A credit clerk passing credits worth US$83 000 to ghost clients, a general manager obtaining bulk fuel through fake proof or payment, and fake doctors stealing from a general hospital are just some of the alleged fraud and theft cases reported in the course of the year.
Currently, there are cases before the courts where fake documents are alleged to have been provided in tender applications.
Fraud and theft seem to have become endemic, though it is generally only the most sensational cases that are reported in newspapers.
According to Zimstat there were 38 042 cases of theft in Zimbabwe reported in the first quarter of this year, 3 455 cases of fraud, and 83 cases of corruption.
Potential theft or fraud is a concern that most businesses have. However, detecting such dishonesty is far from easy, particularly where there is collusion among employees or managerial staff or where such dishonesty has become accepted as normal among employees.
It is unlikely that even honest workers will report the dishonesty of colleagues. Often the only way to discover what is going on is to have an undercover agent among the employees, according to Safeguard senior investigations manager Nelson Zimunya.
The undercover investigators carry out normal employee duties but keep an eye open for any type of dishonesty or any conduct or weaknesses in the company’s systems that could adversely affect its profitability.
“The undercover operatives are carefully selected and vetted and undergo a Truth Verification Test prior to their deployment,” Mr Zimunya said. “They undergo intensive undercover operations training to ensure their effectiveness.”
Their brief is to observe and report on a variety of issues. Apart from reporting any theft or dishonesty that they become aware of, they observe and report to their supervisors at Safeguard on any misconduct they have observed. The agent’s briefing will be in line with the customer’s concerns.
“If anything of urgent interest is uncovered that requires immediate attention, either I or the area controller communicate directly with the company,” Mr Zimunya said.
“Various forms of dishonesty and corruption have become common and cannot easily be detected except through the deployment of undercover operatives. Dishonesty has sadly become an accepted fact of life in which even those who condemn it often participate at one time or another.
“Collusion or the unwillingness of colleagues to betray one of their own makes detecting theft or fraud or even rudeness to customers difficult for senior managers to detect or be made aware of.
“However, infiltrating an agent whose mission is to observe and report on any malpractices he or she becomes aware of enables us to make a company’s top officials aware of what is going on, whether it be theft, fraud, misuse of company property or time, managerial abuse, rudeness to customers, labour unrest, gossip or comments about the employer, or any other issue the company wants to be made aware of,” Mr. Zimunya said.
“When theft, fraud, or any other criminal activity has been detected, our investigations enable us to collect and provide the evidence needed for a criminal conviction,” he added.