$2 Million Dollar Fraud Results From Paycheck Selfies

Posted by Jake Richardson Jan 5, 2015 9:04:00 AM on



Printed Paychecks are a Security Hole? Really? Yes, Really.

Go to Google and do an image search for “my first paycheck,” then come back to finish this article.

Okay, wasn’t that amazing. What you saw was hundreds of smiling employees posting an image of their first paycheck. If you search for “my last paycheck” you’ll see more. 

Perhaps you’re now wondering whether you have a policy in place so that employees don't take a selfie holding their pay check and sharing it online.

Good. This is the article for you. Read on.

In a recent national news story, a Minnesota woman posted a selfie photo on Instagram holding her paycheck. Zoom in a little on the photo, and you can clearly can see the company’s bank account number!

Criminals gathered the information and used it to create counterfeit checks against her employer's bank account.
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Topics: contractor timesheet

"Cadillac Health Plans" for Union Workers and ObamaCare Face Off

Posted by Jake Richardson Aug 8, 2013 3:15:00 PM on

rose the riveter

Three major union presidents, James Hoffa (Teamsters), Joseph Hansen (Food and Commercial Workers), and D. Taylor (Unite Here) recently wrote a tough letter to Democratic Congressional leaders. They said, "Right now, unless you and the Obama Administration enact an equitable fix, the ACA will shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class." (Source: Wall Street Journal)

As with all things Obamacare, it's complicated. The uniion leaders are arguing about all workers, but mostly, they are very concerned about the benefits of their union member workers. On the one hand, they are drawing attention to the many business owners are reducing their number of full-time workers that they would have to provide healthcare benefits. “The unintended consequences of the ACA are severe. Perverse incentives are causing nightmare scenarios. First, the law creates an incentive for employers to keep employees’ work hours below 30 hours a week. Numerous employers have begun to cut workers’ hours to avoid this obligation, and many of them are doing so openly. The impact is two-fold: fewer hours means less pay while also losing our current health benefits.” (Source: Forbes)

They go on. 

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Topics: Employee reports, contractor timesheet

Free Timesheet from Labor Dept. and Surge in Contract Workers

Posted by Jake Richardson May 15, 2013 8:26:00 AM on

Frances Perkins Building resized 600


US Department of Labor Free iPhone App for Time Tracking Hits 14,000 Downloads
After nearly two years of availability, a free iPhone app called DOL-Timesheet created by the US Department of Labor has been downloaded 14,000 times, according to XYO.net. The point of the app is not at all to replace standard time sheets used by companies, but to allow workers to track their own time. In a case of an investigation or audit, then an employee would have her or his own hours documented and could provide evidence of time worked, with dates  and having used a respectable method. A free app like this could come in especially handy if an employee's work hours are recorded by someone other than the employee, such as a manager.

The link to the app is here.

Being able to track hours using a portable personal device must be an advantage, because of the ready and constant accessibility. Especially during field work, when an employee might not have access to a company desktop or laptop and is working odd hours, such an app might serve a critical purpose. The app does not handle things like holiday and weekend pay, tips, or commissions. This new Department of Labor app might have some serious ramifications. For example, a company's own timesheet tracking might not easily be accessible to employees, automated adequately, or employee timesheets might not be tracked and stored properly. Employers could be in the embarrassing position of having less reliable timesheet data than their individual employees using this Department of Labor app.  

Contract Employees are Replacing Some Full-time Workers
A recent survey from CareerBuilder found that 40% of companies plan to use contractors this year. A little over 30% of new jobs in the private sector created after the recession ended were contract positions. Before the recession, the number of new contract positions was only about 2%. The reasons for this major shift are obviously related to cost-cutting by companies that are trying to survive. Recruiters who don't work with contract workers and help them with their timesheets (usually Web-based) could be left behind by a shifting economy. Additionally, staffing companies surveyed predict that 40-50% of all employees will be contracted staffers by 2020. If this were the case, a great many corporations would need to have extensive cloud-based timesheet systems to track these contract workers across the enterprise.

Image Credit: AgnosticPreacherKid, Wiki Commons
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Topics: department of labor timesheet, dol-t, contractor timesheet, timesheet, Timesheet Software

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