front page news

Front Page News for All the Wrong Reasons

Amanda StricklandBackground Investigation, Security Program Development, Workplace Violence

Over the last couple weeks we have had too many examples of workplace violence and the devastation and the long-term impact it has on the business and the community. As security consultants, we partner with clients to protect their assets, and two of the most critical assets that any company has are its people and its reputation/brand. With that said, …

people texting

Legal Requirements as Mobile Devices Inundate Offices

Amanda StricklandCompliance, Computer Forensics, Crisis Management Planning, Electronic Data Recovery, Intellectual Property, Security Program Development

By Elizabeth Johnson Originally published in Business North Carolina’s Law Journal, May 2012 issue With 87% of employees confirming they use personal electronic devices for work, designing a workable “bring-your-own-device” program is probably overdue. BYOD is a tricky issue; 48% of companies claim they would never authorize employees to use personal devices for work, but 57% acknowledge that employees do …

employment application

Yahoo Chief Executive Scott Thompson Steps Down

Tasha Dyson, CFEBackground Investigation, Compliance, Theft, Embezzlement, and Fraud

Based on experience with some of our clients, there seems to be an assumption that applicants for C-level positions are somehow immune from falsifying information and are above reproach. The assumption seems to be that since an applicant has worked at “Alpha Company”, there is no need for “Beta Company” to do a thorough background investigation. The faulty logic is …

business laptop

FBI Warns Travelers to Beware Attacks Via Hotel Wi-Fi

Russell W. Gilmore, CISSP, CISM, EnCECompliance, Intellectual Property, Theft, Embezzlement, and Fraud

In today’s economic environment, all companies are looking for opportunities to increase their customer base and grow their market share. Technology and the effective use of technology is critical to all businesses, from the small “mom & pop” to the large Fortune 100 firm doing business around the globe. As Americans we love technology and can’t get enough of it. …

BP texting

Government Files First Criminal Charges In BP Oil Spill

Amanda StricklandCompliance, Computer Forensics

As businesses have evolved and grown, so have the ways we communicate. It is no longer as simple as a letter, meeting, or a phone call. We send emails, have video chats, communicate with instant messages, and send text messages at an exponential rate. Have you ever stopped to consider how your company would respond to a preservation letter or …

Digital Message Resonance and Its Impact on Economic Advantage

Christine L. Peterson, CPP, ISPSecurity Program Development

Using Social Media Monitoring and Analytics to Protect Human Capital, Company Property, and Your Brand Social Media is a relatively new term that has become ingrained in our consciousness and language, but do you know what it means or encompasses? If you answered no, then you are in the majority. Everyone talks about Social Media, but few really understand it. …

cargo thefts

US Cargo Theft – A Five‐Year Review

Christine L. Peterson, CPP, ISPCrisis Management Planning, Security Assessment, Security Program Development, Theft, Embezzlement, and Fraud

Where are the vulnerabilities in the supply chain? When and where are goods the most at risk in during shipping? FreightWatch, a logistics security services company, analyzed five years of cargo theft statistics as a way to answer these questions. They produced a report that provides security and loss prevention personnel with information about trends in cargo theft, allowing companies …

emergency-call-box

Maintaining Security Management Systems

Amanda StricklandSecurity System Lifespan Management, Security System Testing and Commissioning

It is not a secret that most departments within corporations and governments including local, state, and federal have been asked to reduce their budgets by a certain percentage every year since the economy took a turn for the worse. This has been a challenge – especially for security departments. How do you maintain the level of security needed today with …

callerID

Fake Caller ID Attacks on The Rise

Tasha Dyson, CFENews, Theft, Embezzlement, and Fraud

These kinds of phony calls have existed for years, but the sophistication has increased to combat our increased vigilance. Use the same cautions that you would use when opening an email that appears to be from your bank or other institution. When you receive a call or email from your bank, the safest course of action is to initiate the …

Julie Jones

Race and Ethnicity

Tasha Dyson, CFEBackground Investigation

Why do we ask for race/ethnicity on background investigation request forms? Because all of these women are Julie Jones. Which one is applying for a job at your company? You may have seen them in person, but the person conducting the background investigation has not. When obtaining a criminal record in North Carolina, for example, results often look like this: …