Different types of public records searches generate different results and information. Anyone interested in getting timely, accurate public records searches conducted needs to consult with a private investigator to get real results.

Public records searches are big news. One keyword popularity tool estimates that there are well over 250,000 searches done on a monthly basis in the United States for “public records” and variations of the search. Newspapers and the media are filled with debates about privacy laws and internet public records searches. It seems that with the age of information and the information superhighway, more people than ever before are interested in finding out as much as possible – and worrying about who is finding this information.

Why Use a Public Records Search?

There are many types of public records searches, and each one has its specific uses:
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Any company holding a security interest in an asset on which payments have not been made can choose to repossess to recover the property. However, choosing the right repo service is a must to ensure a legal and hassle-free repossession.

No one likes repossession. Customers do not like having their possessions taken away and companies do not like having to hire companies to seize products on which payments have not been made. Although companies and customers alike face stress and added costs with repossession, new information shows that more companies and businesses are being pushed to repossession orders. Statistics published by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, new bankruptcy filings jumped 5.7% in 2002 – up to 1.57 million – from 2001 alone. The Department for Constitutional Affairs reported in 2006 that repossession orders related to unpaid mortgages were the highest in 9 years.

The Repossession Process

Repossession usually occurs either because an asset is being paid for in installments or is being used as collateral when payments are not made. For example, if a customer buys furniture on a payment plan, they may not officially own the items until all payments have been made. The store can repossess the purchased items if the customer stops making payments.
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Imagine hiring an employee who appears to be the perfect candidate, only to be embezzled to the tune of thousands of dollars six months later.

What if one of your employees is physically assaulted by a new hire who has “gone postal,” or, more commonly, what if you found out - after the fact - that the new hygienist does not have a valid license and did not work for the employer(s) listed on the résumé or application form?

These are the types of scenarios that employers face when they fail to conduct a background check on all potential new hires. These examples, coupled with recent statistics, indicate that employers should no longer neglect conducting background checks during the recruiting process - the risks are too great!

According to the National Association of Professional Background Screeners, 56 percent of applicant-supplied information contains one or more significant discrepancies. In another study, it was found that more than 36 percent of employment verifications uncovered inconsistencies from what had been stated on the application form, and 14 percent listed false or inconsistent information regarding education.

When Joseph Kasper, MD, hired a family acquaintance to manage his solo practice, he didn’t feel a background check was necessary. He later learned that was a mistake — one which nearly cost him his practice.

The family physician from West Valley City, Utah, and his wife, Suzie, knew Stephanie Jo Wilde-Mathie for more than 10 years. She managed their church’s nursery. They knew her children. They knew she had professional experience handling budgets and finances.

But apparently, they didn’t know enough. Wilde-Mathie is scheduled to appear in Utah State Court’s 3rd District on Nov. 28 where she will answer to charges that she stole more than $50,000 from the doctor through forged checks and fraudulent credit cards. Wilde-Mathie’s attorney, Michael Stout, said he is not yet sure how she will plead.

“It nearly wiped us out,” said Suzie Kasper, who now serves as the interim business manager of her husband’s practice.

Chances are, when you welcome a baby sitter into your home, the last thing you think to ask is whether they’ve committed a crime or have frequented teen sex parties.

KXAN NBC Austin’s Julie Shields puts herself in a parent’s shoes to find the best ways to really know who’s watching the kids.

DWI, credit card theft, forgery and even assault. They’re all crimes committed by people who want to watch your kids.

Often, parents never even have a clue.

Recognition, joint response cited to curb problems

The growing problem of elder abuse, including neglect and fraud, was the topic of a public forum Tuesday at Coastal Carolina University.

The CCU Center for Active Aging and Retirement convened an expert panel to discuss what was called a problem that is growing proportionally with an aging population.

Center Director Jan Bowman says the problem is widespread and underreported by formally trained and volunteer caregivers.

“People either didn’t realize it was taking place - or they were painfully aware.”

Experts agreed that an integrated response from the community, caregivers, law enforcement, clergy and the medical community will be needed to thwart abuse of those who can no longer fend for themselves.

‘Like going on a scavenger hunt when you don’t know what you’re looking for’

Jeff Means spends 10-hour days staring at a TV screen, editing surveillance videotape shot by his investigators.

The Hazel Green private investigator and founder of Sound Mind Investigations has a marker board in his office filled with a long list of ready-to-be-edited surveillance tapes.

Means and his six-person staff are often hired by individuals in the North Alabama area hoping to win child custody or find out if their spouse is cheating.

While the general perception of the fast-growing field of private investigation is that it’s nonstop excitement, local private investigators like Means say that much of the work is tedious.

New federal rules will take effect next month requiring corporations to produce documents in legal cases or face stiff penalties, raising yet another regulatory compliance issue for IT departments.

On December 1, several amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure regarding a company’s duty to preserve and produce electronically stored information (ESI) in the face of litigation — or pending litigation — are scheduled to take effect. The rules (specifically Civil Rules 16, 26, 33, 34 and 37) have already been adopted in some states, like New Jersey, and other states, including Texas and California, have already implemented some of the new rules.

As with most new compliance rules, there is some confusion and hand-wringing on the part of enterprises as to what the amendments really mean. In this case, the big question companies are asking of their attorneys, IT people, vendors and compliance officers is: Do the new rules mean we have to drastically alter the way we preserve, retrieve and produce electronic data? The answer to that question: It depends. It depends on what practices, procedures and technology you already have in place (if any), and how susceptible your enterprise is to a lawsuit.

Medicare investigators in Los Angeles, using sophisticated computer technology to sift through claims data, saw an unusual pattern: A single patient had apparently undergone a diagnostic rectal-probe procedure 118 times in a year — at 21 medical facilities.

“It’s unlikely that could have occurred,” says Kim Brandt, director of program integrity at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “This person would not have been able to sit on a plane.”

Borrowing techniques from financial and credit services, Medicare and private health insurers are increasingly “mining” claims data for suspicious patterns, comparing practitioners with their peers and larger databases of claims.

Accused killer’s employer faces duty of care query

A $10 million wrongful-death suit brought against the trash company that employed the man accused of murdering fashion writer Christa Worthington is raising significant questions over an employer’s use of background checks on potential employees.

Specifically, lawyers said the civil case being brought by the Worthington estate could expand the duty of care business owners — especially those in businesses where client contact is minimal like a trash collection company — owe to customers when owners become aware of a potential employee’s past criminal record.

“It’s a huge issue,” said Bruce A. Bierhans of Stoughton, who represents the trash company. “I remember when the lawsuit first came out, I got a lot of calls from trucking companies and trash companies, concerned about whether they had to go out and do background checks on all the guys driving their trucks now.”

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