How to Prove Your Nanny is Stealing

Unfortunately, there are many cases of nannies stealing from their employers. These tips will help you know if your nanny is stealing from you.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Look through your things. Some nannies are actually stealing items to send back home to their family or take back with them.
   
   Hot items are jeans, shoes, sneakers, jewelry and watches. While your jewelry and watches will be noticed quickly if they are missing, items like jeans and shoes are less likely to be noticed.
   
   While this may sound unusual to you, it actually does happen.

2. Count your children's piggy banks. Many children have quite a bit of money socked away in their piggy banks and baby sitters and nannies know this. If you are like most parents, you don't bother counting whats in there and you don't bother emptying the piggy bank until its full and time to deposit into the bank. If your child suddenly has very little or no money in the piggy bank and isn't old enough to go shopping yet, you know someone in your home is stealing. It may very well be an older child so before you start accusing the nanny of stealing, you should talk to any other people in your home.

3. Check your pantry. Are you missing ordinary items such as cans of beans, vegetables, pasta, rice, toilet paper and paper towels? Believe it or not, some nannies will do all of their grocery shopping right in your home carrying one or two items out a day.

4. Count your wine and liquor bottles. Under age nannies may steal wine and liquor because they have easy access to it and cannot purchase it legally because of their age. Are you missing any bottles? Again, this is one of those things that if you have teenagers in your home you will want to check with them before accusing the nanny of stealing.

5. Look through your husband's tools in the garage. Is there anything missing? Tools can be very expensive and thieves will steal them from your garage and car.

6. Get a nanny cam (secret surveillance video camera) and watch the video for any unusual behavior.

Tips & Warnings

• A nanny cam is a great tool for many reasons including child neglect, child abuse and stealing.
• Just because you hired your nanny through an agency does not make this person especially trust worthy. All the people I know who's nannies stole from them hired nannies through agencies.

[ezyas123]

on 8/31/2009 Great tips, thanks for sharing!

[MaryKBrennan]

on 8/28/2009 I think if you suspect something is going on, then do the the right thing...fire them. You should never feel uneasy in your own home.

[survivoryea]

on 8/28/2009 Good suggestions - don't forget checking all past references!

[cliasays]

on 8/28/2009 Great Article! Nice Job!

[sixstring2slim]

on 8/28/2009 HI Green! Up until step #6 I thought you forgot about our fairly new (last 20yrs or so)technology.. The "nanny cam", but you have it! All the other steps could be happening because of a family member, son, daughter, etc... excellent tip and warning.
~ Carson (peace2fngrs)