Embezzlement is where a person misappropriates funds which they have a duty to safeguard. 

Embezzlement is a type of theft where you are stealing assets which you are meant to be looking after.   It should be distinguished from other types of theft which involve stealing assets which you are not looking after (e.g. breaking into a person’s house and stealing their valuables, or stealing someone else’s wallet).

Examples:

• A finance manager diverts an organisation’s funds to the manager’s private bank account and makes false entries in the organisation’s accounts to conceal the diversion.
• An accounts clerk sets up phantom employees on the organisation’s payroll and pays these employees’ salaries into the clerk’s own bank account.
• Two managers of a supplier conspire to arrange for payment for supplies to be made in cash and then keep some of the payments for themselves.

Avoiding embezzlement: 

You should always ensure that you deal with money honestly and in accordance with the duty with which you are entrusted.

If you know or suspect that an activity involves embezzlement, then avoid or withdraw from the activity and do not assist it in any way.