Just read that daily mail article, the comments are scathing. Looking bad on THS .
The BBC article states “ she was employed as a house sitter “ there’s no mention of TrustedHouseSitters in the BBc article.
They were mentioned several times in the Mail and she used a number of different names.
It was a private prosecution in the end even though it had been reported to THS (allegedly).
When I joined I can’t remember providing any ID. I am based in the UK. If I did provide passport details at the time they wouldn’t be relevant now.
I think I provided a phone number and email address. It says on my profile they are verified but they are easy enough to change at any time.
When I moved home I tried to give them my new address but was advised they didn’t need it. Quite worrying really.
Indeed!
My memory is not what it used to be but I remember some kind of ID verification process. In Spain, we keep the same ID number all our lives, that number is always used for all sorts of purposes. It’s even included in the driving license and passport, although the passport number itself, changes every time we renew it.
I know in different countries they use different kinds of proof of identity but I thought there was some sort of permanent number, which would not change so easily.
The UK where this sitter was based does not have a compulsory national identity card or a standard “ID number”.
Thanks for the info.
Wow, this is messed up. It’s interesting how the BBC article keeps referring to her “employment” as a house sitter, when in fact, it seems to be THS, which is far from employment as we all know.
I read in the news last week (BBC News - Oxfordshire) that a woman who was registered with Trusted Housesitters was arrested for stealing from the properties where she was sitting, this happened on many occasions.
I have had absolutely no problems with the sitters I have had in the past, but I would like assurance from Trusted Housesitters that with this in mind they are very rigorous on their checking of those who register to Housesit.
Only US sitters are background checked by THS .
https://support.trustedhousesitters.com/hc/en-gb/articles/4402690121105-What-is-the-Background-Check
As an additional observation — I’ve had to run one of these checks on myself & submit it for a foreign visa application. They’re pretty much a literally pass/fail report, and as noted they’re only run once, when the (US-based) member joins THS. Any convictions occurring after that time would not be revealed or reported.
As with any other online match-making platform, THS makes no guarantees or representations about a sitter or host’s reliability, & have no legal obligations to members in that regard. THS sitters are not employees of the service. They will not be held liable for the actions of a bad actor.
As with Rover or any other service, you’ll want to do your own due diligence to be sure you feel comfortable with any sitter (or host) you engage with.
The good news is that so far, these bad actors seem to be the exception rather than the rule.
It’s a very common assumption among many members that THS thoroughly vets every single member, you see if all the time on sites like Facebook and Trustpilot. This is not the case, it’s up to you, the HO, to vet your own sitters. As already said, only American members have a criminal background check.
Also worth noting that this individual was stealing jewellery from clients who she was contracted to do wedding day make up for so the Brides. Not only did she not do the Make Up she stole their possessions because she had access to their rooms…. It was only once she was caught that all of her offences emerged.
Hi,
I’m new to the forum, but not to THS. I saw some reports online about the woman who was a sitter that stole from hosts and then saw that there was an active thread in the forum about her. I read your post and wondered how hosts can vet sitters, what can they do/ask and how could the information provided be verified? Thieves and con artists are usually accomplished liars that can fool most people, most of the time. TIA
P.S. I don’t think “gut feel” is reliable, or accurate in this type of situation. Thanks again.
Follow up any references they’ve got, google their name, LinkedIn, Facebook, X, just a few suggestions.
Okay, but how can you follow up references given on their profile and you don’t know who the referee is? My name would turn up nothing on Internet searches, my LinkedIn and Facebook profiles aren’t public, and I don’t have an X, Insta or Snapchat account. I’d be willing to bet that unless you extreme lengths you’d find out nothing about me. I don’t think it’s that easy to do any meaningful vetting.
From a practical standpoint, isn’t that pretty much true of any online matching service (Uber, Thumbtack, Angie’s List, dating sites…)
What kind of vetting would you like to see, that would be practical given that THS doesn’t directly employ sitters, & sitters can be located in pretty much any country in the world (where laws & access to public records differ significantly?)
Your concerns aren’t unreasonable, just trying to understand what kind of solution you’re looking for that could realistically be implemented.
Plus the internet may not have correct information about this person. Anyone can slander someone.
I am the OP!
Exactly, THS is just like a dating app, and as such they do a pretty good job to provide quality service. Do users blame a dating app if they get catfished, stood up or become victims of a criminal? Platforms that work by matching individuals to whatever purpose are only to blame, if they don’t take action against a user, after an action against the law has been proven.