September 2015 - Michelle Unscripted Take Two

If you missed the August Webinar where Michelle spoke unscripted, then you missed some exciting information! Don’t worry, here is a recap of a few points of interest.  Michelle was asked a few different questions about Commercial Investigations LLC and then some broad industry related questions.
 
Our host, Courtney Caola, asked her what makes CI different than other background screening companies.  Michelle started by explaining the importance of human intervention.  When companies rely only on larger companies with database only searches, they are putting themselves at great risk.   Employing real investigators that work as a team is one of the biggest reasons we stand out in the industry.  At Commercial Investigations, our trained investigators know what order searches should be run in.  When beginning a background investigation, a subject’s identity is validated before any additional searches are run. People with criminal pasts can be sneaky and we know what to look for.   A case occurred recently at CI in an investigation where an Origin™ search was run on a subject with a valid name and social security number.  Their address history showed up with a different date of birth than what was provided on the consent form.  When the information was run by an investigator using the correct information, it was found that there were several convictions uncovered, including larceny and battery. This was a normal start to a routine background investigation that became much more than a typical outcome.  If a database-only company had run this same information, the criminal would have slipped through the cracks and possibly taken on a position of trust and responsibility within the company.
 
Courtney asked Michelle about the trends of lawsuits rising in the industry.  Michelle explained how a lot of current lawsuits seem to be going back to the basics.  Organizations like the EEOC and FTC are making sure people are compliant with the laws.  With the recent surge of lawyers looking for areas that are frequently overlooked, there are lawsuits being filed on companies of all sizes.  Some of the basic procedures that need to be complied with include sending a preadverse action notice, a copy of the subject’s report, a copy of rights under the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act), Article 23-A Notice if in New York, and then an adverse action notice roughly 10 business days after indicating you will deny a job based on adverse data found in a background investigation.  A well-known company recently was sued based on not having the consent form as a standalone document from the application.  Technicalities such as these are being found and exploited, many times for financial gain. Imagine your company being sued over a small detail such as this and needing to shut down due to a large settlement.  This is a real concern happening daily with companies all over the country.  Michelle advises to partner with a background investigations company that helps you comply with the complicated laws and protects you by
shifting the liability.  At Commercial Investigations we are truly your Proactive Truth Partner™.
 
Lastly Michelle spoke about innovations in the industry.  One way the industry has changed is there has been a shift from companies working with hard copies to using online technology.  There are many great advantages to this including saving time, transferring some of the shift of liability from your company to the background screening company, and having your paperwork electronic instead of needing to keep paper records.  Our vision has always been to be the most innovative and educational partner in the industry. Products such as Cursory Indicator NY™, VolChecked™, and our vigilant monitoring services are a few of the ways we have helped lead
the industry into the future.  Also, years before “online investigating” became a big trend, Cyber Investigations™ were being completed by Commercial Investigations.
 
If you are interested in seeing “Michelle Unscripted”, visit CI Webinar Series.