Forgery

Digital Forensics is Now Available to Public

You have probably heard the story about how ex-Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich spends his time these days. Right? He’s behind bars, serving a 14-year sentence for public corruption. A computer forensics expert found enough evidence for more than 18 charges to be filed against Blagojevich. He was caught trying to sell or trade a vacant U.S. Senate seat after President Obama left the Senate for the White House. Because the world continues to demand more and more expertise with technology, digital forensics is in high demand. Defined as the application of science and engineering for the purpose of retrieving digital evidence in a legally acceptable manner, computer forensic analysis is not only used by police detectives. are also well-versed in this area, with the ability [...]

Do You Have a Trail of Paperwork That Reveals Employee Embezzlement?

Employee embezzlement is a major problem, especially for small businesses. I recently read an article by Todd Frankel of the St. Louis Dispatch, “Wave of embezzlement cases hits St. Louis region.” Case after case spoke of employees: Getting reimbursements in “office expenses” Improperly documenting vehicle impound fees and pocketing the money Creating fraudulent invoices and making payments to dummy vendors (themselves) Skimming money by adding a fee to an invoice, then taking the money once the invoice is paid Theft by employees is increasing, according to a poll of the members of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Looking at the cases, embezzlement by employee after employee shows that the theft occurs over a long period of time and is taken in small amounts. Unlike [...]

What Business Owners Need to Know About Theft by Employees and Employee Embezzlement

Theft by employees is rampant – just ask any business owner or CEO. And when you start talking about employee embezzlement, the impact can be catastrophic to some businesses, especially small businesses, for several reasons: Loss of assets – an employee stealing from a company can take anything from supplies and materials to money away from the company’s resources. Loss of credibility – if a large theft or employee embezzlement is uncovered and reported to the public, the perception of the company may be damaged. The “if they can’t manage their own house, how can I think they can manage mine” theory can result in loss of clients and potential clients – for a long time. Drain on future finances – Seeing a business embezzlement [...]

An Investigation Provides Answers When You Think You Have an Employee Stealing Customers

In order to protect their client list and trade secrets, many businesses formalize confidentiality and non-compete agreements with employees. Client data protection is also an element of the privacy organization strive to maintain. But sometimes employees or contractors see those agreements only as valuable as the sheet of paper they are written on and ignore the legally binding agreement. And it’s not only the people you hire, but family who work in the business, too. has had numerous investigations that revealed family members were involved in clandestine operations – sometimes. For instance, a small family business owner contacted about suspicions he had at work. He thought he had an employee stealing customers – and that employee was his nephew. Not only was he concerned about [...]

Confirm Employee Embezzlement with a Certified Financial Examiner

When an employer is faced with employee embezzlement, you might think that they just fire the person, or call the police and the insurance company. At the minimum, they call the insurance company if they have an employee fidelity policy. What you might not realize is that the insurance company might require proof that funds were actually stolen by the employee. Most employers call their attorneys and smart attorneys call in a firm like Theft in the workplace can be complicated and involve more than a single employee. Theft by employees could also implicate suppliers and clients. A recent case followed a common scenario. The situation where an employee forged checks, cashed the checks and doctored the books and records. called in the Certificated Forensic [...]

Nip Theft by Employees in the Bud

Theft by employees is a problem whether you own a business run out of an office or a retail establishment. It’s a felony and costs business – and consumers – a great deal of money every year. There are steps employers can take beginning with a thorough background check for new employees. It is not uncommon for big organizations to an HR due diligence checklist, but companies of all sizes should include a background check in their hiring process. This is especially true for key employees and those in vulnerable areas of the business. Employee embezzlement can have a debilitating impact on a small business. In fact, some businesses are not able to recover from such a loss and the subsequent cost of legal action. [...]

Handwriting Analyst Can Reveal Forgery

Forgeries of paintings may be the stuff of movies, but forgery of signature on documents happens more often than the public realizes. For example, recently had an inquiry about a home that was being sold on a lease-to-rent agreement. The original tenant/buyer died during the term of the sales agreement. His sister and her husband, who had lived with him for the last several months of his life, were not parties to the agreement. However, when the landlord/seller went to the property to discuss the situation, the sister produced a signed sales contract between her, her brother (the original tenant/buyer) and the landlord/seller and his wife outlining different terms for the sale. Their attorney contacted us because they believed that someone had forged signatures on [...]

Go to Top