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With Memorial Day behind us and the school year almost over, many of us are turning our attention to what's really important in life. Things like going to the beach, corn boils and picnics (and probably, for some of us, the NBA playoffs) start to assume more importance for us at this time of the year than our offices. And that's exactly how it should be.
But ... (you just knew that there was a "but" coming, didn't you?)... embezzlers don't stop stealing in summer.
I was recently writing an article where I expressed the motivations of embezzlers a bit differently than I have in the past. I said that embezzlers in dental offices possessed either "a financial or emotional deficit". The meaning of the financial one is obvious; this is the "needy" thief who is stealing to stave off impending catastrophe.
The emotionally deficient thief is a bit more complicated -- these are people who feel under-rewarded by society (and more specifically by you, their employer) and are determined to rectify the inequity. Some behaviorists have theorized that one of the ways that they can prove themselves to be your intellectual peer is by successfully stealing from you. In any case, their thefts are ego-based rather than financially driven.
Before I get too firmly glued to my soapbox, my point is really this -- in the case of the needy thieves, their needs continue (and sometimes even increase) over the summer. The greedy thieves are quick to exploit weaknesses, and what better time to steal than summer, when everyone else's focus shifts away from the office? Embezzlement doesn't take a vacation!
If you haven't done our Embezzlement Risk Assessment Questionnaire in a while, now is a great time to pull out a fresh one and fill it out. It will take less than ten minutes, and as I am fond of saying, could save you a bundle.
Thanks as always for reading. Have a great weekend and a wonderful summer!
David Harris
Chief Executive Officer
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