Fraud - A Recession-Proof Industry

Surveillance companies know that when the economy gets bad they will see the number of fraud cases rise. Houston and Dallas private investigators are no exception. Even as they see demand for some services decline they see an increase in skip traces and scam investigations.
Honest People Get Desperate
As times turn hard, Americans have to cut back to make ends meet. With increased unemployment, freezes on raises and reduction in benefits, especially health insurance, many of them find things getting increasingly desperate. Their situation goes from being unable to afford cable television to being unable to afford groceries.
Even decent, law-abiding citizens start to face hard decisions. The type of person who will go back to a store if they are given an extra quarter in change is now in a situation where it is a choice between defrauding a faceless corporation or losing the family home. These aren't the professional con artists that surveillance companies are used to dealing with, but average people facing above average financial problems.
Fraud Is Not A Victimless Crime
When surveillance companies uncover these scams, the people involved often feel like they aren't really stealing. It's not like they are breaking a window and stealing a stereo. Nobody gets hurt, right? However the truth is that fraud simply makes a bad financial situation worse for everyone.
Consider an employee about to be laid off who fakes a work-related injury. Even if his employer suspects the worker is lying, it might be overlooked. The owner might feel sympathy for the worker and figure that, since the insurance company will pay for the claim, there's no harm done.
Unfortunately, the rise in fraudulent claims drives up the insurance company's costs. They have to raise premiums to compensate. Now the employer faces higher insurance rates and has to cut back employee benefits or lay more people off to afford the new higher rates. Everyone becomes a victim.
Businesses Commit Fraud As Well
Business owners face more than claims from employees or customers. They also find that partner businesses may be cheating them as well. Service providers might charge them for services that were never performed. Vendors might substitute different items in an order or ship less than what was bought, hoping the error will be overlooked. Organizations might run up large debts before declaring bankruptcy. As above, these are often honest businesses faced with hard times who decide to step over the line just a little.
In these hard times, businesses have to protect themselves from these kinds of situations. More companies are hiring surveillance companies to investigate routine activities even if fraud is not suspected. The cost is a fraction of what will be lost in a dishonest transaction and buys not just financial protection but peace of mind.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1967448
Surveillance companies know that when the economy gets bad they will see the number of fraud cases rise. Houston and Dallas private investigators are no exception. Even as they see demand for some services decline they see an increase in skip traces and scam investigations.
Honest People Get Desperate
As times turn hard, Americans have to cut back to make ends meet. With increased unemployment, freezes on raises and reduction in benefits, especially health insurance, many of them find things getting increasingly desperate. Their situation goes from being unable to afford cable television to being unable to afford groceries.
Even decent, law-abiding citizens start to face hard decisions. The type of person who will go back to a store if they are given an extra quarter in change is now in a situation where it is a choice between defrauding a faceless corporation or losing the family home. These aren't the professional con artists that surveillance companies are used to dealing with, but average people facing above average financial problems.
Fraud Is Not A Victimless Crime
When surveillance companies uncover these scams, the people involved often feel like they aren't really stealing. It's not like they are breaking a window and stealing a stereo. Nobody gets hurt, right? However the truth is that fraud simply makes a bad financial situation worse for everyone.
Consider an employee about to be laid off who fakes a work-related injury. Even if his employer suspects the worker is lying, it might be overlooked. The owner might feel sympathy for the worker and figure that, since the insurance company will pay for the claim, there's no harm done.
Unfortunately, the rise in fraudulent claims drives up the insurance company's costs. They have to raise premiums to compensate. Now the employer faces higher insurance rates and has to cut back employee benefits or lay more people off to afford the new higher rates. Everyone becomes a victim.
Businesses Commit Fraud As Well
Business owners face more than claims from employees or customers. They also find that partner businesses may be cheating them as well. Service providers might charge them for services that were never performed. Vendors might substitute different items in an order or ship less than what was bought, hoping the error will be overlooked. Organizations might run up large debts before declaring bankruptcy. As above, these are often honest businesses faced with hard times who decide to step over the line just a little.
In these hard times, businesses have to protect themselves from these kinds of situations. More companies are hiring surveillance companies to investigate routine activities even if fraud is not suspected. The cost is a fraction of what will be lost in a dishonest transaction and buys not just financial protection but peace of mind.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1967448

Comments

Popular Posts