Whether corporate investigations or business investigations, there are a number of threats to your business that can be identified and dealt with before they do major harm to your operations. {Use the form below to get more information about specific threats.}
The Kimmons team of private investigation experts have been working with small and large companies for years in dealing with:
- complex law enforcement investigations
- white collar crime matters
- fraud, theft and embezzlement
- corporate corruption
- non-compete contract violations
- surveillance matters
- grand jury investigations
- antitrust violations
- insider trading
- government contract violations/fraud matters
- violations of the False Claims Act
- violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
- breaches of responsibility
- workplace threats, violence or harrassment issues
- petty to major theft and embezzlement by employees
What do these investigations seek to accomplish? First, we want to determine the scope of the problem, as well as the number of people involved. There must also be a thorough evaluation of monetary or intellectual property loss. A clear report of business practices, organization or policies that allowed the situation to develop will be accompanied by a report of methods and modifications that will avoid a repeat of the situation. We assist our client in establishing comprehensive review procedures, conducting interviews, and we provide crisis management consulting as well.
Employee Physical Theft & Embezzlement
If your company has warehoused inventory, you obviously know that you are at risk of theft, and you may even apply an inventory shrinkage factor into your budgeting. That’s an unfortunate fact of life, but there are ways to investigate, identify and quantify theft. Often a very long lasting deterrent is the result of an investigation and subsequent legal action against those who steal property, inventory or office supplies/equipment.
As for embezzlement, it is far more common than many corporate officers recognize. From the smallest companies to the largest national and international corporations, ebezzlement is seriously damaging the financial health of companies. Speaking of small companies, one real estate office with only two agents and one office staff person had checks start bouncing and found that the office person had ebezzled more than $13,000 out of one operating rental property account in just a month. The FBI reports on the Internet the results of investigations and charges, and here are three recent instances of embezzlement that show it’s across business types and sizes:
- A Lawrence, Kansas woman was convicted of embezzling more than $800,000 from her employer as the office manager. The company manufactures and sells agricultural chemical spray equipment. She used her access to the company’s financial system to make unauthorized transfers of funds to personal use, and she used the payroll system to pay herself unauthorized bonuses and commissions.
- A Denver, CO bank vice president was convicted of embezzlement of more than $92,000 through misappropriation of bank and client funds.
- A New Jersey medical office receptionist is a great example of how much financial damage even a relatively low level employee can inflict on the company. She was convicted of embezzlement of more than $446,000 from her employer through the fraudulent use of credit cards.
Intellectual Property Theft
In today’s world, information is currency, and companies have a great deal of intellectual property and operational secrets they want to protect. From the FBI website: “Theft of intellectual property is an increasing threat to organizations, and can go unnoticed for months to even years. There are increased instances of employees taking proprietary information when they believe they will be, or are, searching for a new job. A domestic or foreign business competitor or foreign government intent on illegally acquiring a company’s proprietary information and trade secrets…may place a spy in the company or recruit and existing employee…”
Workplace Threats, Violence or Harrassment
We’re all very familiar with the many lawsuits filed by employees accusing their employing companies of allowing a hostile work environment. Lawsuits are very costly, but employee turnover when they leave instead of sue is just as expensive. Many times aggressive action to follow up on complaints can defuse a ticking time bomb. Obviously, the major goal is to avoid any actual violence or physical abuse in the workplace.
Investigators Identify Factors and Behaviors
Trained and experienced investigators identify personal factors that contribute to all types of theft, property and intellectual, as well as to harrassment or violence in the workplace. Sometimes these factors and behaviors can be uncovered just by being present and conducting an open investigation.
Kimmons Investigative Services, Inc. is a top investigative services company with ex law enforcement investigators specially trained for these corporate investigation and business investigation situations. Give us a call for a free needs consultation.