Retail Theft Databases Make it Hard for You to Find Another Job.
People accused of retail thefts by an employer, even if they're never prosecuted, may have trouble landing another job. This is because workers accused of stealing may have their information added to certain commercial retail theft databases preventing them from working in the industry ever again. It is happening all across the country, including New York. Many stores report employee thefts to databases that other companies turn to for background checks of potential hires. HireRight, one of the largest background check companies, is one of the many organizations that has access to this database.
Following an incident where an employee is accused of stealing, an employee is usually questioned by store security officers and is practically forced to sign pre-written statements having no idea that they admitted committing a theft or that the information will be entered in databases. These databases have over ten-thousand subscribers making it virtually impossible to determine who has access to the information. Retailers argue that such aggressive efforts are necessary to combat a yearly loss of approximately $15 billion lost to retail theft.
What is scarier is that these databases often have very little details about the thefts themselves. Yet, it is enough to ruin your chances at finding another job. With so many job applicants, employers have little to no incentive to hire someone with a "blemished" background. Additionally, these databases are riddled with errors which means that inaccurate information could lead to an innocent person being included in the database.
Whether or not you are a retail employee, if you have been accused of shoplifting, be mindful before you sign anything. A signature on a pre-written statement or a general handwritten statement can be uploaded to a database and later used against you- whether at a criminal prosecution or future job opportunity.
At the Law Offices of Lance Fletcher we have represented countless individuals accused of shoplifting. Contact us today if you are facing a shoplifting charge in New York.