Fraud can happen to anyone and affect many. Staff or management defrauding a company can cause its bankruptcy. Individuals are hoodwinked into handing over their savings to unscrupulous and unregulated investors. The elderly may suffer fraud from strangers and also family members. Any way you look at it, it’s very personal. It is abuse of your personal or business life by a predator that has no regard for your feelings or how hard you have worked.
The common denominator to the above is the predatory nature of the perpetrator. They may start their deception on a small scale because of a perceived opportunity and then justify their crime. They may purposely and with malice aforethought connive to defraud their victims of large amounts of cash and property. For the employer it could be the process of anticipatory fraud.
There are steps to follow when you suspect fraud:
Determine who may be perpetrating the deception, gather the evidence, take action to stop the fraud, mitigate the loss and prevent any further frauds from occurring.
What to do with the fraudster is up to the client. Should the authorities become involved? In many cases the police will view the fraud as a civil matter especially if it is under a certain dollar amount. Should you attempt a civil remedy? Will you be able to recover the funds or property stolen? Will the investigation and/or court costs outweigh the benefits of litigation? Will you be able to collect? Is it a matter of principle? These are only a few of the questions that you or your lawyer can answer.
In order to make the best informed decisions some asset tracing may be required. With a limited asset and background search you may be able to determine if it is worth proceeding further or stopping and cutting your losses.
Speak to us for a free consultation. Let us help you regain control.
