Dealing With Employee Theft

Question:

I am the Internal Auditor at a small bank. We had $3,000 stolen from a teller's drawer by another employee. I think I know who took the money because I have collected supporting evidence. All of the evidence is circumstantial. What are my options with this teller? I am new to this position and have had training in finding fraud, but not in dealing with it. I do not want to violate her rights but would like to question her. Please advise.

Answer:

If you've had little experience in the varied aspects involved with conducting professional investigations, I suggest that you:

File a report with your local law enforcement agency and let agency personnel investigate the event (please file a report anyway, regardless of your other decisions); and

Run -- don't walk -- to a reputable course that will give you the investigative knowledge that you need. If you can't find such a course, contact your local law enforcement academy (nearly every county provides one) and ask the academy director to locate an appropriate instructor for you. Then get the other auditors and security officers in your region to offer your own course that the instructor should tailor to your needs.

First published on BankersOnline.com 10/21/02