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GENERAL QUESTIONS
What is a Private Investigator and
what do they do?
What is a
Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)?
What
geographic area does NII cover?
What are some of the services that NII
won't do?
Why choose NII
over other firms?
Is NII licensed? Bonded?
Insured?
BUSINESS SERVICES QUESTIONS
Current Statistics regarding Employee
Theft
How can NII benefit my
business?
What is Loss
Prevention?
How will my
employees benefit from NII training and
seminars?
What are some red flags regarding
employee theft?
What should I do if I think an employee is
stealing?
What type of camera
systems do you offer?
BACKGROUND CHECK QUESTIONS
What is the procedure to have NII run
our background checks?
What information is needed to
obtain a criminal record report on an individual?
How soon will I receive the
results?
INVESTIGATIVE QUESTIONS
Tell me more about your admission
seeking interviews.
MYSTERY SHOP QUESTIONS
What is Mystery Shopping?
Tell me more about your Mystery Shop
services.
Why shouldn't I use the
cheaper services available?
INFORMATIONAL RESEARCH QUESTIONS
How can NII help me with
questions in my personal life?
What types of information can NII
find?
How does NII locate an
individual?
How do I order a
search?
ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTIONS
What are NII's billing
procedures?
How do I receive
reports?
Are there discounts on
large report orders?
Are
there discounts on other services?
I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS. HOW
DO I CONTACT NII?
_______________________________________________________________________________TOP___
WHAT IS A PRIVATE
INVESTIGATOR AND WHAT TO THEY DO?
A private investigator
is an individual who, in an official capacity, gathers information
for another individual, business, or law firm that has contracted
with that investigator for those services. The list of services a PI
can offer in regard to finding the facts is a long one. Most
agencies, such as NII, specialize in certain areas
(see services). To put it simply, a PI
can get you the information you need as long as it's obtainable
through legal means.
PIs are not members of a police force but
in most states must be licensed to conduct investigations. In
Minnesota, a state with stringent requirements for licensing,
applicants are subject to a detailed background investigation, must
prove their investigative abilities through past work and
educational experience, and prove financial stability. The Minnesota
Board of Private Investigators monitors the activities of licensed
private investigators and ensures that they are abiding by state
guidelines, regulations, and laws.
Minnesota Statute 326.338 Persons engaged
as private detectives or protective agents.
Subdivision
1. Private detective. Persons who for a fee,
reward, or other consideration, undertake any of the following
acts for the purpose of obtaining information for others are
considered to be engaged in the business of a private detective:
(1) investigating crimes or wrongs done or threatened against
the government of the United States or of any state, county, or
municipal subdivision thereof;
(2) investigating the identity,
habits, conduct, movements, whereabouts, transactions, reputation,
or character of any person or organization;
(3) investigating
the credibility of witnesses or other persons;
(4)
investigating the location or recovery of lost or stolen property;
(5) investigating the origin of and responsibility for libels,
losses, accidents, or damage or injuries to persons or
property;
(6) investigating the affiliation, connection, or
relationship of any person, firm, or corporation with any
organization, society, or association, or with any official,
representative, or member thereof;
(7) investigating the
conduct, honesty, efficiency, loyalty, or activities of employees,
persons seeking employment, agents, or contractors and
subcontractors;
(8) obtaining through investigation evidence
to be used before any authorized investigating committee, board of
award, board of arbitration, administrative body, or officer or in
preparation for trial of civil or criminal cases; or
(9)
investigating the identity or apprehension of persons suspected of
crimes or
misdemeanors.
TOP
WHAT IS A CERTIFIED FRAUD
EXAMINER?
Certified Fraud Examiners are experts in the
prevention, detection, and investigation of fraud. The CFE
credential is the most preferred certification for anti-fraud
professionals in the world. Currently, there are over 15,000 CFEs
actively fighting fraud worldwide, at all levels of business and
government. Fraud examiners have a unique set of skills that are not
found in any other discipline; they combine knowledge of complex
financial transactions with an understanding of investigation, law,
and how to resolve allegations of fraud. Fraud examiners are also
trained to understand not only how fraud occurs, but why.
The
CFE process focuses on four bodies of knowledge critical to the
fight against fraud: Financial Transactions, Investigation, Law, and
Criminology. CFEs have the ability to:
Understand how fraud is committed and how it can
be identified;
Examine books and records to detect
and trace fraudulent transactions;
Interview
suspects to obtain information and confessions;
Write investigation reports, advise clients as to
their findings, and testify at trial
Be well-versed
in the law as it relates to fraud and fraud investigations;
and
Understand the underlying factors that motivate
individuals to commit fraud.
| The Path to
CFE
CFEs come from a broad range of backgrounds
including professional accounting, internal auditing, law
enforcement, consulting, finance, education, information technology,
corporate security and private investigation. The path towards
becoming a CFE is a thorough one, but those who complete it
demonstrate to clients and employers they have mastered the vast
body of knowledge required of a Certified Fraud Examiner, as well as
having met minimum education and experience qualifications. Learn more here...
WHAT
GEOGRAPHIC AREA DOES NII COVER?
As members of several
associations, NII has built strong partnerships
with experts in a variety of fields on an international level. If
there is a situation that needs attention anywhere in the world
NII can provide services for that area.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SERVICES THAT NII
WONT DO?
At NII we pride
ourselves on working ethically, legally and with integrity. We will
not break any local, state, or federal law, of any country, in order
to conduct an investigation.
WHY CHOOSE NII OVER OTHER
FIRMS?
NII strives to be the absolute
best in the business. We take pride in providing accurate and timely
information at a competitive cost. We enjoy our work it is our
passion. Nothing makes us happier than having a satisfied
customer.
IS
NII LICENSED? INSURED? BONDED?
Absolutely. We hold
a Corporate Private Investigators license in the State of Minnesota
license #943. As required by the Minnesota Board of Private
Detectives we are a financially sound company that carries insurance
and a surety bond.
CURRENT
STATISTICS REGARDING EMPLOYEE
THEFT:
TOP
Employee theft costs U.S. businesses between $60
billion and $120 billion per year
Employee theft
costs between 1/2%-3% of a company's gross sales
75%
of internal theft is undetected
Internal theft is
growing at 15% annually
Employee theft amounts to 4%
of food sales at a cost in excess of $8.5 billion
annually
75% of inventory shortages are attributed
to employee theft
One-third of all employees steal
from their employers
Loss Prevention managers
attribute 42.7% of their annual shrinkage losses to employee
theft
The average scheme in a small business causes
$127,500 in losses. The average scheme in the largest
companies costs $98,000
The average fraud scheme
lasted 18 months before it was detected
Over 80% of
occupational frauds involve asset misappropriations. Cash is
the targeted asset 90% of the
time. | HOW CAN NII BENEFIT MY
BUSINESS?
Members of our staff have spent the last
combined 50 years plus in analyzing, consulting, training and
investigating how losses occur in a business. We take what we learn
from these experiences and apply it toward making your business more
profitable through reducing and eliminating losses. By becoming our
client you tap into an enormous amount of knowledge, experience, and
skill. Keep in mind that for every $1 you lose in shrink it takes
$20 in sales to make up for it. NII can benefit your business in a number of
different ways all which help make your business more
profitable:
WHAT IS LOSS
PREVENTION?
Loss prevention (or asset protection) is a
term referring to the practice of reducing inventory shrink in the
form of operational errors, consumer and employee theft, and
liabilities. Loss prevention, as a concept, has evolved from the
floor detective who works undercover catching shoplifters, to a wide
variety of techniques, knowledge, and skills that cover any and all
types of losses that can occur in a business. Generally retail
operations suffer an annual shrinkage percentage of about 2.1%. It
is generally accepted that one third of shrinkage comes from
shoplifting, one third from employee embezzlement, and the final
third from inventory mistakes. At NII we have been
involved in the business of loss prevention, investigations, risk
management and human resources in a variety of
industries.
HOW WILL MY EMPLOYEES BENEFIT FROM NII
TRAINING AND SEMINARS?
Our training seminars are
educational as well as motivational and fun to attend. We utilize
multi media equipment and material along with guidebooks for the
employees to keep. We work with the owner/manager to customize the
seminar with what is directly affecting your business. We provide
your employees and managers with knowledge. That knowledge not only
allows employees to make the right decision, but it creates
awareness as well. Awareness alerts your staff to what is not right
knowledge allows them to make it right.
WHAT ARE SOME RED FLAGS REGARDING EMPLOYEE
THEFT?
These are just some of the common denominators
present in employee theft cases:
Tips or complaints from
other employees or outsiders regarding a certain employee.
Employee is living extravagantly relative to
his/her known income level.
Unexplained amounts of
overtime by a certain employee.
Employees who have
been dishonest with current or previous employers.
Employee does not take vacations or never misses
work.
Overworked employee will not allow others to
help with his/her work.
Custodian of financial
records is overly protective of them.
Changes in
behavior, such as increased drinking or moodiness.
Employees with substantial amounts of personal
debt.
Employees who gamble on a regular basis.
Business is inexplicably unprofitable.
Company is having cash flow problems.
The "books" are out of balance.
Unexplained inventory shortages or adjustments.
Subsidiary account balances do not reconcile to
corresponding control accounts.
Unexplained
end-of-period adjusting entries.
Financial
statement trends/ratios do not make sense.
Related-party assets on the financial statements.
Excessive credit memos.
Check register
has been tampered with. (ex. entries whited out)
Source documents for payments made cannot be
located.
Missing deposit slips and/or canceled
checks.
Excessive written off accounts receivable.
Requested financial records cannot be produced upon
demand.
Excessive sales voids.
Source
documents, such as vendor invoices which are clearly atypical.
Reimbursements are not supported by receipts or
other source documents.
Background checks on key
employees are not conducted.
The company considers
internal controls to be unnecessary "red tape."
A
single employee controls the company checkbook.
Lack of proper authorization and/or independent
checks.
Internal controls are either non-existent
or not enforced.
Invoices are paid without
verifying receipt or purchase authorizations.
Company credit cards are not adequately
controlled.
TOP | WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I THINK AN EMPLOYEE IS
STEALING?
The first thing you should do is contact us. This is not a situation to be
taken lightly, or act impulsively on. We can guide you through the situation and offer options. There are many
ways an employer can get sued if the situation is not handled
correctly. NII will not only help you avoid the
liabilities, we will work with you to give you the option to
prosecute the individual and receive restitution for your
losses.
WHAT TYPE OF
CAMERA SYSTEMS DO YOU OFFER?
We have an assortment of
covert and overt camera systems that are very cost effective.
Contact a representative to receive more information.
WHAT
IS THE PROCEDURE TO HAVE NII RUN OUR BACKGROUND
CHECKS?
We make our system part of your system. We
provide you with the forms necessary including FCRA compliant
applications and authorizations. Your applicant fills out the forms,
you fax us the copies, and we process the order and send you the
results. We are available to explain what was found on the reports
and consult on their results. Learn more
here...
WHAT INFORMATION IS NEEDED TO OBTAIN A
CRIMINAL RECORD REPORT ON AN INDIVIDUAL?
A person's name
and date of birth is required in most counties and states to run a
criminal check. If possible, also provide the applicant's social
security number to increase the likelihood of a matching
record.
HOW
SOON WILL I RECEIVE THE RESULTS OF A CRIMINAL RECORD
SEARCH?
Depending on the county or state being searched
the turnaround time can vary from one to five business days.
NII will make every effort to provide you with the
report in a timely manner.
TELL ME
MORE ABOUT YOUR ADMISSION SEEKING
INTERVIEWS
NII employs both Wicklander
& Zulawski and Reid techniques of interviewing along with years
of doing them in a variety of situations. Interviewing is a skill
that is developed from training and experience. We have conducted
thousands of successful Admission Seeking Interviews. With some
basic facts in hand, we sit down with an individual and through the
process of asking the right questions at the right times we remove
any inhibitors from the individual, and allow them to discuss the
situation. The goal of the Admission Seeking Interview is to receive
a written admission from the subject. This admission can be used to
prosecute, receive restitution, and avoid liability
claims.
WHAT IS
MYSTERY SHOPPING?
Mystery Shopping is a process by which
a trained investigator visits your establishment anonymously, acting
like a regular customer, and provides an objective report of your
business as seen through the eyes of your customer. This report
provides you and your management team with information you can use
to improve customer service, remove liabilities, and make informed
decisions.
TELL ME
ABOUT YOUR MYSTERY SHOPPING
SERVICES
NII offers (3) kinds
of Mystery Shop
services: TOP
- Mystery
Shops
If you want an objective report on the
level of customer service your employees are providing, and
the current condition of your locations, a Mystery Shop
service will provide you with the answers. We visit your
locations covertly as a customer and make trained
observations. Our reports allow you to identify your
deficiencies and positive attributes empowering you to make
the changes necessary to improve customer service and sales.
Video Shops
With this service we
provide the information from a Mystery Shop with the use of
covert mobile cameras to document our visit via digital
video. You see the actual condition of your business and
your employees as they tend to customers or other activities
they are involved in.
Integrity
Shops
There may be a situation in which a client
needs to conduct an honesty test with one of their staff.
Trained NII undercover investigators can conduct such an
exercise and deliver proper documentation needed to make
decisions regarding dishonest
employees. | WHY SHOULDNT I USE
THE CHEAPER MYSTERY SHOPPING SERVICES
AVAILABLE?
The services you refer to are comprised of
part time individuals who frankly do this because they like to shop.
Period. Most are not trained with the art of observation, collecting
facts, and noticing details. In the state of Minnesota most of these
services are not licensed private investigators and can only report
on the level of customer service not investigative situations such
as theft. Our trained staff know what to look for in regard to not
only theft, but policy violations, risk management/safety, and
external risks as well.
WHAT TYPES OF INFORMATION CAN
NII FIND?
NII uses public records that
are maintained by the government, publicly available records, and
private records from proprietary databases that companies maintain.
We conduct over 150 different searches many of which are on the
website (see report list). We
also make available to our clients our expertise in focusing in on
the exact information they need. All of our search techniques comply
with local, state, and federal laws.
HOW DOES
NII LOCATE AN INDIVIDUAL?
At NII we
have set up a system of third party public and private sources,
internet procedures, and through association memberships connect
with over thousands of investigators worldwide. Once a search has
begun, we proceed through an efficient process that guides the
investigation. It is very important that the search begins with
accurate information about the subject in question. Correct spelling
of name, correct date of birth, social security number, addresses,
or other pieces of information need to be accurate.
HOW
DO I ORDER A
SEARCH? TOP
View our list of reports and choose which
ones you would like, and/or contact us with something that may not
be listed. Have as much information possible about the person,
property, or situation. The more information you can provide, the
less the cost and the more accurate the information you will receive
in return. When conducting research on an individual it is very
important to have correct spelling of name, DOB, past and present
addresses, or any other identifiers to be used. You can either call
us at (763) 434-6123 or fill out the form located on the
website.
WHAT ARE YOUR
BILLING PROCEDURES?
Depending on the service for which
you are requiring we can either set up an account or you can pay as
you go. For some situations we do require a retainer paid up front.
You can either pay by check or credit card. A downloadable credit
card payment authorization form is available here. HOW CAN I
RECEIVE REPORTS FROM YOU?
We can send you the reports
from searches, background checks, or investigations in a variety of
ways.
You can receive your information via e mail, fax, USPS
mail, FedEx, or verbally if requested. Let us know how you want it.
DO YOU
OFFER DISCOUNTS FOR LARGE REPORT ORDERS?
Yes. With
informational research reports we have bundle packages set up in
which we include a number of reports at a 20% discount. For
background checks let us know the volume of background checks that
would be done each month and the larger the volume the greater the
discount you will receive.
DO
YOU OFFER DISCOUNTS ON YOUR OTHER SERVICES?
If you set
up a business account we can apply a discount to certain
investigative and loss prevention services. We also provide
sub-contractor rates for other licensed private investigative
agencies.
I HAVE A QUESTION NOT ANSWERED BY
YOUR FAQS. HOW DO I CONTACT YOU?
Questions can be
addressed by e-mailing customer service at info@northernpi.com or call us at
(763) 434-6123 (877) 507-5842
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