"As deals fall over or as arrangements break down... we are seeing concern from some of our clients in relation to monies that can no longer be accounted for, or people who are unable to deliver what they should deliver," he said.

"We're seeing our investigative white collar team dealing with a number of very complicated investigations where the collapse of the economy has exposed other problems."

Clark's observations are supported by the initial results of a recent fraud survey conducted by KPMG's forensic Australia group, to be released next month, which suggest that not only did fraud and theft increase last year, but also that employers are now less willing to "forgive" these types of losses.