DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE CASE, THE COMPANY IS NOT MENTIONED BY NAME IN THIS ARTICLE
One Monday morning, KPMG's Forensic department receives a call from a concerned CFO of a Danish subsidiary of a major international trading group. The concerned manager suspects that one or more employees have been skimming cash, and the CFO wants KPMG's Data Forensics team to investigate the matter as soon as possible.
Jacob K. Petersen, senior manager in KPMG Digital Risk, quickly assembles his Data Forensic team, who are already investigating the case the following day. To minimise the scale of the fraud, as well as the risk of suspects covering their tracks, it is crucial to act quickly and discreetly. Just a few days after KPMG received the initial inquiry, KPMG's Data Forensic team uncovered the extent of the fraud, documented the methods used and mapped the suspects, and prepared a report that was delivered to the concerned manager the following Monday.
Reason for concern
Unfortunately, it turns out that the manager had good reason to be concerned. KPMG's report documents the suspicion that two employees, in different ways over a number of years, have succeeded in systematically carrying out purchases of a private nature, which the company has paid for. In addition, there is also a suspicion that the employees have contributed to the company paying invoices from fictitious companies on a large scale, thereby committing fraud worth millions.
The concerned manager has done the right thing by contacting experts like us at KPMG and leaving it to us to gather evidence of the suspicions as quickly and discreetly as possible. It is extremely important not to contact the suspects or others involved directly, as you then run the risk of the suspects covering their tracks before their possible offenses can be documented,
The very next day after the concerned manager receives the disturbing report, the suspected employees are dismissed and expelled with immediate effect. Without revealing itself, KPMG has managed to gather substantial evidence of the suspicious circumstances and it is expected that at least one of the now former employees will be reported to the police - and the company has also taken steps to prepare a civil claim for damages against the former employees.
"It is important that companies that suspect this type of fraud obtain documentation so that they can later bring compensation cases and be reimbursed for the amounts they have been defrauded of," says Jacob K. Petersen, who also points out that it is of course also important to involve HR and possibly seek external legal assistance in such a process.
If you have a similar suspicion, do not hesitate to contact KPMG's Data Forensic experts.
Martin Povelsen
Partner, Digital Risk
KPMG in Denmark
Jacob Petersen
Senior Manager
KPMG in Denmark
