Embezzlement Detection & Prevention for Orange County and Los Angeles Businesses

At QBcure, we review the books that other people keep. Most small business embezzlement and fraud follows one pattern: a single trusted person holds too much unsupervised control over both the money and the records that describe it. We serve as the independent set of eyes on those records, with no stake in what they say. Our team reconciles accounts, identifies irregularities, quantifies what a business has lost, and designs the everyday controls that make the next attempt difficult. Every engagement begins with a free consultation.

How QBcure Works Alongside Your Attorney and CPA

We work at the direction of your attorney or CPA. They set the scope, and we do the accounting work that supports it: reconciling the accounts, reconstructing the periods in question, documenting what the records show, and quantifying the loss with the supporting detail attached.

How QBcure Helps Protect Your Business

  • Independent monthly reconciliation
  • Bank and credit card statement review
  • Vendor and payee list analysis
  • Payroll and reimbursement review
  • Voided and deleted transaction review
  • QuickBooks audit trail analysis
  • User permission and access review
  • Duplicate and unrecognized vendor detection
  • Loss quantification and documentation
  • Record reconstruction and cleanup
  • Internal control design
  • Ongoing monitoring and reporting

The problem is structural, not personal. Most bookkeepers and office managers are careful, honest professionals doing difficult work with limited support. The risk comes from the design of the job. When one person enters the transactions, writes the checks, and reconciles the account, the record and the reviewer are the same person, and there is no independent point at which an error or a diversion has to surface.

What to Do First if You Suspect a Problem

The steps below are general precautions, not legal advice. What follows is the order that protects your records and your options while you get proper guidance.

  1. Contact your attorney before you contact anyone else. Speak with counsel before you take any other step, including anything described below.
  2. Preserve the records and back up the QuickBooks file before you change anything. Make a complete backup, secure bank statements, canceled checks, and supporting documents, and stop deleting or reorganizing files.
  3. Do not revoke the person’s access until your data is secured. An abrupt lockout can prompt deletion or alteration of records that you will need later. Sequence access changes with your attorney once backups are verified.
  4. Do not confront the person. A conversation before the records are secured and reviewed can compromise both the records and the advice you receive afterward.
  5. Do not discuss the matter internally. Limit knowledge to your attorney and the advisors your attorney designates.
  6. Notify your insurance carrier about employee dishonesty or crime coverage. Many policies carry short notice deadlines, so ask your carrier or broker early what your policy requires and when.

QBcure is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Direct any legal question to your attorney.