QUICK TIPS: Background checks for in-home help

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Do you know why hiring someone to work in your home is so tricky? Michael Finney has another 7 on Your Side, Building a Better Bay Area Quick Tip for you!

Hiring someone to work in your home is tricky because you have to be able to trust them. Whether they're just watering a plant or giving care to an elderly relative, it's important that you know you're not going to be ripped off. How do you go about this? You can hire a private investigator, or you can hire an agency that checks out the person before they send them over to you. Now, the important question to ask either your private investigator or your agency is: did you check this person out both criminally and civilly? Often, they'll just check the criminal record or just check the civil record. That's not good enough for someone in your home. To be safe, they must check both.

Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.