Service 05

Internal & Executive Exposure

The losses that persist longest are the ones authorized from inside. Not because internal theft is more sophisticated, but because the person doing it also controls the report that would reveal it.

Engagement detail

ScopeAuthority, approvals, adjustments, and system access
Typical durationThree to four weeks
Delivered asConfidential assessment to the engaging party
Where the leak forms

Failure points we see repeatedly

  • Authority concentration. One individual able to create a vendor, approve a shipment, adjust inventory, and sign off on the variance, with no independent review of any step.
  • Adjustment abuse. Inventory write-offs, damage claims, and shrink allowances used to absorb product that left the building intentionally.
  • Phantom and inflated vendors. Suppliers or freight charges that exist primarily to move value out of the company.
  • Diversion into secondary markets. Company product appearing through channels that were never authorized, often at volumes that require internal access to sustain.
  • Audit avoidance. Losses that consistently occur in the one location, product line, or shift the internal reporting cycle covers least.
  • Seniority as a shield. Controls applied rigorously at the warehouse floor and waived for management.

What we audit

  • Separation of duties across purchasing, inventory, shipping, and finance
  • Inventory adjustment, write-off, and damage claim review path
  • Vendor master file integrity and change controls
  • System permission review, including elevated and legacy access
  • Loss pattern analysis by location, shift, product line, and approver
  • Confidential reporting channel design and protection
  • Application of controls at every level of seniority
Deliverables

What you receive

Internal Control Assessment

A structured review of authority, approval, and adjustment paths identifying every point where one person can complete a loss unobserved.

Pattern Analysis

Historical loss data examined for concentration by facility, shift, approver, and product, so investigation is directed rather than speculative.

Remediation Plan

Recommended structural changes, monitoring, and reporting design, delivered so it can be implemented without publicly signaling an investigation.

Worth knowing

This work is conducted discreetly and reports to whoever engages us, typically ownership, the board, or the general counsel. Where findings indicate potential criminal conduct, we recommend engaging counsel and law enforcement, and we support that process rather than substituting for it.

Next Step

Find the leak before the next load moves.

A chain-of-custody audit takes two to four weeks and ends with a written report you can act on immediately. Initial consultations are complimentary and confidential.