A men’s clothing store was recently hit by a group of very nonchalant thieves. The group came into the store one by one, and scattered to each of the sides of the store. Each shoplifter had a bag with them and started to stuff the bags full of merchandise. Slowly each shoplifter made their way to the exit doors. As they left, the Checkpoint System alarmed notifying store management to their thievery.
As the shoplifters sped off, a few of them dropped their bags, and the store was able to recover some of the merchandise- and gain some insight into how much merchandise had been taken. After reviewing CCTV footage from their Checkpoint System video, they determined that these suspects actually had been in recently to scope out the store. Since they did not take anything then, the Checkpoint System did not alert store management as to what was going on.
What if there was a device that could help identify a large theft ring before the actual theft took place?
Retail customer traffic counters can potentially do just that. Because the purpose of VisiPlus, or any other brand of retail customer traffic counters, is to track the number of customers coming into a store during a specified hour of the day, any large influxes should be readily noticed.
When the VisiPlus reports started to show increases in traffic during a few hours of the day, but no sales to correspond, it would be prudent to investigate. Why were so many people coming in and out (several times in this particular instance) but there were no sales? Was there a problem with customer service, or with merchandise availability? If not, then maybe this is an indicator of a larger issue of organized theft.
VisiPlus reports to a store data garnered from its retail customer traffic counters. If the store analyzes this data in a timely fashion, there is no telling what issues they can catch before they become a problem.
A men’s clothing store was recently hit by a group of very nonchalant thieves. The group came into the store one by one, and scattered to each of the sides of the store. Each shoplifter had a bag with them and started to stuff the bags full of merchandise. Slowly each shoplifter made their way to the exit doors. As they left, the Checkpoint System alarmed notifying store management to their thievery.
As the shoplifters sped off, a few of them dropped their bags, and the store was able to recover some of the merchandise- and gain some insight into how much merchandise had been taken. After reviewing CCTV footage from their Checkpoint System video, they determined that these suspects actually had been in recently to scope out the store. Since they did not take anything then, the Checkpoint System did not alert store management as to what was going on.
What if there was a device that could help identify a large theft ring before the actual theft took place?
Retail customer traffic counters can potentially do just that. Because the purpose of VisiPlus, or any other brand of retail customer traffic counters, is to track the number of customers coming into a store during a specified hour of the day, any large influxes should be readily noticed.
When the VisiPlus reports started to show increases in traffic during a few hours of the day, but no sales to correspond, it would be prudent to investigate. Why were so many people coming in and out (several times in this particular instance) but there were no sales? Was there a problem with customer service, or with merchandise availability? If not, then maybe this is an indicator of a larger issue of organized theft.
VisiPlus reports to a store data garnered from its retail customer traffic counters. If the store analyzes this data in a timely fashion, there is no telling what issues they can catch before they become a problem.
When conducting an employee theft investigation, you start by doing the legwork, the research aspect, of it to validate, substantiate, or dismiss accusations or suspicions. After determining the validity of your suspicions, you should be able to clearly pinpoint specific losses, incurred by a specific employee(s) and the time and date when the losses occurred.
The next step is to collect your evidence and present your case to the employee in question. This is referred to as the employee interview. It is not done simply as a means to accuse the suspected employee of their wrongdoings. The interview is done to further corroborate the evidence found, see if the employee incurred other losses that you might not be aware of, and also to find out if other employees were involved in the employee thefts.
As such, this is not the time to throw the employee in a dark room, shine a bright light in their face, and demand that they confess. To make your interview more productive (thereby increasing your chance of garnering valuable information) you need subtlety and tact. You also need a few industry standard tips to help facilitate the process.
To start the interview, you should have thoroughly reviewed all evidence that has been brought forth to validate this employees involvement in losses with your business. You should have collected any paperwork, such as journal tapes, receipts, employee sign-off sheets, etc., video surveillance, and a list of the times and dates the losses occurred notating what was taken – cash, merchandise, etc.
The more you know, the harder it is for the employee to dismiss their actions as mistakes, poor training, etc. If you only have one incident, you may still consider having a conversation with the employee. It might be extremely difficult to prove that the losses were intentional, instead of an oblivious mistake. Keep in mind that this kind of conversation will be better suited as training and coaching session, instead of one looking for a confession.
After you have collected your evidence, you want to find someone to act as a witness. This should be a neutral manager or human resources person. It should not be a peer. The employee does have a right to privacy regarding the situation, so the witness needs to be able to keep this confidence and not speak about the case outside of the closed doors with you.
The witness is there to record the conversation and actions that take place. They need to include times in their report regarding when the interview started, finished, and the time law enforcement was brought in, if applicable. The witness should not chime in to the discussion, nor should they make facial expressions such as rolling their eyes, or display anger, disgust, etc.
Now is the time to bring the employee into the office to start the interview. While you don’t need to come right out and say that the employee is being questioned about theft, you should start by talking to them about needing their help to resolve some issues. From there talk to them about your policies and procedures. Not only is it a good way to put the employee at ease by asking simple questions they can readily answer, but also you start to eliminate excuses down the road.
Employees will frequently state they were not aware of a policy or a practice if they are accused of theft first- the “I didn’t know it was wrong” line of defense. When you validate their knowledge ahead of time, they have to reach further out to come up with a plausible denial, making a confession easier.
Next start to ask them about a few lower violations. An employee is more willing to confess to a lesser “charge” if they feel like they are getting away with their big crime. Continue to dismiss denials and continue to ask about other incidents. By establishing a pattern of their behavior, they will eventually understand what you know, and that they need to be compliant with your questions.
For more information on employee theft, employee theft investigation or internal theft contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase CCTV Systems that can help you stop Employee Theft and Internal Theft problems and help with your Employee Theft Investigation.
When conducting an employee theft investigation, you start by doing the legwork, the research aspect, of it to validate, substantiate, or dismiss accusations or suspicions. After determining the validity of your suspicions, you should be able to clearly pinpoint specific losses, incurred by a specific employee(s) and the time and date when the losses occurred.
The next step is to collect your evidence and present your case to the employee in question. This is referred to as the employee interview. It is not done simply as a means to accuse the suspected employee of their wrongdoings. The interview is done to further corroborate the evidence found, see if the employee incurred other losses that you might not be aware of, and also to find out if other employees were involved in the employee thefts.
As such, this is not the time to throw the employee in a dark room, shine a bright light in their face, and demand that they confess. To make your interview more productive (thereby increasing your chance of garnering valuable information) you need subtlety and tact. You also need a few industry standard tips to help facilitate the process.
To start the interview, you should have thoroughly reviewed all evidence that has been brought forth to validate this employees involvement in losses with your business. You should have collected any paperwork, such as journal tapes, receipts, employee sign-off sheets, etc., video surveillance, and a list of the times and dates the losses occurred notating what was taken – cash, merchandise, etc.
The more you know, the harder it is for the employee to dismiss their actions as mistakes, poor training, etc. If you only have one incident, you may still consider having a conversation with the employee. It might be extremely difficult to prove that the losses were intentional, instead of an oblivious mistake. Keep in mind that this kind of conversation will be better suited as training and coaching session, instead of one looking for a confession.
After you have collected your evidence, you want to find someone to act as a witness. This should be a neutral manager or human resources person. It should not be a peer. The employee does have a right to privacy regarding the situation, so the witness needs to be able to keep this confidence and not speak about the case outside of the closed doors with you.
The witness is there to record the conversation and actions that take place. They need to include times in their report regarding when the interview started, finished, and the time law enforcement was brought in, if applicable. The witness should not chime in to the discussion, nor should they make facial expressions such as rolling their eyes, or display anger, disgust, etc.
Now is the time to bring the employee into the office to start the interview. While you don’t need to come right out and say that the employee is being questioned about theft, you should start by talking to them about needing their help to resolve some issues. From there talk to them about your policies and procedures. Not only is it a good way to put the employee at ease by asking simple questions they can readily answer, but also you start to eliminate excuses down the road.
Employees will frequently state they were not aware of a policy or a practice if they are accused of theft first- the “I didn’t know it was wrong” line of defense. When you validate their knowledge ahead of time, they have to reach further out to come up with a plausible denial, making a confession easier.
Next start to ask them about a few lower violations. An employee is more willing to confess to a lesser “charge” if they feel like they are getting away with their big crime. Continue to dismiss denials and continue to ask about other incidents. By establishing a pattern of their behavior, they will eventually understand what you know, and that they need to be compliant with your questions.
For more information on employee theft, employee theft investigation or internal theft contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase CCTV Systems that can help you stop Employee Theft and Internal Theft problems and help with your Employee Theft Investigation.
The easiest way for someone to shoplift merchandise from a retailer is to have someone working on the inside. The shoplifter can access more merchandise, in both quantity and in dollar value when they are getting out of the store with a little help from an employee.
Sometimes the shoplifter approaches random employees that might be up for making a little extra cash on the side. If the employee bites, the shoplifter will cut them in for a share of the profits they make from selling the stolen merchandise. If the employee says no, the shoplifter will continue to make their rounds until they find an employee who will say yes.
It is very hard to stop the shoplifter from propositioning your employees, as there is often too little evidence to actually have the shoplifter arrested, or even for management to get close enough to kick them out of the store. These shoplifters are quick to be in and out of the stores, lest anyone pick up on what they are trying to do.
Another scenario, popular within organized crime rings, is to send one of their own associates in to apply for a job. Once this stooge is hired, the crime ring has an employee inside your organization for the sole purpose of making it easier for the crime ring to steal from you. Because you have hired this employee, it will probably take you longer to determine where the inventory losses are coming from, compared to if a shoplifter was acting on their own.
In both of these worst-case scenarios, a criminal background check may or may not provide you with an early warning. An employee who has been solicited probably had no previous criminal activity; they were simply tempted by an opportunity that presented itself. An employee that is planted by a crime ring has more than likely been chosen because they can pass a criminal background check.
That does not mean pre employment screening should not be used, on the contrary it is even more critical than before. An employee, who is thoroughly scrutinized prior to being hired, will be less likely to agree to become a part of an underhanded scheme. The key is to deter potential criminals by making it a more difficult process to become hired on.
Criminals are looking for the path of least resistance. This applies to when they are stealing merchandise, but also when they are putting their plans together to commit the crime. Faced with the task of having one of their own undergo the scrutiny of pre employment screening, or applying at a business that does not check backgrounds, the criminals will opt for the latter.
Same principal applies to the employee who is being solicited by a shoplifter. If they are aware of how protective a company is over whom they hire, there are more than likely going to be more controls in place. The employee who knows that they have a very real risk of getting caught will be less likely to steal for a stranger, even if it is just looking the other way. The screening and checks are the first look into what kind of company an employee is going to work for.
To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547
The easiest way for someone to shoplift merchandise from a retailer is to have someone working on the inside. The shoplifter can access more merchandise, in both quantity and in dollar value when they are getting out of the store with a little help from an employee.
Sometimes the shoplifter approaches random employees that might be up for making a little extra cash on the side. If the employee bites, the shoplifter will cut them in for a share of the profits they make from selling the stolen merchandise. If the employee says no, the shoplifter will continue to make their rounds until they find an employee who will say yes.
It is very hard to stop the shoplifter from propositioning your employees, as there is often too little evidence to actually have the shoplifter arrested, or even for management to get close enough to kick them out of the store. These shoplifters are quick to be in and out of the stores, lest anyone pick up on what they are trying to do.
Another scenario, popular within organized crime rings, is to send one of their own associates in to apply for a job. Once this stooge is hired, the crime ring has an employee inside your organization for the sole purpose of making it easier for the crime ring to steal from you. Because you have hired this employee, it will probably take you longer to determine where the inventory losses are coming from, compared to if a shoplifter was acting on their own.
In both of these worst-case scenarios, a criminal background check may or may not provide you with an early warning. An employee who has been solicited probably had no previous criminal activity; they were simply tempted by an opportunity that presented itself. An employee that is planted by a crime ring has more than likely been chosen because they can pass a criminal background check.
That does not mean pre employment screening should not be used, on the contrary it is even more critical than before. An employee, who is thoroughly scrutinized prior to being hired, will be less likely to agree to become a part of an underhanded scheme. The key is to deter potential criminals by making it a more difficult process to become hired on.
Criminals are looking for the path of least resistance. This applies to when they are stealing merchandise, but also when they are putting their plans together to commit the crime. Faced with the task of having one of their own undergo the scrutiny of pre employment screening, or applying at a business that does not check backgrounds, the criminals will opt for the latter.
Same principal applies to the employee who is being solicited by a shoplifter. If they are aware of how protective a company is over whom they hire, there are more than likely going to be more controls in place. The employee who knows that they have a very real risk of getting caught will be less likely to steal for a stranger, even if it is just looking the other way. The screening and checks are the first look into what kind of company an employee is going to work for.
To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547
