Resume Fraudster Sent to Jail for Lying on Job Application

Just when Adam Wheeler, the man convicted last year of fraud for lying his way into Harvard, thought it was safe to come out of the shadows, prosecutors in Middlesex, Massachusetts are asking that he serve his sentence as handed down by Superior Court Judge.

But, prosecutors aren’t just being petty, and they certainly couldn’t be accused of picking on Wheeler. Wheeler, originally ordered to serve 2 ½ years in jail, 10 years probation, pay restitution of more than $45,800, and to continue attending counseling for identity theft, resume lies, and other charges, appears to have forgone the lesson he learned (or should have learned) from his conviction in favor of the temptation of lying for profit once again.

Yes, Wheeler has taken the fraud route once again. He is an ideal model of why employment background checks are crucial.

Will Wheeler Ever Learn?
For those who don’t recall the story, Adam Wheeler, now 25, managed to weasel his way into Harvard by claiming to have had attended the prestigious Phillips Academy prep school in Andover and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Not one to fly under the radar to avoid detection, Wheeler, decided to shoot for Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships while at Harvard, citing co-authorship of several books, and by claiming to have taught numerous courses and lectures on what must have been an impressive application, with not your typical resume fraud. He was booted from Harvard in 2009.

With a never-give-up attitude, Wheeler dusted himself off and applied for admission to Stanford after his dismissal from Harvard. Stanford accepted Wheeler but also kicked him out after being alerted to his cons.

Caught Red Handed!
With a smile at his trial, Wheeler apologized to Harvard, his teachers, other students, and his friends. He also admitted to being “ashamed and embarrassed.” But, obviously, Wheeler wasn’t too embarrassed to give fraud another shot.

This enterprising young man now sits in jail awaiting a hearing in mid-November regarding the violation of his probation. So, did Wheeler, like so many other resume liars, stretch the truth a bit about his abilities or work history? Nope. Wheeler, in what can only be called an act of sheer arrogance, cited on a resume and in a cover letter that he attended Harvard University, a strict warning against which was issued as a condition of his probation.

It seems Wheeler lost his job over the summer and, in an effort to make his court-ordered restitution payments, he created resume lies to put himself in a better position than other applicants for the job. Just as he denied other students a position at Harvard, and then Stanford, Wheeler, once again, intended to deny someone more qualified than him the right to a position. This resume fraudster extraordinaire pulled out his pen and made some creative changes to his past.

The Lessons Wheeler Teaches
Wheeler may be a bit hard pressed to learn his own lessons, but he may serve as a shining example of why it’s important to tell the truth on a resume and, for employers, he highlights the need for performing a thorough pre-employment background check on each and every employee.

Potential employees lie. Not all of them, of course, but enough of them lie on job applications to warrant due diligence by employers. If Wheeler was the only individual to give resume fraud a shot, then employers wouldn’t have to look so intently for applicants who lie about a criminal past, tell tales about past employment, and present bogus educational credentials.

The reality for employers is this…
Resume lies aren’t going to magically go away. Because of this, it’s important for employers to protect themselves by partnering with a pre-employment screening agency with the experience to help employers protect themselves, and their employees, against the liability that can result from resume fraudsters.

Kevin Connell is Founder & CEO of AccuScreen.com www.accuscreen.com which has been providing pre-employment background checks on prospective and current employees since 1994. For additional Information & resources about Kevin Connell and AccuScreen’s services, please go to www.accuscreen.com or call AccuScreen.com (813)837-1920, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM until 6:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time

Background Checks Demystified in Recent Webinar

In our recent webinar on February 23rd Kevin Connell CEO of AccuScreen and Mike Sankey discuss Google and Employment Background Checks.

Reminder of Webinar Tomorrow

Don’t miss out on the much anticipated webinar tomorrow.

Webinar will reveal:

• Criminal records what can you really get online?
• What are the best practices of obtaining and utilizing criminal records?
• Debunking the myth of Google, Does it search everything or just the shallow web?
• Who is policing the Internet for accurate information?
• Availability of Criminal background checks in the US, please demystify the process.
• What are the best search practices with out compromising accuracy?
• Cheap criminal background check databases are they worth it?

We have had a record amount of registrars for tomorrows webinar. “Google: Employment Background Checks Demystified.” Click here for information.

Webinar on Wednesday February 23rd “Google: Employment Background Checks Demystified.”

Don’t forget about the upcoming webinar on Wednesday! The presenters will be our very own Kevin Connell CEO of AccuScreen and guest Mike Sankey CEO of BRB Publications. This is one webinar you will not want to miss. For more information click here.

Pitfalls of Conducting Employment Background Checks through Social and Professional Networking Websites

Employers using social or professional networking sites need to use care to avoid attaining and using information in a discriminatory way. Employers need to ensure that they don’t break privacy laws and make sure the information obtained is accurate.

Types of social and professional networking sites available

Some of the most popular are social and professional networking websites:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

Twitter is a website which offers a social networking and microblogging service, its users send and read messages called tweets. Twitter is owned and operated by Twitter Inc. Since its creation in March 2006 it has gained in popularity worldwide and has approximately 190 million users.

Facebook is a social networking website founded by Mark Zuckerberg while he was still a student at Harvard University. The free-access website is privately owned and operated by Facebook, Inc. Users can join networks organized by city, school, workplace and region to connect and interact with other people. People can also add friends, send them messages and update their personal profile to notify friends about themselves. Website membership was initially only available to Harvard students, but now has more than 600 million active users worldwide.

LinkedIn is a site mainly used for professional networking. The purpose of the site is to allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details on people they know and trust in business. The people in the list are called Connections. Users can invite anyone (site user or not) to become a connection.

Pitfalls of using social and professional networking sites to screen job candidates

Some employers may feel that they should take advantage of the “free” information that is available on these networking sites. Before employers use information obtained from these sites, they need to consider:

• The use of personal information
• Accessibility issues
• Accuracy of information

It is important that a hiring manager not discriminate against a candidate because the person included something strange on a social network website. Consequences of misusing the information on social and professional networking websites include discrimination lawsuits and claims of invasion of privacy from job applicants.

A Safer Alternative

For an affordable, safe way to screen potential employees it’s best to rely on a professional pre-employment screening firm. These firms offer employers unbiased and accurate information screens for:

• Employment
• Criminal Records
• Driving Records
• Drug Testing
• Social Security Number
• Worker’s Compensation
• Licenses & Credentials
• Education
• Credit Profile

This information should be handled by a background screening company.
Any information on a candidate’s background needs to be handled in a legal and confidential manner. The reality is that Human Resource departments or business owners will not have the time to weed out the good information from the bad information obtained through social and professional networking websites. Even if they have the time, they may not know what information is allowed under the law.

Social and professional networking websites may be useful to gain a better understanding of who the candidate is, but should not be relied upon to make a sound hiring decision.
In order to avoid privacy violation and discrimination claims it is best to get the assistance of a professional and experienced employment-screening firm.

Webinar: Friday August 13, 2010 – Workplace Violence in the 21st Century

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.