How A Private Investigator Can Catch An Employee Committing Time Card Fraud

Companies can lose a lot of revenue because of time card fraud. Of course, despite it being immoral and against basic work ethic, in severe cases it can actually be counted as larceny, causing the fraudulent employee to potentially have to pay fines or even serve jail time. Surprisingly, however, almost 45% of employees who get paid on an hourly basis admit to committing time card fraud. So, how can employers catch employees committing time card fraud and how do they confront them? Here is how a private investigator can help bosses catch workers committing time card fraud.

What Does Time Card Fraud Entail?

A common form of time card fraud is ‘buddy punching’, which is when an employee makes their work friend wrongfully punch in their time card. Shockingly, one out of every five workers has admitted to partaking in buddy punching, which is a very high number. Other ways and reasons card fraud might take place could be:

• An employee doing their own personal business at work rather than the work they were assigned to do
• An employee unjustly recording their arrival time
• An employee taking a longer break time than they are allowed

How To Prevent Time Card Fraud From Taking Place In The First Place

Employers should ensure that, firstly, they have detailed company procedures and policies in place regarding carding into work. Secondly, each employee should be made aware of the policies, and they should be made to sign a policy agreement. There should be repercussions in place, and warnings should be given discreetly, either verbally or through email.

How A Private Detective Can Catch An Employee Committing Time Card Fraud

Hiring a private investigator from Oklahoma City can actually be fruitful for your business. Private detectives can help confirm your suspicions of your employees committing time card fraud. A private investigator from OKC can use methods such as surveillance in order to observe where your workers go and what they do when they are timed in. It can help you assess how bad the situation is, and take action according to the performance of the employee. Private investigators can help you gather concrete proof in case you decide to fire your employee and save you from being sued in that way.

WORK AS UNDERCOVER : 

To catch the time card fraud the private investigator acts like they are a new employee in the company. They gather information to find out which employee is involved in this. They started an undercover operation to find who did time card fraud. 

BACKGROUND RESEARCH :

The private investigator conducts research in the workplace to find the suspected employee. They research work history, their behavior, or any activity in previous records that makes them guilty or suspicious. 

CONDUCT INVESTIGATION: 

The private investigator conducts a different investigation and interrogation from co-workers, management staff, and other employees who know about the fraud. Through this interrogation, the private investigator gathers additional information and evidence.

REVIEWING COMPANY SYSTEMS : 

The private investigator reviews the company’s timekeeping system such as electronic time clocks, software, and time cards. They check irregular activities that lead to time card fraud such as unauthorized access to the system and false time entries. 

It is important for employers to catch suspicious employees who are wasting valuable time and resources of your business, resulting in lower output. So, it is important to consider hiring a private investigator to catch those workers who are committing time card fraud.