Posts Tagged ‘surveillance’

Background checks and summer . . . what’s the connection?

Summer time is when many of us put our children in the hands of others.  It may be so they have care while we work or to give them a chance to learn a new sport or activity to keep them happy during the long summer weeks.  It might be a combination of both.

The question is – do you know who is really caring for your child – or, if you are a business that offers these activities, who is caring for your client’s child?

You don’t want to take chances.  As a parent, you need to be asking if the organization offering a summer camp or activity does background checks on their employees AND volunteers.   As an organization, it is your responsibility to do it.

Pedophiles seek out opportunities when they can be around children.  Often churches or other organizations may have a protocol they follow for employees, but unpaid volunteers are just as important.

The cost of a background check can easily be absorbed in the tuition or fees for camps and by conducting them; you can promote this aspect when you are filling up your camps and classes.  The good will you develop with the community and parents is one where they know you consider a child’s safety as your number one priority.

AISG (Advanced Investigative Services Group), http://www.aisgonline.com/ offers extensive background checks for their clients.  As parents themselves, they know the importance of having someone you can trust care for your child. 

One mother told AISG of a Karate School her daughter participated in.  “I actually heard of the Karate school from one of my friends.  I just assumed that companies who are child focused do background checks.  I feel foolish that I never did ask.  Luckily I could attend the classes with her but did feel uncomfortable when I saw just how ‘chummy’ this particular instructor was with the kids.  When I was informed of additional opportunities for my daughter to come to the school – for a ‘parent’s night out’, for example, I was not interested since I personally did not know the people.  A few weeks after my daughter’s classes ended, I was watching the morning news one day and his face was shown.  I was sick to my stomach to learn he was arrested as a child molester.  Many parents who had children as part of their program started talking to each other and to our children.  It really hit home.”

For a very reasonable price, a company can check out an employee or volunteer and be assured of what they provide.  Not doing this and heaven forbid, hiring a pedophile can have serious repercussions.  Aside from the horror of knowing you may have prevented an innocent child’s pain, future business is affected and you have legal ramifications. 

For parents looking to hire a nanny or babysitter for the summer, the price to do a thorough background check is about the same cost as only one day of the babysitter/nanny fees.”

We all hear about the importance of having background checks done, but other than knowing it’s a requirement for certain jobs, many of us don’t follow through on a personal level.

One woman (Angie)  told us the story about a man she met through on-line dating.  On line dating can often lead many couples to a lifetime of happiness - although often just because they appear to be your perfect “match”, it does not mean the information they provided is truthful.  Let’s face it, there are some people out there who are quite comfortable misrepresenting themselves if it benefits them.  Angie found out the hard way what happens when you think with your heart rather than your head:

“I was on cloud 9 and thought that finally, it’s my turn to find love.  Jon was everything I dreamed of.  He was a gentleman, he had a good job and was stable.  He treated me like a princess.  We’d laugh and talk for hours.  After a while, things didn’t always add up.  I started to wonder how honest he was with me about things.  Something finally made me decide to do a background check, although it was too late.  I already fell in love with him. 

I couldn’t believe this actually happened to me.  I am a smart woman and I can’t believe I didn’t have a better idea that this guy seemed to lie about everything!  Thank God I did the background check and found out who he was before I agreed to marry him.  My heart is broken, but it could have been worse.  I am 27 years old and still have plenty of time to find love and happiness, but I guarantee I will never get involved in on-line dating unless I first do a thorough background check on someone I might want to get to know better.  It’s not that expensive and it’s worth every penny to know what/who you are getting!”

So many men and women want to be able to trust their hearts.  So many of us want to believe in destiny and can easily get caught up thinking on-line dating will be like the TV Commercials when life is like a fairy tale.  We do live in a world where people lie.  No one wants to believe this – especially someone who thinks they finally found the love of their life.  They often feel bad when they don’t just trust the person.  They don’t want to hurt feelings if their new love finds out. 

You must think of yourself first.  A background check on a potential “love” could even save your life.

We have all been exposed to infidelity at some point in our lives – either personally or through someone we know.  Often the first thought that comes to mind is “how did they find out?” or, “I would need to know”.  Truth is, it is getting easier to hide infidelity and unless someone was to continuously check their spouses’ emails, texts and call records AND follow them around wherever they go – - they have to rely on other ways to get answers.

Learning why and when infidelity often occurs can be helpful.  When does infidelity occur?  If you are suspicious, you can hire an investigator who specializes in Spousal Surveillance to help you learn the truth.  They can help you get reassurance or the truth through surveillance and other means.   If you are not sure, you can also check out “How to know if your spouse is committing adultery”.