Paul Dank

Holiday return fraud: Christmas is over, the gifts have been exchanged and the presents opened, but the holiday shopping season is far from over. It’s only December 26, and millions are already preparing to return unwanted gifts.  This year, many retailers are tightening up return policies to fight frivolous returns and flat out fraud. Before … Read more

The health care industry has been conducting background checks for physicians, nurses and others that have patient care responsibilities. What is unique about the industry is how many of these are done. Frequently the employee is asked to obtain a copy of their own records and submit them for licensing and they are told which … Read more

Embezzlement is an every present threat to Michigan businesses, both large and small. Embezzlement includes computer fraud, employee theft, credit card fraud, transferring of money or account conversion, faulty checks, forgery and more. In Michigan and elsewhere, businesses rely on trusted employees to oversee operations and protect the company and it’s assets. Unfortunately, those trusted … Read more

We liken a due diligence investigation to a report card. You could always take a student’s word for it that they got all As, but it might be worth a look at the actual report card. The same is true in business. If you will be relying on a vendor, partnering with another company or … Read more

Employers have many legitimate reasons for conducting criminal background checks, from mitigating the risk of workplace violence and negligent hiring lawsuits to reducing employee theft. Those that reject candidates based solely on convictions or arrests, however, face a different kind of threat. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has taken the position that criminal background … Read more

Small business owners in Michigan are just as likely to be defrauded by employees as large employers, but unlike large companies, small businesses are often less likely to report the theft. Some reports suggest that as many as 64% of small businesses suffer from employee theft yet less than 20% report it to law enforcement. … Read more

Business background checks are an essential approach to mitigating risk and adhering to regulatory compliance. At Advanced Surveillance Group, we go beyond the “data only” or instant background checks that are nothing more than data dumps. No doubt database information is an essential first step in any business background check, but it it just that, … Read more

For many industries, knowing who you want to do business with is not always as easy as running a D&B report. To begin with, automated business background check reports like those often don’t include a wide variety of information that you might want to know before doing business with them. They are great for the … Read more