embezzlement investigation Archives - Page 2 of 2

Gut Intuition Raises Bells, Professional Investigation Delivers Evidence

If your gut screams that something isn't right, don't ignore it! Call on to help you identify what that “something” is. We respect your intuition. And we will help identify that “something” that doesn't feel right. That's exactly what happened in a case involving business partners, Brett and Leo. Three years earlier, these computer wizards launched a technology business. In the second year, the business boomed to the tune of several million dollars. Also in their second year of business, the men were rather intrigued when a new business opened in the same city. Oddly enough, the new business offered many similar products and services. This was odd, since Brett and Leo created many of their own software products. A few months into their third [...]

Fugitive Recovery Successfully Aided by Investigators

If you know people who shred documents with a cross-cut blade shredder while they watch TV – you might want to follow their lead. Those intelligent friends know that identity theft is America's No. 1 crime among white collar criminals. In fact, nine million Americans fall victim every year to identity theft. That is a staggering fact, isn't it? Unfortunately, it can be far too easy for predators to make you their next victim. All they need is your name, your social security number or access to a credit card number. And you become another statistic. You can't know where these criminals lurk. Some of them dumpster dive to gather old mail and paperwork. Others dupe you by misrepresenting themselves during a telephone call. Here's [...]

Theft in the Workplace Belongs in Professional Hands

Theft in the workplace can take many forms and every department is vulnerable. Like many company owners, Ed felt the crunch of the economy. He tried not to get to the point of lay-offs. But eventually, that choice was inevitable. Some guys in production lost their jobs, others lost hours. In fact, within a few months, Ed had to reduce employees and hours in every single department. The morale of those left behind went from low to downright vicious. Ed was doing the best he could do. Then he started to notice that inventory was low, tools were suddenly missing and machinery in the production lines was suddenly out of commission. Ed suspected that his employees were purposefully causing problems; they were sabotaging the machines; [...]

Catching an Internal Thief with Video Technology

Lifelong friends Jeff and Chris came to visit the other day. Jeff is a local business owner who built a successful real estate management company and Chris is his attorney. It was Chris who scheduled the meeting. Jeff really didn’t think it was necessary, but because he trusted Chris, he came along. The thing is that Chris had been working with the accounting firm that handles Jeff's books. He thinks he uncovered some discrepancies, but the accounting checks and balances seem to be in order. According to Chris, there is one common denominator in every record in question – and that is Jeff’s secretary, Margot. Jeff keeps saying that he trusts Margot – she’s worked for him for years – 13 to be exact and [...]

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 [...]

Computer Investigation Shows Employee Embezzlement is Digital Now, Too

Theft by employees is a problem for more than retail or restaurant businesses. It is a problem in the office, too. I am talking about more than office supplies and materials here. I am talking about the theft of ideas, processes, client lists and confidential corporate operations. This could include employee embezzlement through accounting or bookkeeping channels from corporate accounts, too. All of these things constitute theft in the workplace; some just look a little different than others. Instead of carrying something physically off, it’s moved digitally. And that is how exactly how it is found – digitally. Computers are the basis of most of the work done in many workplaces so when suspicions arise, a computer forensic investigation is one of the first steps [...]