Uncategorized — Page 134

Getting More From Your Internal Theft Cases

July 9, 2011 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

As a Corporate Fraud Investigator doing an internal theft interview it is important to stay open minded and not get tunnel vision in looking for an admission. Let’s face it, by the time you’ve concluded your employee theft investigation your subject has probably been performing his/ her particular brand of shenanigans for quite some time and it’s possible that you’ve missed a few things. So now that you’ve succeeded in getting them to confess to you about their wrong-doing it’s time to expand the admission.

Many internal theft cases start small and build to a point where they become noticeable enough to catch the eye of a corporate fraud investigator, or some other loss prevention professional. In truth, depending on how long the crook has been committing the crime, he/ she may not even remember how they got started. It’s your job, as part of your employee theft investigation to jog their memory and get the whole story. Use phrases like, “It’s important that what you tell me is consistent with what I already know”. Don’t let them know you’re fishing for information. Make them think you’re just reviewing the facts you already know as a formality.

Remember, at this point they’ve already confessed to a crime of some sort and mentally they’re slowly accepting their fate; however you don’t want to pounce on them. This will do nothing more than make them clam up again and in some cases it has been known to cause them to retract their initial confession. Your goal in the process of an employee theft investigation is to find the truth, not to pulverize the subject. An internal theft case is often like an onion, the more layers you, the corporate fraud investigator, pull back the more you’ll find.

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For more information contact us at Internal Theft or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: corporate fraud investigator, employee theft, employee theft investigation, internal theft

Prevent Shoplifting The Safe Way

July 9, 2011 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

I, like some of you reading this, originally learned the old school method to prevent shoplifting: Chase them down, rough ‘em up, cuff ‘em up, and drag ‘em back by any means necessary. Well, as I’m sure you know, times have changed and the world of Loss Prevention isn’t as safe as it used to be. Just recently in the Arlington Heights suburb of Chicago two store employees were struck by a getaway driver as they attempted to chase down a thief. Both men had to be taken to the hospital to be treated for their injuries and the shoplifter got away.

We all want to go home in the same condition we were in when we arrived to work. The best way to ensure that is not by trying to prevent shoplifting with brute force, but by employing Checkpoint Systems to reduce shrink the smart way. Checkpoint Systems offers a variety of products and solutions designed to make your merchandise undesirable to crooks while still allowing your honest, paying customers access to the products they wish to purchase.

There are a number of horror stories, like the one above, associated with the business. I’ve heard of security guards reaching into cars to stop a shoplifter and nearly having their limbs removed from their sockets as the vehicle sped off. These actions, no matter how valiant they may seem in the heat of the moment, are ultimately foolish and potentially costly to the company. Plus, I imagine it must be incredibly difficult to clap for justice when you only have one arm. As the old saying goes, work smarter not harder. Find the solutions from Checkpoint Systems that work best to prevent shoplifting in your business and leave the heroics to the comic books.

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For more information contact us: Prevent Shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

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Clothing Security Tags Prevent Shoplifting

July 9, 2011 by Staff Editor

The store associates placed clothing security tags on the merchandise as directed by their manager. Each of the clothing security tags were attached cleanly, neatly and positioned to be visible by customers.

The store was not yet open, and the manager was preparing for the day. As a seasoned professional working in a store in a tough area, she knew the importance of clothing security and determined to reduce shrink in her store and meet her sales numbers for the week and year. The manager spoke to other associates in the building and gave her routine morning speech. Touching on the topic of clothing security, the manager said clothing security tags helped protect merchandise in their store daily, and that it was very important for all associate to understand the need for clothing security and how it affects the overall performance of the store. She asked a couple of questions about clothing security tags, and got back the right answers. Her associates know clothing security is a big piece of the business.

The store opened for the day, the associates went to work and the manager got on with her administrative duties. Feeling comfortable about the associate awareness, she walked the sales floor and inspected the various areas requiring clothing security tags. She greeted customers, assisted others and help restock merchandise where needed.

Security tags on clothes combined with a solid manager, and receptive staff makes clothing security that much easier. Shoplifters like stores with no security, employees that are too busy to help customers and privacy. Security tags on clothes take away that privacy. If a thief can’t leave the store without a clothing alarm going off they will become too obvious for comfort.

As a loss prevention consultant, I always recommend security tags on clothes and a clothing alarm to any business selling clothing. I’ve never seen a benefit to any clothing retailer choosing to not use security tags on clothes. In fact, most retailers that went against security tags on clothes end up regretting their decision.

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For more information contact us at Clothing alarm and clothing security tags or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: clothing alarm, Clothing Security, clothing security tags, security tags on clothes

Ways To Prevent Shoplifting

July 7, 2011 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

In these days and times there are many different kinds of shoplifters, so it makes sense that there would be many different ways to prevent shoplifting. Some companies prefer to use a visible deterrent such as armed or unarmed security guards at the exits and valuable merchandise kept inside of cages or behind heavy glass guarded by lock and key to ensure that they don’t fall prey to any sticky fingers. Other company’s prefer a more covert security force, utilizing loss prevention agents in plain clothes who blend in with the customers and perform more discreet surveillance. They may also utilize an EAS system by Checkpoint Systems.

Depending on the individual environment and needs of your business the latter may be a better fit for you. It has been proven that many customers tend to be put off by stores with such a menacing security presence. After all, nobody wants to feel like they’ve stepped into cellblock D of their local penitentiary when they come shopping for their next outfit. So it’s necessary to keep that in mind when you’re devising a plan to prevent shoplifting in your store.

It has been said that when used in conjunction with one another a good CCTV system and a good EAS system are nearly unbeatable. Checkpoint Systems is, and has been the leader in EAS devices for some time now. They provide an option which allows the business owner to protect their more valuable, high-risk items without putting them out of the reach of customers who which to pay for them. At the same time, the Checkpoint System solutions make that same merchandise extremely unattractive to crooks enabling you to protect your bottom line while you simultaneously prevent shoplifting.

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For more information contact us: Prevent Shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

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The Clothing Alarm versus No Clothing Alarm

July 7, 2011 by Staff Editor

Kind of an age old question, do I use a Clothing Alarm, or can I go with no Clothing alarm. If you’re a clothing retailer, I can give you some insight of the benefits of utilizing clothing security in your business.

Particularly for smaller clothing retailers, the benefits of using a clothing alarm far exceed the costs of the initial purchase. Sure it may sound like a lot of money, but you need to look at clothing security as a long term investment into your business.

I worked for a chain of stores, 6 stores in the entire chain. This private business was selling clothing and fast. However, growing just as fast as their business was shrink or inventory loss. As most business owners and managers know, nothing kills sales and profitability faster than shrink. Hired as a consultant, I observed the operations of each store. I also monitored the customer traffic and crime statistics for each specific neighborhood. Reports from employees helped me build recommendations on clothing security that would be most beneficial.

As a demonstration, I showed the owners a clothing alarm, and attached it to merchandise. I recommended at least one store try on this clothing alarm on high risk/theft merchandise. Initially, the store was somewhat reluctant to spend any money for security tags on clothes and wondered if this was the right idea. Soon, their worries about clothing security tags went away. In one particular department and one line of high risk merchandise, in the 30 day trial period, the store had a 95% decrease in the merchandise lost or stolen. Look at this success, the owners gave the managers direction to put clothing security merchandise on items in other parts of the store. As time went on, the business owners were sold on security tags on clothes. Infact, they purchase enough of a supply to properly outfit each of their stores and each of their departments clothing security tags.

If you are a business owner or manager looking to enhance sales and boost profits, make clothing security a priority.

Visit the Retail Loss Prevention Store.

For more information on security tags on clothes contact us at clothing alarm or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: clothing alarm, Clothing Security, clothing security tags, security tags on clothes

Employee Theft – Stop It Before It Stops You in Atlanta Georgia

July 5, 2011 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

How big is the problem of employee theft?

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that over 30% of all corporate bankruptcies are caused by employee theft. The U.S. Small Business Administration says that 60% of small business failures are attributed to internal theft.

My estimate is that with many businesses struggling to survive in the current economy that the figures can only go higher.

What can a business owner do to avoid becoming a statistic?

The first thing to do is to try to prevent employee theft from becoming a problem in the first place. When formulating policies and procedures, think like a corporate fraud investigator. Identify any vulnerability in the systems and eliminate them through a system of chain of command, supervision, and delegation of duties.

One of the most common scenarios in corporate fraud investigation concerning the theft of money occurs when one employee (usually the accountant or the bookkeeper, unfortunately) has the responsibility for receiving the money, depositing the money, and disbursing the money in cash or by check. And there are so many ways to steal and get away with it for years: payroll, vendor payments, petty cash disbursements, expense checks can all be falsified if there is no oversight. If the same employee has access to the company credit card, look out.

That’s just the cash end. There is also merchandise or product to consider if you are a retailer or manufacturer, raw materials used in production, and samples are all company assets. A corporate fraud investigator look at all the ways company assets like these can be removed from the premises, and devises methods to prevent employee theft from becoming a fact. Business owners and managers should learn to think in this mindset.

Then there is company property like office supplies, tools, vehicle supplies, computers, peripherals and software that is subject to internal theft and fraud.

Finally there is time theft that can become a problem through falsified time records and employees working on personal projects while being paid by the company, which is fraud that can be corrected through a corporate fraud investigation.

When considering ways to eliminate employee theft, there is no need to reinvent the wheel, only to adapt it to your own use, if you are a business owner or a concerned manager. An experienced corporate fraud investigator can be a huge benefit in ways other than looking into isolated instances of internal theft after the fact and conducting an employee theft investigation. There is no reason to wait until workplace theft becomes such an issue that it puts the business in jeopardy. He or she can take an overview of your business and recommend steps to be taken to correct deficiencies and vulnerabilities in the operations of almost any category of business, small or large.

If an employee theft investigation is warranted to a specific incident or just a suspicion, the corporate fraud investigator has the experience and knowledge to bring the situation to a successful conclusion and how to obtain restitution in full.

For more information on employee theft , employee theft investigation , internal theft , corporate fraud investigation or corporate fraud investigator contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: corporate fraud investigation, corporate fraud investigator, employee theft, employee theft investigation, internal theft

Is It Possible to Prevent Shoplifting?

July 5, 2011 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Yes, it is very possible to prevent shoplifting. In fact, some of the best ways to prevent shoplifting can be done by using Checkpoint systems.

Checkpoint systems operate in your stores by recognizing merchandise with an attached label or tag. As the merchandise is passed through the checkpoint systems, the checkpoint systems antenna activates setting off an audible alarm.

One of the first times I had seen checkpoint systems, I was working to prevent shoplifting as a loss prevention agent with a small grocery chain. The store had a huge problem in the health and beauty section. Boxes of aspirin, high end shampoos, razor blades and more, were very high theft, easily resalable merchandise. In order for me to prevent shoplifting, I had to know what to look for and where to spend most of my time. Of course, this required me to spend the majority of surveillance on health and beauty. Sure enough, in an 8 hour shift, I would catch several people throughout the day stealing merchandise. Whether it was the single mother pushing an empty baby stroller, clearing the shelf or the drug addict pocketing as many eye drops as he could fit in his pockets, I caught them.

Working in the loss prevention field can be very fulfilling, and rewarding. Especially when you are working for a company you enjoy and are given the freedom to utilize your professional capabilities. If you are a business looking to stop losses, look in to hiring loss prevention professionals. They’ll give your business a thorough assessment and make the appropriate recommendations to stop losses and boost your profits and no doubt most will recommend checkpoint systems.

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For more information contact us at prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

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When should I call for a Corporate Fraud Investigator?

July 2, 2011 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Loss Prevention Systems experienced Employee theft investigator ‘s are known for having conducted thousands of varying employee theft investigation ‘s for all types of companies. Large companies with experienced senior staff and the smallest of companies that are less than 5 employees, any company that suspected internal theft. One problem that we consistently see with all of them is that clients don’t call us untill it is late in the process. It is not an issue for us but it normally does cost the client more. Because we generally have to start over with much of the investigation.

Most people including some of the most savvy business people I have ever met are like a fish out of water in these situations. Because of this they do not know how to build proper corporate fraud investigation s. And because they all watch CSI, they try to be their own employee theft investigator. It is not like what we see on TV, far from it.

Our job is to build a thorough corporate fraud investigation, which will prevail with civil, and criminal courts and serve to effectively block unemployment claim if the client so desires. Most company executives are frustrated in these situations because they are missing a key business element that they must have to make their every day business decisions. That is control. They do not know what to do. We provide and therefore restore that sense of and actual control.

Why not just call the police or FBI you ask? They have a staff of professional investigators. They have the skills. Of course they do. But as anyone in my field knows the chances of getting law enforcement to do this type of corporate fraud investigation is like playing the lottery. It isn’t that they do not want to or do not have the skill. The fact is that there are too many investigations assigned to them and they cannot actually work one to the extent necessary to get the investigation where it need to go. The average police detective in the U.S. is assigned 40 +/- investigations in a thirty-day period. They are civil servants and work a 40-hour workweek. How many of those 40 investigations do you really think get worked?

On the other side we at LPSI assign a single corporate fraud investigator per investigation. That corporate fraud investigator will work on it from start to finish and that time frame is short depending on the case. Even complicated ones. Most of the delays we experience is the client trying to catch up with us.

SO when should you call? Save yourself some money and call right away before you start firing people, calling the police and defiantly before the losses and investigation becomes water cooler gossip.

For more information about corporate fraud investigator or internal theft , employee theft or employee theft investigation please contact us through corporate fraud investigation or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: corporate fraud investigation, corporate fraud investigator, employee theft, employee theft investigation, internal theft

Prevent Shoplifting at Your Business

July 2, 2011 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Each type of retail business has to develop its own unique approach to control or prevent shoplifting. There is no “one size fits all” solution because of the diversity of merchandise, packaging, location, and methods of display used by retailers.

Although every retail business will experience shoplifting, a men’s suit retailer will take a different approach than a furniture store. Where most of the suit seller’s inventory will be vulnerable, the furniture store would concentrate on accessories. (It’s difficult to fit a love seat into a booster bag.) Some home improvement centers leave their potting soil outside overnight, something they would never do with power tools, because the shrink rate for bulk dirt is low.

The degree to which a retailer should take steps to prevent shoplifting requires an analysis of the all-important shrink figures, what specific merchandise is being stolen, a determination of what is acceptable (shoplifting can’t be stopped, only controlled), and what it will cost to reach the desired result. The cost of the cure for shoplifting must justify the expenditure by reducing shoplifting enough to pay for the investment and continue preventing losses related to customer theft.

For companies that don’t have their own loss prevention or asset protection departments, the task of choosing the most efficient and economical methods to prevent shoplifting falls to the owners and management of the business. While retailers may be experts in merchandise, marketing and sales, they frequently are not aware of the availability of some new method or technology that will make the job easier to accomplish.

Depending on the circumstances, it may be advisable to call in a specialist in loss prevention to assist and advise of the best and most effective ways to economically get shoplifting under control and still not intimidate legitimate shoppers.

No matter what type of retail business you have, you can benefit by an objective assessment from a professional to help you prevent shoplifting.

To see the latest in retail theft prevention, visit the Online Loss Prevention Store

To discuss the ways you can prevent shoplifting, call 1-770-426-0547or contact us for more information.

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Security Tags on Clothes Offers Great Physical Deterrence

July 2, 2011 by Staff Editor

It’s true; security tags on clothes do offer physical deterrence. It interesting to me when I see new retailers selling clothing, yet have no form of clothing security. I mean, really, security tags on clothes are cost effective, offer the visual deterrence needed to fend off the average thief and offer great protection against the pro’s with the tools. Why would you not use security tags on clothes?

The only rationale I can find is that some retailers are afraid of the initial cost of instituting a clothing security program. However, you have to look at the long term potential of a clothing security program. No one starts a clothing business expecting to close in just a few years. Just the same, you shouldn’t start a clothing business without clothing security.

In the many years I’ve worked loss prevention, I have seen only one business close. The closure was a direct result of merchandise loss. The owner ran a somewhat initially successful apparel retail chain of 4 stores. His model provided great merchandise and target low to moderate level incomes. In the areas he opened stores; crime rates were much higher than other areas. Yet, the owner felt it was unnecessary to implement clothing security. He felt a uniformed security guard would more benefit the store than security tags on clothes and a clothing alarm. Unfortunately, he could not see how security tags on clothes provide a visual and physical deterrence to thieves. Eventhough clothing security tags and a clothing alarm could offer a dramatic decrease in the amount of clothing loss he was experiencing, he refused to listen.

Had our efforts to provide his business with clothing security tags been successful, I’m certain his business would be thriving today. Now, understand, clothing security tags are not the “be all, end all”, but they do help prevent loss. In fact, one the biggest reasons, in my opinion, that large box clothing retailers have been successful in sales is a direct result of the merchandise protection they receive from clothing security tags.

Visit the Retail Loss Prevention Store to buy clothing security tags and a clothing alarm.

For more information contact us at security tags on clothes or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: clothing alarm, Clothing Security, clothing security tags, security tags on clothes