False accusations can come about for any type of alleged criminal activity. Even though you hold a steady job and work hard as a member of a company, you could still face accusations of committing a white collar crime. A common type of white collar crime involves embezzling money from the company in one form or another. If a court convicts you of such a crime, you could face serious consequences, including jail time.

Any time a person keeps money meant for a company or organization for him or herself, an accusation of embezzlement could follow. Commonly, these allegations come about if individuals suspect employees of taking money directly into their pockets or bank accounts or of falsifying documents for additional overtime pay or other compensation.

Red flags

A variety of issues within a company or organization could cause suspicion of embezzlement. If you work in any of the areas associated with certain paperwork or money handling, you could face accusations. Therefore, you may wish to understand the potential red flags in order to ensure that you can defend against false claims against you. Warning signs of embezzlement include:

• Profit drops
• Disorganized records
• Accounting record changes
• Missing documents
• Customer complaints regarding already paid bills
• Duplicate payments
• Altered check amounts
• Questionable employee behavior

These examples represent only a few of the potential signs that could cause suspicions to arise. Therefore, you may wish to ensure that any documents and records you preside over remain organized and detailed. If someone levels accusations against you, you may have the ability to use your records as evidence of your innocence.

Defending against accusations

If you suspect another individual of participating in theft from the company, you should report suspicious behavior as soon as possible. Not only will this information allow your superiors to investigate as needed but it may also prevent false accusations from landing on you. Therefore, remaining organized and aware of your surroundings could prevent a more complicated scenario.

Of course, if you do stand accused of embezzlement, you also have legal options for addressing the situation. You may create a criminal defense in order to present your case to the court and work to maintain your innocence. If you have an interest in gaining assistance from a knowledgeable professional, an experienced Alabama attorney could help you review your case and determine the best options for creating and presenting your defense.