Liars, con artists, and employment scammers are about to have their cover blown in a live webinar hosted by professional background screening expert Kevin Connell. In this free interactive webinar, Connell will share real stories of outrageous resume lies and reveal insider secrets of employment scam artists.

TAMPA FL — Today’s most prosperous liars, con artists, employment scammers, and the fraudulent websites that aid and abed them are about to have their cover blown in a live webinar hosted by professional background screening expert Kevin Connell.

In this free interactive webinar, Connell will share real stories of outrageous resume lies and reveal insider secrets of employment scam artists. Actual names of websites that help con men and scam artists achieve their goal of robbing employers of millions of dollars and trade secrets will be revealed.

“This webinar is a ‘must’ for anyone involved in the hiring, recruiting or staffing of new employees. Have no dissolutions — there are con artists and scammers working the hiring system to rob businesses blind. Knowing what to look for is essential to avoid employment scams and to protect the precious assets of the business,” said Connell.

According to Connell, professional con artists aren’t the only ones lying on resumes and job applications to try to weasel their way into companies.

“When the economy recedes, job applicants tend to lie more. 43% of the job applicants that we do a background check on come back with a discrepancy,” said Connell.

These resume lies, often centered on inflating credentials or hiding criminal history, can chip away at the integrity of a company. The webinar will show employers exactly how to spot these resume lies that can allow unqualified and potentially dangerous people access to the organization.

The webinar will take place on Thursday, September 9th 2010 at 11am Eastern Standard Time.

Attendees can register for the free webinar online at:
http://www.accuscreen.com/media/webinars.

After registering, participants will receive a link to view the live webinar online. Space is limited. Those interested are encouraged to register quickly to reserve their space.

The BP oil spill has certainly resulted in quite a mess that needs cleaning up. But, the mess goes much farther than the spill itself. At least one very serious legal issue has arisen as a result of a lack of pre-employment screening.

According to reports, one Rundy Charles Robertson, 41, a temporary worker hired to work on the oil spill cleanup, raped a coworker – a woman on the crew he was supervising. Turns out the victim was working side-by-side with a convicted sex offender.

Robertson, with a criminal record dating back to 1991, a 1996 conviction for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and a 2003 conviction for cruelty to children, was hired by an employment firm contracted by an environmental firm working for BP to provide cleanup workers. Now, everyone’s playing “pass the buck.”

BP hired the Miller Environmental Group, who hired Aerotek, the staffing agency, to provide workers for the cleanup. Aerotek did not perform background checks on the employees it hired for the job. One witness even said that potential workers were applying for jobs with house-arrest collars on. Aerotek claims that it did not require background checks because they were not required in their contract with Miller. However, they did start requiring checks about three weeks after the fact, per Miller’s request.

Aerotek claims it is not responsible because it was only following the guidelines Miller required. BP claims they are not responsible because they entrusted Miller with the task. Is Miller responsible?

Ultimately, someone will be held legally and financially responsible for not performing background checks on individuals hired to work on the BP cleanup. Sure, Robertson, if convicted, will serve time for his crime.

But, neither a jail sentence for Robertson, nor reparations made by any or all of the companies involved will eliminate the fact that a woman has been brutalized.

A simple background check would have uncovered Robertson’s criminal history and excluded him from employment.

Who’s responsible?

A new law in Florida has been passed that permanently prohibits sex offenders and career criminals from ever working in a day care center, assisted living facility, home health care agency, or any other position where they would be working with children or the elderly. The law, which took effect August 1, reinforces the belief that some individuals should never be given access to vulnerable populations.

Statistics indicate that recidivism rates are upwards of 67%. This means that two out of every three offenders will re-offend. And, some experts claim that this number is far too low and may be more like 80%. They indicate that these rates are lower than they should be because most studies follow released offenders only for a short period of time; usually less than five years.

One study that followed inmates for 20 years after they had been released, found that 94% were rearrested. As time progresses, recidivism rates may increase.

It is this type of data that has created the need for stricter hiring criteria, especially for individuals who work as caregivers. Many companies, until now, have allowed newly-hired employees to begin work pending their background check results. No longer. Employees must pass a nationwide background check before they can begin working. And exemptions, which were once commonplace, must be approved by top state officials.

News reports of children and the elderly have listed crimes such as rape, beatings, theft, and even murder. And, although no one can ever entirely predict an individual’s safety, thorough background checks and the conscientious application of strict policies regarding who can work with vulnerable populations and who cannot is key to protecting those our caregivers are enlisted to serve. Employers who are entrusted with the care of others must apply such policies without fail.

Kevin Connell, AccuScreen CEO and proponent of employer hiring rights, will unravel misleading quotes in a recent Associated Press article and clarify employers’ hiring rights in regard to pre-employment background checks.

TAMPA FL / August 23 2010 — Alarmed by the widely published Associated Press article from August 11th with the headline, “Some Job-Screening Tactics Challenged as Illegal,” AccuScreen has mounted a public response to counter statements that company leaders believe could misinform employers about their hiring rights.

In a webinar to be held Wednesday August 25 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST, Connell will unravel misleading facts in the article and explain employers’ hiring rights in regard to conducting a criminal background check and verifying the truthfulness of an applicant’s resume or job application.

Connell, the CEO of employment screening services company AccuScreen and outspoken proponent of employer hiring rights, believes the article is misleading and may have the effect of needlessly scaring employers about taking necessary steps to protect their companies.

“The article says that ‘companies using criminal records or bad credit reports to screen out job applicants might run afoul of anti-discrimination laws as the government steps up scrutiny of hiring policies that can hurt blacks and Hispanics’ — that is just ridiculous,” said Connell. “Employers have the right to ensure that they are hiring employees that will not jeopardize their company.”

The one-hour webinar, “Employee Screening Rights: 3 Must-Know Rules to Avoid the Wrath of the EEOC”, hosted by Connell, will explain:

· Employer’s rights in regard to running background checks on employees or job candidates
· The top 7 resume lies and how to spot them

Those interested in attending the free webinar can register online at: Webinar

“Employers cannot be made afraid to run a background check on applicants in order to protect their company, their employees, and their customers. In fact, laws have been passed making it mandatory to do criminal background checks in such industries as healthcare and daycare,” Connell said.

Those who cannot attend the webinar are encouraged to register for the event; a complimentary white paper, ‘Screening Job Applicants Without Discriminating,’ will be made available to all webinar registrants.

According to Connell, background checks can actually protect employers from being sued if an employee states he or she was fired or not hired because of illegal discrimination. “If the selection procedure has a disparate impact based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, can the employer show that the selection procedure is job-related and consistent with business necessity? An employer can meet this standard by showing that it is necessary to the safe and efficient performance of the job.” These guidelines, says Connell, comes directly from the EEOC.

Kevin Connell is available for comment on this subject. For interview inquiries, contact Sue Marriott at 1.800.689.2228 ext # 1100 or SueMarriott@AccuScreen.com.

About Kevin Connell:
Kevin G. Connell is a renowned professional background screening expert. He is recognized for his expertise on employment background screening, criminal record checks, workplace fraud, embezzlement, employee theft, resume fraud and negligent hiring in the workplace. Connell has spoken at numerous business, security & human resources conferences, including twice providing testimony before the Florida Supreme Court. He is widely quoted, has had several articles published in magazines, has been featured on television, including ABC-TV “Money Matters,” the Fox News Channel and has been interviewed on more than 126 live talk radio programs. Connell is a former founding Director of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS); he served on the board from 2003-2005.

About AccuScreen:
Since 1994, AccuScreen.com has been an industry pioneer, leader and expert in employment background screening, specializing in criminal background checks. Its reports are delivered to companies across the world in 2-72 hours.

Media Contact
Sue Marriott
SueMarriott@AccuScreen.com
410 S. Ware Blvd. Suite 607
Tampa, FL 33619
1.800.689.2228 ext # 1100

For several days, the media has reported constantly on the situation of Steven Slater, the flight attendant that dramatically quit his job as a JetBlue flight attendant. The public eagerly devoured the reports, quickly dividing into two camps: one that applauded Slater’s actions, and the other believing that, no matter what, Slater should have exercised professionalism.

The Take This Job and Shove It Mentality
Slater has turned into a sort of folk hero, acting as a poster child for anyone who wishes he or she could grab a couple of beers and slide down a shoot toward the unemployment line. Sounds like a great Steve Carell movie (star of the “Office”), but, in reality, it’s just not that easy.

What most people don’t realize is that the Steven Slater’s of the world are generally not first-time offenders. Slater’s actions have been highly publicized, almost romanticized to the point of rendering him the next Robin Hood, but, it turns out this isn’t the first time this particular flight attendant has hit the tarmac. Far too often, it isn’t until something of this extreme has happened that a business really opens the books on the background of an employee.

Interestingly, most accounts on JetBlue Flight 1052 indicate that Slater was intoxicated, belligerent, and combative even before he encountered the passenger he claims caused him to ruin his career. One passenger even called him “petulant.” Slater is now being represented by a legal eagle who promotes the Sgt. Schultz defense. In other words, don’t tell the truth, don’t say anything at all if you can avoid it; just name, rank, and serial number.

Background Checks
But, could a background check have prevented the events of August 9, 2010. Slater obviously had issues that may have prevented his hiring, or, at least his continued employment with JetBlue. Several sources indicate that he has been a pot ready to boil over for quite some time. Other sources indicate that Slater has had a history of “diva” like behavior on the job, even before his tenure with JetBlue.

One thing is for sure; behavior that endangers any member of an organization, such as the way that Steven Slater endangered his fellow employees and the passengers of JetBlue by activating the emergency chute, should be cause for a ban on the future career aspirations of any individual who dares go that far. Slater’s actions went far beyond those of disgruntled employee, he literally risked the lives others. This unconscionable act, committed by an individual in a line of work where a cool head is always warranted, should serve as a lesson to employers who must ensure the safety of their customers and staff.

Ultimately, Steven Slater’s actions may qualify him as a participant in the next big thing in reality television shows, but is that the type of publicity you want for your business?

This week I was in the DC Washington area and did a remote live interview with Fox News Tampa Bay. I wanted to share with you the 5 tips that I shared in the interview. These are tips to keep in mind when taking a vacation to help you prevent worrying about your job security.

1. Team up with a trusted “Buddy” at work. You delegate what needs to be done, key contacts to be made, duties and deadlines that need to be completed while you are on vacation. Make sure this is a competent co-worker who is someone that is a team player, and most of all, someone that you trust. Then you return the favor when your “Buddy” goes on vacation.

2. Communicate and approach your manager ahead of time, schedule your vacation during a non-peak period for your particular business or industry, your manager will appreciate the fact that you planned ahead and came up with this system, you’ve made it easy for your manager to approve your vacation request. This also shows that you care about your job and the company.

3. If you can “disconnect” from work completely, that is what a vacation is for after all, to relax, decompress and re-charge those batteries. However, if you must stay connected, have rules and parameters as to when you will be available to take calls or emails. On a 1 week vacation, it might work like this, I will be available for “emergencies only” and you can reach me at this number, but make sure that everyone knows what defines an emergency. Besides this exception, you could make yourself available on certain days and times, such as between 9:00 and 10:00 am on Tuesday, and then 7:00 and 8:00 PM on Thursday.
Make sure to communicate, set the parameters and stick to them.

4. Know the company culture from the start and this means at the job interview, or after a job offer has been extended, ask about the topic of vacations, and are we “unplugged” during vacations? Then you will know from the very beginning what you can expect and make the decision as to whether this company is the “right fit” for you. The very first vacation that you take with any company will in all likelihood dictate how vacations will work in subsequent years, keep this is mind, because how you treat a vacation and whether you stay “plugged in” sets expectations.

5. This is very important, if you don’t take a vacation, you will feel cheated, and you’ll probably feel some resentment, anger, stress and the likely result is that you will burn yourself out. So what good are you now? Make sure you take time off, if you don’t, you will likely regret it later.

Sincerely,
Kevin Connell
Founder & CEO of AccuScreen.com

To see the full interview with Kevin Connell on Fox News Tampa Bay you can go here.

Webinar: Workplace Violence in the 21st Century – 2:00 PM Eastern 11:00 Pacific

Tampa, Fl., August 11, 2010—In the wake of the beer distributorship shooting and tragic loss of life in Manchester, CT on August 3rd, many Human Resource professionals and business leaders are taking a fresh look at their policies and procedures that address workplace violence. A new webinar, “Workplace Violence in the 21st Century: Top 10 Lessons Learned,” offers employers and HR professionals an opportunity to learn from and ask questions of two experts who have worked on the prevention of workplace violence for decades. The webinar will take place on Friday, August 13, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT.

Individuals can register for this free webinar at: http://www.accuscreen.com/media/webinars

Hosted by AccuScreen Inc., an industry pioneer, leader and expert in employment background screening, the webinar will feature founder and CEO Kevin Connell interviewing Barry Nixon, the executive director of the National Institute for Prevention of Workplace Violence, Inc., a company focused on assisting organizations to effectively implement programs to prevent workplace violence. Connell, also an expert on the subject of workplace violence and on background checks, promises a content-packed discussion.

The webinar will address the issue of workplace violence, the warning signs to look out for, and why no company no matter how large or small is immune. Most importantly, Connell and Nixon will speak about ways to prevent workplace violence from happening in the first place.

Adds CEO Connell of AccuScreen, “we will address not only why workplace violence has been on the rise, but also dispel the different myths that are out there such as the ‘disgruntled worker just snapped.’”

Connell and Nixon will reserve time on the webinar for questions. They encourage participants to bring questions that they may have about workplace violence.

About Accu-Screen Inc.
Since 1994, Accu-Screen, Inc. has been an industry pioneer, leader and expert in employment background screening, tenant screening, nanny screening and date screening, specializing in criminal background checks. Its reports are delivered to companies across the world with turnaround times from Instant to no more than 72 hours. CEO Kevin G. Connell founded the company with a burning desire that companies hire the right people from the start, resulting in greater cost control and better safety in the workplace. Mr. Connell served as a Founding Director of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), and he is a frequent Radio and Television Guest, appearing on ABC and Fox. Kevin also serves as a national speaker and expert in negligent hiring, resume fraud, employee theft, and embezzlement. Accu-Screen, Inc. is a C.A.U.S.E. Certified Background Screening Company.

About Kevin Connell
Kevin Connell has over 15 years experience as CEO & Founder of AccuScreen.com, a Global Background Screening Company, specializing in Criminal Background Checks. Mr. Connell was one of the founding Directors of the National Association of Background Screeners (www.napbs.com); he is an internationally-known expert on Background Checks, Occupational Fraud and Embezzlement, as well as a speaker, published author who has appeared on over 73 Television and Radio shows including Fox News and ABC’s Money Matters.

About Barry Nixon
W. Barry Nixon is the Executive Director of the National Institute for Prevention of Workplace Violence, Inc., a company focused on assisting organizations to effectively implement programs to prevent workplace violence. Having spent over twenty years in Human Resources and Organization Development in Fortune 500 companies. Mr. Nixon is well grounded in the real issues companies face and develops practical solutions based on having been there. Mr. Nixon is a frequently requested speaker both in the US and internationally on the subject of Workplace Violence and Background Screening.

A warehouse driver became violent when asked to resign from his job. He was working at a beer distributor, refused to be let go and then opened fire Tuesday morning. Police said the gunman and several other people were killed and others were wounded, one critically.

The authorities are still searching the building to make sure everyone is accounted for before confirming the number of deaths, state police Lt. J. Paul Vance said.

Michaela Donnelly, spokeswoman said that at least one person has died at Hartford Hospital and another victim taken there was in critical condition and another in fair condition.

There were about 50 to 70 people in the warehouse at the time of the shooting. Adding to the chaos was a fire at the warehouse, which is about 10 miles east of Hartford that has been put out.

The gunman was a driver who had worked at the distributor for a couple of years and been called in for a disciplinary hearing, said John Hollis of the Connecticut Teamsters, who was with company officials at the scene of the shooting.

Police and fire vehicles, from numerous agencies, surrounded the warehouse on a tree-lined road in an industrial park just west of a shopping mall. A SWAT team with a police dog was walking around the property a couple of hours after the 7 a.m. shooting.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX—The former office manager for a local medical group has been sentenced to federal prison for tax evasion, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today.

Senior United States District Judge John D. Rainey sentenced Gina Anzaldua Holley, of Corpus Christi, to 24 months in federal custody, followed by a three year term of supervised release for failing to pay taxes on approximately $1 million she embezzled from her employer. Holley was also ordered to pay $297,855 in back taxes owed to the United States.

Holley pleaded guilty to tax evasion in April 2010 admitting she failed to pay taxes on the money she embezzled from her employer between 2003 and 2006 while working as the office manager for a medical group. Holley’s failed to disclosed this income on her tax returns which resulted in $297,855 in unpaid taxes to the United States.

According to pleadings filed of record in the case, in September 2007 the medical group discovered Holley had been using a company ATM card to make unauthorized withdrawals. Further investigation revealed that in addition to the unauthorized withdrawals, Holley also embezzled money by issuing company checks to herself, writing company checks to pay her credit cards and other expenses and making unauthorized transfers to her checking account. As office manager, Holley had control of accounts payable and the payroll as well as being in charge of bank reconciliations. Holley altered business records to conceal the fraud by making various journal entries and coding the majority of the embezzled funds to medication expenses. She used the embezzled funds to purchase vehicles and a house, and to fund cosmetic surgery and frequent trips to Las Vegas, Nev., New York and Puerto Rico.

The medical group obtained a civil judgment against Holley of $1,132,273 in compensatory damages and $2.5 million in exemplary damages as a result of the embezzlement.

The court has permitted Holley to remain on bond pending the issuance of an order to surrender to a Bureau of Prisons facility to be designated in the near future.

The investigation leading to the charges against Holley was conducted by special agents of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Robert D. Thorpe Jr. prosecuted the case.

We’ve all seen them—pop-up messages telling you your computer is infected with a virus. To get rid of it, all you have to do is order the antivirus software being advertised.

Before you click, though, know this: few Internet security companies use ads to tell you about a virus on your computer. Most of these pop-ups are scams, and it’s one of the fastest-growing types of Internet fraud today.

These scams have a name. They’re called “scareware” because they try to frighten you into purchasing fake antivirus software with a seemingly genuine security warning. But if you do try to buy this program, it will either do nothing…or it could compromise your computer by installing malicious software onto your system. And in some instances, you don’t even have to click on the pop-up box…the software downloads automatically.

Cyber criminals often use notorious botnets—networks of compromised computers under their control—to push out their software. They’ll also masquerade as legitimate Internet security companies and buy ads on other websites—called “malvertising”—but when consumers click on the ads to purchase the products, they are redirected to websites controlled by the bad guys.

Many of these criminals operate outside the U.S., making investigations difficult and complex for the FBI and its partners. But we’ve had successes—just this past May, for example, three people were charged in Illinois in connection with a scheme that caused Internet users in more than 60 countries, including the U.S., to buy more than $100 million worth of bogus scareware software.

Two of the defendants, including an American, are accused of running an overseas company that claimed to sell antivirus and computer performance/repair software over the Internet. A third man operated the company’s Cincinnati call center, which was responsible for technical and billing support to its customers (but in reality deflected complaints from consumers who realized the software didn’t work).

According to the indictment, proceeds from the sales of the software (which was typically purchased by credit card) were deposited into bank accounts controlled by the defendants and others throughout the world and then quickly transferred to accounts in Europe.

In addition to the consumers victimized by the scam, a number of legitimate companies tricked into selling ad space on their websites for the bogus software were allegedly defrauded of about $85,000 in unpaid fees.

Don’t let it happen to you. Here are a few words of advice on scareware.

How to spot a scareware scam:

Does the pop-up use “non-clickable” icons? To build authenticity into their software, scareware will show a list of reputable icons—like those of software companies or security publications. However, the user can’t click through to the sites to see the actual reviews or recommendations.

Is the pop-up ad hard to close? Scareware pop-ups employ aggressive techniques and will not close easily after clicking the “close” or “X” button.

Have you heard of the software before? Cyber criminals use easy-to-remember names like Virus Shield, Antivirus, or VirusRemover.

News Flash: New Jersey legalized the sale and use of medical marijuana as of July 1, becoming the 14th state to allow the use of pot for medical purposes.