Toner a prime target for employee theft
July 2, 2009 by Sam NarisiPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Solutions
When the economy goes down, crime goes up — and that includes theft by employees of expensive office supplies.
Almost 25% of companies say employee theft has become a bigger problem than they’re used to in the past year, according to a recent survey by the Institute for Corporate Productivity.
No surprise here: The common items taken were office supplies like ink and toner cartridges.
In one extreme example of toner theft, a former Penn State University employee was recently arrested for embezzling nearly $45,000. Her method: She’d buy ink and toner cartridges on the university’s dime, resell them to an office supply store and pocket the cash.
She was caught after a budget administrator noticed a large uptick in the amount of toner being purchased.
Toner and ink are attractive targets for dishonest employees: They’re small and easy to take home. Also, companies purchase them on a constant basis, making it difficult to notice irregular and suspicious activity.
Some ways to prevent theft: Keep cartridges locked up, remind employees that taking supplies home is not OK, and regularly audit purchasing records.
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