A dental hygienist turned Prosperident investigator explains what financial independence really means for a practice, and the four signs that show real finan…
Two dental hygienists explain why every dental practice needs regular financial recall reviews — and what metrics to examine to keep your practice financiall…
We recently were asked this question by a dentist and thought that discussion of psychological testing for dishonesty is something that we should address.
Both insurance companies and dental practices have long appreciated the convenience of electronic funds transfers as a method of payment.
Should I call the police if I think I have been embezzled? I have recently been involved in a couple of Facebook discussions that had a common element that I…
Let’s think about the control systems in place in your practice. Everything from the “balancing” done by staff at the end of each day to what you as a pract…
Dental practice financial management requires a practice owner to have some involvement in the financial operations of their practice.
A common theme at conferences and in dental media lately is a shortage of people to hire ,and hiring properly has become a high challenge.
Sooner or later, every practice owner receives this unwelcome news. Your office manager quits suddenly. He or she is the key to the smooth functioning of yo…
Our CEO once said that embezzlers will happily fill gaps in a practice’s policies to their advantage. So what are these policy vacuums, and how do embezzler…
We have noticed an interesting phenomenon in dentistry. When you look at all types of business in aggregate, “whistleblowers” are responsible for detecting 4…
Some insurance companies make payments to practices by creating virtual credit cards with credit balances and then providing the card numbers.
Embezzlement protection involves a few big steps and a lot of small items, and they can seem daunting for a new practice owner. For this post, let’s address…
Is there a brand of practice management software that is better at protecting a doctor against embezzlement? What is the most secure software?
Embezzlement has been around since the beginning of recorded history.
Like every private investigator, I consider myself an armchair psychologist. From my observation, many Greedy thieves display sociopathic characteristics and…
While most of this website is oriented towards owners of dental practices, we would be remiss if we didn’t address the topic of associate dentists.
What would you recommend doing to check employment?
The American Dental Association’s Council on Dental Practice recently released the results of a survey completed last year on embezzlement.
Thorough month-end reconciliations are critical to uncover revenue anomalies, errors, and embezzlement.
Everyone knows that daily balancing is a key safeguard for your practice’s finances, but there is very little information available to a dentist on how to do…
A dentist in a Facebook forum states that embezzlement cannot be happening in his or her practice because they “check their practice management software days…
Embezzlement in orthodontic practices takes place with more frequency than in general dental practices.
It continues to amaze us that the people who we refer to as “serial embezzlers” continue to find jobs in dental practices.
No — you can check criminal records. California is one of 13 “Ban the Box” states.
The following is an excerpt from David Harris’ upcoming book on protecting yourself from embezzlement. Stay tuned for the book release.
One of the most frequent comments we hear once the identity of an embezzler is confirmed is that he or she is “the last person I could imagine stealing”.
We hear this a lot from people discussing embezzlement with us. They say that they always check that their day-end report balances to their deposit.
Reference Check Essentials: Helping You Master Your Hiring Process
“I live in a small town…” I’m not referring to the catchy John Mellencamp tune of the 1980s (although I did like the song).
I have a question as I have a client that recently hired somebody and shortly after she started he got notice that her wages are garnisheed to pay off $3,200…
We all know that data is important, and we need to back it up. Whether a hard disk stops working, or your network has been invaded by “ransomware,” ensuring…
Over the past week, I’ve encountered a couple of similar situations, which leads me to believe that this scenario is worthy of my writing about it.
As dentists, we have invested enormous time and resources obtaining our education, growing our practices, and pursuing other professional endeavors.
Many dentists believe that if the practice management software day-end report balances to their bank deposit, embezzlement is not happening in their practice.
Here are ten steps that take very little time but can make your practice much safer from embezzlement.
Will I get caught if I charged a stolen credit card?
I’ll devote this column to addressing some of the misconceptions about embezzlement that just won’t seem to go away.
There are a lot of “urban myths” about embezzlement that will not disappear. As a result, embezzlement is flourishing in dentistry.
The Mirriam-Webster Dictionary describes trust as “ assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.”
Building a successful orthodontic practice is no small feat. It takes unwavering commitment, good marketing skills, smart business sense, and a dedicated sup…
As investigators, one thing we encounter every time we speak to a group of orthodontists is that, in the area of embezzlement, they consistently underestimat…
The Prosperident team does an amazing job of uncovering and assisting you in dealing with the legal issues around embezzlement. You now have this done, are …
Houdini was a master illusionist. Since many of his stunts were performed in full view of his audience, he relied on two key elements to perform the impossi…
I’ve often said that our embezzlers fall neatly into two categories, which I labeled the “Needy” and the “Greedy.” Let’s take you inside the mind of the emb…
Something that surprises victims is the painful slowness with which the justice system operates.
When an embezzler thinks that he or she is about to be discovered (and possibly go to jail, have their friends read about them in the newspaper, have their s…
If someone is embezzling from you, they are constantly looking for signs that they are about to get caught.
Occasionally, a dentist calls us to say that he or she found an employee stealing who was fired or quit and that, because the suspect quit, the dentist belie…
Something I often get asked is whether more embezzlement takes place when the economy is in trouble.
Is entitlement a factor for embezzlement with certain demographics?
People come to my lectures looking for many things — some want CE credit; others with embezzlement concerns want information, and there are probably some see…
Do Dentists Embezzle?
I get asked this question a lot when I am speaking to groups of dentists, so I decided to share the answer, and the reasons behind it, with you.
Finding a good personality fit and ensuring that employees properly project your office’s personality are topics I will leave to others.
My accountants just did my year-end three months ago. How could they possibly miss the embezzlement that Prosperident found?
I was discussing embezzlement with my friend Rick Willeford a few months ago. Rick is a CPA and engineer who founded DentaMetrix, a company that helps denti…
We live in a society that is becoming increasingly “cashless.” The convenience of using debit and credit cards for transactions started the trend.
Reports suggest that 70% of dentists will eventually be victims of embezzlement. Dental practitioners can benefit from increasing their knowledge about embez…
I have seen a few people advocate dentists setting up a plan to test honesty of their front desk staff.
The American Dental Association’s Council on Dental Practice recently released the results of a survey completed last year that show that dental practice emb…
Which practice management software reports should dentists review — and how often? Prosperident provides a practical daily and monthly monitoring checklist.
One employee controlling all practice finances is an embezzlement invitation. Prosperident shares three practical rules for dividing duties to protect your p…
Suspect embezzlement in your dental practice? Prosperident explains the critical steps to take — and the mistakes to avoid — to protect your investigation.
AI is already transforming dental practices. Prosperident examines the real opportunities and risks artificial intelligence brings to dentistry's future.
Articulation — comparing daily totals to month-end summaries — is one of the most powerful and overlooked embezzlement detection tools in dentistry. Learn how.
Most dentists overlook their CEO responsibilities. Learn how to exercise meaningful financial oversight of your dental practice in just 10 minutes per day.
Discover the five most telling warning signs that someone may be embezzling from your dental practice. Prosperident explains what to watch for and what to do.
Delta Dental is making significant changes in 2026 that every dental practice owner needs to know. Prosperident explains what's changing and how to protect y…
Spring is the ideal time to audit your dental practice's financial controls. Prosperident shares which oversight systems every practice owner should review.
Introducing SOFIA, Prosperident's consulting service applying expert financial analysis to major dental practice decisions including PPOs, expansion, and ass…
Running a dental practice has never been more difficult. David Harris examines today's key challenges and how dentists can protect their financial interests.
Deleted transactions in your dental software are often fingerprints of embezzlement. Prosperident explains why reviewing this report should be a monthly prio…
Skipping bank reconciliation is a gamble embezzlers rely on. Prosperident explains why this simple monthly discipline is one of your most critical safeguards.
Delegating duties is wise — abdicating financial oversight is dangerous. Prosperident explains the difference and why it matters for your practice's security.
A dental employee publicly admitted online to stealing over $30,000. Prosperident examines this real case and what it reveals about the brazenness of dental …
Prosperident Article written by AI about embezzlement in dental practices We asked the AI portal Chat GPT to produce an article on embezzlement in dental pra…
Explore Prosperident's dental embezzlement blog — 50+ articles covering detection strategies, real fraud cases, risk management tips, and advice for practice…