No one ever thinks that they will be subject to fraud. No one really believes that a member of their own club call steal from their funds, especially after all the hard work they put in to raise the money in the first place.

Yet theft happens more often than you might think. Certainly it happens more often than is being reported.  Sometimes incidents are swept under the carpet. The member simply repays the funds and resigns his or her position at the club as directed by the club board members.

I spotted this report from The News Tribune. “A former treasurer of the Eatonville Youth Sports Association accused of misusing at least $1,000 of the organization’s money won’t go to trial for theft charges, providing she pays restitution and fulfills other court orders.”

This reports a much larger fraud by the treasurer of a softball club.  “The arrest came after the Prosecutor’s Office was notified by the Flemington-Raritan Baseball League board of directors that discrepancies were discovered after an audit of the organization’s finances.”

What about 500,000 pounds? That’s what the treasurer of one of Britain’s most historic private member’s clubs is accused of. He used the money to feed a gambling habit. The report said “One member, who asked not to be identified, said at the time the theft was discovered: “It was a quite a shock to read that something like this has happened at such a venerable institution.”

It went on to quote Alex Bray, secretary to the club who said: “We have all just been reeling from this. This man was in a position of trust.”

From small amounts to huge, fraud shatters the trust between members, the confidence of the club and the bank balance.  Theft happens and the best thing your club can do is to be alert.

Admin Bandit club software minimises the risk of things getting out of hand. Talk to us today about how our club accounting software can help reduce the likelihood of fraud within your club.