Kemper Sports Management administrators didn't think much of it when every now and again the office manager at the Howard County golf course they ran forgot to deposit the day's cash at the bank.

But Deborah Kekich's failed memory over deposits became a problem after nearly a year when several thousand dollars were missing from the company and put a dent in the bottom line.

The tricks of the manager, who pleaded guilty in May to embezzling $84,192 from the county-owned Timbers at Troy golf course over 10 months, could have been discovered much sooner had the management company taken a few steps to make it harder for employees to slip away with cash, said Frank Curran, an investigator with the state's attorney's office.

Curran will be one of the key speakers at a seminar on theft and loss prevention Thursday sponsored by the Howard County Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President Kara Calder said the group is sponsoring the seminar to help small businesses, which can be more vulnerable to corporate crime than larger corporations.

"I think this is really very timely because of what we've seen in the last year with large corporations and issues revolving around their procedures for information sharing and their practices for accounting," Calder said.

"I think what we've learned is, no company is immune and there are some very simple, basic things businesses can do to become more informed and protect themselves."

Fraud will cost U.S. businesses an estimated $600 billion this year, according to a report from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

The report showed small businesses are the most vulnerable to fraud, with the average scheme causing $127,000 in damages compared with the average $97,000 in damages for large businesses.

In Howard County this year, the state's attorney's office has prosecuted embezzlement cases such as Kekich's, and much larger schemes like one at temporary staffing company Allegis Group, in which a manager used phony invoices to steal $366,000.

Kekich was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Tiffany F. Powers from Allegis is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

Curran said there has been no shortage of cases in recent years and that the work is not likely to let up.

"As our county's business base grows, so will the amount of major fraud cases," he said. "It can affect all levels of business, from a ma-and-pa shop to a major corporation. You have to make sure you watch the pennies but even then, you can find yourself being the victim of a major fraud."

At the seminar, Curran plans to share examples of cases he has investigated and will give business leaders tips on how to prevent problems by implementing simple procedures, such as making sure that no one person is in charge of all aspects of bookkeeping and keeping a close eye on expenses.

He will be joined by a county police investigator and an assistant state's attorney from Anne Arundel County who prosecutes white-collar crime. The group also will tell participants how to begin an investigation and what evidence is needed for the county to prosecute.

Dario J. Broccolino, deputy state's attorney for Howard County who is organizing the program, said he hopes the program will serve as a reminder for business leaders.

"My experience led me to believe prosecutor's offices ought to be a little more visible in the business community," Broccolino said.

"I don't want a businessman to say, 'They got me for $1,500, but it'll cost me $3,000 in lost time and effort to get this straightened out.' [We want to] let them know we'll try to help them in any way we can."

Registration for the seminar, which will be held at Howard Community College Gateway Center, 6751 Gateway Drive in Columbia, will begin at 7:30 a.m.