Requesting Social Media Passwords From Potential Hires is Coercive
If it seems like every other day there is a new story about someone who was fired for something they posted on social media, that’s because there is. There seems to be no shortage of cautionary tales about people who have yet to…
What Greg Smith and Goldman Sachs Tell Us About Investigations
Former Goldman Sachs employee Greg Smith caused quite a stir when he took to the New York Times op-ed page to explain why he was leaving Goldman Sachs after 12 years. Smith, who the Times identified as a London-based executive director for Goldman…
Prevent Corporate Identity Theft: A Consumer’s Checklist
A report on National Public Radio written up here outlines the problem: legitimate businesses are increasingly subject to identity theft. Businesses find imposters are misusing their credit ratings, while there’s serious risk that people…
The Putin Plot and Investigative Timelines
We tell every new client the same thing: when we report on a person we investigate, chronology is critical. Take the New York Times story this week with the headline, “Plot to Kill Putin is Uncovered.” We rushed to read this because…
Hiring Due Diligence Should Include an Attitude Check
If you’ve ever had to hire people, you know what a tough job that is. You know that you are making a decision that will have a profound impact on a number of people—not only on yourself and whoever you choose, but also on everyone…
Secret Lender Agents Make Asset Searches Harder
It’s always nice to be able to know who has loaned people money. It helps in asset searches, of course, but we also like to call bankers in after-fraud investigations. Now getting to the identity of those lenders is about to get harder.…
Allen Stanford: Persistent Due Diligence Could Have Made a Difference
The Allen Stanford alleged Ponzi scheme case is currently before the courts after years of delays. We are finally getting to hear from witnesses and co-conspirators about what they say were the lengths undertaken to defraud Stanford’s…
Background Checks for All: Lessons from the Alleged Archdiocese Theft
Anita Collins, an elderly woman working as an accounts payable clerk for the New York Archdiocese, was recently arrested for embezzling funds from the church. That’s bad news for the archdiocese. But the real black eye for…
Forensic Investigations: Due Diligence Done Correctly
What’s the difference between a forensic audit and a regular audit? We think we know the difference when we see it, but what is it? The issue came up before a short talk I was giving to some accountants last week, and the answer…
New Employee Character Checks: A Gut Check is Not Enough
You have an opening in your company. You get a slew of resumes for the position, you interview a number of candidates, and then you finally narrow it down to two people: One has experience that’s right on the mark, but during the…
