How Employers Screen Potential Employees to Prevent Fraud

Most employees do not go to work for a company with the intention of committing fraud yet according to the Association of Certified Fraud examiners (ACFE) occupational fraud and abuse is costing U.S. businesses billions of dollars each year. Joseph Wells, Chairman of the ACFE stated in his book entitled "Occupational Fraud and Abuse - How to Prevent and Detect Asset Misappropriation, Corruption and Fraudulent Statements," that most people do not have intentions to become thieves or liars and that most employees who do commit fraud are not career criminals. It was his view that almost any employee could wind up doing so; even good people can commit fraud. Committing fraud is, however, against the law, and can have severe penalties if one is convicted.

The Screening Process

Employers have numerous ways of screening employees so they won't wind up with individuals who have questionable ethics and might be likely to commit fraud. It is a good idea to obtain authorization "in writing" from the individual applicant prior to checking information.  Following are some of the methods used for screening:

• Criminal background checks;
• Drug screening;
• Verifying previous employment;
• Checking with references provided on application; and
• Verifying educational degrees or certificates to ensure accuracy

Have you been accused of fraud?

In today's difficult economic climate, many people are running into financial problems and sometimes out of desperation, resort to unusual solutions to remedy the problem and commit fraud. The situation also exists where an employee can be wrongly accused of such, and either way, would need to have a Fairfax criminal defense attorney to consult with. If you are in the Commonwealth of Virginia, at the Law Offices of Scott C. Nolan, we are here to help.

We have represented many clients throughout the years for many different types of fraud including bank, credit card, government, securities, computer, tax, check healthcare, employment, mail fraud and more. Being convicted of fraud can ruin your professional career and tarnish your personal relationships; we have the necessary skills and experience to help create a strong defense to help you avoid conviction.

Contact a Fairfax fraud defense lawyer in our office to set up a free consultation and we will go over the details of your charges.