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Employee background checks – Thinking about hiring new staff, however, worried about their past? Wondering how to go about conducting these types of checks, and what is legal to check and what is illegal? Don’t hire a company that searches free public records that are often out of date – hire North American Investigations today. Our employee background checks consist of an array of different checks tailored to each clients individual needs.  Some items queried consist of the following:

• Name Verification
• Address Verification
• Social Security Number Verification
• Driving Records
• Vehicle Registration
• Credit Records (If the employee signs a release)
• Criminal Records
• Education Records
• Court Records
• Workers Compensation
• Bankruptcy
• Character References
• Neighbor Interviews
• Medical Records
• Property Ownership
• Military Records
• State Licensing Records
• Drug Test Records
• Past Employers
• Personal References
• Incarceration Records
• Sex Offender Registry

Call North American Investigations today at 800-724-8080 for a free consultation to see if we can help your company.

Cell phone records – We receive numerous calls a day, from people in hopes of obtaining cell phone / text message records.  Please be aware that it is illegal to do so, and any private investigator practicing this technique to obtain information is doing something illegal, that will not help you in court.  Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, proposed legislation H.R. 4709: Law Enforcement and Phone Privacy Protection Act of 2006, and S. 2178: Consumer Telephone Records Protection Act of 2006, both passed committee. This law has made it no longer possible to legally purchase such information (cell phone bills).  Please be aware that unless you are the actual owner of the phone and you can prove it, cell phone bills are unattainable.

Using cell phone bill records to obtain crucial information in an investigation is also outdated, because many cheating spouses now use a “throw-away-phone.”  These disposable phones are cheap and can cost as low as $10 to purchase.  One can purchase minutes as they use the phone, and there is no billing information or accounts linked to the actual telephone number.

Please call North American Investigations at 800-724-8080 today to see more up to date techniques of how to catch a cheating spouse.  Each investigation is tailored to your individual needs, and a package will be created to help you determine if your spouse is cheating and ultimately, give you the peace of mind you are in hopes of.  We offer a free consultation 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Online Dating Background Checks -

This week, a 24 year old man was accused of impersonating Guess model “Bree Condon” on internet dating site, SeekingMillionaire.com.  The 24 year old was deceiving wealthy men by posting photos of the model in order to obtain money.  Model “Bree Condon” hired a private investigator to disclose who the suspect was, and found Justin Brown who was then indicted on a felony theft charge.

At a private investigation company, we see similar cases to this regularly.  Many men and women think they are dating the person of their dreams, and are left only to find that they have been humiliated and taken advantage of.  Here are some tips from licensed private investigators to help you avoid being heartbroken, scammed, and deceived on the internet:

Watch out for anyone who seems too good to be true. Start with chatting online and on the internet before immediately meeting in person.  See if there are any odd behaviors you notice, or any lies you begin to catch.  Remember to trust your instincts and if the story you are being told is too elaborated, chances are, it probably is.  

Common Sense:  Do not think you are ‘dating’ someone you have never met.  Is the person telling you they are having financial problems? Do they always have some sort of excuse when you try to meet with them? Are they saying they want to meet you but cannot afford the trip? Do not lend out money to strangers!   Are they lying? Internet lovers are said to lie about themselves more than half the time – do not believe anything without facts!

Request a Photo: See if the photo of the person is real.  Though this is not always possible, if the person 

Chat on the Phone: Make sure they don’t have you calling a 1-900 number or something in another country.  These numbers can bring your telephone bill up to hundreds of dollars.  Also, just because the person sounds legit on the telephone, this still does not verify the story they are telling you.

Meet in Public:  While this may seem like common sense, you would be suprised how many times people end up on the first date in a private place.  By meeting in public, you are able to leave at any time and it is always the safer option of the two.  

Verify their Information: A background check will help verify the persons name, where they live, their criminal record(s), date of birth, properties owned, vehicles owned, professional licenses, marital status, and much more.

Without conducting a background check to verify the facts, there is no way to determine if what your ‘dream date’ is saying is true.  Often times on dating sites, con artist will take on different identities and live a ‘double life’ – lying about their name, using a pre-paid telephone number, and never letting you know anything with factual substance about their life.

Background checks for online dating may seem like overkill, however, in the long run it can save you from being scammed and having your heart broken.  

Haiti Missing Persons – We have received a few emails and telephone calls regarding locate cases for people in Haiti.  Right now due to Haiti’s telephone lines, we are unable to gain access via telephone.

If you are looking for a US citizen, The State Department Operations Center has released the following:

The State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747 (due to heavy volume, some callers may receive a recording). Our embassy is still in the early stages of contacting American Citizens through our Warden Network. Communications are very difficult within Haiti at this time. 

You can also register on the Red Cross website to locate a missing person in Haiti.  You can register the relative / friend you are looking for, check the list of registered peoples, or register yourself for other individuals to contact you. Please visit http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/WFL_HTI.NSF/DocIndex/locate_eng?opendocument

Heroin Epidemic Taking Hold Of Long Island Youth

wcbstv.com/seenat11/heroin.heroin.addiction.2.1199087.html

“Highly Addictive Drug Is Readily Available In Nassau, Suffolk And Parents Are Mostly Powerless To Stop Its Spread.”  Are your Long Island children doing drugs? “Parents need to wake up. This is not an epidemic that is happening a million miles away. It is happening and destroying young lives right in our community. The lack of resources to effectively treat this lethal addiction is equally frightening.” experts.longisland.com/fatherfrank/archive_article.php?.

The Investigators at NAI are former Narcotic Detectives and can take PRO active measures to save your child by conducting PRIVATE investigations. Is your child driving to Brooklyn or Queens to purchase drugs in your vehicle? Is your child getting high when they should be in school?  NAI can answer your questions. Police Departments are generally REACTIVE while Private Investigators have the means to be PROACTIVE. We have the resources to follow your children and put parents in a position to take appropriate action if needed.

Avoid Internet Scams

The FBI states that “Internet auction fraud was by far the most reported offense, comprising 44.9% of referred complaints.”  With the number so large, one must need to know how to protect themselves when shopping online, checking emails, and avoiding credit card fraud.  New people are logging on to the internet everyday, not knowing that they may be scammed through their emails or visiting their favorite website.  NAI receives numerous calls daily in regards to internet scams and criminal investigations, and are here with some tips to help you avoid becoming another victim:

1. Examine feedback on the seller: Always check out sites such as Ripoffreport.com to see if there are negative reviews on the company you are about to do business with.
2. Find out what actions the company takes if a problem occurs during the transaction or shipment.
3. Check if the company is on Better Business Bureau.  If they are not, this should be a warning flag.
4. Find out if shipping and delivery are included or if there are hidden fees.
5. Do not give out your social security number or driver’s license to the seller.
6. Make sure the source you are purchasing an item from is credible.
7. Verify the companies telephone number and physical address.  Also make sure the email address is active.
8. Be careful about offers that seem too good to be true.
9. Be careful about offers that are from unsolicited emails.
10. Be careful about companies that are not located in your country.
11. Avoid COD or money orders; the safest way to track a purchase is through your credit card. Do not give out your credit card unless the site is secured.
12. Make sure online the website is secure (HTTPS websites).  Make sure the site uses encryption software if you are sending your credit card out through the internet.
13. Make sure any emails you receive from a company are from the companies domain.  Fraudulent companies often use a ‘phishing’ technique to have the victim log in to what they think is their account, only to steal the victims identity and log in information. 
14. Nigerian scams are very common – be careful of individuals representing themselves as Nigerian or foreign government, looking for you to help put money in oversea banks.  These Nigerian Scams have been seen a lot through unsolicited emails being sent as spam.
15. Make sure you are attending the site you think you are.”.CM” sites trick customers to believing they are visiting the .COM site they thought they typed in, however, they are redirected to a fraudulent website.

Above all, be careful if offers are ‘too good to be true’, knock-offs, or from a website with little credibility.  If the site does not seem secured, professional, or has bad feedback, you may want to avoid purchasing from the company. Make sure to file an internet crime complaint officially at http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx if you are a victim of any cyber crime.

Holidays and Cheating

Holidays and Cheating – the two go hand in hand.  Though it is a season where most of us look forward to family time and spreading the holiday cheer, many times, the intrusion of infidelity turns the holiday time into a series of feeling paranoid, stressed, and ultimately, lonely.

For some of our readers, this may be the first holiday they are going to where they feel their world has been turned upside down. Worried your husband is not really going to a holiday party?  Or maybe he is, but did not invite you this year due to “cutbacks”?  Is your wife saying she is going shopping, but never coming home with any shopping bags?  During the holiday season, our agency sees infidelity committed in numerous ways.  

For other readers, this season can be the painstaking reminder of what happened last year.  Overcoming marital issues is difficult any time of the year, but especially, during a family oriented season.  The holidays are a very common time for one to discover their spouses infidelity.  During these times, the cheater tries to balance family and another lover, resulting in missed money, gifts found that are not for you, and longer absences more than usual.

Here are some suggestions from http://firstaidforaffairs.com/ to deal with loneliness and infidelity issues during the holidays:

• Focus on the joy of the season, and for those whom it is an important religious time, let as much of your focus center on the true meaning.
• Work hard to not let those who have hurt us take away that which once brought us joy.  They may have destroyed a marriage, but did not destroy the meaning of the holidays.
• Find new meanings for the season: Make new memories with those who you still trust and you know you can depend on. Remember your children, parents, siblings, cousins, and closest friends.  Remember that they did not deceive you and many of them are still there for you.
• When you look at a symbol of the holidays, let it take over you, not in sorrow but in its true meaning.
• Think of the smells of the season, what a wonderful nostalgia they bring. The smell of frsh cut food, pumpkin pie, cinnamon, holly, and spiced cider. Those joys are with you and always will be. 
• Think of others, remember that you are not alone and there are people who understand and care about you and want you to find peace and freedom from the hurt.
• Eat yourself silly.
• If you are with kids, make the season about them – not you.
• Walk around your neighborhood (or any one with lots of lights) and enjoy the beauty of it all.
• Call someone you care about and have not seen for years and tell them how you miss them and wish them a happy holiday.
• Dress up and go to a party – any party!
  
• Ultimately, enjoy the season. Remember you are living for you now, not someone else.

Tiger Woods infidelity

Tiger Woods infidelity case has been featured on the cover of the New York Post for 16 consecutive days; three more days & he will tie 9/11. Many may wonder what is the hype that has forced all of mainstream media to ignite this as one of the largest headlined stories of the past decade. Is it our obsession with celebrities and their downfalls? Or is it something more, perhaps, that, for many, hits close to home? Are we afraid of the “technology bug” telling our secrets? As suspects begin to arise & more evidence is disclosed in the Tiger Woods cheating case, it leads many of our readers to stop and wonder; both curious about this case as well as their own marital issues.

The more we read about the Tiger Woods case, the more we learn of the hidden life Woods led.   Thirty-three year old Tiger Woods admitted his affair last week to his wife, Elin Nordegren.  After admitting his infidelity, allegations of multiple extramarital affairs have become public knowledge.

Readers, stop to think about both sides of this situation.  We live in a technologically advanced society, where data (blackberries, emails, phones), and vehicles can all be tracked to keep up with the cheaters every next move.  It may even be surprising that for so long Tiger Woods kept this all a secret.  Along with this, the reader is left wondering why do the famous cheat? And are their motives different than the average folk?  It has been said that, “Many therapists say infidelity depends on the motive involved in the affair.  For instance, cheating that is motivated by a partner’s desire to avoid conflict with a spouse can be an unconscious way of forcing unspoken tensions and disputes out in the open; marriages stand a relatively good chance of recovering after such an affair. On the other hand, an “exit affair,” which is motivated by a partner’s decision to quit the marriage, is more difficult to overcome.”

Do you believe a spouse should make every effort to save their infidelity? Or should they choose to separate instead of be ridiculed by the public and for their own peace of mind?  Under what circumstances do you the reader believe that a cheating spouse deserves a second chance? Let our private investigators know what you think today.

Signs of cheating in a relationship.  In the private investigation industry, we see cheating occur everyday.  Immediately, most people assume cheating is when their partner has some sort of physical intimacy with another individual.  Many forget that the emotional intimacy factor is what often leads up to the physicality in a relationship.  Emotional intimacy is very hard on the one being cheating on – one may feel they lost trust in their significant other, feel betrayed, lied to, and ultimately, deceived.  To identify that someone is cheating on you, there are some early beginner symptoms to look for:

These are a few signs of cheating.  If you see any changes in your significant others behavior, call North American Investigations at 800-724-8080.  We are here to help you 24 hours, 7 days a week.

How to Hire a Private Investigator

Looking to hire a private investigator? Unsure of which agency is best for you? We are here to help ease your decision during this difficult time in your life.  Here is a checklist to refer to when trying to hire a private investigator:

1. Consultation: Before hiring a private investigator, you should have a consultation with the agency you are looking to hire.  This can be done either via telephone or in person.  Make sure the investigator can fully handle your case and understands exactly what you are looking to achieve.
2. Referrals: A good private investigation firm should have referrals for you to look at.  Ask the investigator if he has any past clients you can speak to about their experience with that particular agency.
3. Associations: See if the company you are debating on hiring belongs to any associations. Examples of this include the Better Business Bureau, Associated Licensed Detectives of NYS (ALDONYS), World Association of Detectives (WAD), and so on.  Make sure the associations the company is affiliated with are legit business associations.
4. Licensed: Make sure your private investigator is licensed in the state you are looking to do work in
5. Bonded: Private Investigators are required to be bonded.  
6. Experience: See how long the agency has been in business for. See what type of investigators they have – are they experienced? Do they have former law enforcement background? Are they licensed? Did they attend school?