the.com/embezzle
to steal slowly enough that no one notices until the building is already empty.
means To steal money that's been entrusted to your care, typically by quietly siphoning it from an employer or organization over time.
from From Anglo-Norman French *embesiler*, 'to make away with, steal,' built from the prefix *en-* plus *besiler*, 'to ravage or destroy.' It entered English in the 15th century first meaning simply 'to make off with' or 'squander,' and only later narrowed to the specific crime of pilfering funds placed in your trust. The exact source of *besiler* is murky — that part of the trail, fittingly, has gone missing.
- word origin
- From Old French besillier, meaning to ravage or destroy
- trusted only
- Legally requires you to already have access
- slow burn
- Average scheme runs over a year undetected
- small first
- Most start by skimming tiny, forgettable amounts
- insider crime
- Owners and bookkeepers, never the burglar outside
for instance
bernie madoff ponzi scheme — investment fraud stealing $65 billion from clients, 2008