How They Took the Money: Common Small Business Fraud Schemes and the Clues They Left Behind

The money was not always hidden.

Sometimes it was sitting in the credit card statement, the payroll register, the refund report, the inventory records, or the bank deposit detail.

Someone just had to look.

Small business fraud rarely begins with a mastermind.

More often, it begins with a company card no one reviews, cash that never reaches the bank, payroll details no one reads, inventory that quietly disappears, or refunds that go to the wrong place.

In How They Took the Money , forensic accountant Chad Thompson, CPA draws on three decades of real case experience to show how common small-business fraud schemes actually happen — and the clues they leave behind.

This is not an academic fraud textbook. It is a practical, story-driven guide for business owners, managers, and advisors who want to better understand where money can disappear inside an ordinary business.

Through real-world examples, you will learn how employees exploited weak spots in:

Company credit cards Cash deposits Customer payments Payroll Inventory Refunds and voids Vendor payments and kickbacks

The lesson running through these cases is simple: the evidence was usually there. The problem was that no one knew where to look, what to compare, or which questions to ask.

You do not need to become a forensic accountant to protect your business. But you do need to understand the records that matter.

This book will help you see the patterns earlier, ask better questions, and recognize the warning signs before small problems become expensive ones.