employee embezzlement

A Name is a Name until it has Criminal or Civil Ligations linked to it

Conducting a background investigation upon someone may seem fairly simple these days because so much information is now online and so many courts allow access to their records.  Many times you have to have some type of subscription to access more detailed information.  There are many sites online that allow you to run a name, hopefully the name you put through their system isn’t common, but if it is, you could be getting information on multiple individuals who share that name, even though they may have different dates of birth. conduct background checks and perform due diligence research for the private sector and for many businesses and corporations.  Many times a company will take the word of a prospective employee: they have never been convicted [...]

Is it Employee Embezzlement?

A very depressed-looking business owner came in for an appointment at . We are accustomed to clients or prospective clients arriving emotionally charged, either very angry or hurt, but they don’t usually act like this gentleman. Once talking, he explained that he was “darn near just ready to chuck it all in.” He said he was just confounded by what he knew was going on in his company. He just needed proof of it and confirmation of how deep the damage went. Whew. He explained that because his company dealt with many clients coming in for training from out of town, he maintained an apartment for their use doing their stay. It was fully furnished and maintained. What he had discovered was that it had [...]

Protect Your Business from Theft in the Workplace

“I can’t believe I didn’t see it.” Riley had run his own business for years. He’d had hundreds of employees, some of which had stayed for years and retired from his company. So when his attorney brought him in, it was obvious he was both surprised and shocked that he could possibly be in this position. There was strong evidence of embezzlement by an employee. Although he knew theft by employees was a costly problem and touched every business, he didn’t consider a few missing pens or copies being made for some kid’s carwash was a big deal. But this was more than that. This was outright skimming money out of accounts, writing forged checks and manipulating accounts that could only be answered by employee [...]

Down to the Wire Fugitive Recovery Agents Look to

At , no two days are ever the same. We work to solve employee embezzlement We do our best to find missing people. We undertake investigations for medical malpractice lawsuits and personal liability cases. And we also work with fugitive recovery agents, or bail Time is of the essence in many investigations, but always in fugitive recovery cases. If their client skips bail, then the bondsman loses all of that bail money unless the fugitive can be located and returned for court. Obviously, bail recovery agents are always anxious for our help. They come to us as their last resort, so time is always in short supply. We use an assortment of investigative tools to fit each individual case. But for bondsmen, investigation often requires [...]

Is Your Work Environment Cultivating Theft by Employees?

Objectivity is the cornerstone to a private investigator’s work – and success in doing that work. As we discuss here at offices, uncovering the truth is based on facts. We don’t make judgments other than those that help us follow-up or lead us to conclusions to further an investigation. Good investigators are keen observers and study cause and effect as well as patterns and trends. In recognizing patterns we can anticipate what a subject might be likely to do and then be prepared. A good example is in the situation where we are contacted about possible theft by employees. By looking at the work environment we can often determine what kind of clues to look for. Theft in the workplace can include a variety of [...]

Is It Theft if the Money is Used to Improve the Budget?

With many budget cuts in the last few years, not-for-profit agencies have felt the sting. The workers in these agencies believe in their missions so they avoid extra spending. For example, the chairs at the free clinic still haven't been replaced. At the shelter for victims of domestic violence, the roof has leaked for two years. And in many agencies, if a staff person leaves, that person is rarely replaced. Instead, the work load is dispersed among other employees. And so, our investigators were surprised when the executive director of Vocational Rehabilitation stopped by. She had a keen eye and a careful watch on agency books and shared with us that she suspected a certain mental health agency was purposefully overcharging services rendered to Vocational [...]

Caustic Employees May Be as Harmful as Theft in the Workplace

Ed and Georgia were extremely conservative business owners. Last year, they realized a long time dream. They expanded the square footage of their business, took on a couple of new projects and hired four new employees. But for some unknown reason, employee morale noticeably began to dwindle. Employees more frequently called in sick. Some actually left the company without providing clear reasons for why they were suddenly unhappy. On their own, Ed and Georgia tried to interview workers about the shift in attitude. But they were unsuccessful in getting to the root of the problem. Then in the community, Georgia heard a couple of negative rumors about their business. By that point, Ed and Georgia were more than concerned about the problem. They were panicked. [...]

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; [...]

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 [...]

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