SMARTEK BLOG

How to identify and deal with corporate theft or fraud

Nobody wants to think that crime is taking place inside their business, especially if that means an employee is deliberately harming the organisation. However, it can, and does, happen. Rather than ignoring this possibility and sticking their heads in the sand, business leaders should be constantly on the lookout for any abnormalities, and know exactly how to deal with employee theft and fraud.

Often this starts with a gut instinct that something isn't quite right, and while this isn't enough to take serious action, it's more than a good enough reason to call in an experienced investigations team to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. Here at Barringtons, we've been conducting corporate investigations for more than 25 years, and know exactly what's required to identify and effectively deal with theft or fraud in all manner of organisations.

How to identify internal theft or fraud

The key to identifying crimes within a business is to act quickly. The later action is taken, the likelier it is that the theft or fraud will continue for long periods of time, costing your company significantly more than if the situation was dealt with immediately. Trust your instincts, and give the experts a call to conduct a thorough audit of your business. This holds true for businesses of all shapes and sizes, from retail stores with POS and cash handling theft all the way up to large-scale fraud in corporate environments.

A lot of the hallmarks of theft or fraud are difficult to identify, especially if they involve collusion between staff or the involvement of third parties who you may not be aware of. By bringing in the professionals, you'll have access to a wealth of knowledge that only comes from seeing these situations play out time after time, giving you the best chance of identifying the problem.

Conducting an internal investigation

Another reason to seek professional guidance during an internal investigation is that the process needs to be carried out in a certain way. Executive Manager – Corporate Risk at Barringtons, Jason Fullerton, explains that aside from the legal responsibilities of businesses during an investigation, subtlety is also critical to avoid causing problems within your workforce.

"When we prepare an investigation plan and design what we're going to do, it's important to consider a business's continuity needs, so the process doesn't disrupt day-to-day operations," he explains.

As the Barringtons investigations team is fully licensed, all of our staff know exactly what's required when conducting an internal audit. To find out more, get in touch with us today.

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