Do you have someone coming into your home on a regular basis to provide senior care? Or child care? A cleaning service or even a pet sitter? How well do you know them? Do you trust them not to steal your identity? Your money? Your valuables? Not to mention your trust? Unfortunately, these things happen and often it goes unnoticed until the damage is done.  A background inquiry can prevent these unfortunate occurrences.

We don’t think that the person who is there to help assist us – whether it is to help run errands or take you (or a parent/grandparent) to a doctor appointment – would abuse their position by taking from us, not only monetarily but emotionally. Widowed seniors with memory issues (whether due to early onset Alzheimer’s or something else) are especially vulnerable to being manipulated and cheated. Those with family members who are not in the immediate area may also be more targeted by this type of crime.

Don’t allow yourself or someone you love to become a victim. Having a background investigation done on anyone who comes to your home on a regular basis is a not only a great preventative measure to ensure you don’t become a statistic; it also makes good sense. This is especially helpful in retirement communities, where care-giving personnel have a high turn-over rate.

Recently, I received a call from a woman whose housekeeper stole $50,000 from her family. Even though they reported it to the police, she said all they did was write-up a report. The woman was shocked that their housekeeper would do something like that. However, she admitted she really did not know the person very well either.

Another case I handled involved an elderly man who hired a female personal assistant to drive him on errands. She had been stealing money from him for years before it was noticed.

Still not sure if this is a service you need? Please call me at 360.477.4845 to discuss a background inquiry on anyone whom you are considering letting into your home on a regular basis. My service is affordable, and after all, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” (Benjamin Franklin)

What does a background investigation by Haney Investigative Service involve?

• a real property search (owned real estate)
• asset verification (I verify the information you have on the person)
• a search for liens
• a search for bankruptcies
• a search for judgements
• a search for foreclosures
• a search for unpaid debts (i.e. credit cards, student loans, car loans)
• a search for bad credit
• a search for unpaid debts
• a search for criminal arrests and convictions
• verification of a business owned
• bank account search/verification
• brokerage account search/verification
• verification of licenses and credentials
• a search for other names used

What do you learn after almost 31 years of investigative experience?  You learn the value background investigations can add to your business and personal life.

You learn the importance of what it means to “trust but verify”.

Too many times I have seen relationships that were based on love and trust end in theft and deceit.

A life event such as an engagement, a marriage, a divorce, building a custom home, investing in a business, entering into a business partnership, hiring a nanny, and/or hiring a home care worker for your elderly loved one should each involve background investigations.  It’s wise to know who you are getting involved with before you begin.

Before I married my husband 20 years ago I did a background investigation on him.  I didn’t tell him about it until after we were married.  What was his response?  He laughed and said no one should get married without having one done.

Of course, society has changed so much since then.  Sequim is a retirement community and we have a lot of retirees who are unaware of the predatory nature of some relatives and friends who can easily manipulate and steal from elderly people. Elder abuse is not always just physical: it comes in many forms, and can be emotional and/or financial as well.

In addition, isn’t it important that we know we have a competent doctor, dentist, auto mechanic and private investigator whom we can trust?

If you believe it is a wise step to take to check out people with whom you plan on doing business or becoming involved with at a personal level, you should consider my service to run background investigations for you.  In most cases, the research and report will be between $200 and $500; which can end up saving you tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars later — as well as the grief and stress that come from entering into a relationship/partnership that goes bad.