SMALL businesses in Bolton are being warned not to fall victim to "white collar fraud" during the summer holiday season.

Business advisers Alexander & Co say junior employees are more likely to take part in fraudulent activities at the expense of their firm because senior management bosses are away on holiday during the summer.

They say that, in some cases, employees may invent false records to pilfer money from company accounts.

Now senior officials at the firm want more businesses to have their financial books audited in order to stamp out employee fraud.

Partner Stephen Jolley said: "The biggest problem for small businesses is a lack of effective preventative measures because they often operate informally and employees are trusted more than they would be in a large company.

"Therefore the opportunities for fraud and theft are much higher than in smaller firms.

"White collar fraud is especially prevalent during the summer months as fraudsters use the holiday period knowing that, in the majority of cases, senior management may be out of the office leaving more junior staff to make decisions.

"Unless a company has invested time and money to ensure that a comprehensive financial control system is in place, and has developed some sort of employee fraud awareness training programme, it is at risk of being hit by internal or external fraud.

"Companies should at the very least be aware that the majority of insider frauds are committed by creating fake staff records for payroll processing, or the authorisation of bogus invoices.

"Do not take things for granted and, if you are spending time out of the office, make sure preventative measures are put in place."

Alexander & Co has an expert forensic accounting department that provides investigative assistance to suspected or actual fraud.

The company can also act as an expert witness, capable of making a decisive contribution to cases.