There was a marketing campaign in Connecticut aimed towards preventing drinking and driving. It went along the lines of “Thinking about drinking and driving? Consider the Chaser.” The ad ended with images of police and police cars stopping a drunk driver.
I thought the ad was a well-executed play on words. “Consider the Chaser” related to a drink following a drink, such as a shot and a beer. It also meant consider the police who have to chase down the drunk driver. Drinking and driving puts not only the driver and their passengers at risk, but also everyone else out and about as well as the law enforcement personnel out enforcing the drunk driving laws.
All too often drivers under the influence cause devastating accidents, leading to injuries and deaths. Having worked on an ambulance for 13 years, I have seen these first hand, and have had to treat innocent victims of these crimes. The drivers get behind the wheel without much thought about the consequences as they decided to drink and drive.
White collar crimes are not much different. Time and again I deal with employee embezzlements, and often the suspect’s actions, once revealed, have devastating effects on their spouse, significant other, children, grandchildren, other family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers and anyone else in any way related to the suspect. Over the years I have interacted with many embezzlers who never thought they would ever get caught, and also who never considered what the impacts would be if they did in fact get caught.
I have witnessed marriages irreparably broken, children displaced to relatives or state protective custody, parents disowning their child, children disowning their parents, siblings divided forever, and in most of those cases the embezzler never contemplated the level of consequences they ultimately experienced.
In writing blog posts I certainly will not be able to stop individuals contemplating or currently embezzling funds from their employer or family. My goal is to make readers think about all the consequences, and consider the benefits versus costs of stealing funds or assets of others.
Consider all the possible consequences, as far fetched as they might seem, before deciding to embezzle funds to solve financial crises in your life. Surrendering all your assets, displacing your family and going to jail can be no fun for everyone involved.