Employee theft involving external forces

Not every employee theft investigation is going to be the same.  Sure the excuses rarely change flavor: “I needed the money”, “I have a gambling problem”, “I just thought I could get away with it”, “I didn’t think anyone would notice”, but the methods involved tend to vary enough that such investigations hardly ever follow the same pattern.

Because more and more employees are becoming aware of the so-called ‘eyes-in-the-sky’ (that’s us in the Loss Prevention game for those who are having trouble following along) and our constant focus on internal theft many have begun to try more complex and determined tactics to fleece their companies of goods and currency.  The trend that is truly taking off is using outside help to accomplish illicit goals.

In one particularly recent internal theft incident I caught someone free-bagging goods with the help of a friend.  The employee and friend had met up towards the rear of the store and were chatting when I spotted them.  It was hardly conspicuous until I noticed the two women discussing in some detail the items in the friend’s basket.  After about ten minutes the employee went up to the front of the store to a register which was unnecessary as she was only a back-up cashier and there was no line.  Then the friend went to said register to ‘check-out’.  Here was where it got interesting.  The total sale for all of the products came out to around $45.00 and the friend handed over a fifty dollar bill.  The cashier then handed her back three ten dollar bills as change.  When the drawer was clocked at the end of the night there was only the $30.00 discrepancy which they couldn’t rectify to any single transaction until I brought my employee theft investigation to light.  When later confronted in interview the employee stated “I didn’t think anyone would notice that”.

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