What should I do if I suspect an employee is stealing?

Do not confront or accuse them yet. Quietly preserve records and camera footage, limit access without singling anyone out, talk to your attorney, notify your insurer if you carry crime coverage, and have the facts documented by a professional.

Can I record employees at work in Florida?

Video in ordinary work areas is common, but Florida requires all parties’ consent to intercept oral communications under s. 934.03, so secret audio is a serious risk. Never record restrooms or changing areas. Ask your attorney before installing anything.

Can I put a GPS tracker on an employee’s car?

Not on an employee’s personal vehicle without consent; s. 934.425 makes that a crime. Company vehicles are a different question and should be covered by a clear written policy reviewed by your attorney.

Is employee theft a felony in Florida?

Theft of property valued at $750 or more is grand theft, a felony, under s. 812.014. Florida also allows a civil claim for threefold actual damages under s. 772.11 after a written demand.

How long does an employee theft investigation take?

It depends on the scheme and how much data is available. Records analysis can show a pattern quickly; documenting off-site activity or a vendor relationship takes longer. You will get a scoped plan before work begins.

Employee Theft Investigations for Fort Lauderdale Businesses

Most business owners find out about employee theft the same way: numbers that stop adding up. Inventory shrinks, cash deposits run short, refunds spike on one shift, or a vendor nobody remembers hiring keeps getting paid. In a Fort Lauderdale restaurant, a Sunrise warehouse or a Coral Springs medical office, the instinct is the same: confront the person you suspect. That is usually the wrong first move. This guide explains how to investigate employee theft in Broward County in a way that protects your business, stays within Florida law and leaves you with evidence you can actually use.

What employee theft usually looks like

Cash skimming: sales that are not rung up, voids and no-sale transactions, or short deposits.
Refund and discount abuse: fake returns, unauthorized discounts for friends, or gift cards loaded without payment.
Inventory theft: product leaving through the back door, in the trash, or through a cooperating driver.
Payroll fraud: padded hours, buddy punching, or a “ghost” employee on the payroll.
Vendor and invoice schemes: fake vendors, inflated invoices or kickbacks from a real supplier.
Data and customer list theft by someone planning to start a competing business.

Warning signs worth taking seriously

Losses that cluster around one shift, one register, one location or one approval chain.
An employee who never takes vacation or insists on handling a task alone.
Records that are missing, altered or always “being fixed.”
A vendor whose address, phone number or bank details match an employee’s.
A lifestyle that does not fit the paycheck, which proves nothing alone but is worth noting alongside other signs.

The first steps (before anyone is accused)

Do not confront or accuse. A premature accusation tips off the person, invites destruction of evidence and can expose you to a defamation or wrongful termination claim if you are wrong.
Preserve the data quietly. Export point-of-sale reports, accounting records, access logs, emails and camera footage before routine deletion or overwriting.
Limit access without fanfare. Tighten approvals or rotate duties in a way that does not single anyone out.
Bring in your attorney early, especially before interviews, terminations or reports to law enforcement.
Notify your insurer if you carry employee dishonesty or crime coverage. Policies usually have notice requirements and will ask for documentation of the loss.

Stay inside Florida law

How evidence is gathered matters as much as what it shows. A few rules every Broward employer should know:

No secret audio. Florida requires the consent of all parties to intercept an oral communication (s. 934.03, F.S.). Video cameras in work areas are common, but cameras that also capture audio of conversations create real legal risk.
Never in private spaces. Florida’s video voyeurism law, s. 810.145, F.S., applies to secretly recording people who are dressing, undressing or privately exposing the body where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Restrooms and changing areas are off limits.
No trackers on personal property. Placing a tracking device or app on an employee’s personal car or phone without consent is a crime under s. 934.425, F.S. The statute has an exception for a person acting in good faith on behalf of a business for a legitimate business purpose, which is why company vehicles should be covered by a clear written policy. Ask your attorney before tracking anything.
Do not detain anyone. Holding an employee in an office until they confess invites a false imprisonment claim. Interviews should be voluntary and planned with counsel.

How a professional investigation works

A licensed investigation is built to answer one question with evidence: who took what, when and how. Depending on the facts, that can include:

Records analysis: matching POS data, inventory counts, schedules and camera timestamps to find the pattern.
Surveillance of off-site activity in public places, such as merchandise being delivered to a reseller, or a claimed sick day spent working elsewhere. See our surveillance services.
Background and business research: prior court cases, and whether the employee or a relative is tied to a vendor or competing company on Sunbiz. Our background investigations cover this.
Online and resale research: product showing up on marketplace listings under a recognizable seller.
Witness interviews with co-workers, planned with your attorney.
A clear, organized report your attorney, insurer and law enforcement can use.

Interviews, terminations and the paper trail

The interview with the person you suspect usually comes last, after the records and any surveillance have been reviewed, so the questions are based on facts rather than suspicion. Plan it with your attorney: who will be in the room, what documents will be shown, and how the conversation will be recorded in writing afterward. Keep it voluntary, keep it calm, and let the person leave whenever they want. Any decision to suspend or terminate should follow your written policies and be consistent with how you have treated other employees in similar situations. Inconsistency is what turns a theft case into an employment lawsuit. Finally, keep everything together in one file: the original data exports, the investigator’s report, photos and video with their dates and sources, and notes of every interview. That file is what your attorney, your insurer and, if you report it, law enforcement will ask for first.

What the law says about theft

Under Florida’s theft statute, stealing property valued at $750 or more but less than $5,000 is grand theft of the third degree, a third-degree felony, with higher categories for larger amounts (s. 812.014, F.S.). Florida also provides a civil remedy: a person injured by theft can seek threefold actual damages, plus attorney’s fees and costs, after making a written pre-suit demand (s. 772.11, F.S.). Whether to report to the Broward Sheriff’s Office or your city’s police department, pursue a civil claim, or simply part ways is a decision to make with your attorney once the facts are documented. Civil cases in Broward are heard in the 17th Judicial Circuit.

Hypothetical example: a Fort Lauderdale distributor sees steady shrinkage on one product line. Records analysis shows the losses line up with one driver’s routes, and lawful surveillance documents cases being dropped at a storefront that is not a customer. The business now has a documented pattern to take to its attorney and insurer instead of a hunch.

Prevention after the fact

Once the immediate problem is handled, close the gap that allowed it: separate duties so no one person can both approve and record a transaction, reconcile cash and inventory on a schedule, review vendor master files for duplicates, and screen people before they are given access to money or merchandise. For more on structured corporate work, see our corporate investigations and fraud investigations pages.