Construction Company Apparent Victim Of Employee Fraud

Employers should always do proper background checks in order to avoid hiring dishonest and untrustworthy individuals. However, things do not always go as planned, and employers in California often end up hiring exactly those types of people. This may have been what happened to one construction company recently when it became a victim of employee fraud.

The construction company’s former employee claimed that an injury sustained while working had caused him to be unable to work. This resulted in an injured worker claim being filed and the man receiving more than $10,000 in disability benefits via workers’ compensation insurance. However, it turns out that the man may have been committing fraud in order to receive the benefits. The man now faces criminal charges, for which he will have to answer in a court of law.

The man claimed he injured his right knee when he was stepping off a ladder at a job site. He then continually submitted official documents that stated he could not work due to the injury sustained. The worker filed for benefits in May 2014 and continued to receive benefits until early September of that same year. However, authorities later found out that the man had been receiving wages from two other construction companies during the same time period that he claimed to be unable to work.

This type of situation can happen to any employer in any industry in California. Therefore, employers should always be vigilant in detecting any signs of possible employee fraud. This can help save the employer from having to pay unnecessary increases in workers’ compensation insurance premiums.

Source: nbcrightnow.com, “Former Tri-Cities Construction Worker Charged with Felony L&I Theft“, Sept. 29, 2015