EMPLOYEE BACKGROUND CHECKS ARE A CRITICAL PIECE OF ANY COMPANY’S HIRING PROCESS, PERIOD.
EMPLOYEE BACKGROUND CHECKS-3 ML Blog 26
PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING-3
It should be mandatory to conduct a pre-employment screening to improve profitability and reduce employee turnover. As a Loss Prevention manager, you see daily situations that prove why employee background checks are worth the time and expense! I catch an estimated 120 shoplifters per year. The majority of them have jobs, and many of those jobs are in retail. Do you think they are only stealing from others stores and not their own jobs? Of course not. 40 percent of the shoplifters had at least 1 prior arrest history with convictions. But yet they are getting jobs left and right without anyone knowing. You would not trust a stranger in your house with your property? Of course not. But we invest so much time in our own stores, and 1 person can wipe us out by stealing, draining profits right under our noses. This causes everyone’s hard work and sales to turn directly into shrink for the company. Applicants do not always tell “all”. They will always say they are honest and trustworthy because they want the job. Instead of just trusting, why not know? Employee background checks are cost effective and will give you that peace of mind. Prevention of a bad situation is way less expensive than fixing a bad hiring decision. I’ve watched this many times with my own eyes, closing out our high dollar employee theft investigations each year.
I was once working at a retail location and had an employee who everyone knew and appreciated. The employee had a vibrant personality and everyone really respected her. She was well liked by everyone, including the management team. One Friday evening, I was scanning CCTV looking for shoplifters. It was a slow night and not many people were in the store. I barely saw in the corner of my camera view, the associate really looking through our fragrance bottles. I wouldn’t normally think anything of it, because associates here love to shop on their breaks. However, something was different! The amazing associate that everyone adored, just selected 4 bottles of our very high end fragrance. I decided to do a surveillance to see what was going on. It ran through my head that they could possibly be on clearance, but I could only find out by continuing to watch. Next, she grabs a shirt off of the sales floor, and quickly covers all the bottles of fragrance. Now my stomach turned completely. The vibrant associate was behaving just like s shoplifter! She went to a fitting room with the items, returning with nothing but the shirt and now a shopping bag that she did not have before. I could see the fragrance through the bag, and verified it was not left behind in the fitting room. At the end of the night, she left our store with the stolen merchandise. I apprehended her and had many questions for her to answer. She explained she had been stealing items for the past 2 years, around once a week. I asked her why? Her best explanation was “no one would think anything of me”, and “I thought it was easy”. A well liked employee everyone trusts may not be who they say they are. When we reviewed her file to terminate her in the system, I noticed she did not have an employee background check completed. I didn’t understand why we would not have completed one. Human Resources explained to me that they do not complete a pre-employment screening on the people they hire during the holidays. The well liked employee who has been robbing us blind was a convicted criminal with several prior thefts.
I completed an interview on the employee right before we prosecuted her. She admitted to stealing close to $14,000 from us in the short 2 years she worked there. Although we were happy to prosecute and get a thief out of our building, it shows how much money can walk out of your store in a short period of time. We could have stopped this from happening by a quick pre-employment screening before hand. This was just from 1 person, which makes you think about all of the other people we hired during the holidays??? Employee background checks are inexpensive and give you peace of mind knowing what type of person you are hiring. This can ensure that you are not hiring a person who is dangerous, untrustworthy, or just not a suitable fit for your business!
For more information about Employee Background Checks, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
It should be mandatory to conduct a pre-employment screening to improve profitability and reduce employee turnover. As a Loss Prevention manager, you see daily situations that prove why employee background checks are worth the time and expense! I catch an estimated 120 shoplifters per year. The majority of them have jobs, and many of those jobs are in retail. Do you think they are only stealing from others stores and not their own jobs? Of course not. 40 percent of the shoplifters had at least 1 prior arrest history with convictions. But yet they are getting jobs left and right without anyone knowing. You would not trust a stranger in your house with your property? Of course not. But we invest so much time in our own stores, and 1 person can wipe us out by stealing, draining profits right under our noses. This causes everyone’s hard work and sales to turn directly into shrink for the company. Applicants do not always tell “all”. They will always say they are honest and trustworthy because they want the job. Instead of just trusting, why not know? Employee background checks are cost effective and will give you that peace of mind. Prevention of a bad situation is way less expensive than fixing a bad hiring decision. I’ve watched this many times with my own eyes, closing out our high dollar employee theft investigations each year.
I was once working at a retail location and had an employee who everyone knew and appreciated. The employee had a vibrant personality and everyone really respected her. She was well liked by everyone, including the management team. One Friday evening, I was scanning CCTV looking for shoplifters. It was a slow night and not many people were in the store. I barely saw in the corner of my camera view, the associate really looking through our fragrance bottles. I wouldn’t normally think anything of it, because associates here love to shop on their breaks. However, something was different! The amazing associate that everyone adored, just selected 4 bottles of our very high end fragrance. I decided to do a surveillance to see what was going on. It ran through my head that they could possibly be on clearance, but I could only find out by continuing to watch. Next, she grabs a shirt off of the sales floor, and quickly covers all the bottles of fragrance. Now my stomach turned completely. The vibrant associate was behaving just like s shoplifter! She went to a fitting room with the items, returning with nothing but the shirt and now a shopping bag that she did not have before. I could see the fragrance through the bag, and verified it was not left behind in the fitting room. At the end of the night, she left our store with the stolen merchandise. I apprehended her and had many questions for her to answer. She explained she had been stealing items for the past 2 years, around once a week. I asked her why? Her best explanation was “no one would think anything of me”, and “I thought it was easy”. A well liked employee everyone trusts may not be who they say they are. When we reviewed her file to terminate her in the system, I noticed she did not have an employee background check completed. I didn’t understand why we would not have completed one. Human Resources explained to me that they do not complete a pre-employment screening on the people they hire during the holidays. The well liked employee who has been robbing us blind was a convicted criminal with several prior thefts.
I completed an interview on the employee right before we prosecuted her. She admitted to stealing close to $14,000 from us in the short 2 years she worked there. Although we were happy to prosecute and get a thief out of our building, it shows how much money can walk out of your store in a short period of time. We could have stopped this from happening by a quick pre-employment screening before hand. This was just from 1 person, which makes you think about all of the other people we hired during the holidays??? Employee background checks are inexpensive and give you peace of mind knowing what type of person you are hiring. This can ensure that you are not hiring a person who is dangerous, untrustworthy, or just not a suitable fit for your business!
For more information about Employee Background Checks, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
Checkpoint Hard Tags – 4 WC Blog 602
Stop Shoplifting – 3
Checkpoint Tags Keep Blustering Bullies At Bay
Two things that I have learned over the 28 years I have been in retail that are essential for a store to remain profitable is to stop shoplifting and prevent fraud. They may sound like they go hand in hand but that isn’t necessarily the case. Both do have something in common I have found and a recent encounter my daughter had reminded me of this. Often someone who is trying to commit fraud or theft is a loudmouth and will try to intimidate people. When I was a Manager on Duty and especially as a Loss Prevention Manager it seemed I encountered it almost daily. I will tell the story of my daughter’s boisterous bully in a moment. Before I tell the story, it is important that I remind everyone that the use of Checkpoint hard tags is a good way to deter theft and as a consequence, some types of fraud.
Shoplifters tend to steal merchandise based on the ease of concealment, high value, ability to resell it or if it is low or high risk. By risk, I mean the chance of being caught in the act of ripping off a store. Some anti-theft devices can impair the ease of concealment for example when an Alpha Keeper Box is used for a perfume bottle. Merchandise becomes high risk when Checkpoint hard tags are used to stop shoplifting. Say for example using a Mini Hard Tag when to protect clothing. Crooks will take untagged clothing into a fitting room hide them in a purse or put them on under their clothes. When it is time for them to leave the store the stolen items go out with them. On the other hand, if the merchandise has a tag attached to it the bad guys know it is going to set off the electronic article surveillance alarm towers. They can’t remove it because forcing a tag off takes a LOT of effort and it also ruins the clothing. Checkpoint tags add risk to attempted shoplifting. Take these two factors away and the final class of thieves tend to be fewer and far between. They too can be thwarted with retail anti-theft devices but employees have to be responsive to alarm activations and tagging has to be aggressive.
The loudmouths are often those people who are trying to steal or commit fraud as I mentioned earlier. When one of these clowns sets off an electronic article surveillance tower they may raise their voice immediately. They will pretend to be embarrassed and in a loud voice let everyone know that they shop here all of the time (it makes no difference if they do or don’t). They may also announce that they have a receipt and paid for everything or claim they have nothing at all. If an employee asks for a receipt they will often make a public display of pulling out a receipt and carefully keeping a thumb over the date stamp. A glaring look frequently accompanies the loud voice that is intended to get the employee to do a cursory receipt check and send the crook on their way just to get rid of them.
The person committing fraud will act in the same fashion. With return fraud they will huff and puff and put on great theatrics to convince a manager that all is in order and if it isn’t it is in no way their fault. If the merchandise is being returned with Checkpoint hard tags still on them and no receipt it has most likely been stolen. If there is no receipt but there is damage to the merchandise it is quite probable a tag was forced off at home. Having a clear return policy and sticking to that policy makes it far easier to deal with these patrons than when managers start to cave into them.
In my daughter’s case she was dealing with a patron trying to pay for merchandise with a lot of $20 bills that were not being accepted through a counterfeit bill reader. When she told him she could not accept his money he attempted to puff up and raise his voice and complain that there was nothing wrong with his money. Fortunately my daughter stuck to her guns and the patron pulled out two bills that passed muster. The point is that criminals try to use intimidation to get away with their crimes.
Checkpoint hard tags may not prevent all types of fraud but they do stop shoplifting and certain forms of return fraud. Stop the theft and you can reduce you and your manager’s exposure to bullying browbeaters and blowhards. You will also keep your store a happier place to work and shop.
Get more information on Checkpoint hard tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today
Two things that I have learned over the 28 years I have been in retail that are essential for a store to remain profitable is to stop shoplifting and prevent fraud. They may sound like they go hand in hand but that isn’t necessarily the case. Both do have something in common I have found and a recent encounter my daughter had reminded me of this. Often someone who is trying to commit fraud or theft is a loudmouth and will try to intimidate people. When I was a Manager on Duty and especially as a Loss Prevention Manager it seemed I encountered it almost daily. I will tell the story of my daughter’s boisterous bully in a moment. Before I tell the story, it is important that I remind everyone that the use of electronic article surveillance (EAS) hard tags is a good way to deter theft and as a consequence, some types of fraud.
Shoplifters tend to steal merchandise based on the ease of concealment, high value, ability to resell it or if it is low or high risk. By risk, I mean the chance of being caught in the act of ripping off a store. Some anti-theft devices can impair the ease of concealment for example when an a Keeper Box is used for a perfume bottle. Merchandise becomes high risk when EAS hard tags are used to stop shoplifting. Say for example using a Mini Hard Tag when to protect clothing. Crooks will take untagged clothing into a fitting room hide them in a purse or put them on under their clothes. When it is time for them to leave the store the stolen items go out with them. On the other hand, if the merchandise has a tag attached to it the bad guys know it is going to set off the electronic article surveillance alarm towers. They can’t remove it because forcing a tag off takes a LOT of effort and it also ruins the clothing. EAS tags add risk to attempted shoplifting. Take these two factors away and the final class of thieves tend to be fewer and far between. They too can be thwarted with retail anti-theft devices but employees have to be responsive to alarm activations and tagging has to be aggressive.
The loudmouths are often those people who are trying to steal or commit fraud as I mentioned earlier. When one of these clowns sets off an electronic article surveillance tower they may raise their voice immediately. They will pretend to be embarrassed and in a loud voice let everyone know that they shop here all of the time (it makes no difference if they do or don’t). They may also announce that they have a receipt and paid for everything or claim they have nothing at all. If an employee asks for a receipt they will often make a public display of pulling out a receipt and carefully keeping a thumb over the date stamp. A glaring look frequently accompanies the loud voice that is intended to get the employee to do a cursory receipt check and send the crook on their way just to get rid of them.
The person committing fraud will act in the same fashion. With return fraud they will huff and puff and put on great theatrics to convince a manager that all is in order and if it isn’t it is in no way their fault. If the merchandise is being returned with EAS hard tags still on them and no receipt it has most likely been stolen. If there is no receipt but there is damage to the merchandise it is quite probable a tag was forced off at home. Having a clear return policy and sticking to that policy makes it far easier to deal with these patrons than when managers start to cave into them.
In my daughter’s case she was dealing with a patron trying to pay for merchandise with a lot of $20 bills that were not being accepted through a counterfeit bill reader. When she told him she could not accept his money he attempted to puff up and raise his voice and complain that there was nothing wrong with his money. Fortunately my daughter stuck to her guns and the patron pulled out two bills that passed muster. The point is that criminals try to use intimidation to get away with their crimes.
EAS hard tags may not prevent all types of fraud but they do stop shoplifting and certain forms of return fraud. Stop the theft and you can reduce you and your manager’s exposure to bullying browbeaters and blowhards. You will also keep your store a happier place to work and shop.
Get more information on EAS hard tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today
iPad Theft- 3 WC Blog 562
Bug Tag-5
Classic N10-4
A Bug Tag And Classic N10 Towers Are A Powerful Solution To Medical iPad Theft
I recently made another visit to a hospital for a relative. During the visit I caught myself looking around at the medical equipment and thinking about the issue of iPad theft and stolen medical identity. No, I wasn’t being insensitive I was waiting for the relative to be released by the nursing staff so there wasn’t much I could do to stay occupied. While I was glancing around the halls I saw several laptop carts left unattended. Because of my frequent visits to this hospital I also am aware that iPads or computer tablets are in use by staff. How easy would it be for a criminal to engage in iPad theft or computer theft with equipment left unattended? The potential for theft is problematic but the issue of medical identity theft as a result of a stolen device is a bigger concern. The remedy for the problem is simple. It would only require a Bug Tag to be attached to an iPad or Tablet and a Classic N10 electronic article surveillance tower to be set up at each door.
The Bug Tag is a device with electronic article surveillance circuitry built into it that sends out a radio wave. The Classic N10 tower is a receiver that can detect a tagged iPad, computer tablet or other device when carried with the detection radius of the tower. When the tag is detected pandemonium erupts. The tower alarms scream out a high pitched alert and LED lights flash on and off signaling nearby staff to respond and recover hospital equipment. If the tag is a 3 Alarm tag it will sound an internal alarm if the crook continues to exit the building and this alarm follows the thief where they go. What happens if the criminal just pulls the tag off of the device? No problem! The Bug Tag has a tamper alarm that will scream out 95 decibels of noise giving away what the culprit is trying to do.
Why am I more concerned about the loss of information contained on a mobile medical device than I am the device itself? In an article in Healthcare IT News by Bill Siwicki, Feb 20, 2017, “Study: One in four U.S. consumers have had their personal medical information stolen”, the author makes several scary points. “Twenty-six percent of U.S. consumers have had their personal medical information stolen from healthcare systems, according to results of a new study from Accenture released today at HIMSS17 in Orlando.” While the article does not go into detail on how the data breaches take place we know from the Department of Health and Human Services reporting that many potential breaches occur due to stolen computer devices. In 2018 alone 12 incidents of stolen computers or “other portable electronic devices” have been reported. The requirement is that the “Secretary must post a list of data breaches of unsecured protected health information affecting 500 individuals or more.” That means there could potentially be more incidents of theft and data breaches that are not reported if they are impacting less than 500 patients.
Mr. Siwicki goes on to say that, “…of those who experienced a breach were victims of medical identity theft and had to pay approximately $2500 in out-of-pocket costs per incident, on average.” It would be intolerable for patients to be responsible for such expenses due to a failure of the facility to provide adequate protection for devices when it would only take a Bug Tag and installation of Classic N10 towers to prevent many losses.
Loss Prevention Systems Inc. has the ability to equip all of your hand-held devices with the Bug Tag to prevent iPad theft and the potential theft of other equipment. They can point out the best locations to set up Classic N10 towers and train staff how to handle attempted device thefts. Why risk losing not only patient data but patient trust as well? Let Loss Prevention Systems Inc. protect your equipment and reputation as only they know how.
Get more information on a Bug Tag, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
I recently made another visit to a hospital for a relative. During the visit I caught myself looking around at the medical equipment and thinking about the issue of iPad theft and stolen medical identity. No, I wasn’t being insensitive I was waiting for the relative to be released by the nursing staff so there wasn’t much I could do to stay occupied. While I was glancing around the halls I saw several laptop carts left unattended. Because of my frequent visits to this hospital I also am aware that iPads or computer tablets are in use by staff. How easy would it be for a criminal to engage in iPad theft or computer theft with equipment left unattended? The potential for theft is problematic but the issue of medical identity theft as a result of a stolen device is a bigger concern. The remedy for the problem is simple. It would only require a Bug Tag to be attached to an iPad or Tablet and a Classic N10 electronic article surveillance tower to be set up at each door.
The Bug Tag is a device with electronic article surveillance circuitry built into it that sends out a radio wave. The Classic N10 tower is a receiver that can detect a tagged iPad, computer tablet or other device when carried with the detection radius of the tower. When the tag is detected pandemonium erupts. The tower alarms scream out a high pitched alert and LED lights flash on and off signaling nearby staff to respond and recover hospital equipment. If the tag is a 3 Alarm tag it will sound an internal alarm if the crook continues to exit the building and this alarm follows the thief where they go. What happens if the criminal just pulls the tag off of the device? No problem! The Bug Tag has a tamper alarm that will scream out 95 decibels of noise giving away what the culprit is trying to do.
Why am I more concerned about the loss of information contained on a mobile medical device than I am the device itself? In an article in Healthcare IT News by Bill Siwicki, Feb 20, 2017, “Study: One in four U.S. consumers have had their personal medical information stolen”, the author makes several scary points. “Twenty-six percent of U.S. consumers have had their personal medical information stolen from healthcare systems, according to results of a new study from Accenture released today at HIMSS17 in Orlando.” While the article does not go into detail on how the data breaches take place we know from the Department of Health and Human Services reporting that many potential breaches occur due to stolen computer devices. In 2018 alone 12 incidents of stolen computers or “other portable electronic devices” have been reported. The requirement is that the “Secretary must post a list of data breaches of unsecured protected health information affecting 500 individuals or more.” That means there could potentially be more incidents of theft and data breaches that are not reported if they are impacting less than 500 patients.
Mr. Siwicki goes on to say that, “…of those who experienced a breach were victims of medical identity theft and had to pay approximately $2500 in out-of-pocket costs per incident, on average.” It would be intolerable for patients to be responsible for such expenses due to a failure of the facility to provide adequate protection for devices when it would only take a Bug Tag and installation of Classic N10 towers to prevent many losses.
Loss Prevention Systems Inc. has the ability to equip all of your hand-held devices with the Bug Tag to prevent iPad theft and the potential theft of other equipment. They can point out the best locations to set up Classic N10 towers and train staff how to handle attempted device thefts. Why risk losing not only patient data but patient trust as well? Let Loss Prevention Systems Inc. protect your equipment and reputation as only they know how.
Get more information on a Bug Tag, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
