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)