WORK PLACE THEFT AND FRAUD
"The term 'occupational fraud' may be defined as: 'The use of one’s occupation for personal enrichment through the deliberate misuse or misapplication of the employing organization’s resources or assets.' Occupational fraud schemes can be as simple as pilferage of company supplies or as complex as sophisticated financial statement frauds" * 
In Canada workplace theft and fraud is estimated to cost between 3 and 6 Billion dollars per year. In the U.S., recent estimates state this figure to be nearly 100 Billion dollars annually and is the main reported cause of nearly 1/3 of bankrupcies which occur.
The use of computers has increased overall loss values and decreased the time needed to accomplish complex frauds.
Most instances of workplace theft and fraud are not reported beyond internal departments.
Often times internal fraud and theft can go undetected for years. Statistics show that in many cases perpetrators are exposed because of a "tip".
In Canada the largest losses occur in the construction, manufacturing and insurance industries. Fraud crimes are most often committed by Accounting Departments or Upper Management.
Anti-Fraud controls have proven to have a measureable impact in controlling internal theft and fraud. Mitchell Partners Investigation Services can assist you with "hardening the target" and reducing the risk of falling victim to dishonest managers and employees.
