One of the most common fraudulent acts by employees is known as embezzlement. This crime occurs when someone who is put in charge of money or property appropriates that money or property for their own use. The perpetrator was a person in a position of trust and they used that position to take advantage of a business.
Employees don’t have to be the company accountant to steal from the business. They can also commit what’s known as payroll fraud, where they turn in more hours than they really worked to be paid additional overtime. If the company has no payroll oversight, employees can amass tens of thousands of dollars in overtime wages when they aren’t actually working.
Workers in charge of supplies or inventory might also over-order what the business needs, return items for cash, and pocket those funds.