Justin Lavelle

Justin Lavelle is the social media director and blogger for BeenVerified.com. He is based out of Northern Virginia.

#ShouldaBeenVerified: Donate to Refugees, Not Scams

Justin Lavelle

October 2, 2015

The ongoing Syrian refugee crisis has sparked an understandable human urge to help them, just like the Ebola epidemic and Haitian earthquake crisis among many others before them. While many reliable organizations are in place to securely funnel your donations to those most in need, unfortunately there are many other less savory organizations that will take your money and disappear in the night. First, let’s review the recent history of some similar major charity scams.

#ShouldaBeenVerified: Know Your Neighbors (and Their Firearms)

Justin Lavelle

October 8, 2015

It seems nearly every week a horrific new shooting is mentioned in the news. While the current mass shooting in Oregon is making headlines, another heartbreaking incident occurred recently in Tennessee that deserves attention in its own right. In our recent Back to School blog we highlighted the many potential new people entering your kids’ circles as the new school year began. One such category was neighbors, including the parents of other classmates.

Death by Phone Scam: A BV Analysis

Justin Lavelle

October 15, 2015

A recent investigation on CNN recounted the unfortunate case of an elderly man who was apparently driven to suicide by an unrelenting phone scam, known widely by authorities as the Jamaican lottery scam. The fact that this type of scam is widely known by authorities, the Post Office and AARP, has not been able to prevent 300,000 victims from sending nearly $3 million to con artists based in Jamaica. The victim’s family has rightly publicized his case in order to help others avoid facing a similar plight with an elderly loved one.

Legal Term Tuesday: "Doing Business As"

Justin Lavelle

October 7, 2015

This is the latest entry in BeenVerified’s legal term library designed to help you better understand public record information, criminal records and related terminology. The information in this article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you want to start a business and create a separate identity for the company, including giving it a unique and fictitious name, you should register a DBA, or “doing business as” for the company with your county and/or state.

Legal Term Tuesday: Driving Under The Influence

Justin Lavelle

September 23, 2015

This is the latest entry in BeenVerified’s legal term library designed to help you better understand public record information, criminal records and related terminology. The information in this article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Driving under the influence (DUI) is a crime associated with operating a motor vehicle while impaired, typically with alcohol. In fact, DUI is often synonymously used with the term “drunk driving.

Legal Term Tuesday: Foreclosure

Justin Lavelle

October 21, 2015

This is the latest entry in BeenVerified’s legal term library designed to help you better understand public record information, criminal records and related terminology. The information in this article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you owe money on a mortgage and fail to pay it, you could face a foreclosure situation when the financial institution you owe seeks to reclaim the property from you.

Legal Term Tuesday: Larceny

Justin Lavelle

November 4, 2015

This is the latest entry in BeenVerified’s legal term library designed to help you better understand public record information, criminal records and related terminology. The information in this article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Larceny is a fancy word for theft. Dictionary.com defines it as “the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods of another from his or her possession with intent to convert them to the taker’s own use.

Legal Term Tuesday: Probation

Justin Lavelle

September 15, 2015

This is the latest entry in BeenVerified’s legal term library designed to help you better understand public record information, criminal records and related terminology. The information in this article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If a defendant has been convicted of a relatively minor offense or is a first time offender, then he or she may be looking at serving probation, instead of being sent straight to prison.

Legal Term Tuesday: Subpoena

Justin Lavelle

September 29, 2015

This is the latest entry in BeenVerified’s legal term library designed to help you better understand public record information, criminal records and related terminology. The information in this article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. A subpoena is a court-ordered request for information either in the form of documents or a personal appearance at a legal proceeding. What are the different kinds of subpoenas? What are some of your options when being served by a subpoena?

Price Your Home With Public Data

Justin Lavelle

October 28, 2015

Finding the “magic price” for listing your home can be difficult and stressful. You don’t want to feel like you’re leaving money on the table, however overpricing your home can delay your plans when your home stays on the market longer than anticipated, or fails to sell at all. A qualified real estate agent can help provide you with a solid basis for pricing information, as well as advising you on how to increase your home’s “curb appeal” and other factors that will potentially help it sell more quickly and for the best price.

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Justin Lavelle

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