Retail Employee Theft Databases Riddled With Inaccuracies

On paper, it sounds like a great idea. Create a database of retail employees who are accused of theft and have its contents freely shared with other retailers. Two problems: One, what if the information is flawed, if employees who “confessed” actually argued that they were innocent, and what if this information is being used to deny people jobs? And two, what if it’s depriving retailers of honest, falsely accused, talented retail associates?

This was explored — quite well — by The New York Times on Wednesday (April 3), painting a frightening picture of lawsuits aimed at retailers who did little more than rely on what they thought were professionally maintained employee theft databases. Some of the employees, who submit written statements after being questioned by store security officers, have no idea that they admitted committing a theft or that the information will remain in databases, according to interviews with consumer lawyers, regulators and employees.

See the complete employee theft database article by Evan Schuman of StoreFrontBacktalk

Affiliations

Accredited PBSA
ACFE
FCRA
NAPBS
NCISS
PBSA

Private Investigation News & Alerts

Difficulties Conducting Surveillance: Obstacles Faced by Private Investigatorsprivate investigator ethics policy
Surveillance is a critical task for private investigators, enabling them to gather vital information and evidence, in a format that is almost undisputable. However, conducting surveillance can be...read more ❯
The Role and Responsibilities of a Private InvestigatorResponsibilities of a private investigator
Private investigators often capture our imagination, as their work seems to mirror the thrilling world of detective novels and movies. However, beyond the allure of mystery and intrigue lies a...read more ❯
Can a Private Investigator Help You Locate a Loved One?
The number of missing persons each year in the U.S. has significantly decreased since 1997. And yet, there were still over 521,000 missing person cases in 2021. The reasons for the missing persons...read more ❯