Stop, Thief!

Whatever your business, these 12 danger signs can alert you to an employee who may be embezzling funds:

1. Rewriting records for the sake of "neatness"

2. Refusing to take vacations; never taking personal or sick days

3. Working overtime voluntarily and excessively, and refusing to release custody of records during the day

4. Unusually high standard of living considering salary

5. Gambling in any form beyond ability to withstand losses

6. Refusal of promotion

7. Replying to questions with unreasonable explanations

8. Getting annoyed at reasonable questions

9. Inclination toward covering up inefficiencies and mistakes

10. Pronounced criticism of others (to divert suspicion)

11. Frequent association with, and entertainment by, a member of a supplier's staff

12. Excessive drinking or associating with questionable characters

This article was originally published in the January 1996 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Stop, Thief!.