| How to check your friends and your workmen for | | | | happy to pay Mick for his extra time because they |
| criminal records | | | | were so happy with the job that he had done. Mick |
| Do you trust the people around you? How do you | | | | asked for cash payment which is a common request |
| know that your friends or people that you have | | | | for some reason. |
| dealings with are who they appear to be? It seems to | | | | Mick left the area and then the problems began |
| be very common to hear about serial killers, kidnappers | | | | Elle and Jack were very pleased with the job that |
| and thieves who led perfectly ordinary lives. Even their | | | | Mick had done for them. He had accomplished a |
| closest friends had no idea that they had a life on the | | | | whole load of things that they had been planning to do |
| other side of the law. How can you protect yourself | | | | for years. They thought the world of Mick. That is until |
| from people like that? | | | | they started to notice some things that were not quite |
| Elle and Jack are a typical couple with busy lives living | | | | right. |
| in the suburbs. They don't have the time to do all the | | | | There were some things that they didn't use very |
| little odd jobs about the place that they want to do so | | | | often like power tools and jewelry but when they did |
| they looked for someone reliable that they could pay | | | | look for them they were not to be found. Elle and Jack |
| do do it for them. When they saw the work that Mick | | | | just thought that they had misplaced them and that |
| was doing on a neighbors property they were very | | | | they would turn up sometime. |
| interested. They were impressed by the quality of | | | | Then they noticed some transactions that they didn't |
| work and their neighbor told them that Mick was a | | | | recognize on their credit cards. They were all small |
| reliable worker. Elle and Jack asked Mick to do a small | | | | and Elle and Jack never usually pay much attention to |
| repair job on their property as a sort of test before | | | | their statements so it went unnoticed for a while. |
| giving him more work. | | | | When they added it all up it came to tens of |
| Mick did the job later that week. He was efficient and | | | | thousands of dollars and Mick was the prime suspect. |
| the work was of a good standard. Both Elle and Jack | | | | This doesn't have to happen to you |
| liked Mick a lot because he was a very likeable and | | | | This story never happened but this kind of thing does |
| sociable person as well as being good at his job. They | | | | happen for real all the time. It never occurred to Elle |
| saw no reason why they shouldn't give Mick a more | | | | and Jack that Mick could be a serial thief with a |
| substantial list of projects to undertake. They were so | | | | criminal record but they could have checked had they |
| taken by Mick that Elle and Jack sidn't think twice | | | | wanted to. They could have done a background |
| about giving Mick a set of keys to the property so that | | | | check on Mick to find criminal records and if they had |
| he good proceed with the work while they were out | | | | they might well have changed their minds about hiring |
| at work. | | | | him in the first place. They could have saved |
| It took Mick a little longer to complete the list of work | | | | themselves a lot of money and stress. |
| that he originally expected but Jack and Elle were | | | | |