I stole thousands from our family doctor and got away with it

r/

There was a time I worked as a receptionist at our family doctor’s office for three months. Over time, I’ve built a rapport with the doctors and staff, and they’ve come to trust me with handling financial tasks. During that period I found myself in a tough financial spot, and I made a mistake that I can barely live with. I started embezzling small amounts of money from the office, and over time, it added up to thousands of dollars.

I know it was wrong, and I’m not making excuses, but I was desperate. I’ve been struggling to make ends meet because Dad lost his job that period and mom wasn’t that healthy, and I felt like I had no other options. I convinced myself that it was just a loan, and I would pay it back without anyone noticing.

I’ve managed to cover my tracks so far, but the guilt is eating me up. I’m constantly looking over my shoulder, worried that someone will discover what I’ve done. I’m not sure how to make things right or if I even can.

I’m confessing here because I need to get this off my chest. I’m hoping that by sharing my story, I can start to make amends and find a way to move forward. Has anyone else out there made a similar mistake? How did you deal with the guilt and consequences?

Comments

  1. Anameillforge Avatar

    How long has it been since the last time you stole?

  2. eyesonthefries365 Avatar

    You should tell the truth, to the people you stole from.

  3. HeyBudGotAnyBud Avatar

    You didn’t steal from the Dr.

    He was stealing from the patients.

    Instead… you stole from the patients.

    Tsk Tsk. Karma is a bitch and you’ll get yours eventually.

  4. Kitchen_Reach1238 Avatar

    Dealing with guilt is not an easy thing. I can empathize with your struggle. As a Christian, I have come to realize that making peace with God is the first thing. Afterall, it is him that you sinned against. The goodness is that Jesus came as a peacemaker between you and God, and by him all your sins are forgiven so that your guilt should be gone! Then as much as you can, make restitutions-return the stolen money or ask for their forgiveness. This is the way to have peace and not constantly “looking over your shoulders.”

  5. mad3y0ul00k Avatar

    i stole from my family’s restaurant. i was overworked, only got paid in tips which was only like $25 a day. i was there everyday from 11am-11pm, but sometimes cleaning took so long we’d leave at midnight. everyday i stole at least $50

  6. WittyBunny25 Avatar

    How do you think you could be caught?

  7. AuroraBoraOpalite Avatar

    you havent stolen in years.. i second the donation comment

  8. Striking-Sky-5133 Avatar

    You need to fess up and deal with the consequences.

  9. PEACEFULNUKE Avatar

    As far as a happy ending goes you’re thoroughly screwed.

    Only out for closure is to confess, but to confess would incriminate and potentially hurt yourself.

    You took advantage of other peoples good will, either live with that guilt or get bit back are your choices here. I do not envy you.

  10. Majestic_Bet6187 Avatar

    Couldn’t you still get busted just telling us about it?

  11. Maybe_Ur_Mami Avatar

    There’s always a statute of limitations to look into.

  12. Unlikely-Act-7950 Avatar

    You haven’t faced your final judgement yet. So did you really get away with it?

  13. Awkward_Marmot_1107 Avatar

    If this is true… why are people documenting their crimes online? Like you’re “looking over your shoulder” all the time but you admit to it here thinking it can’t be linked to you? I don’t get it

  14. Th3P3rf3ctPlanz Avatar

    JFC. My wife and I got sick last month and are now facing homelessness due to unpaid rent, and I’d never steal. Period. Just my moral compass and 2 cents.

  15. anythingacailable Avatar

    I would remove the time frame and some other details to avoid getting caught now.

  16. Miri_22 Avatar

    Quit your job, leave the state and hope they don’t call the cops. This is a serious felony. If they never notice then you might get lucky. But safest thing is to leave the state for a few years

  17. midas-salome Avatar

    Do know that karma is real no matter if people try to convince you otherwise. So, the only suggestion I can give to you is to save up the amount you stole and donate it to the Ronald McDonald House, St. Jude Hospital, etc… you will feel so much better by doing that. Basically Robin Hood that shit! Got it??

  18. No_Interview2004 Avatar

    Do you have the ability to give the money back in todays world?

  19. ReadRightRed99 Avatar

    How can you steal from a business that runs almost all of its transactions through insurance companies and rarely deals in cash? You left out a ton of detail that makes me doubt the authenticity of this story.

  20. smolderingcandle Avatar

    Big pharma robs you anyway. I wouldn’t feel bad

  21. StacyFritzOnIce Avatar

    you shouldnt be posting this man

  22. NotEvenWrongAgain Avatar

    I knew someone who did this. They ended up skating from prison but they got a felony record and could never get a proper job again.

  23. Head_Improvement_243 Avatar

    Keep eating apples , they will keep the doctor away

  24. Ok-Interview807 Avatar

    You should have confessed in a journal. Its not a confession that should be posted.

  25. TexaRican_x82 Avatar

    OMG it WAS you!!! I knew it.

  26. SavageHeister Avatar

    Don’t ever admit it… you can ruin your record and life forever. Just don’t do it again

  27. Bekah_bek Avatar

    They will likely find out either way. Someone’s going to audit it eventually.

  28. LargeD Avatar

    Op, I understand wanting to unload, but have you gotten past the statute of limitations? It very well may be time to take this post down. Immediately.

  29. theyarnllama Avatar

    I worked with a lady who regularly stole money from petty cash. We all kept thinking someone was just counting change wrong or something else innocent. At the same time there was a rash of items that went missing. Completely random things.

    Turns out she was an actual klepto, had charges against her, and they hadn’t bothered to do a background check when they hired her.

    She got caught and fired. If it’s been three years for you, you might be OK.

  30. Susan_Werner Avatar

    I am friends with a forensic accountant. I asked her how she finds illegal wrong doings in company books. She said after doing this for years and years it gets pretty easy to spot as there are only so many ways to embezzle and she is pretty sure she has seen it all. What you did would be very easy to spot because this is the first time you have done this, so I am pretty sure you haven’t covered your tracks properly. Doctors don’t do there own books or taxes, they have accountants do them. They will discover money missing. You will be caught. I would tell them what you did, pay back the money and hope they don’t press charges.

  31. lolitaaa00 Avatar

    I would find a way to get the money you stole together and pay them back and resign (if you still work there that is) and hope they don’t press charges on you. I get you fell on hard times but they trusted you. Everything catches up eventually. That guilt will eat you alive until you do what’s right.

  32. Careful-Ad4910 Avatar
     I think that you should retain an attorney now.    Medical practices have to have an accountant that they use for their tax calculations every year, along with sometimes doing their payroll and such.    Some good accountant is eventually going to figure out there’s something wrong with the books.

    Unfortunately, for you, throwing yourself on the mercy of the practice is definitely not gonna work.

    I think that you need to ask your attorney for an idea of how to go forward. Make sure you pay them a retainer, so that they are actually representing you.   Embezzlement is very serious and can lead to prison time along with the restitution.   

    I’m not trying to be mean to you, but when you say you “made a mistake by stealing,,”
    that’s pure horseshit. It wasn’t a mistake, it was a choice. Ask your attorney what to do.

    Don’t tell your employers. Ask your attorney if you should quit your job and move out of state.

  33. Academic-Leader047 Avatar

    Hilarious people actually believe this bullshit

  34. fastingslowlee Avatar

    You will be caught and pay the price soon. I recommend never stop being paranoid.

  35. C-ute-Thulu Avatar

    Over just 3 months, you stole thousands of dollars asa receptionist? What/how? Doctor offices don’t really deal with cash

  36. Radiant-Button-7969 Avatar

    Wait so just trying to understand, you only worked as the receptionist for 3 months and were able to steal that much? Someone’s not doing the books ?

  37. hydraulic-earl Avatar

    You must make amends. Offer yourself to the doctor.

  38. Zababbaduba Avatar

    Tell me you’re a lowlife POS without telling me you’re a lowlife POS.

    I hope the guilt eats you alive until you confess and make amends.

  39. acat_andsomeplants Avatar

    Actually if OP really put a stop to it, and this whole charade ended a chunk of time(?) ago, it’s very possible they won’t get caught. It depends on the size of the doctors office though, and if it’s an amount of money that if they were to look back on their books and see it missing, if they would read more into the paper trail. But by the sounds of it- it’s smaller amounts that ended up equalling “thousands”, which is a pretty big bracket… I mean if it was 8-10k, versus 70-85k, that could make the difference. Again it all just depends on the size of the doctors office and how much money they were bringing in, around the time that OP worked there (a few years prior up to a few years after), and if theyd notice it or not.

    You don’t usually hear of someone robbing a bank once and getting caught, unless they were really messy and unprepared. People get caught usually because they got cocky and greedy and ended up robbing like 10 banks, all in the same state they live in too….. Idiots haha.

    I don’t think OP really benefits from all the “shame on you” comments. Just like anyone else here, we’ve all made mistakes. and by the sounds of it OP understands their mistake, and has been punishing themselves over it with guilt. A bunch of strangers acting holier than thou doesn’t allow OP to go back in time and not make the mistake.

  40. brainonvacation78 Avatar

    You better pay that back. I know someone who did the same thing at a small attorney’s office. Attorney died suddenly and finances were audited. She is now a felon.

  41. Careless-Cheetahs Avatar

    be prepared for consequences. stalling isn’t cool

  42. Desperate_Tone_4623 Avatar

    Don’t lie and say it’s eating you up. You haven’t admitted to anything or returned the money so apparently it’s not.

  43. NotAFlatSquirrel Avatar

    As a CPA, I would like to introduce you to a concept called the “fraud triangle.” Basically, fraud/theft occurs when three things come together: opportunity, motivation and justification.

    Opportunity: you have access to money and a perception that you can take it (at least short term) without being caught.

    Motivation: Typically this is a financial pressure. It can be medical bills, student loans, you name it. But there is a financial pressure/need.

    Justification: how you make it “okay” to steal. Far and away, the vast majority of thieves justify theft by telling themselves they are just “borrowing” money. But realistically, most people accelerate their theft as they become more comfortable with it and don’t get caught right away.

    It’s only a matter of time before an owner wants to take out some profits, pay bonuses, or has their annual financial examination that shows there should be a lot more cash than there is. At least once a year this practi e is going to have their accountant do their taxes and they will want to compare a bank statement to what is actually in the bank. And they are going to notice if they are short on cash eventually.

    The best possible solution you can hope for is to quietly pay this money back in any way possible. If you wait until you get caught (and you will, eventually) it is going to ruin your life. Is that what you want?

  44. Formerly_SgtPepe Avatar

    When they send their financials to their accountants they will know. Get a loan, pay it back.

  45. tiffanytrashcan Avatar

    Timeline, you worked there for three months, a year ago, but haven’t stolen money in three years. Okay. Sure. Is Sam your daddy?

  46. StarDue6540 Avatar

    No, but I knew someone who did this to a company that we did business with. She and her sister both worked for the same company. The sister ended up passing and I had to go to the service and face her sister who had wreaked such havoc against 2 good people. I Don’t know why she didn’t go to jail frankly. Everyone knew. I Don’t know how she faced us.

  47. RemiLeeHardy Avatar

    My question is.. what have you done to try to right your wrong?

    The only way for the guilt to subside is for you to face the consequences of your actions and to try to right your wrong.

    But confessing it is the first step! So congratulations on that! Just dont stop at that. =)

  48. Enigma150 Avatar

    Go with my ex wife’s strategy
    “Lie lie lie DENY and then lie some more”

  49. theythemnothankyou Avatar

    Knew a lady that did that to a family dentist practice and a few years later it was almost six figures. She in jail jail now

  50. bipolar-femboy Avatar

    Just take the free money and pray you don’t get caught, if bro didnt notice it missing he probably didnt need it that much.

  51. usernameiswhocares Avatar
  52. liquormakesyousick Avatar

    You could have asked for help. You had other options and instead chose to take advantage of people who gave you a job and trusted you.

    Plenty of people can’t pay bills. They lose their houses, their cars, etc.

    You don’t even have a reason you needed to steal.

    You should really pay them back.