You've got to pick an office or two!!

Employee theft: not as obvious as you’d think!

What springs to your mind when you think of employee theft? Light-fingered staff pinching a few pens? Petty cash being raided?

More recently, in a wider and more devastating context, the general public has witnessed the impact of directorial theft and fraud in some of the largest financial institutions. Sadly, it appears that this type of theft can be more easily managed and indeed hidden, by the perpetrators.

The American based IFPO (International Foundation for Protection Officers) state that “75% of all employees steal from their employers at least once throughout their careers. The same statistics show that at least half of these 75% steal multiple times from their employer”. Of itself, this is a terrifyingly high statistic, irrespective of the extent or cost of the theft.

Employee theft can take many forms, some of which may not be clearly obvious; these are some of the more common types of theft:

• Cash - this is most commonly stolen asset according to the IFPO, so this is not just a problem for the retail sector. Can include kickbacks and overstated expenses.
• Time -being paid for time not worked, through falsifying time cards / records – or by simply not attending to assigned duties during the course of work.
• Supplies / Merchandise / Stock
• Information /Product design / trade secrets etc- usually sold to competitors.
• Skimming, unrecorded sales and overcharging customers but recording the correct prices in the accounts.

So, what are the options for the business-owner or manager who fears that theft may be occurring in their company? Strong procedure and internal audit processes from the outset can deter and prevent internal theft, however sometimes this can be thought of at a point in time when theft has or is already taking place.
Private Investigator, Annie Murphy of Bluemoon Investigations suggests reviewing the perceived action and applying a suitable method of investigation “Bluemoon often deal with these type of situations for our corporate clients, no two investigations are alike and a relevant tailored approach is adopted in each case. This usually involves surveillance, whether it be physical or electronic. Workplace investigations can be complex with huge potential for legal liability, it is therefore vital that employers call in the professionals as soon as possible to deal with these situations”.

"Duvet Days"

Would it shock you to know that roughly 83 percent of sick days from work are due to “feigned” illness? If you thought that was a high figure, how about €4 billion estimated in absence costs each year...
Last year ISME produced a survey highlighting the impact and costs associated with high “fake” absence within the group of companies surveyed. It makes for concerning reading, now more than ever, considering the economic landscape we currently inhabit. While industrial disputes continue within the public sector as a result of the weighty pay cuts and taxation increases, it’s now paramount to the private business to take a rigorous approach to the management of sick leave.
While effective absence management policies usually prevent or curtail “sickies”, it’s not always easy to determine whether cases are genuine or not. HR and Line Management can find themselves grappling with over-zealous GPs readily doling out medical certs, or superb acting skills displayed by staff.
Often companies will employ a tracking system, which observes the frequency of absence, and any emergent patterns. There are sometimes very genuine cases which require management, and sadly, there are also many disingenuous “sickies” which also have to be managed.
The availability of hints and tips online – regarding how to successfully convince your manager that you are ill, often leaves companies with no choice but to employ external assistance.
At Bluemoon Investigations, we regularly undertake investigative assignments relating to employee absence and long-term illness cases. But when there are now resources out there which assist people in, effectively, taking unauthorised time off through fake illness, this is making it harder for HR departments and Management to crack down on this behaviour”.

Bright Sparks don't cheat.......

It seems that the word “stupid” can now be scientifically attributed to cheating spouses... specifically husbands!
Over the past week, several newspapers have covered Dr. Satoshi Kanazawa’s research into fidelity as an evolutionary practice. In essence, this novel research by the LSE’s Dr. Kanazawa, suggests that entering an exclusive relationship is an “evolutionary novel” development, based on the fact that throughout evolutionary history, men have always been “mildly polygamous”.
According to Dr. Kanazawa’s research, intelligent men are more likely to adopt what in evolutionary terms are new practices - to become “more evolved”. The same theory does not apply to womenfolk because they have always been expected to be faithful to one mate... even in polygamous societies.
Private Investigator Annie Murphy of Bluemoon Investigations says that these assertions stack-up, in terms of marital investigation queries “without a doubt, we receive far more phone-calls from wives than husbands, seeking investigative services for their spouses – and sadly, their suspicions are generally proven right”. The figures add up too, “since we started this business, on average, we’ve noted that 85% of women who feel their partner is cheating are correct, while men are usually around the 50% mark”.
Given the recent spate of celebrity cheaters out there, we’re guessing people like Annie might be quite busy – “well, unfortunately for those affected, we don’t see much variance in the amount of marital investigation – as in, it very rarely decreases... we haven’t taken on any celebrity investigations... yet! This new research might open a new line of business for us though – pre-marital screening, including an IQ test perhaps?!”.

Once in a Bluemoon

Once in a Bluemoon, you might need a private investigator....
Ever needed something definitively confirmed for you? Or wondered if you were right in a suspicion you had? Perhaps someone has suggested “you should get a P.I. onto that!”?

There’s a chance that when you heard the words “P.I.”, you’ve thought of a smoky darkened office, and an interesting, if slightly reprehensible individual sitting at a desk wearing a trench-coat and trilby hat?

Thankfully today there are options outside of the sometimes-dubious one-man-band P.I., including the newly launched Bluemoon Investigations, a professional investigative service provider, based in Dublin with national coverage.

Bluemoon has worked extensively for private corporate entities, gaining experience and technique in a wide-range of situations and tasks. It is with this wealth of knowledge that they have opened to the general public, legal, insurance and commercial / corporate clients. Bluemoon’s team of investigators come from professional backgrounds and have all been trained and accredited in the latest investigative procedures and methods.

The services offered by Bluemoon cover everything from surveillance and tracing to polygraphs, and a full listing is available on their website. The key to their service is that it is a “bespoke” one, tailored to the client. Bluemoon pride themselves in offering a discrete, confidential and professional service, and operate by a strict code of ethics.

If you would like more information – please contact Bluemoon on 01 2311033 or info@bluemooninvestigations.ie / www.bluemooninvestigations.ie.

About Bluemoon Investigations Ireland

Bluemoon Investigations offers a broad range of Investigative services in a friendly, discreet, professional and ethical manner, throughout the Republic of Ireland.

Bluemoon Investigations Ireland is a member of the highly successful Bluemoon Group of private investigation companies. The Bluemoon group was formed in 1980 and is well established with extensive industry contacts and can draw on a wide range of specialist services.

Bluemoon has 10 years experience operating in Ireland, through working exclusively for private corporate clients. We are a nationwide detective agency with a local presence. Please be assured that when you deal with Bluemoon Investigations you will receive a professional, thorough, discreet service.

We can advise on the best solution and our comprehensive range of services are designed to suit your personal requirement and budget. Our investigators are highly experienced ensuring you receive reliable accurate results. We offer a wide range of services for the private client including;

• Matrimonial and Relationship Investigations
• Domestic and Family enquiries
• Evidence gathering
• Surveillance and observation
• Electronic Surveillance
• Divorce Enquiries
• Peace of mind enquiries
• Adoption enquiries
• Tracing Domestic staff background checks
• Nanny Cams
• Polygraph (lie detector)
• DNA Paternity testing
• Semen detection testing
• General Investigations

Our comprehensive services also cater for the Legal profession, Corporate and Commercial clients and include:

• Tracing absconding debtors
• Fraud examinations
• Competitor intelligence
• Test purchasing
• Lifestyle checks
• Employee sickness investigations
• Stauts enquires
• Tracing beneficiaries
• Process serving
• Locating assets
• Evidence gathering
• Compensation claim enquiries
• Claims investigations

PLease feel free to contact us for a free no obligation consultation. You can contact us in confidence by either telephone or email

Mulgrave Street, Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin

Telephone: 01 231 1033e

Email: info@bluemooninvestigations.ie

www.bluemooninvestigations.ie