» ICI in the News / Quiz: What Would You Have Done?

Hewlett Packard's Boardroom "spying" tactics, CNN, 9/13/06

Identity Theft and Security Measures, ’ Fox News' Good Day New York, 9/24/04

Martha Stewart Trial segment on Catherine Crier Live/CourtTV, 2/03

Identity Theft segment, ABC News’ BusinessWeek TV, 9/03

Security and Identity Theft, Fox News' Good Day New York, 7/8/03

Wanted: Corporate Sleuths to Watch the Competition, Wall Street Journal, 3/13/02

Venture Capital Firms Hedge Exposure to Fraud, Venture Capital Journal, 1/1/02

Beware, Private Equity Firms: Even Legit-Looking Foreign Firms Could be Fronts for Terrorists, Investment Dealer's Digest, 10/8/01

They're No Angels. Real Life P.I.s Talk About Life on the Front Line of Crime, FoxNews.com, 11/3/00

Journalists or Detectives? Depends on Who's Asking, New York Times, July 28, 1999

Growth Proves Offering Flat Rate is a Sharp Move, Crain's New York Business, 4/13/98

Internal Controls Help Foil Payables Check Fraud Schemes. Institute of Management & Administration (IOMA), 6/97

‘Where to Turn if You Suspect Fraud,’ Institute of Management & Administration (IOMA), 3/97

‘Life After Downsizing...,’ Crain's New York Business, 12/9/96

‘Dealing With the Unthinkable: Fraud in the Payables Dept.,,’ Institute of Management & Administration (IOMA), 9/96

‘Controls to Help Foil Payables Check Fraud,’ Institute of Management & Administration (IOMA), 7/96

'‘Two P.I.'s Show How to Uncover Fraudulent Credit Applications,’ Institute of Management & Administration (IOMA), 11/95

 

 

 

 

What Would You Have Done?

The following stories are true. They were taken from actual headlines, presented below. Would your firm have made the same mistakes?

Take this fun-yet-serious quiz and see if you can choose the right answer.

In A Sworn Mission Seeking Pretenders To Military Heroism

When a U.S. Senator pinned a Purple Heart Medal on a soldier who said he was a Navy Seal and had been wounded in the Gulf War, the Senator couldn’t have imagined that the man was lying. But a former Navy Seal did some checking and found out the soldier was not in the Seals at all. It turned out that he is just one of 7,000 Seal pretenders, according to an authority quoted for the story. What could the Senator have done to thwart this military masquerader before it was too late?

  1. Stop issuing Purple Hearts.
  2. Hire ICI to screen Purple Heart applicants.
  3. Ask the military to withdraw from all future combat situations so as to avoid any new potential embarrassments involving military pretenders.
  4. Turn the incident into a television-movie with all proceeds to go to real Purple Heart recipients.

The correct answer is B. Answers A,C,and D would not solve the problem of how to detect military pretenders.

How Well did CBS Check Out Contestant?

When a male contestant on CBS’s show, Big Brother 2, held a knife to a female contestant’s throat, the woman wasn’t harmed. But CBS was forced to dismiss the male contestant from the show. Then reporters found out the contestant had a past arrest record for assault, forcing the network to face the embarrassment of explaining to the press why the company didn’t adequately screen the man before choosing him. How could CBS have protected itself better?

  1. Give all potential male contestants knives and guns to play with in the presence of women, while monitoring the contestants through two-way mirrors.
  2. Excuse the incident as unforeseeable.
  3. Hire ICI to conduct investigations into potential contestants.
  4. Include a statement at the end of each broadcast that the company is not responsible for each individual’s actions during taping -- and warn small children not to watch.

The correct answer is A. Not really. The correct answer is C. Answer A could be appropriate for a government hire, but definitely not for a private firm. Answers B and D would make the company look lame, and may cause negative public perception.

A Resume Distinguished By What It Didn’t Mention

A top scientist was overseeing the development of new medical products for the world’s largest syringe maker. The scientist’s employers then found out that he been convicted and imprisoned for trying to murder his wife, and his medical license had been suspended because of his crime. Now the employers have to spend untold amount of money and time to review the scientist’s work. How could the company have best protected itself in the first place?

  1. Give all potential employees lie detector tests.
  2. Tell job candidates that dishonesty will not be tolerated.
  3. Only use employees who are personally known to the employers.
  4. Hire ICI to do a background screening on potential employees.

The correct answer is D. All the other answers are incorrect: Answer A would be too costly and too intrusive to potential employees. Answers B and C would be ineffective responses on management’s part.

If you answered all correctly, then you’ll want to call ICI to find out about how to get started with an ICI investigation. If you answered incorrectly, then you’ll want to the names of some good bankruptcy attorneys.