Indeed, most business owners have lot of worries. Besides all the normal concerns like competition, pricing, location, customer service etc., and now security has become increasingly important. Small business are now faced the threat of theft, fraud, embezzlement, scams etc., the list seems almost endless.

 

The Recent murder of Julissa Brisman should heighten the need for businesses and individuals to take criminal background check, background check as best practice for protecting their business and life. News emerging from this incident revealed that Julissa Brisman 26 who advertised her massage service on craigslist was found dead on April 14, 2009 allegedly murder by her client Philip Markoff, a Boston University medical student at the Marriott Copley. This kind of incident could have been avoided if Julissa Brisman had run a quick check to see if Philip Markoff had any criminal history. In fact, emerging news revealed that Philip Markoff had a criminal history that involve similar incident- where he attacked another masseuses- for- hire who advertised her service in craigslist classified service.

 

Criminal investigation research shows that criminals will often repeat their crimes. And these crimes do leave a trail on them. Furthermore, finding also reveals those criminals do show up in our life before they attack us. In order words, there will always be a place of contact- through business deals, shopping, work, hired help or even online connection as seen in the example above.

 

In this regard, small business owners, independent contractors as well as home business owners are in greater risk bracket of being victims of crime. True, small business owners and individuals have some concerns that range from- how do I get access to this kind of information, the cost of such information, and time. Others are afraid of being scammed not know where to look or which service provider to choose. However genuine these concerns are – does not negate the important of conducting a criminal background check because the consequences are better imagined than experienced.

 

 

 Run Criminal Background Checks

Whenever you deal with someone you do not know in business or personally, run a quick background check to see if such a person or company has any history of criminal activity. Things you should find out include:

Background check

Criminal Report

Income Report

Prison record

Sex offender status

And lots more…

 

As a small business owner, pre-screening each person you consider hiring. No matter how professional or how harmless they appear, even if the person is your relation. Things you should find out include:

Background check

Criminal record,

Court records,

Work licenses

And lots more….

 

Unfortunately, law enforcement can’t help until after the crime had been committed.  The cold hard truth about crime is: it’s up to you to do whatever you can to protect your business and look out for your family.

The facts are unavoidable. You or someone close to you will likely soon be the target of a robbery, burglary, car theft, even a physical attack or sexual assault.And there’s more unsettling news. The numbers don’t begin to account for all the fraud, scams and computer crimes the modern underworld throws at us every day. No one even knows the full extent of the problem. Unfortunately, law enforcement can’t help until after the crime’s been committed.  The cold hard truth about crime is: it’s up to you to do whatever you can to protect yourself and look out for your family.

 

There are two findings that emerged in the course of my research that can help avoid victimization.

First, criminals are frequently repeat offenders. Their past crimes leave a trail. The good news is, in the age of the Internet, access to that trail is available. The information is out there to help us protect ourselves.

Second, criminals often show up in our lives before they attack us. We know them in some way. Not necessarily on a personal basis, but through work or shopping or hired help or through an online connection. As much as that may make your skin crawl, it should also give you hope. It means you have a chance to identify others who could possibly be threats. You have the opportunity to investigate them before anything happens.

That’s where your computer and the Internet can play a huge role. It used to be expensive to check into someone’s background to see if they were hiding anything. You had to hire a private detective or go through some expensive reporting agency. Not today – not with Background Check databases so readily available to us.

Sometimes referred to as Internet Detective sites or Personal Search sites, these web-based search services give you the low-down on all kinds of formerly-hidden information. 

The general search engines like Google or Yahoo aren’t good places to search for criminal history. Use one of the private databases instead. There may be a small fee but it’s usually tiny compared to the value you’re getting in return.

 

You want a service that lets you make complete criminal background checks and gives you access to information like:

 

-           Criminal Records

-           Prison Records

-           FBI Files

-           Criminal History

-           Sex Offender Status

 

 

Any time you’re dealing with someone you don’t know, you should run a quick check to see if they have any criminal history. Always get identification. Always check to make sure you’re dealing with someone you can trust.

 

Just recently in April 14, 2009 Julissa Brisman, 26, of New York, who advertised massage service on craigslist classified service was allegedly murdered by her client Philip Markoff, a Boston University medical student at the Marriott Copley. This kind of incident could have been avoided if Julissa Brisman had run a quick check to see if Philip Markoff had any criminal history. In fact, emerging news revealed that Philip Markoff had a criminal history that involve similar incident- where he attacked another masseuses- for- hire who advertised her service in craigslist classified service.

A Pasadena woman discovered that a man she met online through a dating service had already spent time in jail for defrauding other widows just like her. In fact, he was violating his parole just being in California! She turned him in — right after she made him pay for what he didn’t realize would be their last romantic dinner.   Unbelievably, he tried to continue the relationship by writing her from prison!

One of the most troubling trends of our times is the increase in sex offenses against children. It’s amazing so many parents continue to entrust their children to others without first checking them out. Use the search services to check out your baby sitter, nanny, au pair, day care center and staff, and even school teachers and workers. You can also search geographically to find out if known sex offenders live near you and where.

You assume your employer is legitimate but that could be a mistake. Find out for sure about people you work for. Do they have a troubling past or illegal activity in their background? While you’re at it, check out your work associates. 

You should also check into the background of any medical providers, physicians, clinics, hospitals and nursing homes you rely on. Investigate local government officials, your landlord, tenants for property you rent, even the people asking for money at churches and charities. Money attracts criminals who sometimes use good organizations to hide misdeeds.

Finally, the truth is that we live in a threatening world. Fortunately, you can use 21st century technology to better protect yourself and your family. Review the Personal Search services on the Internet and pick one that suits you. Use it regularly. The world is only going to get more threatening…