Investigative Value of Social Security Numbers

Posted in: Blog by admin on July 22, 2009 | No Comments

INVESTIGATIVE VALUE OF SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS
Proposed legislation would prohibit the sale of Social Security number information. As a result, private investigators would lose access to databases that are effective for helping distinguish individuals with similar names. This is particularly important with regard to women (who may assume their husband’s name).

How the data are used
Social Security numbers are an integral part of “credit headers”, the non-credit portion of a credit report. This information can lead to current and former addresses of individuals being sought when combined with public record information by aggregators. This is a key to many of the functions performed by investigators. Of equal value are dates of birth and driver’s license information.

Obtaining Criminal Histories
Investigators do not have access to a central criminal history database, so it is essential to have address information when seeking information about prior convictions. With address data, investigators know which courthouse records to search. This information is important for more than pre-employment purposes. In both civil and criminal trials, attorneys need to know the backgrounds of witnesses and potential witnesses.

Locating Ill Gotten Gains
Address information is valuable in locating stolen assets. Database information led directly to the recovery of hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen by a caregiver and recovered by the NCISS legislative Chairman.

Finding Witnesses
In both civil and criminal trials, justice is served best by all parties getting access to possible witnesses. The address information is used routinely to locate witnesses, particularly when they may be transient. Database searches led directly to witnesses who recanted testimony and helped free a man wrongly imprisoned for twenty years! Legislation restricting the use of Social Security numbers always provides exceptions for law enforcement. This creates an obvious issue of due process because prosecutors, with the full resources of the state will have use of this tool while the accused will not.

Obtaining Delinquent Child Support
In numerous cases, such data have led to recovery of funds from persons not meeting their child support obligations.

Vital Investigations

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VITAL INVESTIGATIONS REQUIRE
INFORMATION ACCESSThe private sector provides many invaluable investigative services to consumers, businesses and law enforcement agencies. In order to provide these essential services, it is vital for private investigators and security professionals to maintain their access to personal and unique identifying information.

These essential services include, but are not limited to:

Preventing Fraud

Private investigators help insurance companies, banks and others uncover or prevent fraudulent activities. They perform the necessary surveillance to establish the extent of the truth to any claims or to identify any fraudulent activities before they go too far. They are often hired to investigate life, accident, malpractice, compensation and other claims to ensure that they are not fraudulent.

The cost Intellectual property theft may exceed $240 billion annually

$67 billion is lost each year due to fraudulent claims

Employee dishonesty and theft costs American businesses over $50 billion a year

Helping Identity Theft VictimsIdentity theft is a growing national concern. The General Accounting Office has found that insufficient resources are allocated by authorities to investigate such crime and police face jurisdictional issues. Victims often turn to private investigators to help them recover their credit and good names.

FTC reports that from 2000-2004 over 27 million Americans were victims of  identify theft costing close to $48 billion in 2003

Investigating Casualty ClaimsPrivate investigators are often hired to prevent business ruin and job losses by investigating embezzlement, robberies, burglaries, thefts, losses, fires and other casualty claims. Without private investigators, corporations and other injured parties would be limited to the resources law enforcement can expend on the investigation.

3% of the nation’s annual health care costs, or $51 billion, is outright fraud; others have placed this figure as high as 10% or $170 billion a year

Investigating Grey Market Activity

Today’s advanced technology has increased opportunity in the grey market. American companies are susceptible to loss of intellectual capital through copyright infringement, patent theft and other diversions. They require the services of private investigators to assess how much money is being lost through tactics and to help identify and resolve some of the main sources of the diversion and infringement.

Economists estimate that 25 million Americans earn a large portion of their income from underground (grey) markets.

Investigating Workplace Allegations

Businesses must be very sensitive to all types of claims, including discrimination, harassment and other allegations. Businesses often employ private investigators to determine the accuracy of such allegations. Private investigators can expose dishonesty, waste, carelessness, inefficiency, willful neglect, and violation of safety rules, favoritism, sabotage and all other irregularities. Resolving these workplace issues helps protect consumers, employees and business owners.

EEOC received nearly 250,000 charges of various discrimination cases in 2004 including Age, Race, Religion, Pregnancy, Sex and Sexual Harassment resulting in nearly $500 million in monetary benefits

Securing Evidence and Surveillance

In preparation for filing suit or the actual trial, attorneys rely on private investigators to secure evidence and perform necessary surveillance. Law enforcement officials do not have the necessary resources to perform elaborate surveillance activities for every case in which they are involved. Instead, private investigators pick up where the law enforcement officials leave off to gather information through physical evidence and surveillance.

Locating WitnessesFrequently, witnesses to crimes or events under investigation do not come forward to authorities. For this reason, attorneys preparing for trial or adjudication frequently turn to private investigators to find previously unidentified witnesses or those who have retreated and decided not to come forward with testimony. Investigators often locate witnesses to assist defendants to prove their innocence.

Locating Missing Persons or Heirs

Today, private investigators are often hired by private citizens to help find missing persons. A persistent problem in the United States is family members disappearing with children during custody battles to other parts of the country. In these circumstances, access to records is essential for help parents find their missing children.

In addition, these services are also requested by will executors looking for lawful heirs. Current technology and search methods allow investigators to resolve many of these cases, reuniting families.

In 2003, it was estimated that $41 trillion in wealth will transfer from one generation to the next

In 2002, an estimated 58,200 children were abducted by a non-family perpetrator

Locating “Deadbeat Parents”Parents who chose not to support their own children, either because they are not paying alimony and child support, or they have entirely abandoned their children—”deadbeat parents”—often inflict poverty on their own children. Critical personal information is vital to assist in recovery of delinquent child support payments. Investigators are frequently able to make recoveries of more than $20,000. The private investigators recover important resources for the children while reducing the toll on the public. U.S. Census data from 2002 show that of the 7.9 million custodial parents receiving child support, only 44.8 % received full payments.

Locating DebtorsWhen the trail comes to an end, private investigators are employed to locate those against whom judgments have been made. Decisions of courts become meaningless if the aggrieved party cannot recover funds awarded by a judge or jury. Private investigators are often the only method for the creditors to pursue and capture their debts.

Locating Pension Beneficiaries

By the time pension distributions are made to former employees, many of them have already moved several times. Employers or private investigators must then be able to use Social Security Numbers to locate pension beneficiaries.

Performing Due Diligence/Protecting Consumers and Corporations:

Corporations hire private investigators to investigate applicants and employees considered for advancement to positions of trust and responsibility. These services are also requisitioned for building partnerships among corporate entities. Investigators work with both consumers and businesses to verify the backgrounds and licensing status of doctors, lawyers, and providers of child and elderly care. Information obtained by investigators can be used to determine if an individual has had a license suspended or a criminal prosecution pending in another jurisdiction. Due diligence must be performed in order to make sound investments and decisions.

ConclusionWithout access to personal information, many services, including all of those listed above, would be drastically restricted. Fewer families would be reunited, court judgments would be harder to enforce, and juries may miss hearing from important witnesses.

New Website Launch

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Parker & Associates, Professional Investigations is pleased to announce the launch of their new website. The website now makes it easier to request services and download forms.

Do Not Call List

Posted in: Blog by admin on May 19, 2009 | No Comments

The FCC and the Marketing Assn. has created a National Do Not Call Register to eliminate most of the Telemarketing Call. Charitable organizations may still call.
Register at http://donotcall.gov/

Profile

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PARKER & ASSOCIATES, Professional Investigations
& PRE-EMPLOYMENT PROFILES, A Division of Parker & Associates

Company Profile

A. RILEY PARKER – Certified Professional Investigator & Founder PI#16105

Mr. Parker has more that 30 years of law enforcement and private investigation experience. He is responsible for the supervision of the investigative staff and personally handles the more complex cases assigned to the firm including  AOE/COE, Disability, Embezzlement and Fraud assignments.  Mr. Parker holds the designation of Certified Professional Investigator (CPI) from the California Association of Licensed Investigators and Certified Fraud Specialist (CFS) from the Association of Certified Fraud Specialists. He holds a Bachelor Of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Almeda University; is a P.O.S.T. Certified Law Enforcement Background Investigator; holds a Certification in Workers’ Compensation Law from California State University, Bakersfield, and a Certification in Traffic Accident Investigation and Reconstruction from Northwestern Traffic Institute at Northwestern University.  Riley is an active member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Association of Certified Fraud Specialists, the California Association of Licensed Investigators and the Bakersfield Rotary Club.  He is a graduate of the Kern County Law Enforcement Training Academy and served honorably as a member of the Bakersfield Police Department. Mr. Parker has testified as an expert witness in the Kern County Superior Court and before the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board.

JANE PARKER – Private Investigator & Research Coordinator PI#26392

Ms. Parker  has more than 15 years of professional and private investigation experience. She is responsible for conducting all pre-employment screenings and executive level backgrounds; the coordination of online research and the daily supervision of administrative and financial functions.  She is a former fraud analyst experienced in the telecommunications industry and was an auditor for a major workers’ compensation carrier. Ms. Parker holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies; Certification in Workers’ Compensation Law, and a Certification in Human Resource Management, all from California State University, Bakersfield. She is also a P.O.S.T. Certified Law Enforcement Background Investigator.  Ms. Parker is an active member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and the Kern County Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Managers.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Parker & Associates and their subsidiary company, Pre-Employment Profiles, is a designated strategic partner of Klein Denatale Goldner HR Solutions, providing background investigations and investigative services to the clients of KDG-HR Solutions.

Riley Parker is an active member of the California Association of Licensed Investigators, where he serves on the Board of Directors as the 2008-2009  and 2009-2010 representative of the San Joaquin District.

Jane and Riley are both members of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and the firm is an active member of the Society of Human Resource Management and the Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce.
PARKER & ASSOCIATES, Professional Investigations
661.635.0633

16 YEARS OF SERVICE TO SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, EAST KERN,

OWENS VALLEY AND CENTRAL COAST EMPLOYERS

California Private Investigative Licenses #16105 and #26392