One of the most common data thefts by employees is the stealing of customer lists. It happens so often in Australia that it is almost an accepted norm. Leave the employer, copy the customer list and take it with you to your next job or start your own business. Ex-employees often believe they have some sort of entitlement to take customer lists or other IP with them if they have contributed to it whilst working for their employer. However despite this misguided belief they rarely ask their employer can they remove or copy this information before leaving with it. Data can be disseminated in seconds and once IP has left the building the encore is often financial devastation for company owners, employees and their families regardless of any legal remedies available to the employer. In Australia, unlike embezzlement, there is no preventive threat of time in jail for the insider data thief. Pre-planning and developing policies, security measures and employee / contractor agreements are key to preventing or responding to an insider threat or intellectual property theft.