Employee Theft Investigation Strategies: Baiting

There are many tactics that investigators will use to topple an employee theft investigation into fruition. One of those employee theft investigation tactics is called baiting. Baiting is a great technique to identify internal theft that is occurring in your building while controlling where the theft occurs. Typically baiting will be used after finding empty packages or other evidence of internal theft that is taking place in a stockroom or other employee only area. The premise of the strategy is to stage desirable merchandise in a location that can be remotely monitored.

The first step is to identify a dark corner or location that would feel safe for employee theft to take place. The location should have low traffic and feel secluded and safe from onlookers. There should not be any visible cameras in the vicinity. Once you have identified the perfect location, install a covert camera that can clearly see the site.

Now that you have a covertly monitored location, place one or two items in the site that are in clear view of the covert camera. The items placed in the location should be merchandise that would be desirable and easy to conceal. Small items such as fragrance, video games, sunglasses, etc. are all good possible options. It is also recommended to identify which types of empty packages and tags are being found in the employee only areas of your building and use similar merchandise. Record the UPC and item description in order to track the staged merchandise.

After baiting the covert camera it is important to monitor the area frequently for activity. Once the merchandise is discovered to be missing you can review video to identify the disposition of the items. Your merchandise will have either been returned to its proper location by an honest employee, or you will have identified the person responsible for the employee theft occurring in your building.

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