The Internal Theft Interrogation Process – Atlanta Georgia

Depending on which source you decide to go by internal theft can be responsible for up to 75% of all retail losses. With that type of money at stake it’s only natural to want to grab a suspect by the collar and shake a confession out of him/ her. However, for obvious reasons, this is not the way we do business. A proper interrogation should include a mix of technology (i.e. transaction reports, video surveillance footage) and proven, professional interrogation techniques used to solicit a confession.

Let’s say you have an employee that has been ringing multiple returns without using the original purchase information – an obvious red flag. Gather your reports on all such transactions then pull up the corresponding video footage of these transactions. Once you’ve found proof of wrong-doing, go back and investigate their other transactions. Everyone will tell you that it’s their first time, but that is almost always a lie. Once you’ve gathered your evidence, call the individual in for an interview. No water boarding or electro-shock torture necessary, an internal theft interrogation should always be handled calmly and professionally.

Give the suspect several examples of internal theft , including refund fraud. Then explain all the different loss prevention methods you have in place to combat criminal activity. Explain that you’re there to help them and you want to hear their side of the story. Personally I’m not a fan of showing the suspect the footage of them engaging in the theft. However, I do like to explain what I saw in the footage in extreme detail. This generally leaves no doubt in the suspects head that they’ve been caught. It’s usually around this point that the average suspect crumbles into a pile of warm goo. The confession is now imminent; from there you can get into restitution agreements to recover your losses. Every case is going to be different, however if your approach to the interrogation process is solid you will get results and reduce the internal theft within your organization.

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