Friday, March 9, 2007
Why all the Buzz About Wymoo?

A look at how the firm is changing the industry












If you haven't heard the name yet, and you're familiar with the background check industry, you will. No other player is making waves in the international investigation market like Wymoo®. In less than two years the firm has emerged from a limited website operation to a full scale global player, putting pressure on well-placed corporations to rethink their strategy.

What's behind the phenomenol growth and rapidly increasing market share? Our report covered several factors comparing Wymoo International to its competitors, but one area clearly stood out as their secret. Simply put: client service. While many websites and companies have focused on obtaining data via increasing automation and technology, Wymoo seems to have done the opposite. For example, when a client uses Wymoo's international investigative services, he or she is assigned an investigator to personally handle that client's case until and after completion. Reports are then emailed to clients 5 to 7 days later, in narrative reporting with personal attention, that well, we haven't seen in years. And, it hasn't gone unnoticed.

Estimates of market share are hard to determine, as Wymoo is a privately held company and closely guards all of its proprietary information. We do know, however, that it has increased more than 500% in 2006, with inception just in early 2005. In an interview with the firm's Vice President, David Wilkerson, our industry expert Danny Olson asked Wilkerson if this growth could continue, and whether or not he could shed any light on Wymoo's growth strategy. "We've built our firm on providing confidential and personalized professional investigations. Our global focus is strongly on client service and narrative reporting, not generic database search and automated reports. More companies today are geared towards outsourcing and automation. We prefer to do things the old-fashioned way, and there's no replacement for professional field investigators and real investigation."

Private investigators agree. Many developing countries don't have computerized public records, and the only way to obtain evidence in many international cases is to have an investigator on the ground. Local field investigators speak the same language and have contacts in the area, and can obtain records from local offices and courts. Having a local investigator means real investigation can be done, i.e. interviews and surveillance. Wymoo has field investigators in over 100 countries.

Client satisfaction is reportedly the highest in the industry at Wymoo, and it's no wonder that the firm has rapidly become a global competitor. As growth continues, keeping the personalized service and fending off competitors will be a real challenge. Asked about this concern, Wilkerson replied "our goal is to be the best, not the biggest. If we ever start to lose quality, we'll put the brakes on." So far the company's stategy is clearly working.

We'll follow up on the investigative firm in 2008.

All the best,

A Hathaway
© 2007 A. Hathaway
Read more
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
no image

An Emerging Market for Fraud?

Colombia has struggled to overcome its reputation as a corrupt country, where narcotic production and cartels run rampant. Even though Pablo Escobar was eventually murdered in 1993 in Medellín, numerous other cartels have sprung up to salvage the remaining business. And of course, the export opportunities continue to support the illegal operations. The drug operations have decreased, however, with improvements in Colombian law and police efforts throughout the nation. Colombia's economy continues to improve and Bogotá resembles more of a European city than perhaps any other Latin American metropolis, more so than even Buenos Aires. But, poverty still reigns in Colombia, driving the growth of international fraud and scams.

The drive toward a free market economy and increased pressure on narcotics has led to a rise in other types of crime, particulary white collar and Internet fraud. In recent years the number of e-commerce or Internet scams originating from Colombia has increased 500 to 600% from December 2000 levels. One group that has been quick to cash in on the existing opportunity is the beautiful Colombian women, or the men who often control those women. Globalization has made love for sale big business.

Scam operations are increasingly widespread, targeting websites that cater to American, Canadian and European men. The fact that Colombia has some of the most beautiful women in the world, with limited rule of law, has made the South American nation a competitor with operations in the Philippines and Russia. Victims are targeted on sites like Match.com, Barranquillagirls.com, and many others. Some ladies are honest and seeking relationships. Others, however, sell romance at a heartbreaking price.

How to avoid these scammers? Understand that no website is immune from fraud, and money sent to Colombia via Western Union or other wire service, is likely lost in the event of fraud. These are the best "gold diggers" in the business, so approach relationships with caution. Visit Colombia and see the true story, if possible. When in a relationship that is progressing, have her checked out. Only a reputable and professional firm like Wymoo with a physical presence in Colombia can uncover the truth.

Finally, most Colombian women are very, very beautiful and decent. The corrupt minority, however, is growing fast.

All the best,

A. Hathaway
Read more
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
no image

Sifting through the Competition

In recent years, as the access to the Internet has increased significantly, the number of brick and mortar and e-commerce firms offering background checks has truly exploded. Fraud has existed for over 5,000 years, since the civizations of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, and it's been growing ever since.

Most clients today find their background check or investigative firm via the Internet. This leads us to the question: How can one sort through the pages and pages of background checks on the web? Many of the investigative or background check sites are fraudulent themselves, i.e., false advertisments misleading website traffic, offering substandard service, and never produce any service representative of a real background check.

The search is less complicated when choosing an international background check firm. Few players are successful at obtaining results on a global level. Thus, we divide our rankings into two divisions: 1) National or U.S. and 2) International or Global.

* Quality Score reflects pricing, services, client service and cases
** Quality Score Ranking is between 1-5 (1 = excellent, 5 = poor)


National or U.S. Rankings
1. Owens Online (General, National & International, QSR = 1)
2. Wymoo (General, National & International, QSR = 2)
3. HireRight (Employment Screening, QSR = 2)
4. Intelius (Strictly U.S., Automated Reporting, QSR = 3)
5. Kroll (Employment Screening, Corporate Service, QSR = 3)
6. Abika (General, National & Some International, QSR = 4)

* Results are general in nature and should give the consumer an idea of services and quality offered. Depending on the client's situation, additional information can be found at the Company websites.

International or Global Rankings
1. Wymoo (General, International 100+ countries, QSR = 1)
2. Owens Online (General, International 250+ countries, QSR = 2)
3. HireRight (Employment Screening, 200+ countries, QSR = 2)
4. Kroll (Employment Screening, Corporate Service, QSR = 3)
5. Abika (General, International 12 countries, QSR = 5)

Owens Online, while offering more than 250 countries worldwide, earned a lower score than Wymoo with 100 countries. Wymoo's personalized client service, wide range of services with fully customized cases, and narrative reports boosted its ranking.

As stated previously, each of the above firms (or websites) offers a different range of service, products, client service, investigative methods and reporting styles. These rankings should only be used to aid in the initial screening of the many services available.

Yes, it still pays to do your homework!

A. Hathaway
Read more
no image

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Fraud

Most men agree that Russian women are some of the most attractive in the world, up there with the best of nations such as Brazil, Venezuela and Romania. But, is finding a beautiful Russian who is honest and legitimate, and who wishes to marry a Westerner a real option anymore? Fortunately, the answer to that question is still Yes. Finding those quality women, however, is an increasingly difficult task in today's Internet marketplace.

The best option for finding a Russian bride is to travel to Russia, explore and travel the country, get to know the culture and feel for the language, and take care of business the old fasioned way - that's right, walk right up and talk to her. If she doesn't speak English, you're on to the next. If traveling to Russia is out of the question, for financial or other reasons, finding a beautiful Russian bride is still possible, but requires additional caution.

Searching Google or Yahoo for Russian women will quickly uncover thousands of sites such as Date Russian Brides.com or Single Brides.com and many others. How do you know which is legit? You don't. No dating site on the Internet is immune from fraud and international scam, not one. This knowledge alone can save the customer a lot of time, money and heartache.

The warning signs:
1. A woman who falls in love quickly, too quickly.
2. A woman with model like photos, like out of a magazine.
3. A woman who soon asks for money for visa or "emergencies".
4. A woman who writes very general, almost form-like letters.
5. A woman who never speaks about herself or her family.

Now that you're aware of the warning signs and you understand that fraud and scams from Eastern Europe are rapidly rising, you're on the right track. But, what if the relationship progresses and you're considering a serious committment? Get her checked out with a professional investigation from Wymoo. You've been talking with this woman for 6 months, and you trust her, you say. Too many victims have said the same, and still lost big. How does it happen? In short, the scammers are professionals.

More than ever... be skeptical and get her checked out!

Best of luck,

A. Hathaway
Read more
no image

Proceed With Caution

A word of caution about the growing popularity of dating websites and marriage match-making sites catering to the Philippines. During the past 10 years, with the rapid growth and increased access to the Internet, the websites have boomed in number, offering relationships and dating opportunities with beautiful women from the Philippines. The number of sites offering single Philippine women seeking marriage is in the 1000's, with some of the most popular being those like Cherry Blossoms and many others. Please be aware that NO website, no matter its reputation or claim, is immune from relationship fraud or scams.

Relationship fraud can come in the form of advance fee fraud (need help with visa, family emergency, etc) and many others - with the underlying factor always being money in advance. There are many decent women in the Philippines who are honestly seeking a life change, an opportunity to marry a Western man and leave the Philippines. Others, however, are out purely for the monetary gain and recent estimates (U.S. losses alone) are well over $5M USD annual that is going directly to scammers in the Philippines. Many of these fraud operations are ran from Internet cafes and are often managed by men, or committed by men portraying themselves as women. With that said, finding a decent bride or meaningful relationship in the Philippines is certainly possible. However, a professional background check is not only a wise investment financially, but the information uncovered can often bring peace of mind, and save one from a whole lot of heartache. Get her checked out early whenever possible!

Some firms, such as Wymoo International, can bring criminal operations to justice in the event that fraud is uncovered. This cannot be overlooked, as many victims (between 80 and 90%) do not report these crimes to the appropriate authorities due to embarrassment or lack of know how to report the crime. Lastly, these scam operations are growing, so please use caution!! If she asks for money and falls in love fast, watch out!!

Best of luck as always,

A. Hathaway
Read more
no image

All the Fluff or All the Fuss

Intelius is another prime example of good marketing strategy. The Washington based firm specializes in information and data warehousing technology, full automation and volume at low prices. Well, you do get what you pay for sometimes. Customers of Intelius will most likely be dissapointed with their "Background Check" reports, as they run between $30 and $70 on average, depending on the search criteria. However, buyer beware that information in these reports are often meaningless, such as public phone records which one could find by using Yahoo people search, etc. In addition, there is no guarantee of accuracy. Automation brings about speed and efficiency, but this is in no way a real investigation. Buyers of the service should expect limited results, and if any criminal records are found (often overlooked) expect to have to follow up with the corresponding jurisdiction for detailed case and prosecution information.

The firm has been highly successful at leading the market in the multitude of Internet offerings for background checks. While Intelius at least provides some kind of service (although limited and not a background check or investigation) some of the other background check websites are scams themselves. For a international background check, the number of sites are far fewer, as few data processing organizations can access the technology abroad. For real investigations and background checks abroad, try legitimate firms such as Wymoo International or Kroll.

Lastly, you are at a loss if you are looking for information outside the United States. Currently, Intelius services do not cover anything but U.S. public record searches, and some fluff to make their reports more marketable (such as neighborhood information??). I'm still not sure what this is... are you?

Best of luck,

A. Hathaway
Read more
no image

Who can you trust to give your money to?

In recent years the number of non-profit and charitable organizations has skyrocketed. For the individual or business interested in making a charitable, often tax-deductable, contribution is faced with the need to investigate or do some research on these organizations. Without some due diligence, a kind donation might just land in someone's pockets.

Many donators and the general public often believes that the larger an charitable organization, the more reliable and fiscally responsible. Unfortunately, this is not the case, which in turn makes the screening for reliable non-profit groups more difficult. Take the Red Cross, for example. The Red Cross has recently misappropriated millions of dollars in relief effort to the Hurricane Katrina victims in the United States. Millions have either gone unaccounted for, been lost completely without financial accountability, or been negligently allocated. Hence, size alone cannot serve as an overriding factor in selection.

Big is not always bad. Some of the names that continue to work responsibly, both socially and financially, are Greenpeace, National Geographic, and the Nature Conservancy. These organizations accomplish what they set out to do, and each is competently managed. Smaller groups continue to enter the market, and with them, the need to have a background check from a competent firm like Wymoo International, Kroll or Cinnamond Global to ensure the organizations are legitimate and effective in their efforts. One of the smaller non-profits that works to make a difference is TheEarthReport.org. This group serves as a news and information source, although it also works to protect the rain forest. As always... it pays to do your homework!

Best of luck,

A. Hathaway
Read more