Some of the biggest threats to your company come from within. Because of this, you may need extra support to guarantee a safe environment and to stop potential crime before it causes problems. As with other prevention cases, this is best handled by an investigations professional, for many reasons.
First, let's take a closer look at the inherent problem of internal security threats. While threats from outside criminals, especially hackers, can still pose a threat, the need for vigilance within the business remains high.
What can a fraudster do?
An employee can act alone or with a criminal syndicate: Either way can cause problems for the business. Whether your company handles sensitive personal information for your clients, large amounts of cash, company proprietary information, or is in the position to approve the work of vendors, the potential for a fraudulent worker to do real damage is very high.
"The need for vigilance within your business remains high."
A 2014 CSO (Chief Security Officer) article listed some examples of individuals who managed to hurt their employers, or at least tried to. In some cases, such as the one involving Fidelity National Information Services database administrator William Sullivan, the employee simply stole internal records to commit fraud. In other cases, the act can take time, such as Omega employee Timothy Lloyd, who was described as having implanted a "software time bomb" to sabotage his place of work.
All of this is to say that fraud can come in many forms. A disgruntled worker can do anything from small-scale theft to a vendor kickback scheme. And if there are multiple people working together to commit fraud, the number of moving parts involved will increase, challenging employers to do more research to determine if someone is involved in illegal activity, or even just activity that is counter to corporate ethics and compliance policies. Depending on your industry, you may have to worry about both financial losses and unforeseen consequences like lawsuits, bad publicity, and even government penalties.
Even small businesses can be home to fraud, and with fewer resources on-hand, they may have a harder time discovering the fraud, investigating the extent of the fraud, or recovering from a damaging case.
What can specialized investigations do?
When you suspect employee or vendor malfeasance, you should work with someone who knows all of the legal specifics of this field. This person should also be able to lead you through the proper procedures that will increase your chances of successfully identifying all of the perpetrators, increase your chance of recovery, help mitigate similar problems in the future, and protect the company from further loss and liability.
With the proper investigative experts on your side, you can expect:
- Custom service: Every case of possible fraud will be different, requiring different services. With Frizell Group, you will get the solutions that best match your concerns. That's useful when there are many different tactics to consider.
- Low risk: The first consultation with Frizell is free, making it easier to plan for further action. You'll get a good idea of what our services can do without a costly initial investment, and you can decide on your next move without any obligation. With this taken care of, you may have fewer fees to worry about as you budget for the overall investigations.
- Respecting privacy: You don't want to violate employee privacy in your investigations, so it's important to tread lightly and work with people who know the right way to proceed. This means acting with discretion as well as within legal boundaries, drawing from experience.
- Varied providers: Frizell Group is part of a network of investigative experts and can refer you to the correct one. You don't have to commit until you find the right one, and can choose the service that will give you the highest chance of success and efficiency.
Frizell Group has a lot to offer businesses with possible fraud on their hands. That's why we specialize in such investigations. Contact us to find out how we can help your business.
Category: Investigations March 13, 2023
