To Catch a Thief

"Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold." – Leo Tolstoy

Russell has an online gambling habit and not a lot of money to support it. But he’s got a plan; he’s going to embezzle from his company. He just has to figure out how he’ll do it.

Fortunately, he’s really close to the money. He’s been the bookkeeper for a mid-sized electronics distribution company for more than seven years. Russell and his assistant manage most of the accounting functions.

Russell quickly rules out stealing from the standard stream of customer income. Tammie, the owner of the business, is no auditor, but she would notice if he manipulated any of those large customer payments. Russell considers his alternatives and finally settles on an area he thinks no one will detect – and no one does for more than a year and a half. By the time the company discovers Russell’s crimes, it’s $150,000 poorer.

A hired CFE eventually uncovered Russell’s clever embezzlement scheme with the powerful “proof-of-cash” tool – an excellent addition to any CFE’s arsenal for finding evidence of hidden or missing activity affecting the cash accounts.

Though this case is fictional, it shows the use of a valuable tool for CFEs.

CASH IS KING