For a business owner, nothing can feel more threatening or personally violating than an employee who is embezzling from the company. Embezzlement has reached near-epidemic proportions in businesses nationwide- an estimated $400 billion is stolen each year by employees in the United States!
Not only are your company’s assets being compromised by someone on the inside, but it can make you lose your trust in people, not to mention make you wary of future employees. All in all, embezzlement is a serious offense and breach of trust that can destroy an entire business. If you suspect that someone in your organization may be embezzling, it’s essential to hire a professional investigator to conduct a thorough embezzlement investigation. Here’s what you need to know in order to make an informed decision and choose the right investigator for the job.
How Does an Embezzlement Investigation Work?
When a private investigator takes an embezzlement investigation case, he or she treats it much like any other employee misconduct investigation. This means that the depth of the investigation, as well as the level of complexity, depends heavily upon the amount of theft that has occurred. If an employee is suspected of stealing handfuls of cash out of the register in a convenience store, for example, this offense, while still dishonest and highly punishable by law, is less severe than a case in which an employee is stealing millions of dollars from a mega-corporation. Once the level of embezzlement involved has been determined, your private investigator goes to work on gathering evidence.
The first step in an embezzlement investigation is to determine if actual theft has taken place. Once the fact of theft has been established, the investigator will determine the total amount of the theft, or thefts, and how the suspect went about stealing it. Once the investigator uncovers the evidence that ties the suspect to the embezzlement incident or incidents, that individual is removed from the place of business via termination. If the suspect tries to sue on the grounds of wrongful termination, the employer has the court-admissible evidence gathered by the private investigator to prove that the employee was embezzling from the company.
Once the embezzler has been effectively removed from the workplace, the investigator will work with the employer to create loss-prevention tactics to mitigate future embezzlement incidents. Finally, the employer will try to recover the money that has been stolen by pressing charges against the offender, in order to collect damages.
Hiring a private investigator for a suspected embezzlement case is a wise move, as it protects against the possibility of a wrongful termination suit, and also provides an employer with the necessary evidence to bring the thief to justice. JP Investigative Group can help with all Charlotte-area embezzlement investigations. We have years of experience with embezzlement cases, and will provide a thorough, ethical embezzlement investigation. Call JP Investigative Group today at 704-243-1137 to schedule your initial no-cost consultation with a licensed, reputable private investigator.
