Showing posts with label background check investigation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label background check investigation. Show all posts
March 14, 2013
Turkey Background Checks Prevent Romance Scams













A close friend of mine met someone over a dating website last year. The relationship started great and lasted for almost a year. They wrote back and forth to each other, used Skype and IM to keep contact, and every now and they they’d exchange photographs. They even talked on web cam. My friend, a divorced woman in her early 40’s, was so enthusiastic about her new long distance romance from Turkey, that she made plans to go and visit him in Istanbul, where they had plans to travel around Eastern Europe and get to know each other better.  But, just before the planned trip, unexpected things started to happen.  She got suspicious.  She contacted Wymoo®.

After investigators conduct a background check investigation on the subject, my friend could hardly believe the results.  Fraud?  But, how?  She had talked to this person for almost a year, he didn’t fit the profile, or so she thought.  She never gave him money, but now that she thought about it, she did provide a lot of her personal data.  Once confronted with evidence of fraud, she soon learned that she had been a victim of identity theft.  And, the criminal was now blackmailing her and demanded money.  It was a nightmare situation, and she was at least thankful to learn the truth, so she could cancel her planned trip, and start taking control of her life again.

Turkey romance scams are a growing problem and international investigators say it is perhaps one of the fastest growing countries in the world for fraud, ranking with Malaysia and the UAE. Law enforcement and private investigators say it is essencial to use extra caution when communicating with people in these countries, and understand there is an increase risk online.

All friends had warned her about romance scams, internet fraud and the risks in online dating.  How could this happen to her?  She was smart and skeptical, and careful.  Private investigators say anyone can be a victim.  Victims range from all walks of life, including lawyers, doctors and even police officers.  Internet criminals are good at what they do.  They gain your trust, and then steal your information and/or money.  Victims know the damage can be devastating. 

Romance scams in Turkey are on the rise due to the bad economy and the opportunity that criminals find from making money by scamming victims around the world on the internet.  Also, Turkey doesn’t have the bad reputation that other countries like the Philippines, Nigeria and Ghana have, so alarm bells don’t go off when internet users hear their friend is in Turkey.

When online dating, be safe and contact a professional.  Verify, and then decide. 

All the best,

S. Birch
© 2013 S. Birch
 



Read more
September 25, 2012
International Background Checks Prevent Bad Hires












The time has come when more and more companies around the world are hiring international employees.  It is a small world after all.  Contrary to the old days, these international employees represent a new type of work force and are often cost effective solutions and sharp talent acquisitions for hiring companies.  However, such international recruiting and hiring is risk inherent by nature, and carries substantially more risk than domestic hires.  Verifying if a person is who he or she claims to be can be a difficult process when you’re dealing with global hires.

At a glimpse, the internet offers a great way to quickly locate and recruit international talent.  Resumes for India and China and Malaysia professionals, for example, can quickly and easily be viewed online.  What you don’t know is if that resume or CV is accurate, if the subject is who he claims to be, and what his past may be.  Searching criminal records alone is a negligent method to mitigate risk, and is certainly not a background check investigation.  Now, when dealing with an international candidate, searching criminal records alone would be extremely reckless.  For all international hires, a professional and complete background investigation is advised.  To obtain a real background check investigation, you’ll need to contact a reputable investigation firm.

From your headquarters in New York or Chicago or Hong Kong, it can be tempting to check a few references and make the hire.  After all, the resume seems perfect, and you checked a couple references.  What could go wrong?  It’s too expensive you say to have the candidate properly verified?  These are the thoughts that cost companies major financial losses and can put an entire organization at risk.  A bad hire can be a major and costly mistake that is best avoided in the hiring process by proper verification and investigation screening.  This protects the whole company.  Think of an international background check as a way to be protected from fraud and problems.

Whether you’re dealing with a Philippines call center, Malaysia technology provider, West Africa manufacturing company, India IT support or Mexico City based consultant, it’s essential to verify all international hires and representatives.  It can be hard to know who you’re dealing with at home, let alone when you’re dealing with a separate country, culture and language.

Professional background check investigations can reduce risk for your company, your employees and save you money in the long run.  They can also help you hire the best talent for the job.  Be safe and search abroad responsibly.  Be skeptical.  Verify first, and then decide.

All the best,

S. Birch
© 2012 S. Birch


Read more
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)