What Should Employers Do if They Suspect Embezzlement?
Employers who suspect embezzlement should contact legal counsel. Legal counsel can oversee any investigation, review insurance policies to determine if the loss is covered, and guide the employer through criminal and civil proceedings, including civil lawsuits to obtain restitution. Counsel should inform employers who suspect embezzlement to take the following steps: Move quickly to investigate and discipline the employee. Criminal and civil statutes will begin to run upon discovery of the loss. Determine whether the employee should be immediately suspended or whether the embezzlement would best be confirmed by monitoring the employee’s continuing activities. Talk with managers/employees who are directly impacted by the loss or involved in the investigation. Identify those employees (at every level of the company) who had both access and opportunity to commit the theft, as well as those who may have known of the theft but failed to disclose it. All employees with access and opportunity
