|   | 
              
              
              Resume 
                Fluff And Convictions Are Up During Economic Slump 
              Resume 
                falsifications are on the rise and are expected to increase as 
                the country continues to slog through economic doldrums, according 
                to trends data recently released by several employment background 
                screening firms. Accu-Screen Inc. has kept records for 14 years 
                on resume falsification data and has recorded “spikes” 
                correlating with economic downturns and weak labor markets. According 
                to the company’s most recent data, approximately 43 percent 
                of resumes and job applications could contain false information. 
                Kevin Connell, Accu-Screen, Inc.’s CEO further suggested 
                that the recent increase in unemployment figures combined with 
                a weakening economy will prove to be leading indicators of even 
                more resume falsifications. “We want to get the word out 
                to employers and job-seekers,” he said. “Employers 
                need to be especially vigilant during these periods. Job seekers 
                must know that more employers than ever use rigorous background 
                screening procedures to vet the information contained on their 
                resume.” J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc., has discovered 
                outright lies on resumes or applications when conducting pre-employment 
                background or reference checks. Cleveland-based employment screening 
                company employeescreenIQ 
                also that the state of the current job market could lead some 
                individuals to stretch the truth in order to secure employment. 
                Resume “fluffing” isn’t the only area employers 
                need to focus on, however, according to the report. Conviction 
                rates among job applicants are also on the rise. Now more than 
                ever, hiring professionals need to be sure their employment screening 
                firms are conducting thorough, detailed, background checks. 
              For 
                More Information Go To: http://www.shrm.org/ema/library_published/nonIC/CMS_026257.asp#TopOfPage 
                (may only be available to SHRM members) 
                
              Lockheed 
                Secures Contract to Expand Biometric Database 
              The 
                FBI yesterday announced the award of a $1 billion, 10-year contract 
                to Lockheed Martin to develop what is expected to be the world's 
                largest crime-fighting computer database of biometric information, 
                including fingerprints, palm prints, iris patterns and face images. 
                Under its contract to build Next Generation Identification, the 
                Bethesda contractor will expand on the FBI's electronic database 
                of 55 million sets of fingerprints and criminal histories used 
                by law enforcement and other authorities. The aim is to make the 
                query and results process quicker, more flexible and more accurate. 
                Lockheed built and maintains the fingerprint database. "NGI 
                will give us bigger, better, faster capabilities and lead us into 
                the future," said Thomas E. Bush III, assistant director 
                of the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division.  
              For 
                More Information Go To: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/12/AR2008021202777.html 
                 
                
              School 
                Safety Checks Lagging; Backlog Delaying Scrutiny of Educators' 
                Criminal Histories:  
              Hundreds 
                of longtime Ohio educators whose criminal histories 
                haven't been examined in years, if ever, will return to their 
                classrooms in the next few weeks without background checks, the 
                state says. The state didn't even require fingerprints to be submitted 
                until Sept. 5, after the start of school in most districts, but 
                a backlog in federal background checks means it could take much 
                longer before the Ohio Department of Education examines the results. 
                In addition, the department's priority is to check the background 
                of new licensees before looking to see whether longtime school 
                workers have criminal records. All school workers must be fingerprinted 
                for state and federal background checks under a state law enacted 
                last fall. The new law, the first of two enacted in response to 
                the Dispatch series "The ABCs of Betrayal" about the 
                state's educator-discipline system, requires checks of both licensed 
                employees, such as teachers, and unlicensed workers such as secretaries, 
                bus drivers and food-service workers. "When you're doing 
                100,000 (checks) a month, there's always going to be instances 
                where it takes longer," Potts said, noting that most FBI 
                results are now complete within 30 days. The backlog didn't solely 
                stem from teachers, she said. Medical workers, foster-care workers 
                and camp employees all must undergo checks, too.  
              For 
                More Information Go To: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/08/17/slowchecks.ART_ART_08-17-08_B1_KFB22ON.html?sid=101 
                
                  
                
              
              United 
                States: Transportation Workers Face Tougher Drug Testing Procedures: 
                Observed Collections Designed 
              More 
                than 8 million regulated workers in the transportation and pipeline 
                industries face more stringent drug testing collection procedures 
                that went into effect August 25, 2008. The new rules, which are 
                included in and modify 49 C.F.R. Part 40, address "specimen 
                validity" and seek to deal with what appear to be widespread 
                efforts by workers to "beat" drug tests. The new final 
                rules include various mandatory laboratory-based tests intended 
                to improve the detection of samples that have been adulterated 
                by masking agents or diluted by water. Concern about the proliferation 
                of mechanical devices designed to be worn by an individual to 
                simulate the act of urination while delivering a "clean" 
                urine sample has also triggered new, broader requirements for 
                observed collections. Commencing with the rule's effective date, 
                all return-to-work and follow-up urine collections must be observed 
                collections. Affected workers will be required "to raise 
                their shirts, blouses, or dresses/skirts above the waist, and 
                lower their pants and underpants, to show the observer, by turning 
                around, that they do not have a prosthetic device on their person. 
                After this is done, they may return their clothing to its proper 
                position," and produce a specimen "in such a manner 
                that the observer can see the urine exiting directly from the 
                individual into the collection container." Observed collections 
                will continue to be monitored by same-gender collection site personnel. 
              To 
                Read The Full Article Go To: http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=64574&email_access=on 
                (The new regulations can be found in the Federal Register 
                at 73 Fed. Reg. 33735 (June 13, 2008) and are effective August 
                25, 2008.) 
                
              
                 
                  |    Welcome 
                      to the Legal Challenge Question!  | 
                 
               
               
                  
                 
              As 
                the background screening industry continues to get more competitive 
                the firms that will ultimately succeed will be those that create 
                competitive advantage through their people by offering continuous 
                learning opportunities to heightened their knowledge and capabilities. 
                We believe that having employees that are very knowledgeable about 
                the legal landscape of background screening is essential to continued 
                success.  
              We are grateful 
                to Pam Devata, Seyfarth 
                Shaw LLP for providing the expertise for this valuable 
                endeavor. For information regarding the answers to the Legal Challenge 
                Questions, please contact Pamela Devata at Seyfarth Shaw LLP at 
                pdevata@seyfarth.com 
                or 312-460-5000 or visit www.seyfarth.com. 
              Please choose 
                your answer by clicking on it: 
              
               
                  
              
                 
                  
                       
                          | 
                        2009 
                            Budget Season is Here!  | 
                       
                     
                    We 
                      Specialize in Promoting the Products and Services of businesses 
                      in the Background Screening Industry. Advertise with us 
                      in 2009: 
                     | 
                 
               
                
              To 
                Test or Not to Test: The ADA and Pre-Employment Drug Tests 
              Today’s 
                business professionals, well aware of the high costs associated 
                with employee turnover, know that they can ill afford to make 
                hiring mistakes, especially in a volatile business climate in 
                which belt-tightening is the norm. Thus, organizations are pulling 
                out all the stops to vet applicants properly, even as fewer dollars 
                are allocated to recruiting and training new employees. Verifying 
                experience and educational credentials, as well as confirming 
                employment histories and checking references, have been staples 
                of the recruiting process. However, in light of some disturbing 
                revelations about illicit drug use in the workplace, many employers 
                demand that applicants submit to pre-employment drug tests. OSHA 
                found that 12.9 million (74.8 percent of illicit drug users) were 
                employed either full or part time and employees who abuse drugs 
                bring their problems with them to work in the form of lower productivity, 
                increased absenteeism and turnover, increased health care costs, 
                and a higher incidence of workplace theft and violence. However, 
                before instituting a drug testing policy employers should be aware 
                of how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) views pre-employment 
                drug tests. 
              For 
                More Information Go To: http://www.hrtutor.com/en/news_rss/articles/2008/08-14-ADA-Pre-Employment-Drug-Tests.aspx 
                
              
                 
                   
                       
                         DATA 
                            PROTECTION, FRAUD & THEFT  | 
                       
                     
                     
                      5 Steps For Stopping The Insider Threat 
                    The 
                      threat of insider fraud appears to be increasing. Insider 
                      data theft accounted for nearly 16 percent of all data breaches 
                      in 2008, up from 6 percent a year earlier, according to 
                      a study by the Identity Theft Resource Center. And perhaps 
                      more alarming, customer data stolen by an employee is misused 
                      more frequently than data obtained through an external breach, 
                      a recent study by ID Analytics reveals. Phil Neray, VP of 
                      database security company Guardium, says there are two main 
                      reasons for the rise in the insider threat: Demand for sensitive 
                      corporate data has increased, and there is now a thriving 
                      black market where fraudsters can buy and sell this type 
                      of data. "Also, most corporations have spent the last 
                      10 years focusing on tighter controls around the perimeter 
                      of networks," Neray adds. "It's getting harder 
                      to break into firms from the outside in traditional hacking 
                      attacks, so the bad guys are focusing on how to use insiders 
                      to get to the data." So what can companies do to prevent 
                      the insider threat? Neray offers the following five steps: 
                    For 
                      More Information Go To: http://www.wallstreetandtech.com/advancedtrading/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=NCFY 
                      CZLN3UDOUQSNDLPCKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=210004190 
                      
                    Gangs 
                      Get Into Identity Theft 
                       
                      Identity 
                      theft is soaring in California, and street gangs are angling 
                      for a piece of the action. Recent cases point to an interest 
                      in identity fraud by organizations as diverse as a Long 
                      Beach chapter of the Crips, the Armenian Power gang and 
                      the prison-based Mexican Mafia, according to law enforcement 
                      officials and fraud experts. Gang members sometimes recruit 
                      corporate insiders, said Linda Foley, co-founder of the 
                      Identity Theft Resource Center, a San Diego nonprofit group. 
                      They visit restaurants and other hangouts, listening for 
                      people complaining about money troubles, then offer cash 
                      in exchange for information they can use in identity theft. 
                      Credit card fraud is the most common form of the crime in 
                      California, as it is in the nation. Employment-related fraud 
                      is No. 2. In California, that category tops the U.S. rate, 
                      which the study attributes to undocumented workers using 
                      stolen Social Security numbers. The value of that nine-digit 
                      identifier has risen, because new laws are making it riskier 
                      for businesses to employ illegal immigrants. 
                    For 
                      More Information Go To: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/valley/la-fi-idtheft12-2008aug12,0,5321183.story 
                      | 
                 
               
                
               
                  
                
              
              Private 
                Eyes Inc. Teams with e-VERIFILE.COM To Get the EVI-Advantage  
              e-VERIFILE.COM 
                Inc. (EVI), a leading provider of Web-based people management 
                solutions, announced today that California-based Private 
                Eyes Inc., has signed up to participate in the EVI-Advantage 
                Partnership Program. Private Eyes participation makes 
                it the second company to join e-VERIFILE’s program since 
                it was launched in May. “The addition of the Applicant Tracking 
                System enhances our Pre-Employment Screening Suite of Services.” 
                said Sandra James, President of Private Eyes. “In our research 
                to partner with an ATS Company we found e-VERIFILE to be user 
                friendly and cost effective for our price conscious clients,” 
                James added. As an EVI-Advantage Partner, Private Eyes will be 
                able to offer its clients private-label versions of e-VERIFILE’s 
                Web-based administrative support solutions such as talent recruitment 
                and applicant tracking, workplace credentialing and more. Each 
                solution is web-based and requires no additional equipment or 
                software.  
              For 
                More Information Go To: www.privateeyesinc.com. 
                
              CriminalSearches.com 
                Gives View of Criminal Convictions of Your Neighbors 
              You can get 
                some insight into the criminal quotient in your neighborhood on 
                several Web sites that turn government data into interactive guides 
                of criminal activity. For home buyers, these sites can be a tempting 
                tool to discern whether a neighborhood is rife with crime, or 
                a great place to raise the kids. But how accurate are the pictures 
                they portray? One newer site is CriminalSearches.com. 
                Created by the folks behind PeopleFinders.com, the new site crunches 
                monthly government data down to the state and county level, says 
                Bryce Lane, president and chief operating officer of PeopleFinders.com. 
                "What we're really good at is establishing connections across 
                all these different data sets, linking it back to a particular 
                person," Lane said, acknowledging, however, that some data 
                might be missing. The company also doesn't tap into federal crime 
                data. Punch in the details and the site generates a map showing 
                small squares that represent each person who resides -- or previously 
                resided -- in the area and was convicted of a crime at some point. 
                In some cases, the site will turn up people who were arrested, 
                but never convicted. Click on an individual square and you can 
                get the exact address for the person and a description of their 
                violation, among other details. 
              For More Information 
                Go To: http://www.criminalsearches.com/default.aspx 
                
              
              Data 
                Breach Notification Laws, State By State 
              Five years 
                after California's landmark SB 1386, our interactive map shows 
                you which 38 states have passed laws requiring companies to notify 
                consumers whose personal information has been compromised. [UPDATED 
                7/28/2008] This map will help you sort them out the varying requirements 
                of these laws. Click on any state to see highlights from that 
                state's law. (The gray states do not yet have disclosure laws 
                - exceptions noted above.) For more explanation, see the text 
                below the map.http://www.csoonline.com/article/221322/CSO_Disclosure_Series_Data_Breach_Notification_ 
                Laws_State_By_State 
                
              Justice 
                Issues Guidance on Discrimination During Employment Verification 
                 
              The Department 
                of Justice’s Office of Special Counsel (OSC) warns that 
                an employer who receives a no-match letter from the Social Security 
                Administration and terminates employees without attempting to 
                resolve the mismatches, or who treats employees differently “or 
                otherwise acts with the purpose or intent to discriminate based 
                upon national origin or other prohibited characteristics,” 
                may be charged with discrimination. 
              (Get 
                additional guidance on the Justice Department’s discrimination 
                policy from the OSC 
                web site. Employers may contact the agency at 1-800-255-8155 
                (1-800-237-2515 for the hearing impaired). 
              
                
               
                
              
              California 
                AB2918 - Employment: Usage Of Consumer Credit Reports. 
              This 
                bill would prohibit the user of a consumer credit report, with 
                the exception of certain financial institutions, from obtaining 
                a consumer credit report for employment purposes unless the information 
                is (1) substantially job related, meaning that the information 
                in the consumercredit report relates to the position for which 
                the person who is the subject of the report is being evaluated 
                because the position has one or more specified characteristics 
                is a highly compensated or managerial one, or (2) required 
                by law to be disclosed to or obtained by the userof the report. 
                The bill also would extend the exemption from liability for the 
                maintenance of reasonable procedures to ensure compliance with 
                the provisions specified in state law to encompass the new prohibition. 
              For 
                More Information Go To: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_2901-2950/ab_2918_bill_20080626_amended_sen_v95.pdf 
                
              
                 
                   NEW 
                      BOOK ON BACKGROUND SCREENING AND INVESTIGATIONS:  | 
                 
               
                
                 
                     | 
                    Background 
                      Screening and Investigations  
                      Managing Hiring Risk from the HR and Security Perspectives 
                       
                    By W. 
                      Barry Nixon, SPHR and Kim Kerr, CPP 
                      352 pages 16 ills 
                      Copyright 2008 
                      USD 49.95, Reference  
                    Butterworth-Heinemann 
                      Title 
                      ISBN: 978-0-7506-8256-5 
                    To Order 
                      Go To www.PreemploymentDirectory.com 
                      and click on the book cover 
                     | 
                 
               
                
              
              When 
                Sales Are Sagging and Times Are Tough What Can A Small Business 
                Owner Do? 
              Historically, 
                a company's best source of sales is the existing customer base. 
                Marketing 
                studies have shown that it is up to seven times more costly to 
                replace a customer than it is to keep one. Previous customers 
                have already "qualified" your business and deemed it 
                worthy of patronage. It should not be as hard to get them to become 
                repeat customers because you've already impressed them with your 
                operation the first time (haven't you?). And this management of 
                customer relationships--which in the past was more of an art form 
                based on personality--has been transformed into a science with 
                the advances of the digital age. CRM companies employing high-tech 
                solutions, such as Constant Contact and others, have made customer 
                relationship management accessible to the small business community. 
                And the Internet has made it cost-effective as well. It's as easy 
                as sending email. In fact, if your small business is not using 
                a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program (includes deploying 
                an ezine), it is falling behind, because so many small businesses 
                now use email marketing as a normal part of business operations. 
                CRM keeps you in contact with your best customers--so you know 
                what they need, and they know you're out there and ready to help. 
              For 
                More Information Go To: http://www.toolkit.com/news/newsDetail.aspx?nid=08-233crm 
                
              
                 
                   STOP 
                      STRUGGLING WITH WRITING AND PUBLISHING YOUR NEWSLETTER:  | 
                 
               
              We 
                can help you have a high quality e-newsletter to help nurture 
                your relationship with your clients and attract new clients. Our 
                customized newsletter service will take over your newsletter task 
                or create a new one for you. We can manage the creation of your 
                newsletter for you.  
              We 
                are constantly researching information to use for The Background 
                Buzz and you can put our research to use for you. Using the 
                information rich content from The Background Buzz (minus 
                the ads and competitors information) we will create a custom newsletter 
                for you. 
              Use 
                your staff’s time to do more valuable work and save all 
                the hassle of researching or writing articles, formatting and 
                managing all the other ezine tasks with our customized ezine process. 
              Contact 
                Barry Nixon at 949-770-5264 or at wbnixon@aol.com 
                for more information. 
                
              
                 
                   One 
                      Place! Many Suppliers!  | 
                 
               
              Looking 
                for the Top Suppliers in the Industry? Need to find a new Supplier? 
              Visit PreemploymentDirectory.com’s 
                VENDOR SHOWCASE which features suppliers to the 
                Background Screening Industry (go to www.PreemploymentDirectory.com, 
                click on ‘Click Here’ and then scroll down to Vendor 
                Showcase for Background Screening Industry Suppliers) 
                
              
                 
                   THE 
                      LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB FOR BUSINESS OWNERS  | 
                 
               
              Are you interested 
                in keeping up with the latest developments on the world wide web 
                and with web site technology from a business owner or business 
                development perspective? If so you may want to sign up for Web 
                Site Magazine. It is complimentary and written in a straightforward, 
                easy to read and understand manner. It is published in hardcopy. 
                
                
                
                
              
              Global 
                Background Screening  
              Having 
                the right background information about job candidates can reduce 
                the likelihood of employment-related litigation, bad hires and 
                excessive recruiting costs. But on a global scale, it also requires 
                knowledge of local screening regulations. As a result, background 
                screening has become a mission critical endeavor, not only with 
                U.S. multinationals changing talent recruiting and verification 
                practices, but also with locally based companies striving to reduce 
                the high costs of turnover in a business environment growing more 
                competitive and resource strained by the day. Roughly a third 
                of companies conduct some form of international screening either 
                for U.S. hires with an international component, or for local hires 
                in foreign offices.  
              In many 
                countries, no standardized requirement exists for releasing information 
                across regions, leaving pronounced gray areas for companies to 
                try to find their way through. In Malaysia, the lack of a clear 
                process for releasing criminal records often means government 
                departments make internal decisions as to who may and may not 
                have access to criminal records. The lack of consistency in this 
                approach makes working through this process challenging to say 
                the least. In other words, it is critical for companies to understand 
                country-specific national and cultural differences when conducting 
                verifications. For example, it is not legal to check criminal 
                backgrounds in Hong Kong. Therefore, those companies that offer 
                this information may be obtaining it illegally.  
              To 
                Read The Full Article Go To: http://www.talentmgt.com/recruitment_retention/2008/August/704/index.php 
                
              Background 
                Checking And Job Applicant Testing Outside The US: A Guide To 
                Multinational Pre-Hire Screening 
              Applicant 
                screening methods in the US have proven helpful for keeping firms 
                from hiring a criminal, someone with a bad work or credit history, 
                an uncredentialed resume liar or an applicant whose skills or 
                aptitudes don’t meet our needs. Perhaps our business case 
                for screening out these bad applicants is every bit as strong 
                overseas, where terminations are so complex and expensive. And 
                if our business case for screening is global, why not align our 
                practices globally? There is good news and bad news for US-based 
                multinationals striving to align pre-hire screening globally.13 
                The good news is that multinationals can indeed craft a globally-aligned 
                approach to pre-employment screening. The bad news is that doing 
                so requires clearing some high legal and cultural hurdles, and 
                adapting American methods for use abroad. Laws overseas that reach 
                pre-employment screening are complex and varied. They reach background 
                checks and written applicant tests in surprising ways. To craft 
                a workable, globally-aligned approach to applicant screening, 
                a multinational should take four steps: (a) Choose tools, (b) 
                get local guidance, (c) adapt aspirations to foreign realities 
                and (d) launch proactive Speaking broadly, the lesson here is 
                that US-based multinationals might well be ahead of their overseas 
                counterparts in appreciating the need to screen applicants by 
                gathering information going beyond what the applicants themselves 
                volunteer. But laws abroad, especially data privacy laws, erect 
                compliance hurdles. Launching a global background-checking or 
                pre-hire testing initiative takes patience, resources and a carefully 
                considered strategy. In the end, though, the effort will quite 
                likely produce valuable results. 
              To 
                view all formatting for this article (eg, tables, footnotes), 
                please access the original here. http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=15b96adc-a907-47ec-8254-d73a320782f0&l=6J3E6N2 
                
              
              Hands 
                Off The Cookie Jar, Or Pay 
              A 2004 
                study found an astounding 79% of employees admit to stealing or 
                considering doing so from their employers. One in five has already 
                done so by providing inflated expense accounts, cooking the books 
                or pocketing money from cash sales. From purloined paperclips 
                to the more audacious embezzlement of corporate funds, Canadian 
                employers lose more than $120-billion a year to employee theft 
                -- a problem identified as the cause of 30% of business failures. 
                But can the cost consequences of such theft more fairly redound 
                on the workplace thief? Increasingly employers are suing the theives, 
                sometimes laying charges, and even settling cases in return for 
                both money and videotape evidence incriminating fellow miscreants. 
              For 
                More Information Go To: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=6c053aab-e7f2-4879-aba6-ae4bef293003 
                
              
              Can 
                You Be 80% Ethical? 
              A recent 
                report shows trends that reflect today's values. The report was 
                based on a study conducted across twelve Indian cities and the 
                respondents were executives at the entry and middle levels. 
              · 
                About 55% said it was OK to fudge expense accounts.  
                · Another 60% found nothing wrong in carrying office stationery 
                to their homes 
                · 62% considered offering someone a bribe "normal 
                and ethical" behavior. 
              These 
                findings along with others from several major cities and across 
                different industry sectors, inevitably lead to the question, "Are 
                we witnessing the downside of ethics in the workplace?" More 
                worrisome is the rationale of the respondents - when top management 
                can charge millions on the expense account, what's wrong with 
                our doing it at the level of hundreds or thousands? Thus, the 
                effect of leadership on organizational culture is also brought 
                into sharp focus. 
              For 
                More Information Go To: http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/other/2008073011591.htm 
                
              
              Facebook 
                Case Highlights Dangers To Business Reputation 
              The recent 
                libel case surrounding the publication of information about an 
                individual and his business on social networking site Facebook 
                has again highlighted how damaging inappropriate use of such sites 
                can be for a business' reputation. For employers, the case illustrates 
                the importance of communicating the company's policy on social 
                networking sites - given that employees frequently discuss details 
                of their employment online, and disgruntled employees or ex-employees 
                might be less than positive about the organisation! 
              To 
                Read the Full Article Go To: http://www.workplacelaw.net/news/display/id/15840(The 
                law firm CMS Cameron McKenna discusses the details of the case) 
                
              United 
                Kingdom: Providing References For Employees 
              In today's 
                highly competitive job market, obtaining a good reference from 
                a former employer is increasingly important. However, as a general 
                rule there is no obligation for employers to provide a reference 
                for past employees - one exception to the general rule is that 
                employers who are regulated by the Financial Services Authority 
                have to give a reference for an FSA registered employee. 
              There 
                are a number of potential legal pitfalls surrounding the provision 
                of a suitable reference. The employer owes a duty of care to former 
                employees when it comes to providing a reference, which means 
                that an employer can be sued in negligence for including false 
                or misleading information in a reference which subsequently causes 
                the employee to suffer a loss. 
              Conversely, 
                if an employer deliberately or negligently includes information 
                in a reference which causes a potential employer to believe that 
                an employee is substantially better than he or she really is, 
                and the new employer can be shown to have suffered a loss as a 
                result, then the original employer could be liable to pay damages 
                to the new employer. 
              For 
                More Information Go To: http://mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=65118 
                
              Employers 
                Are Making Illegal Criminal Candidate Record Checks 
              Employers 
                are making illegal criminal candidate record checks on spent convictions 
                that should not be disclosed. Certain jobs such as work with children 
                or vulnerable adults are eligible for Criminal Records Bureau 
                (CRB) checks. However, BBC Radio 4's Face the Facts programme 
                has found requests to CRB for jobs such as train drivers, gardeners 
                and bricklayers. Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, 
                non-custodial offences and those that carry a prison sentence 
                of less than 30 months become spent after set periods of time 
                free from any further convictions meaning that after the rehabilitation 
                period has passed, reformed offenders are not obliged to disclose 
                those spent convictions when applying for most types of jobs. 
              Source: 
                http://www.recruiter.co.uk/Articles/337819/Candidate+checks.html 
                
              
                 
                  |  
                     Theft 
                      From Employer Highlights Need For Anti-Fraud Measures 
                    News 
                      of a manager that stole more than £8,000 from his 
                      employer highlights the importance of having anti-theft 
                      measures in place. Tony Cowles, 39, took the money whilst 
                      in charge at Costa Coffee in Newmarket, Ipswich Crown Court 
                      heard. Cowles, who pleaded guilty to theft from an employer, 
                      claimed that he had been under pressure at work when he 
                      “snapped” en route to a managers’ meeting 
                      in Ipswich on 24 June 2008.With takings amounting to £8,195 
                      still in the boot of his car he fled, and reached as far 
                      as New Zealand, but was refused entry to the country. Statistics 
                      show that 80% of the £40m lost to fraud each day in 
                      the UK involves an employee.Moreover, figures suggest that 
                      whilst many employers may feel that they have a loyal workforce, 
                      90% of fraudulent employees have been with their employer 
                      for more than a year. In the instance mentioned, Tony Cowles 
                      had worked the company for four years, and had been manager 
                      at the Newmarket branch since March 2007. CIFAS, the UK’s 
                      fraud prevention service, sets out a number of warning signs 
                      that could indicate that employee fraud is taking place, 
                      including: 
                    To Read 
                      The Full Article Go To: http://www.workplacelaw.net/ne 
                      ws/display/id/16266 
                      
                    
                    Safe 
                      Harbor Announces A Certification Mark 
                    The 
                      Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration 
                      (ITA) has developed a certification mark for the U.S.-European 
                      Union (EU) Safe Harbor Framework. The mark may be used by 
                      companies on their websites to signify that they have self-certified 
                      compliance with the provisions of the Safe Harbor Framework. 
                      The Safe Harbor Framework facilitates secure, uninterrupted 
                      transfers of personal information that support billions 
                      of dollars in trade from the EU to the United States. By 
                      displaying this certification mark, participating companies 
                      can more easily illustrate their commitment to ensuring 
                      that EU citizens’ data is secure, which is critical 
                      to the U.S.-EU trade relationship. In order to display the 
                      certification mark, participating U.S. companies must follow 
                      specific instructions developed by ITA. Only those organizations 
                      that have self-certified and are listed on ITA’s official 
                      Safe Harbor Program list will be allowed to use the mark 
                      in an appropriate manner. Continued use of the mark is contingent 
                      on companies maintaining their status in the program. More 
                      than 1,500 U.S. companies participate in the Safe Harbor, 
                      which is managed by ITA’s Manufacturing and Services 
                      unit. As the program has grown, it has achieved global recognition 
                      as one of the best ways to meet the requirements of the 
                      EU’s Data Protection Directive. For additional information 
                      about the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework, please contact 
                      Damon Greer at: (202)482-5023; damon.greer@mail.doc.gov. 
                       
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                  INTERNATIONAL 
                      RESOURCE CENTER  | 
                 
               
              We 
                have enhanced our International 
                Resource Center to be a valuable resource for anyone looking 
                for information on doing international background verifications, 
                vetting or verifications. It includes information on international 
                data protection and other laws, terrorist searches and much more. 
                Also included is very practical information on time zones, locating 
                cities, holidays in different countries, etc. 
              New 
                Information Added:  
                
              International Training Resources 
               
                We have added International 
                Training Resources to the International Resource Center. We 
                update this section monthly. Bookmark this valuable resource so 
                you can quickly find the information you need.  
                 
                To view the International Section go to http://www.preemploymentdirectory.com/ 
                and look under the gray line like below in the middle of the page: 
                 
                
                
                
                
                
              We invite 
                you to pull up a chair, take a break and join us in the Background 
                Bistro to sip a latte and chat with this weeks guest: 
              
                 
                    | 
                    This 
                      week we have the pleasure of talking with Mike Sankey, CEO 
                      of BRB Publications, 
                      Inc. Although work keeps Mike very busy, he certainly 
                      finds time to enjoy outside interests and his family. Mike 
                      has been involved with horse racing for the past twenty 
                      years and noted that at one time he owned as many as twenty-three 
                      horses, but never made it to the Kentucky Derby. He also 
                      did some breeding for a while and is down to four horses 
                      which he races at Turf Paradise in Phoenix. In addition 
                      to being into horse racing Mike also is really into baseball. 
                      He has been a die hard Cleveland Indians fan since 1958. 
                       
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                  |   Mike’s 
                      son is following in his dad’s footstep and loves baseball 
                      too. Mike coached him in Little League and he now plays 
                      center field at his high school and plans on continuing 
                      his baseball career in college. Mike beams when he talks 
                      about his son and his whole family. Every summer the whole 
                      family including his wife Lynn, daughter Kristen and son 
                      Max pack up and head to cooler surroundings to take a break 
                      from the heat in Arizona. He reminisced for a moment about 
                      times "when the kids were little and times when the 
                      family would hop in the R.V. and travel across the country. 
                      They would stop by the local stock car racetracks. This 
                      thought led Mike to exclaim, that he is a huge NASCAR fan 
                      and loves Dale Earnhardt. He added that they recently have 
                      traveled to Australia, Italy and Iceland, and by far Australia 
                      was his favorite.  
                    On the 
                      business side BRB 
                      Publications, Inc. is one of the country's largest publishers 
                      of source books for public records. Their resources provide 
                      access to over 26,000 government agencies, and 3,500 vendors. 
                      Prior to forming BRB, 
                      Mike owned a company that supplied driving records to the 
                      insurance industry. He sold the company in 1988 and decided 
                      to start BRB 
                      with his brother Mark. "The motor vehicle industry 
                      used to be my industry, but once I was done with that I 
                      composed all of the information that I was asked about all 
                      of the time and that is how BRB 
                      got started, " states Mike. 
                    In addition 
                      to BRB, 
                      Mike, and his brother Mark, own an embroidery and silk-screening 
                      company located in Tempe. "We have an 8,000 square 
                      foot operation and do contract work for resellers and provide 
                      direct orders to the general public. We also produce all 
                      of the T-shirts for the NAPBS," says Mike. 
                    Mike 
                      shared that running a company that is an industry leader 
                      and staying on top of things can be a real challenge. He 
                      sees a big part of his role as CEO to "Stay in touch 
                      with customers and let them know that I am always there 
                      for them. Because of the Internet, things are different 
                      in the way information and public records are both accessed 
                      and provided. In addition to that, the government is changing 
                      and we have to make our data correspond to those changes 
                      as well." As far as the future goes for both his company 
                      and his industry, Mike feels that there will be less print 
                      products, stating, "I think the demand for print products 
                      will diminish considerably. I think that the demand for 
                      a more efficient way to deliver information through technology 
                      will increase."I am sure with Mike’s leadership, 
                      industry expertise and customer orientation BRB 
                      will continue be leaders in their industry and who knows 
                      maybe one of those horses may become a triple crown threat 
                      to put Mike on top of the racing world too.  
                    Until 
                      next time... If you would like to contact Mike Sankey, you 
                      may do so at www.brbpub.com or at 1-800-929-3811.  
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                    ADVERTISERS IN THIS EDITION | 
                 
               
                
               
                
              
                 
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                    UPCOMING CONFERENCES & EVENTS | 
                 
               
                
               2008 
                Events (Click 
                Here to View full list of 2008 Events) – Updated Monthly 
              HR-XML 
                Consortium’s Global Partnering And Integration Summit 2008 
               Join fellow 
                industry partners, technologists and analysts for the inspiring 
                and educational Global Partnering and Integration summit 2008 
                delivered to you by the HR-XML Consortium on October 13th & 
                14th in Chicago, IL at the McCormick Hyatt Regency. This annual 
                event offers a multitude of topics and break-out sessions to help 
                your organization streamline and optimize its business processes 
                as they relate to HR management. Delve into the topics of ensuring 
                business system agility, enablement of e-business interaction 
                between arms-length HR service providers, which span the entire 
                field of HR including benefits enrollment, assessments, recruiting, 
                payroll and background screening. As a colleague, customer or 
                partner of an attending HR-XML member you will receive over 20% 
                off the regular non-member price, a savings of $200. 
              For More Information 
                Go To: www.partneringsummit.org 
                
               Online 
                Recruitment Conference and Expo 2008 
              The Onrec.com 
                Online Recruitment Conference & Expo brings together a unique 
                mix of online recruitment leading thinkers and commentators, with 
                HR practitioners and leading industry suppliers. Visitors will 
                have the opportunity to hear their thoughts on the development 
                growth in the US and globally, of the adoption of online recruitment 
                and implementation, now central to so many companies' recruitment 
                process. Todd Owens, General Manager, Screening Services, Intelius 
                will be making on presentation on Background Checks An 
                Emerging Differentiator Among Staffing Firms? 
              To Read More 
                About The Session and onrec.com's third annual Online Recruitment 
                Conference & Expo Go To: http://www.onrec.com/conferences/090908/topics.html 
                
              SHRM 
                State Conferences, visit http://www.shrm.org/conferences/state/CMS_004287.asp 
              Drug 
                and Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA), 2008 Training 
                Course Schedule, visit http://datia.org/ 
                 
              National 
                Association for Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), 
                2008 Webinar Schedule, visit http://www.napbs.com/content.php?id=289 
              World 
                Federation for Personnel Management, Events, http://www.wfpma.com/dates.html 
               
                
                 
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