim Brady suffered permanent 7.NAPBS – The National 10.Past-Employ.Com – Association of Professional Part of the Preparalysis and some brain Employ.Com family, this damage. In response to this, Background Screeners is

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South Korea President Fed Up With Soft Stance On AlcoholInduced Violence

"Our country must be the "No more drunken vioonly nation where drunks lence!" beat up the police," he said.

The joint campaign with South Koreans are the the Seoul police aims to world's heaviest consumers curb alcohol-induced vioof spirits, with the average lence and other rowdy beadult drinking 9.57 litres a haviour. year, according to 2005 data from the World Health Organisation published last Bet You Didn’t year.

South Korea's president called for tough action against alcohol-induced violence in a country where the police and courts have Street brawls, family viotraditionally taken a lenient lence and other crimes inattitude towards intoxicated volving drinking are comoffenders. mon but police and courts often hand down lenient "We must correct a culpunishments to offenders ture of tolerating misbehavwho acted under the influiour by drunk people," Lee ence.

Myung-bak told police officers and officials working Last month top liquor to stamp out violence in maker Hite-Jinro started schools and other sectors of labelling soju and beer botsociety. tles with messages such as:

Know

Industries with high turnover rates such as hospitality tend not to do many background checks.

This according to a New Zealand Press Release.

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The Public Record Update A Service from BRB Publications, Inc.

Civil Case Limits Raised in 3 Louisiana Counties Through several 2012 legislative acts, three cities have individually increased the upper $$ limit on civil lawsuits. The limit increase means the affected cases do not need to be filed in the more costly and time consuming District Court.

The City Court of Slidell (St. Tammany Parish) increased its limit from $35,000 to $50,000. The Abbeyville and Kaplan City Courts (both in Vermilion Parish) raised their limit from $25,000 to $35,000. The increases took effect August 1, 2012.

View a chart of all legislative changes affecting City Courts at www.lcaanet.org/images/2012_Legislative_Changes_City_Court_6-14-12_.pdf.

City Courts are courts of record and handle misdemeanors, limited civil, juvenile, traffic and evection. The amount of civil is concurrent with the District Court based where the amount in controversy does not exceed $15,000 to $50,000 depending on the court.

SAM and the Excluded Part List System (EPLS) At the end of July 2012, access to the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) was taken over by a new system. EPLS, along with Federal Agency Registration (FedReg), the Central Contractor Registration (CCR), and the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), were migrated into the new System for Award Management also known as SAM (https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM) At this time, SAM is overwhelmed and record searching on the EPLS is still available at https://www.epls.gov/. Indications are this search feature will eventually be moved to SAM Other free search federal government sites commonly used in background investigations remain unchanged, including: Denied Persons List - www.bis.doc.gov/dpl/default.shtm Unverified List www.bis.doc.gov/enforcement/unverifiedlist/unverified_parties.html Debarred Parties List - www.pmddtc.state.gov/compliance/debar.html

We welcome your comments and observations about The Public Record Update Please address your comments to Michael Sankey at mike@brbpublications.com Making copies of any part of the Public Record UpdateŠ for any purpose other than your own personal use is prohibited unless written authorization is obtained from BRB Publications. Phone - 480-829-7475 Public Record Retriever Network - www.prrn.us The CRA Help Desk - www.CRAHelpDesk.com BRB's Free Public Record Resource Center - www.brbpublications.com/pubrecsites.asp Motor Vehicle Record Decoder - www.mvrdecoder.com BRB's Public Record Blog - www.publicrecordsblog.net BRB's Bookstore - www.brbpublications.com/books BRB's Public Record Blog - www.publicrecordsblog.net

These Ads Are Affordable

Les Rosen’s Corner A monthly column

By Lester Rosen, Attorney at Law

But focusing on prevention and consulting with qualified investigation services can help you avoid this nightmare.

"It's shocking who gets through the hiring process," said Les Rosen, president of San Rafael's Employment Screening Resources.

Unfortunately, Rosen said, EEOC Guidance "A lot of firms spend more on Criminal time and energy figuring Records out which laptop to buy Les Rosen than who they're going to hire."

Employment Screening Resources (ESR) Founder An important step is getBefore you starting look- and CEO Attorney Lester ting background checks on ing for pre-employment Rosen has written a new screening firms, first make whitepaper, ‘Practical Steps job candidates. Industry statistics show that 10 per- sure you've established the Employers Can Take to groundwork for safe hiring. Comply with New EEOC cent of applicants have criminal records relevant to Using thorough application Criminal Record Guidthe hiring process, and up forms, asking the right ance.’ The complimentary to 30 percent lie on requestions during interviews whitepaper from ESR is sumes. and carefully checking ref- undergoing a controlled erences will go a long way release and will be availaA bad hiring decision can toward filtering out unde- ble to employers by emailcost you 1.5 times the sirable candidates, Rosen ing EEOCwhitepaworker's salary by the time said. Background screening per@esrcheck.com. you account for recruiting, is the last step before hiring www.esrcheck.com/. training and productivity and should be done only on

Besides eliminating uncertainty, a pre-employment background check also satisfies an employer's duty of due diligence and prevents a lawsuit if a screened employee would hurt another employee or the public.

Curious if that person you are about to hire really attended Harvard before moving up to the vice president level before the age of 25? Hire a firm to perform a quick pre-employment background check. Not on-

the finalists. losses -- not to mention what you might suffer if something terrible occurs Whitepaper to and you get sued for negliHelp Employers gent hiring.

ly will you find out if the person's resume is embellished, you'll also find out whether he or she is a criminal.

The typical organization loses 6 percent of its annual revenue to occupational fraud, says the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

"A background check costs less than you'd pay a person before 2:00 p.m. on their first day on the job."

Comply with New

that Breivik created.

It has been remarked that this sick person went to According to an article in elaborate and time consumthe University World ing lengths to plan his operNews…”A young data ex- ations of mayhem and murpert who did not give his der. All funded by money full name confirmed in an from unethical characters interview with the Norwe- trying to pass themselves gian newspaper VG that he off as someone with a colhad assisted Breivik in this lege degree.

Many are aware of diplo- undertaking during 2004So, I guess, we can say ma mills. Diploma mills are 05, from his home in Asia, there are diploma mills, nefarious services that ei- and that he was paid ther issue forged diplomas promptly for his work. He that service the incredibly lazy. And then there are from legitimate universities said he made up to 200 diplomas mills that have or have bogus online unac- false documents a month for Breivik, VGreported.” funded one of the worst credited colleges that sell your a diploma earned for “life experience. For a certain fee you can get a Bachelor’s Degree. A few bucks more and you can get a Master’s or Doctorate.

Norwegian Mass Murderer Supported Himself With Diploma Mill Scam

It’s a scam. As Corra Group, a background checking agency, we uncover bogus degrees issued from diploma mills with relative frequency. Some are well conceived and almost look legitimate. Others are pretty funky. Many of the Diploma Mills whose sites permeate he Internet adopt the names of Universities and Colleges that approximate the names of esteemed and accredited universities. The name of the school almost sounds right, sounds like you have heard it before. It’s like looking at the trademark on a counterfeit handbag or watch, or pair of jeans, and thinking it looks like the real one.

Only it’s not. Far from it.

So who has been working the diploma scam? Why none other than Anders Behring Breivik, the right wing Norwegian nut job who used the money to finance his bomb attack on a government building in Oslo and who later shot up all those people on the nearby island of Utoya. In all, Breivik earned over $1 million dollars by pumping out bogus diplomas. It’s hard to imagine, but out in this world slippery and desperate employment candidates are trying to pass off to recruiters and human resources personnel diplomas from fake universities

crimes in the decade. And that’s saying something, these days.

NO DELAYS Not a Police Data Base Search Canada Provincial Courts Criminal Research

Call 1-866-909-6678 Or Fax 1-866-909-6679 Straightline International Shortest distance between you and the courts

New FCRA Background Check Forms Required January 1, 2013 Effective January 1, 2013, employers must revise Summary of Rights forms they provide to prospective and current employees as required under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCRA").

Dennis Brownstein’s Extreme Court News

http://extremecourtnews.blogspot.com/ bars and in the streets, joining can be more bureaucratic than bloody.

Recruits are required to provide their FBI-issued rap sheets, replete with a list of arrests, convictions and sentences, according to court records and law enforcement authorities.

Voted #1 New Column Want to join the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas?

There’s an application for that The climb to membership in the feared Aryan Brotherhood of Texas prison gang isn’t just about getting inked with racially charged tattoos and obeying underworld orders, but also includes a stipulation that gangster prospects show government-issued proof of their criminal credentials.

While the gang – which was born in the Texas prison system in the 1980s and operates statewide – tolerates drug dealers, killers and kidnappers among its ruffian ranks, there is no room for child molesters or rapists Gang leaders also want to root out snitches by checking to see if a convict has done a respectable amount of time for his crimes. If he was cut loose too easy, it’s a red flag signaling he might be a government informant. .

The gang, which carves Texas into five territories, does not hesitate to brutalize those who cross them.

Some of the harshest murders, maiming and beatings have been reserved for members who cross the gang. One had a tattoo burned off his body with a welding torch. Another, along with his girlfriend, was blasted in the head with a shotgun.

And so, for all the mayhem the state’s largest Aryan gang unleashes behind

“The background check is still one of the most important things they do,” said Emil Garza, head of the central gang intelligence office for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice The gang historically has tried to stay away from sexual predators and been concerned about possible infiltration by informants, he said.

“There are a lot of things that are tell-tale signs to these guys that you are working for someone,” Garza said. “They have nothing but time to figure this out.”

ment sex discrimination suit. In addition, the employer had a written policy Continued from front page that explicitly discouraged discussions of flammable political topics like aborhad any merit. The two dis- tion. The employer promptagreed so vehemently, they ly terminated both employees. nearly came to blows.

Alarmed about the disrupAlthough the First tion, the employer called Amendment broadly proSteven Hurd, a partner at tects our right to freedom the New York law firm Proskauer in its labor and of speech, especially when we’re expressing views employment law department. Could the company about politics, the fact is, fire the employees, or was according to Hurd, private employers can bar political their political discussion discussions in the workprotected by the First Amendment’s guarantee of place. According to a survey conducted by the Socifreedom of expression? ety for Human Resources in Hurd’s response: the em- Alexandria, Va, during the ployer had the right to fire last presidential election, a the disruptive employees. quarter of employers had a In fact, Hurd urged the firm written policy on political activities, some of which to let the workers go, because their loud argument include restrictions on pocould cause another kind of litical chatter at work. Another 20% had unwritten legal problem: A female policies and about 5% of employee sensitive about organizations with a policy sex discrimination could feel that a supervisor who said they meted out disciagreed with Rep. Akin was pline for noncompliance within the year leading up hostile to women, which could open up the employer to the survey. to a hostile work environ-

Out With Free Speech

For government employees, the standard is different, notes Hurd. They have broad protections on their political speech under the First Amendment.

her job back. Hurd says that the restaurant would have been justified in firing Geller for wearing the bracelet.

MEXICO

Mexico City PUBLIC ACCESS

ALL PUBLIC RECORDS Employees can also be Available only from sanctioned for political Hurd thinks written poli- speech they put in emails or cies are a good idea for pri- on social media during the workday, adds Hurd. vate employers, because they help clarify matters for workers. But he says that a policy is not a requirement for employers who deem a political discussion disruptive and want to dismiss the vociferous parties. Further, the political discussion doesn’t even need to be spoken out loud. In Pennsylvania last year, Megan Geller, a 23-year-old waitress at a suburban Chicago Outback Steakhouse, wore a bright yellow Tea Party bracelet to work. After customers complained about the bracelet, Geller’s employer let her go. Though her employer insisted they 1-866-909-6678 fired Geller because she was inattentive to several tables of diners, Geller argued that her employers had retaliated against her “What you need, When you need them” for being a Tea Party supporter. Geller did not get

TORONTO COURT RECORDS CALL

least by keeping criminals apart from the rest of us.

Motivated inmates can A National News Editorial learn a skill or acquire an education that will serve Sometimes, through no them well on the outside. fault of their own - perhaps But one thing you can't curby losing a job or receiving rently do in jail is earn unexpected bills - people money to pay off a debt. end up owing more money than they can pay back.

Not everyone with unpaid But, unless you have bills goes to jail, however. brought it on yourself by Some flee the country bebehaving recklessly or fore that happens. Either fraudulently, bankruptcy way, creditors don't get reshould not make you a paid. criminal Some good news has As we have noted on these come to light following dispages before, UAE law is cussions between the attortough on people who ney general of Dubai bounce cheques or accumu- Courts and officers of the late unpayable bills. Do it, Indian Embassy, which has and you will go to jail until expressed concern about you can settle the debt - and the high number - about that could mean you lan1,300 - of its nationals in guish behind bars longer UAE prisons for unpaid than thief. debt.

Owe Money In UAE - Go To Jail

Prisons serve a necessary role in the community, not

Lokesh has said that there was already "some movement in the Government to make amendments to the bankruptcy laws". While the specifics are not yet available, this might allow prisoners to perform paid work and to use their earnings to pay off their debts.

This is surely a move in the right direction. If it means fewer people are in jail, society wins by not having to bear the cost of supporting them. Presumably the work the prisoners undertake will also have some benefit to the nation.

There will be savings, too, and benefits for inmates who will be able to earn the chance for freedom.

No one is advocating a "get out of jail free" card, just a measure that provides a light at the end of the tunnel for people with little or no hope. Prison is not a good way to deal with debt and, pending broad reforms of debt collection and bankruptcy laws, the proposal offers one solution.

Tardy Background Check Leads To Firing of HuffPo Exec

that Loew did not meet their hiring standards.

It may seem strange that the results of the background check came about months after Loew was hired. Why waste time and resources bringing an employee on board if he hasn’t been fully vetted yet? In fact, the practice of delayed background checks isn’t all that unusual, according to Joshua A. Hawks-Ladds, a labor and employment attorney in Connecticut.

“There’s a whole host of reasons why these things Recently hired Huffington happen,” Hawks-Ladds exPost Senior Vice President of Sales Moritz Loew was plains. “Some employers don’t bother to wait for the let go after only three months on the job, thanks background check to come to a background check that back before making a hire.

None of this trivializes the turned up a 9-year-old DWI Some don’t bother to do a offences of those who have arrest. Loew had an outbackground check until the broken the law, or changes standing warrant in Seattle hire already takes place. the fact that people must be from 2003 for failure to Some don’t check them, As The National reported, held accountable for their appear in court for the some don’t follow up… debts.

India's Ambassador MK Sometimes they get suspicharges. cious after the hire.”

“My biggest regret is having even touched a set of car keys after drinking beer,” Loew wrote in an email message to friends and colleagues. “If this is the worst thing that happens to me due that mistake, I will consider myself extremely fortunate…I have since cleared everything up with my friends at the King County Court House and hoping to move on in a positive fashion.”

After his dismissal, HuffPo owner AOL said only

1 In 5 Background Check Disputes Involve ID Theft Identity theft accounts for 21 percent of inaccurate background screenings, according to research by MyBackgroundCheck.com.

Claim Of iPhone Hacking Raises Questions About FBI Data A hacker group's claim that it obtained from an FBI laptop a file with more than 12 million identification numbers for Apple iPhones, iPads and other devices has set off widespread speculation about why a federal agency would possess such information.

But the FBI disputed the allegation, saying that "at this time, there is no evidence indicating that an FBI laptop was compromised or that the FBI either sought or obtained this data."

If the FBI's denials prove correct, the agency may have been the victim of a clever hoax by the group known as AntiSec that spurred thousands of headlines around the Web and left readers wondering how and why the FBI could have gotten access to Apple customer records.

The hackers said they found the file when they infiltrated a Dell laptop computer belonging to Christopher K. Stangl, a member of the FBI's Cyber Action Teams. They posted to a website a file containing 1 million of the socalled unique device identifiers, or UDIDs, to bolster their claim. They said the larger file included "user names, name of device, type of device, Apple Push Notification Service tokens" as well as ZIP Codes, cellphone numbers and addresses, though they did not release any of those details.

The hacker group said the file containing the data was called "NCFTA_iOS_devices_int el.csv". That set off a flurry of speculation among privacy activists that the data was linked to the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance, a partnership

of business, government and academia that includes a former FBI agent as its director of operations. No one from that organization responded to requests for comment.

cyber security legislation," said Trevor Tim, an activist and blogger with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group focusing on technology.

"That these companies were going to use cyber The NCFTA, which is information sharing provibased in Pittsburgh, has sions to hand over large billed itself as a clearingswaths of data to the govhouse through which com- ernment that they would panies can indirectly share otherwise need a subpoena cyber security-related data or a warrant or a court orwith the government. Cyber der." security legislation that After the Sept. 11, 2001, failed to pass the Senate in July included provisions to terrorist attacks, the FBI was given legal tools to reexpand such information sharing, so that the FBI and quest "third-party business other agencies have help in records" without a court tackling malware used in order, as long as it deemed those records "relevant to cyber crime. an investigation." Many consumer interactions with "It's exactly the type of scenario that we were wor- businesses on the Web proried about happening with duce records that are cov-

ered under those provisions and are not protected by the 4th Amendment requirement of a search warrant.

Most security experts said that the release of UDIDs into the wild in and of itself did not pose much of a privacy or security risk. It was no more harmful than a list of car VIN numbers, they said.

But if AntiSec's claims are true that the larger file accessed includes names, phone numbers and email addresses, the information could be used to track individuals, see what apps they've downloaded or lead to identity theft, said Ori Eisen, founder and chief innovation officer of security firm 41st Parameter.

Derek Hinton’s Column

Beijing: Courts Seal Youth Criminal Records Beijing courts are preparing for the adoption of a new nationwide criminal law next year, under which some convicted juvenile offenders are to have their criminal records sealed, making it easier for them to apply for jobs or further education.

According to the current Criminal Law, amended in 2011, most convicted criminals must report their record when they apply to the military or for a job.

Those who were under 18 when they committed the crime, and were sentenced to less than five years in jail or to a non-custodial sentence, do not have to tell prospective employers of their conviction, but the employer can still access the record by applying to the police.

China's new Criminal Procedure Law, which comes into effect on January 1, 2013, states that juveniles convicted and sentenced for less than five years will have their criminal record sealed. The records will not be given to organizations, companies or individuals.

Li Na, a judge who deals with juvenile criminal cases at Changping District People's Court, told the The Background Investigator that to prepare for the new

regulation, details about its Yangyang (pseudonym), implementation have been the report said. recently released to the The boy was convicted of court. robbery and placed on probation before taking his "The juvenile criminal record will be kept in court college entrance examinaarchives, and won't appear tion, but after his records on the offender's personal were sealed, he was admitfile," she said. The procura- ted to a major university in torate and the public securi- Beijing and joined the Party ty bureau where the offend- while at university. er is registered to live will By contrast, Xiaoming also have the record, but will keep it secret, she said. (pseudonym), who received a criminal record after he stole a schoolmate's cellTo join the military, the Communist Party of China phone when he was 16, had or the civil service, an ap- a hard time finding a job plicant needs a certificate because of his negative records. Without any income, from the public security bureau to show whether he he joined a gang of thieves and after being caught, was or she has a criminal record. They can also be dis- sentenced to two years in prison, said the report. criminated against when applying to university or Zhang Jialan, who works for a job, Li said. in the HR department of a "Under this new system, if Japanese company in Beiasked to give such a certifi- jing, said although sealing criminal records is done out cate, the public security bureau will issue one say- of consideration to a person's future development, ing 'there is no criminal she still thinks it is unfair to record,'" she said. the company who might employ such a person.

Cases show that sealing the records of juveniles can "If one has committed make a difference to their crimes, his or her files future prospects, the Beijing Youth Daily reported should have all the relevant records, because they might Sunday. bring a security risk to the Shang Xiuyun, a juvenile company," she said. court judge from Haidian Wan Daqiang, a lawyer court, applied to seal the from Beijing Shangquan records of a 15-year-old Law Firm, who specializes male offender named as

in child abuse cases, told the The Background Investigator that although he understands these sentiments, he still fully supports the implementation of the new system.

file of 4.3 million records.

"The children have paid the price for what they did.

The should get the same chances as other people as long as they correct their mistakes," he noted.

As well, courts across the country are not on the same computer systems, so the inconsistency is also causing headaches, Gaudes said. Worse, many convictions filed by the courts are still done on paper, creating logistical headaches for RCMP staff, who have to manually input about 365,000 new convictions every year.

Carole Gaudes, acting officer of criminal records management services for the RCMP at the Ottawabased RCMP headquarters, said there are several prob"Without a criminal rec- lems the force is dealing ord on their files, employ- with. Many records have ers will still be able to accumulated from Frenchjudge whether a person is speaking jurisdictions as suitable for the job by do- the RCMP struggles to find ing a thorough background bilingual staff to manage check," Wan said. them, for instance.

Mounties Admit CPIC Records Back A Mess

A whopping backlog in the RCMP’s national crime With a dwindling staff of records database shows no about 60 record analysts sign of getting better soon, overseeing the overburthe force has admitted. dened system, Gaudes is hoping a singular automatA spokesman for the naed system - much like law tional police agency told enforcement agencies use QMI Agency there are to register criminal charges 430,000 criminal records to the system - will be crewaiting to be filed into the ated for courtrooms Canadian Police Information Centre database, with more piling in every day.

The backlog accounts for about 10% of the RCMP’s complete criminal record

A System For Compensating Victims That Needs Fixing

by Hassan Hassan

In pre-Islamic Arabian history, a cycle of revenge between two major tribes was triggered by the killing of a camel. The two tribes fought a vicious war that was said to have lasted for 40 years. Islam adopted a system of compensation in a bid to put an end to such cycles of violence, which were rampant in the area at the time But today in the UAE and elsewhere in the Muslim world, this mechanism for distribution of justice is subject to abuse. Centuries after its creation, the system of blood money - diyya - needs to be revisited.

Sharia stipulates that if a person commits a murder, the family of the victim can demand the death penalty, accept diyya (the Hadith suggests it be equal to the value of 100 camels) or forgive the killer. The process requires an understanding by the adult members of the victim's family, who are entitled to inheritance, that they will not seek further retribution. In cases of wrongful death and physical or mental injuries, diyya must be paid to the person or their dependents. Diyya is also required for live-

stock killing.

As a former justice and courts reporter for The National in Abu Dhabi, I often discussed the issue of diyya with lawyers and legal experts. Four areas of possible reform stand out: First, the concept of aqela (the male family members of the convicted who are required by Sharia to pay diyya in cases of wrongful death) is in need of reconsideration.

The purpose is to foster a sense of familial responsibility of a person's mistakes, ensure speedy payment to the victim and encourage responsible social behaviour. However, social dynamics have changed and families no longer feel obligated to pay for a family member. As a result, many people can linger in jail for years after serving their prison sentence because they cannot afford to pay (diyya in the UAE is equal to Dh200,000 per victim).

Consider the case of Humayun Al Rahman, a 24year-old from Pakistan, who was sentenced to three years in prison for causing the death of 10 people in a traffic accident in Dubai.

He completed his sentence in 2008 but is still in jail for failing to pay Dh2m worth of diyya. Al Rahman is stuck in a Catch-22, where he cannot be released without paying yet cannot pay

while he is in prison. Nor is tract states the company is liable for any "road" accihis family able to pay for dents, while the accident him. occurred "off road". Two Al Rahman's case is com- lower courts accepted the plicated by the number of company's argument but casualties and the possibil- the Supreme Court ruled ity of leaving the country if the argument is fallacious he is released. But his case and ordered the company to and so many others could pay. be solved if the concept of That was the exception, aqela is broadened to inhowever. Many other comclude a person's country, panies often avoid honourcommunity or place of work. In Sudan, for exam- ing their obligations beple, the community or the cause claimants do not purgovernment is required to sue the case to higher pay the diyya if the person courts, or have incompetent lawyers. cannot afford to pay.

Under this system, if Al Rahman were released and left the country before the payment was made, it would become the responsibility of his country to ensure the payment to the victims' families. In countries like the UAE, where many communities exist, each community might also create a special fund to cover such cases.

A solution is needed.

Keeping a person in jail for failing to pay a diyya is not compliant with Sharia nor with the UAE constitution.

Second, insurance companies or employers should be forced to make good on their commitments. It is common that insurance companies avoid the payment of diyya under various pretexts. In one case, an insurance company refused to pay the diyya for a driver, arguing that the con-

Lower courts ordered diyya for each instance of harm, but the Supreme Court amended the ruling, calling for payment to compensate brain damage only.

In western countries, victims of crimes or their dependents can apply for compensation, expenses or benefits. The case of Al Rahman, and many others like him, is complicated by the antiquated application of a Sharia principle. That principle must be revisited to establish its purpose and context.

Third, some courts still Australian Men consider diyya for female victims to be valued at half Take A Beating the diyya for men. The courts of Abu Dhabi and New data released by the Dubai order equal diyya for men and women, while federal courts give half the diyya for women based on the inheritance law. But, unlike in the past, women are now also breadwinners and they must be treated as Australian Institute of such in the courts of law.

Criminology reveals the rate of assaults by females Also, equal diyya for increased by 49 percent women goes beyond the from 125 to 186 per financial significance. In 100,000 between 1996-97 pre-Islamic days the system and 2009-10. of blood money varied from one tribe to another, In the same period male and served to assert tribal assault rates increasing by or individual supremacy.

18 per cent. But men are Under Islam, the mechastill more than four times as nism was regulated and the likely as women to bash value of 100 camels was set someone. as the standards diyya payment, partly to cultivate The rate of violent men equality. This system of rose from 664 to 786 in equal treatment must be 100,000. extended to gender, and courts must be the agencies Assault is the most comof promoting this fairness. mon type of violent crime in Australia, with 171,083 Fourth, diyya can be assaults nationally in 2010, abused in cases of physical compared with 17,757 sexor mental injuries. In such ual assaults, 14,582 robinstances, victims can claim beries and 260 homicides. to be injured in ways that are difficult to prove mediIn 2009-10, men also excally. In one instance in Al perienced a higher rate of Ain, a man claimed he lost assault victimisation. his sense of smell in a traffic accident and demanded Males were victimised at a diyya for it. In another case rate of 837 per 100,000 in Fujairah, a motorist was compared with 675 per ordered to pay Dh2 million 100,000 for females. in diyya for causing damage to a man's memory, consciousness and brain.

electronically for production of case list and uploading on the website through the Division's website The introduction of Infor- hence easy access to all. mation Communication Technologies (ICT) in serHe added that the Division vice delivery at the High also has an e-Library which Court-Commercial Divienables members of judicision is a blessing in disary to access books from guise as far as timely disthe judicial library physipensation of justice for all cally and online for those is concerned. who are provided with passwords.

This was said in Dar es Salaam by the Chief Justice He noted that the Diviof Zanzibar, Omar Othman sion's Mobile Application Makungu, when touring the System (MAS) enables accourt. cess to case related information using mobile Mr Makungu said he was phones handset. The telemuch impressed with how phone companies involved it was now simple to access are Vodacom, Tigo and information regarding cases Airtel. in the court. ' 'On your mobile handset, ''I am personally very im- open a message page then pressed with the system as text 'Kesi' or 'case'' or we are looking forward to 'wahusika' or 'parties', leave establish a commercial di- a space and write a case vision in the Isles,'' he said. number (e.g. 11/2011), send it to 15564 and a reply Justice Makungu noted will provide information on that plans for the establish- the dates, time, hour, and ment of the proposed divi- chamber,'' he said. sion were set, and already a plot has been allocated for He pointed out some of the Division and that it the challenges as including, would start anytime late shortage of transcribers and this year or early next year. stenographers leading to delayed transcription of all Earlier, the High Courtaudio records, lack of rules Commercial Division Reg- governing recording of proistrar, Mr John Kahyoza, ceedings and absence of an said the court's mission was established ICT department to provide just, quality, ef- in the Judiciary. ficient, effective and speedy disposal of comOthers includes, insuffimercial cases through mod- cient budget for ICT, insufern systems and practices. ficient skills capacity of ICT personnel and staff, He said that through the missing of records due Digital Recording System, technical hitch and lack of the Division records court electricity back up during proceedings and transcribed the power failure among them. others.

Tanzania Goes High Tech

''The practice eases the proceedings as judges are no longer required to write everything that is been said in the court.

''We are planning to improve and extend Recording System to sub-registries in upcountry regions and build a kiosk where plaintiffs will be researching in''It is also much simpler in formation about their casmaking reference on previ- es,'' he said. ous cases,'' he said.

Judge Kahyoza said that all cases filed with the court are now registered

Elderly Worker Sentenced For Workplace Violence I have written quite a bit about workplace violence.

I have reported on surveys on workplace violence, various studies, and have commented on the more egregious incidents. One such article is Workplace Bullying is Worse Than Thought. However, few things prepare you for an article about a 75-year-old worker beating on his fellow employee. Not only did he beat on him, but with a custom made club with thirty odd screws protruding from the end.

Ironically, or not, I have seen a number of elder man carrying such a weapon. I don’t remember any of them bringing these war sticks to work.

According to The Mercu-

ry, “ A 75-year-old maintenance worker is headed to jail after he was convicted of charges he used a homemade club with 32 protruding screws to attack a coworker at the Montgomery Township business where they worked.”

then at least two years of probation. That’s a lot of time out of life when you are 75-years-old. Not the smartest thing anyone has ever done. What’s more the poor victim was nearly scared half to death, according the witnesses.

Montgomery County, Philadelphia, essentially, is my old stomping grounds as a kid. It’s a decent area, not overly known for indecent acts of violence.

So, I guess, young or old everybody can get in with the ever expanding trend of workplace violence. Oh my.

The assailant will be doing between eleven and 24 months of jail time and

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Samoa Searches Call 1-866-909-6678 Fax 1-866-909-6679

How We Fudge Cheating

by Michael Roth

Behavioural economist Dan Ariely is a funny guy on a mission. As director of the Centre for Advanced Hindsight, he insists on a commitment to absurdity, but there is nothing cynical about his approach to human behaviour.

very predictable, but our ability to forecast this behaviour doesn’t alter the conditions that give rise to it. Recognising this, he adopts his paradoxical mission: to design better economic and social institutions to protect us from our confident pursuit of rational economic and social institutions.

In The (Honest) Truth about Dishonesty, Ariely applies his experimental approach to how we “lie to everyone – especially ourselves”. The book discusses the powerful ways irrationality affects our lives and begins with a critique of In his previous book, Pre- those who think dishonesty dictably Irrational, Ariely is really the result of a raexposed our false assump- tional cost-benefit calculations about the rationality tion. of markets and individuals In a series of experiments, with plenty of surprising Ariely neatly shows that and humorous examples. neither the size of the reOur irrationality may be

ward nor the probability of getting caught substantially affects the likelihood of dishonest behaviour. The cost-benefit framework for understanding cheating just doesn’t pay off.

Ariely sees two conflicting motivations at work in dishonest behaviour. On the one hand, we want to view ourselves as honourable, and on the other hand we want to get as much stuff as possible. We want the benefits of cheating, and we want to see “ourselves as honest, wonderful people”.

So we fudge. We fool ourselves and others. Our “cognitive flexibility” cuts us so much slack that we often don’t even perceive ourselves as getting away with anything. This flexibility keeps the contradictions between our principles and our behaviour beyond the horizon of our consciousness.

The (Honest) Truth about Dishonesty is full of examples of how we deceive ourselves about cheating.

Somehow it seems to most people less like cheating to favourably reposition a golf ball with one’s foot than to move it with one’s hand.

Tapping the ball with your club is best of all!

As a rule, “cheating becomes much simpler when there are more steps between us and the dishonest act”. We are more averse to directly taking some cash off the table, but much more likely to behave dishonestly to get a reward that in the end has cash value. Psychological distance is key.

real, but the altruistic dishonesty of his care-givers eased his suffering.

Ariely notes that “we quickly and easily start believing whatever comes out of our own mouths”, which means that once we take credit for something, we are likely to really believe that we deserve it. When students are induced to cheat on tasks in an experimental situation, they start to really believe their skill level has increased.

They certainly realise they are, say, using an answer key to “solve” a problem.

Nonetheless they begin to inflate their perception of their own competence at problem solving. This kills two birds with one stone.

They don’t feel guilty for having cheated, and since they’ve forgotten about the cheating, they feel better about their performance.

Despite the good humour with which Ariely discusses his ingenious experiments, this is depressing stuff. But there is hope.

Although it is easy to induce dishonest behaviour in people, it is also easy to reduce the incidence of such behaviour. Mostly, small reminders of basic moral standards tend to improve behaviour.

Whether it’s the Ten Commandments, an honour code or a declaration of professional principles, bringing moral standards to mind reduces cheating.

that many of our professionals systematically find themselves in conflict situations and they fool themselves about not falling into unethical behaviour. And when these professionals know their clients well, when they are most trusted, this is when the worst conflicts tend to arise. Whether we are on the client or the professional side, we are likely to tell ourselves that these situations don’t apply to us and the people we trust. We fool ourselves, and so we don’t recognise the dishonesty.

Ariely shows us how some basic factors, such as being tired or hungry, undermine our efforts to be ethical. I was struck here, as I was in Daniel Kahneman’s excellent Thinking, Fast and Slow, by the example of judges who tended to defer to parole boards as the judges got hungrier.

The concept of “ego depletion”, that we can run out of the strength to do what we know we should, reminds us that willpower is a muscle. It takes energy to do the right thing. We also learn that, once cheating starts, it tends to gain momentum and become contagious. That’s why we shouldn’t tolerate small indiscretions; it lowers the bar for everyone.

Ariely raises the bar for everyone. In the increasingly crowded field of popular cognitive science and behavioural economics, he writes with an unusual combination of verve and Signing a pledge before filling out a form (at the top sagacity. of the page) is more effective at reducing dishonesty He asks us to remember than signing a pledge after our fallibility and irrationcompleting a form. Ariely ality, so that we might prolikes students to write out tect ourselves against our their own honour codes on tendency to fool ourselves.

I guess only advanced hindassignments so that they have to think about ethics sight will one day tell us how successful we have rather than just signing been. something automatically.

Dishonesty isn’t always so bad. The author describes how doctors and nurses lied to him repeatedly when as a teenager he was recovering from severe burns that almost killed him. If they had told him the brutal truth, he might not have mustered the strength to go on. They He offers some recomdidn’t want him anticipatmendations on conflicts of ing excruciating pain that he was in any case power- interest, particularly in less to avoid. The pain was medicine. The problem is

Your Sales Voice. What Is It Saying To You? What Is It Saying To Others?

Remember Jeffrey Gitomer?

He Spoke at Clearwater Background Investigator Conference before hundreds:

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The New York Times best sellers The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Black Book of Connections, and The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude. All of his books have been number one best sellers on Amazon.com, including Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Patterson Principles of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching!, The Little Teal Book of Trust, Social BOOM!, and The Little Book of Leadership. Jeffrey’s books have appeared on best-seller lists more than 850 times and have sold millions of copies worldwide.

By Jeffrey Gitomer, guest columnist

I was recently at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, giving a seminar sponsored by Sales & Marketing Executives International. I had an informal logistics meeting with some of the association members before the event when Jamie, the young woman who directed me to my preparation room, talked to me about her career. I asked her what she was seeking to become.

control of her self and her power first, and find her career path second. We talked about "voice" for a while, and I began to type to capture the thoughts.

What came out of the brief conversation will benefit you and your career, and Jamie was seeking to gain help you understand who

I was taken aback because I expected some alternate career choice, or something along the lines of "make a lot of money," or "get a job in event planning." But no, Her response startled me. she was seeking something She said, "I'm still trying to much higher. find my voice."

you are and who you seek to become.

Jamie was looking for her voice to come from something she believed in that would make her voice stronger, more resonant, more powerful, and more believable.

tional.

ANSWER: It STARTS with your inner voice. It's the language you speak to yourself BEFORE you say a word. is you're 90 or below.

SUCCESS ACTION: How do you speak? Record your spoken voice ONCE A WEEK, and listen Not the just words, to it actively - which means take notes. By listening to the voice that you project. Your voice is yourself - arguably one of a statement and pic- the toughest things on the ture of your character, planet to do - you will gain your poise, and your a true picture of where you persona. It's a state- are right now. Your jumpment of belief, confi- ing off point. dence, and personal And for those of you livpower. ing in the dark ages still trying to "find the pain" in Where does your your sales presentation, just voice come from? record and listen to yourself How do you "find" - THAT'S the pain. The real pain of selling is listenit? ing to your voice trying to make a sale - it's also funny And once you do, how do you master it? as hell.

You'll know your voice BE AWARE: Your voice has nothing to when you hear it. do with your selling skills or your product It will speak to you before you ever say a word. knowledge. Your voice is way beyond According to SHRM that.

(Society for Human ReGOOD NEWS: You source Management), 60 don't have to look far. percent of all HR profesMost of your voice is sionals reported finding right at the tip of your inaccuracies on resumes that come across their tongue. The rest of it desks. is mental and emo-

Sex Killers Not Who You Think They Are

The researchers found that the average age of sexual murderers was 28. Sixty-six per cent were white and 29 per cent were aboriginal.

Drawing from the largestAs for marital status, 57 per ever sample of sex-related cent were single and 15 per homicide cases in Canada, cent were separated or dia pair of researchers have vorced. A majority of ofdeveloped what they say is fenders – 80 per cent – had one of the clearest portraits no prior sexual convictions. yet of the people who commit these unusual crimes “The investigative strateand their victims. gy of prioritizing ‘known sex offenders’ would thus Contrary to previous studlikely be unproductive as ies that suggested sexual the majority of sexual murmurderers were socially derers have no prior coninept individuals who victions for sexual crimes,” “blitzed” unsuspecting victhe researchers wrote. tims, many sexual murderers are not socially isolated The average age of vicand often utilize a ruse to tims was 27. Ninety per make contact with their viccent were women, 63 per tim, the researchers found. cent were white and 33 per cent were aboriginal. Eight“The current study uncoveen per cent of victims ers very important differwere known to engage in ences that could prove useprostitution. ful for the investigation and profiling of these crimes by The researchers found that the police,” the researchers most offenders selected wrote. their victim at random, and The release of the study in the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology comes just months after the nation was gripped by the gruesome sex-related killing and dismemberment of Concordia University student Jun Lin.

most – 41 per cent – used a con to approach their victim, such as befriending the victim or asking for the victim’s help. Only a minority of sexual murderers surprised their victims, such as attacking them in their sleep, or “blitzed” their victims by quickly overpowering them through violence.

“This finding is important for the investigation of these cases as it suggests that in almost half of the cases, sexual murderers possess the necessary social skills to approach their victims under false pretence,” the researchers wrote. “This once against contradicts the image of the introverted social inapt offender as depicted in previous studies.”

Researchers noted that ployment or age. “overkill” – the act of inflicting more grievous bodily harm on a victim than is necessary to cause death – was reported in 43 per cent Background Check Filipino of sexual homicides.

Health Care Workers

Long Term Unemployment Worse Than Having a Criminal Record

An anonymous survey of 1,500 recruiters and hiring managers found it was less difficult to place a job candidate with a non-felony criminal record in a new job than a long term unemployed candidate out of Contrary to non-sexual work for more than two homicides, offenders in years. The survey also resexual homicides rarely vealed “job hopping” by used firearms. Instead sexu- younger candidates – deal murderers typically beat fined as leaving a job withor strangled their victims. If in one year of being hired – a weapon was used, it was damaged employment protypically a knife. spects more than unem-

The Philippines is one of the world’s largest exporters of health workers, making this one of the country’s most important exports.

Straightline International's local staff provides complete background searches plus ALL public records in the

Philippines.

Ask About Our “No Delay” Philippines Service

Call 1-866-909-6678 Or Fax 1-866-909-6679

You can wait in line or we can—Straightline

Luka Magnotta, a onetime porn actor and model, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in relation to the killing.

Eric Beauregard, a criminology professor at Simon Fraser University, and Melissa Martineau, a senior research specialist with the RCMP, analyzed RCMP records related to 350 sexrelated homicides that occurred from 1948 to 2010.

Each murder case involved some sort of sexual activity. For instance, there was evidence of sexual intercourse or the victim’s body was positioned in a sexual manner or was missing clothes.

Philippines (Manila) NBI police checks

pany allows only Oklahoma Bar Association members to buy subscription access to online records in the 64 counties serviced by KellPro’s ODCR court records system.

The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, or IAFIS, is a national fingerprint and criminal history system that responds to requests 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help our local, state, and federal partners—and our own investigators— solve and prevent crime and catch criminals and terrorists. IAFIS provides automated fingerprint search capabilities, latent search capability, electronic image storage, and electronic exchange of fingerprints and responses.

What is included in IAFIS: Not only fingerprints, but corresponding criminal histories; mug shots; scars and tattoo photos; physical characteristics like height, weight, and hair and eye color; and aliases. The system also includes civil fingerprints, mostly of individuals who have served or are serving in the U.S. military or have been or are employed by the federal government. The fingerprints and criminal history information are submitted voluntarily by state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies.

taking weeks or months to process a single submission. The FBI has been the The average response time national repository for fingerprints and related crimifor an electronic criminal fingerprint submission is nal history data since 1924, when more than 800,000 about 27 minutes, while electronic civil submissions fingerprint records from the National Bureau of Crimiare processed within an hour and 12 minutes. IAFIS nal Identification and Leavprocessed more than 61 enworth Penitentiary were consolidated with Bureau million ten-print submisfiles. The first use of comsions during Fiscal Year puters to search fingerprint 2010. files took place in October 1980.

When it started: work with us.

How fast it works:

IAFIS was launched on July 28, 1999. Prior to this time, the processing of tenprint fingerprint submissions was largely a manual, labor-intensive process,

Can We Charge For Free Online Records?

The Supreme Court of Oklahoma has been asked to review whether a private contractor charging subscription fees for online court records and allowing only a select group access to them violates the state’s Open Records Act. Mike Evans, administrative director of the courts, said as a result of multiple complaints, he has asked the Supreme Court to look at the practice by state contractor KellPro. The com-

In those counties, residents can access court dockets online, but only Oklahoma Bar Association members can download the accompanying documents.

KellPro charges a subscription of $50 per month or $600 per year.

Residents who are not members of the state bar association have to drive to the county courthouse, ask to examine documents in person and pay up to $1 per page for copies.

Meanwhile, taxpayers in Oklahoma continue to pay for building a statewide unified, online system for free public court records that does not yet exist.

You can wait in line or we can—Straightline

How big it is: IAFIS is the largest biometric database in the world, housing the fingerprints and criminal histories for more than 70 million subjects in the criminal master file, along with more than 34 million civil prints. Included in our criminal database are fingerprints from 73,000 known and suspected terrorists processed by the U.S. or by international law enforcement agencies who

Mumbai city-wide police checks

women’s drinking.” But are we to believe that men really cause women to drink A new study finds that more?

Men Make Women Drink

women drink more alcohol once they are married.

By Laura Berman

A number of studies have highlighted the physical and emotional benefits of marriage: Research has shown that married people are less likely to get cancer, less likely to have heart attacks, and also have a lower risk of developing dementia later in life. Studies have also found that married people are less likely to suffer from depression.

However, a study presented at this year’s annual American Sociological Association meeting revealed that marriage might have a surprising side effect: Researchers found that married women are likely to drink more after they are hitched. They also found that married women drink more than any other group of women, including divorcées, widows, and single women. Men, on the other hand, actually drink less once they are married.

What can account for this gender discrepancy, and why do women drink more once they tie the knot?

There are a number of possibilities, but the authors of the study suggest that this increase could be attributed to the influence of the women’s husbands.

This theory is based on the fact that single women, widowed women, and divorced women drink less than married peers — in fact, women experience a decline in drinking following divorce, while men experience an increase (probably as a way to selfcomfort following the dissolution of the marriage).

Because women drink less when they are single, the researchers suggest that “men introduce and prompt

It’s impossible to say for sure, especially since this study wasn’t able to prove why married women drink more than their single peers or whether men really do lead women to drink more.

However, it could be that drinking is similar to eating when it comes to couples.

For example, some women feel tempted to eat like their mates once they are in a committed relationship.

They see their guys ordering Buffalo wings or having a third slice of pizza, and it’s only natural that they want to follow suit.

This explains why women tend to gain weight following marriage (as revealed in a study from Ohio State

University that found that women gradually become heavier after tying the knot). Once again, the opposite is true for men. They gain weight after divorce, not marriage.

dinner and your guy wants to order a round of beer or another appetizer, lead the way by suggesting a lighter option or by challenging him to a workout session after dinner.

through a boomerang effect that began three years ago and some economist predict will last seven more, scams in the Philippines and the entire Asian region seem to be evolving.

Does this mean that men aren’t a good influence on women when it comes to lifestyle habits? Of course not. Getting married still has positive benefits for men and women alike, but it’s important to remember that what’s good for the gander isn’t always good for the goose! Unfortunately, when it comes to alcohol and food, women sadly can’t enjoy like “one of the boys” — their caloric requirements are different from those of men, as is the ability of a woman's body to break down alcohol. So the next time you go out for

Ultimately, your health is in your hands, but if you both commit to making healthy lifestyle choices, you will inspire and motivate each other to stick to those goals. A healthy marriage is a happy marriage!

Given the ongoing uncertainly and trouble in the global economy, business fraud levels are very high, and the Philippines remains a high risk area, and for investigators considering conducting business or starting a new relationship in this island nation, a professional background check is key.

Philippines Background Checks More Important than Ever As the world’s economy keeps scaring people

The NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) in Manila says business fraud is a greater risk than ever for foreign firms looking to invest in the Philippines and Malaysia.

Shawn Daivari, WWE Star, Chokes Unruly Train Passenger

He told the site it was all he could think to do at the time. He and other passengers had pressed an emergency button to call for help, but nobody came.

We would have gone with "I wasn't going to wait a pile driver, but his move any longer to see if a cop showed up," Daivari said. was OK, too.

Former WWE star Shawn Daivari told TMZ that he performed an expert wrestling move and saved the day when a passenger went berserk on an airport-bound train out of Minneapolis on Thursday.

The perp reportedly threatened to kill everyone on the train and was yelling racial slurs, but Daivari wasn't having that. He says he used a rear naked choke hold -- classic move -- to subdue the would-be killer.

tling.net. No matter what organization he's a part of, at least he's proven that pro wrestling is real, as some Twitter users pointed out.

Samuel Phipps Blamed Elephant For His 7th DUI: Cops

"The trooper who responded to the scene of the accident found that Phipps appeared to be impaired," a police statement obtained by the Philadelphia Inquirer said. "Phipps told the trooper that the accident was a result of . . . swerving to avoid an elephant he observed running in the path of his vehicle."

sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted on three federal wire fraud charges in a scheme to collect money for background checks.

The U.S. attorney's office announced that U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Bataillon sentenced 53-year -old David Musk to four years and also ordered him to pay $126,715 in restitution.

Cpl. John Day told Delaware Online that, to the Witnesses said Daivari Musk ran a business best of his knowledge, squeezed the violent pascalled Pavilion Commercial there were no elephants senger's neck so hard he running loose in New Cas- Group and told real estate peed his pants. Then the Maybe the circus was in developers that his compatle that night. wrestler threw the man out town. nies could do "Interpol" at the next stop.

Phipps was also charged and "FBI" background Samuel Phipps, 31, was with failure to provide in- checks for them.

Metro Transit Rail told arrested on his seventh DUI surance.

TMZ that "Metro Transit charge after getting into a Prosecutors say he police responded after be- car accident he blamed on charged a $600 fee but didOmaha Man ing alerted by the train op- an elephant, according to n't have the ability or the erator to a fight on board. MyFoxPhilly.

Gets 4 Years For intention of doing the The investigation is ongochecks. Officials say he Background ing."

The New Castle, Del., collected $170,000. man was arrested Friday Check Fraud Daivari left WWE in 2007 night when state police said for live TNA wrestling, ac- his Land Rover veered off An Omaha man has been cording to ProWresthe road into a guardrail.

Contact: Steven Brownstein PMB 1007 Box 10001 Saipan, MP 96950 1-670-256-7000 findcrime@thebackgroundinvestigator.com

The Seven Stages Of Candidate Screening

your business have different risks it can help to formulate the overall security policy and requirements for prudent screening.

1. Monitor the risk What are the threats to your organisation? By understanding these risks and recognising where areas of

2. Staff training and awareness Are staff security aware?

Do staff understand the

risks and help in identifying problems, whether it is theft or industrial espionage it can have a negative impact which can be mitigated by security aware staff.

a full security screening is required? If not, this can be added to deter some undesirable candidates from applying.

other concerns? We all know CVs only tell us what the applicant wants us to know and so detailed reviews are important. Looking for red flags, anomalies 4. Reviewing CVs and and issues of concern in the 3. Advertising and application forms CV and/or application form screening Do reviewers have training should be conducted to sift Do your job adverts specify to spot red flags, gaps and out undesirable candidates.

5. Screening at interview Are interviewers trained in questioning, listening and body language skills? Having a person asking questions and another observing and making notes at the interview helps, but questions need to get to the core values of the person and should focus on any anomalies or concerns raised in the red flag analysis.

6. Pre-employment screening Do you have different screening levels or only screen staff in high risk areas? Whatever you decide it is prudent to have policies that are also adhered to by third party staffing providers, staff need to understand confidentiality, Data Protection and seek consent of the candidates.

7 Post hire screening Do you conduct any further checks after hiring? Even the best candidate can turn out to be a bad apple, most organisations conduct a probationary review but does this include checks on appropriate behaviour and compliance with key security policies? Most new employees will be bona fide but training supervisory staff to also review for performance and behavioural issues can reduce potential risks.

The cycle continues as we must continually review the risks and threats to the organisation, these change over time, for example, more unemployed graduates may lead to more qualification deception,

sensitive information when working with a placement she submitted paperwork agency to secure various for a background check to contract positions. what she thought was a California law firm.

After completing an eightmonth assignment she got A Florida lawyer living in It wasn’t. Now she is wor- through the agency, Morris Colorado has had her perried about what will happen was contacted again in July sonal information compronext. regarding a job with mised, potentially setting “Isaacson Goldberg Warnher up for identity theft or Morris recently moved er,” purportedly a Califorimpersonation. from Tampa to Denver and nia firm that had a medical since she is not licensed in malpractice case set for triLaurie Morris unwittingly Colorado, she has been al in Denver in October and provided the miscreants her

ID theft Is The Latest Threat To Attorneys

needed some extra help.

“They supposedly reviewed my resume, approved me, and sent me some paperwork to fill out for a background check,” said Morris, adding she was “hired” along with another lawyer and a paralegal and told when and where to report to get started on the case.

When that day came, the

“California lawyers” never showed and failed to respond to calls from the placement agency.

After contacting the State Bar of California and the property managers of the building supposedly housing the firm, it became clear “Isaacson Goldberg Warner” didn’t exist.