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How To Decrease Theft In Your Business

Different types of theft     

Stealing money from a business is one the most obvious forms of employee theft. This can be in form of embezzlement or the taking cash right out of a register.

Employee theft comes in many forms:

• Unauthorized removal of computers, office supplies & office furniture: Removal of computers, office supplies & office furniture without the consent of an employer is considered theft.
• Intellectual Property: Intellectual Property theft issues are also a growing concern. Unethical employees have been known to steal “ideas” or confidential information from a previous employer. Companies need to protect their business from employees with a history of misuse of intellectual property.
• Time clock bandits: Time clock theft is also one of the most common, yet overlooked thefts occurring in companies. Punching in and not starting work right away may not seem like a serious issue, but if an employee adds an extra 10 minutes per shift, he or she can average an extra 40 hours per year. That is basically an extra week of pay per year!  

By hiring a pre-employee background-screening firm, such as Accu-Screen, Inc., you can avoid this scenario as reported May 11, 2008 on www.mycentraljersey.com:

A Hillsborough woman has been indicted on charges of stealing $739,000 from a township towing company during a five-year period.

Deborah Dynak, 40, was charged with stealing the money from Dave's Heavy Towing, where she worked as a bookkeeper, from Dec. 31, 2001 to Oct. 18, 2007 by either forging signatures on checks she eventually pocketed or diverting checks intended for the company into her personal account, said Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest.

Dynak allegedly wrote more than $491,117 in checks to her former married name, D.D. Buenahora, from a company account used to pay vendors, and forging the owner's name on the checks before depositing them in her personal account, according to papers filed in state Superior Court.
Dynak is also accused of writing more than $196,869 in checks from Dave's Heavy Towing to Murray Rude, another local towing service that does work for the company, according to Forrest. Dynak forged the signature of Murray Rude before depositing the checks in her personal account, Forrest said.
In addition, Dynak allegedly diverted more than $51,015 in checks intended for Dave's Heavy Towing from another vendor, PJAX, to herself.

After performing work for PJAX, Dave's Heavy Towing would receive a check-like "Comcheck" and call a 1-800 number to receive an authorization code for payment, according to Forrest. The company would then write in the amount it was given by PJAX on the Comcheck as well as the payer information.
Forrest said the investigation began when towing company owner David Bender and his staff discovered checks written on the business' expense account to D.D. Buenahora, which Bender knew was Dynak's former married name.

Dynak was arrested on March 26 after a five-month investigation by members of the Hillsborough Police Department's Detective Bureau and the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Special Investigations Unit.                                                                                         
Why theft hurts fellow employees as well

Theft hurts employees in many ways. Loss of company profits, loss of jobs due to profit losses and company bankruptcy are the consequences of employee theft. Loss of jobs can result as a companies’ budget shrinks due to profit loss. Company bankruptcy can be the end result of an employee who steals from his employer. This can result from actual loss of money or damaged relationships with vendors and contractors.

How a small investment can help you save big

For a relatively, small fee an employee background screening firm you can help greatly decrease employee theft. Many times, conducting a background screening, including a criminal records search, can help catch employees with a previous history of employee theft.

For more information on how to protect your organization against theft visit the Accu-Screen, Inc. website today at www.accuscreen.com. With 14 years of experience conducting pre-employment background and screening, criminal records searches and drug tests, Accu-Screen, Inc. can produce the most accurate, factual information to help a company hire safe, qualified candidates.