Cutting into
White-Collar Crime: A $200 Billion a Year Business
By Gerry Adams
Crime!
When most people think of crime they think of armed robbery, assault,
and murder. But what about white-collar
crimes; these crimes cost American businesses and taxpayers billions of dollars
each year.
Each year American businesses lose an
estimated $200 billion to white-collar crime, according to the Association of
Certified Fraud Examiners. Included in
the list of white collar crimes are employee theft, embezzlement, fraud, and
extortion.
One way businesses can help protect
themselves against white-collar crime is to thoroughly screen prospective executive
candidates before hiring them.
“An in-depth background check is worth
its weight in gold,” said Gerry Adams, private investigator and principal of
Gerald Adams, P.I., a Seattle private investigation agency. “Although a solid background check doesn’t
guarantee a business its new employee won’t steal or embezzle, it cuts the odds
drastically.”
During a typical background check our
investigators thoroughly research the candidate’s personal, educational, and
professional claims to make sure everything checks out, Adams said.
They also check criminal records and
financial statements so clients can better decide whether a job candidate is
trustworthy.
No matter how careful employers are
about screening employees, they can never completely eliminate theft and
embezzlement from the workplace, Adams said.
“If you think an individual, or
individuals, in your company are stealing equipment, embezzling funds, or
extorting secrets, I recommend contacting a private investigator specializing
in corporate security and risk management,” Adams said. “The sooner you can get to the root of the
problem the better.”
“Companies not taking immediate action
could lose millions of dollars in lost goods and trade secrets,” said Jennifer
Garrepy, an investigator employed by Gerry Adams. “Our methods of early detection have helped save clients millions
of dollars.”
A Pacific Northwest company recently
contacted Adams expressing concern that one of its top executives might be
stealing company trade secrets. Adams
investigated, and a few days later caught the individual transferring documents
from company computers to personal discs.
It was later shown the individual had
plans to start a new company with this information, Adams said. Our investigation may have saved this
company from potential ruin.
Gerald Adams, P.I. is a full-service
private investigation agency specializing in intellectual property
infringements, fraud, embezzlement, internal theft, and executive protection.
The agency has been providing
investigative services to many of the Pacific Northwest’s leading companies for
over 30 years.