Retail loss prevention has been part of the retail world for many years. Contributing to the protection of assets and boosting profits, retail loss prevention is a solid operational partner.

In many instances retail loss prevention has proven its worth. When I first started working in the retail loss prevention field, as a loss prevention agent, my job was simple, catch shoplifters. There was nothing to it. Later, as I developed my experienced changed from simply catching shoplifters to  employee theft investigation. Employee theft investigation was a more challenging aspect of retail loss prevention. Employee theft investigation showed just how easy it was and is for dishonest employees to ruin a business.

Prior to this experience, I was a bit naïve and thought, “no way, employees don’t steal” or like many managers out there, I thought, “I work with a great group of people, there’s no way they’re stealing”. Hello! Big mistake in the thought process. Infact, in many instances, some of the most trusted employees I worked with were stealing the most merchandise and causing the most retail loss. However, with internal theft or employee theft investigation , I learned that there are many factors leading to retail loss.

Examples of statistical information pertaining to internal theft include: young males (under25), employees with personal money troubles, family members working in or at the same location, disgruntled employees and a lack of management oversight. Although, these are just a few, there is no fool proof way to identify internal theft , nor is there any exact way to stop it. However, with diligent employee theft investigation and a solid loss prevention program, internal theft can be greatly reduced.

Now, the other factor, shoplifting. How can we ever prevent shoplifting? Is it possible to prevent shoplifting? YES! You can prevent shoplifting. Shoplifting has been around since almost the beginning of time and will continue to happen, but it certainly is possible to prevent shoplifting.

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

Employee theft is a problem for many organizations; one that can single handedly put you out of business if you’re not careful. So, do we ensure that the people who we hire as our greatest assets don’t turn into our ultimate downfall? The answer is ownership. You need to build a team environment; one where your employees feel that they have an actual stake in the success of the business rather than it just being a paycheck. Your employees’ attitude about their workplace will depend largely upon whether they feel they are being treated fairly by management.

In order to reduce employee theft you need to treat your employees as well as your customers.  The old saying “the customer’s always right” may be a good mantra to go by, but that doesn’t make your employees wrong by default. Always show them the proper amount of respect. Keep employees involved in the success of their department and store.  Profit sharing, bonuses or gift certificates can go a long way toward giving employees a sense of ownership and pride in the business. Be mindful of the environment you create. Threats, criticism or unreasonable workloads will not help your business.  Disgruntled employees look for ways to strike back and they normally do so in your pocket book.

Work with employees on how to respond to a shoplifting situation in a manner that won’t make them feel at risk. Make sure they understand their own limitations and the limitations of the law in circumstances of shoplifting. Acknowledge employees for doing things right, rather than just catching them doing something wrong. You’d be surprised how far you can actually get with the carrot rather than the stick. Preventing employee theft is everyone’s job so make everyone feel involved in the process and you’ll see the difference in your numbers.

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

Failure to properly implement or follow company policies and procedures is almost always a factor in how employees steal. Before you decide if you need an employee theft investigation and to prevent employee theft , internal theft review the following points:

• Refunds/Returns
  – No management approval
  – Only one employee verifying merchandise
  – Not requiring a receipt
  – Management approval after a transaction is completed
  – Not requiring identification
• Cash Theft
  – Management failure to recognize and respond to the early warning signals of internal theft . Contact us if you would like a copy.
  – Management failure to follow up on daily register shortages               – Unrestricted use of one cash drawer by multiple
  associates or failure to use mid-day cash audit
  – No such thing as “borrowing” of cash. Borrowing equals employee theft

– Lack of controls on cashier identification numbers
– Unrestricted “no sales”
– Management failure to track and question “no sales”
– Cash left unsecured and unattended
– Daily bank deposits not made
– Safe left open or left on “day lock”
– Consider removing $20 bills and larger to drop box (also deters robberies and grab & run)

 

• Merchandise Theft
  – Management failure to recognize and respond to the
  early warning signals of employee theft. Again contact us if you would like a copy.
  – No management control at receiving room or dock doors
  – Management failure to recognize employees giving away merchandise
  –  Associate packages not checked
  – Associates not observed as they arrive at and depart
  from work
  – Failure to notice empty boxes and packages on the
  sales floor
  – Fraudulent discounts

 

• Voids
  – No management approval
  – Management approval after the transaction is completed
  – Missing or inadequate explanations on documents
  – Cashiers allowed to use supervisor’s register keys/codes

 

• Office Environments
  – Petty cash left out, unattended or unsecured
  – Not conducting a weekly-unannounced audit of petty cash
  – Not securing company checks and back stock at all times
  – Not auditing the back stock of company checks
  – Not requiring two signatures on a company check
  – Not cross training or switching job functions around periodically (eliminate sacred territories)
  – Not conducting a periodic audit of Account Payables
  Does the vendor really exist?
  Are we over-paying?
  Do orders look reasonable?
  Did we receive what we paid for?
  – Not conducting a periodic audit of Account Receivables. Are all payments accounted for and did they make it to the company’s bank account?Are we overcharging customers? Where is that money going?
  – Are expense reports audited for reasonableness?
  – Do expense reports have printed not handwritten receipts?

Employee theft must be investigated. To not have an employee theft investigation conducted when you suspect employee theft invites more.

Want more information about employee theft or internal theft contact us at employee theft investigation or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

Signals that indicate possible employee theft or internal theft with data that would require an employee theft investigation.

• A number of resignations occur in a short period. This often follows a palace revolt whereby a number of key employees have left the company and started their own company or work for a competitor. After their departure you may think that the situation is under control. However, they may have left a collaborator behind who leaks information to them.
• Competitors know your technical innovations, plans and formulas.
• Merger or takeover plans leak out.
• Commercial data, turnover figures, client lists or buying details seem to be known ‘outside’.
• Rumours keep surfacing about the willingness of personnel to supply information for money or simply out of spite.
• Loss of clients without any clear explanation.
• Unexplainable drop in turnover.
• Clients and other marketing data are offered to competitors.
• Unexplainable mistakes and disturbances in the computer system.
• Instructions for operating computer programs are not adhered to.
• Computer files are altered or disappear.
• Financial statements are missing or ‘accidentally’ destroyed.
• Production details, inventory figures, raw materials, and finished products are incomplete or missing.

Do you have a proper, enforceable employment agreement in place that each and every employee signs? Employees who feel no guilt or are entitled to steal you customers or work product are a serious dander to every business. Many times these employees feel that your customers are really their customers because they have built the relationship. What they conveniently forget is that you are paying them to do this for you to build your business. Employee theft or internal theft of this nature can destroy your company unless you have strong agreements and management in place.

Have a problem and need an employee theft investigation ? We can handle it for you!

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

Signals which indicate a possible employee theft or internal theft with time. Do you need an employee theft investigation ?

• Personnel who, seemingly self-sacrificingly, take over their co-workers tasks while they have lunch and coffee breaks. This time can be used for taking money from tills, helping their friends, or placing goods ready to take later or even loading goods into their own vehicle.
• Personnel who offer to work overtime or who create overtime.
• Overtime which always takes place with the same group of volunteer employees.
• Personnel who send their co-workers home while they stay late to count cash or lock the premises.
• Reporting sick according to a fixed pattern such as an annual event, good weather, during holiday periods, to coincide with a sporting event, or before or after a weekend.
• Signals that indicate employment for other employers while they claim to be sick, such as not being reachable, fixed patterns of reporting sick, no complaints about reduction of salary.
• Clients complain that a representative does not visit despite reports submitted by the representative that states a visit has taken place.
• Raising the hourly rate by declaring un-worked overtime.
• Carrying out work for his or her own business, or a family business, or for another third party. Working in the same line of business on a “temporary” basis.
• Regularly preparing private commercial work on the firm’s premises during working hours, evenings or weekends.
• Lack of control over presence of employees.

Employee theft or internal theft through time fraud is very common. Managers who do not keep and eye on the comings and goings of employees are setting the company for loss. Employees that are not properly supervised may be working for themselves on your time.

Watch for more about employee theft investigation in future blogs!

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

Signals that indicate employee theft or internal theft of goods or money

• Purchase orders, usually with round figures, which in contrast to the majority of the purchases are normally odd numbers.
• Over the counter sales often, against the rules, made against cash receipts so that because of the lack of a customer’s name or specification, cannot be properly checked.
• The sale of surplus company goods, damaged product, old metal, pallets and rejects by one employee without any records kept.
• Income from repairs kept out of the books because of the relationship with the client or for ease: “Just give me  …..”
• Exchanged articles insufficiently administered and possibly used for the system ‘two old ones make one new one’. The income is divided between the employees concerned.
• Self-loading by clients or external drivers without checking.
• Unauthorized deliveries by company or external drivers.
• Unwarranted high cash balances.
• Lack of daily balance of till or safe.

Keep in mind that these signals of internal theft may be present in one or more employees. Employees may be stealing in collusion with each other or on their own. We have investigated companies where many employees were stealing and each had their own little kingdom. They knew others were stealing but they stayed out of each others business of employee theft .

Employee theft is a situation that every business is susceptible to.
Watch for more parts to come in future blogs!

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