The Salem Patch recently published a disturbing story about a family that a was victimized by a nanny.  The nanny reportedly stole more than $40,000 in jewelry while the children were in her care. Some of the items were recovered from local pawn shops, but several were unrecoverable. The nanny had been hired through one of the more popular online search sites.

The article doesn’t state whether a thorough background check would have alerted the family to problems with the nanny. Even so, don’t rely solely on an online company to find the bad apples. First, contact a nanny’s prior employers and ask pointed and thorough questions. Second, search the Internet using Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Third, search public records using a nanny resource. Be sure you have the nanny sign a contract giving you permission for the background search.