Employee theft represents one of the most devastating yet underreported crises facing American businesses today. The numbers tell a sobering story: over $50 billion in annual losses, with 75% of employees admitting to stealing from their workplace at least once. Even more shocking, 95% of all businesses have experienced employee theft, making this a virtually universal problem that no organization can ignore.

What makes employee theft particularly dangerous isn’t just the financial impact, but the betrayal factor. The employees who cause the most damage are typically the ones organizations trust most: long-term staff members with access to sensitive systems, financial controls, and confidential information.

The recent rise in remote work has only amplified these risks, creating new opportunities for theft while making detection significantly more challenging.

Banking: Where Trust Becomes Vulnerability

Financial institutions face a perfect storm when it comes to employee theft. You’re dealing with people who have access to money, customer information, and transaction systems. Add in the pressure to meet sales goals and the temptation becomes overwhelming for some.

In our twenty years of investigating financial crimes, we’ve uncovered schemes that would make your head spin through our specialized corporate theft investigation services:

  1. Account Manipulation: Employees creating phantom accounts to generate fake commissions or hide stolen funds.
  2. Customer Information Harvesting: Selling client data to identity thieves or using it for personal gain.
  3. Loan Fraud: Approving loans for friends and family with falsified documentation.
  4. Wire Transfer Schemes: Moving money through legitimate channels to hide theft.
  5. Commission Games: Manipulating sales records to boost performance metrics and bonuses.

Each case taught us something new about human nature and how desperation can turn honest people into criminals.

The Evolution of Corporate Theft

Gone are the days when employee theft meant someone walking out with office supplies. Today’s thieves are sophisticated, and they’re stealing in ways that are harder to detect.

Time Theft: With remote work, this has exploded. We’re not talking about taking long lunch breaks—we’re talking about people working second jobs during company time. Our corporate theft investigation services have uncovered some shocking cases.

Intellectual Property: Employees taking client lists, proprietary processes, or strategic information to competitors. This stuff is worth millions.

Expense Fraud: Inflated reimbursements, personal expenses on company cards, fake receipts. It adds up fast.

Vendor Kickbacks: Employees getting paid to direct business to specific suppliers, often at inflated prices.

Data Theft: Selling customer databases or using company information for personal ventures. Our financial fraud detection expertise helps uncover these sophisticated schemes.

A Case That Still Haunts Us

Three years ago, a regional bank called us after noticing irregularities in their commercial lending department. Nothing dramatic—just some numbers that didn’t quite add up.

The suspect was their star performer. Fifteen-year employee, never missed a day, excellent reviews, trusted by everyone. Management didn’t want to believe it, but the numbers don’t lie.

Our investigation revealed a web of fraud that had been operating for over three years:

  • Credit scores altered on loan applications
  • Fake documentation created for unqualified borrowers
  • Payments from applicants for “expedited processing”
  • Inside information shared with friends for favorable loan terms

Total damage: $2.8 million in bad loans, plus regulatory penalties and reputation damage. The employee had been so trusted that no one thought to verify his work.

Without professional investigation, they never would have uncovered the full scope. Their internal team would have found the surface issues and missed the deeper corruption. This is exactly why we developed our comprehensive approach to detecting financial fraud in the workplace.

Why Internal Investigations Fail

Most companies try to handle theft investigations internally. It makes sense—you want to keep things quiet, control costs, and handle it “in-house.” But internal investigations fail more often than they succeed.

Here’s what goes wrong:

Tipping Off the Bad Guys: Internal investigations are rarely discrete. Word gets around, evidence disappears, and stories get coordinated.

Evidence Problems: HR departments aren’t trained in evidence collection. They miss crucial information or handle it improperly, making it inadmissible in court.

Missing the Big Picture: They find one problem but miss related issues. That $5,000 expense fraud might be connected to a $50,000 kickback scheme.

Legal Landmines: Improper investigation techniques lead to wrongful termination lawsuits that cost more than the original theft.

Continued Losses: While you’re investigating, the theft continues. Every day of delay costs money.

Our Approach Works Because We’ve Done This Before

When we take on an employee theft investigation, we move fast and stay invisible. The employee continues their routine while we gather evidence through our comprehensive corporate investigation services.

Immediate Response: We can deploy within 24 hours to prevent evidence destruction and minimize ongoing losses.

Comprehensive Examination: Financial records, computer systems, surveillance footage, communication patterns—we look at everything.

Legal Compliance: Every step meets employment law requirements and evidence standards for potential prosecution.

Team Coordination: We work directly with your legal counsel, HR department, and management to align investigation goals.

Prosecution Ready: Our evidence packages support criminal charges and civil recovery efforts.

Red Flags You Can’t Ignore

Call us immediately if you notice:

  • Financial discrepancies that can’t be explained away
  • Employees living beyond their apparent means
  • Customer complaints about unauthorized transactions
  • Anonymous tips about employee misconduct (these are usually accurate)
  • Inventory problems that keep getting worse
  • Unusual computer system access patterns
  • Vendors complaining about payment irregularities

Don’t wait. Don’t hope it’s nothing. Don’t try to handle it internally.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

A third of all business bankruptcies are caused by employee theft. Let that sink in. One-third.

The cost of professional investigation is typically recovered through:

  • Stopping ongoing theft immediately
  • Asset recovery and restitution
  • Insurance claim support
  • Avoiding wrongful termination lawsuits
  • Creating a deterrent effect for other potential thieves

Don’t Become a Statistic

Employee theft can destroy businesses built over decades. The earlier you catch it, the less damage it causes. Professional investigation gives you the expertise, resources, and legal protection you need to handle these situations properly.

Your employees count on you to protect the business. Your customers trust you to safeguard their interests. Professional investigation ensures you can do both.

Learn more about our Corporate Services or contact us via email or via text at 317-759-1004. You can also review current employee theft statistics and trends for 2025 and the ACFE’s 2024 Global Fraud Study.