Hot Topics
Spam Scheme
Spam emails have arguably been around just as long as emails themselves.
We likely all relate to receiving spam emails and often hope these emails go straight to our junk folder. However, some individuals unfortunately fall for these scams.
Recently, six defendants were indicated for conspiring to commit wire fraud and money...
Postal Scam
Seven employees of the U.S. Postal Service were charged in federal court with conspiracy and theft of mail for participation in a mail theft ring spanning from 2023 through 2024.
While this may not be common, SDC has investigated numerous losses stemming from theft of mailed documents such as checks or other documentation.
...Editing the Books
Being a bookkeeper is a position of high trust.
Some individuals abuse that trust. For small businesses especially, employee fraud can cause significant damage and financial losses. Such was the case with Ms. Emile K. Rueda. While employed as a bookkeeper between September 2018 and February 2020, Ms. Rueda allegedly misappropriated funds in...
Catastrophic Credit
Mr. Steven Verrett is a former employee of Navy Federal Credit Union.
Mr. Verrett was arrested in May of 2020 after Columbus, Georgia police launched an investigation into allegations of fraud perpetrated by Mr. Verrett. A call from a detective working a check fraud case led to the observation many checks (drafts) were...
California Cash
Fraud does not take long to accumulate.
If proper measures are in place, cash thefts are not as common. In recent events, a Home Depot employee in California was arrested after an alleged million-dollar embezzlement scheme. In the span of a year, the employee allegedly embezzled monies through unauthorized taking of cash.
The Wire
Wire fraud is a common method of theft by fraudsters.
Unlike with physical cash, these kinds of thefts can be perpetrated from the other side of the world. For this reason, companies may employ a bookkeeper to keep track of cash flow and discover any discrepancies. However, when the bookkeeper in this role...
Taking Advantage of Remote Work
Significant changes occurred to business models during the Covid-19 pandemic, when many individuals and companies implemented working remotely from home.
After the pandemic, companies and workers became split on the working from home model. The main concern for businesses became the productivity of workers while not being in the office. Three employees of...
Truckload of Money
Employee theft can sometimes occur in the form of employees taking excess pay in addition to legitimate wages.
This can happen in forms such as manipulating company systems to gain unearned commissions or creating additional paychecks for themselves or ghost employees. Theft is especially common if there is little to no separation of...
Old Money
Being hired to manage a person’s or company’s assets requires a great deal of responsibility.
However, there are cases where these assets are misused by the individual in control of them. In August 2024, an Orange County man who ran a business serving as the executor of the estates of wealthy individuals, pleaded...
New Car Negotiations
Buying a new car can be a lengthy process due to the background information needed and the internal controls put in place to ensure the car can be sold and registered.
Unfortunately, for a car salesman in Prattville, Alabama, an individual used a false identity to purchase the vehicle. Identity theft to make...