Which term refers to the act of taking company property without authorization?

• A. Embezzlement
• B. Fraud
• C. Theft of operation property
• D. Larceny

Answer: (C)

Taking company property without authorization is theft. This describes the act of depriving the owner of assets that belong to the company without permission or consent, with the intent to keep them. Embezzlement involves misusing property you were entrusted with, which requires a trust relationship and misuse of those entrusted assets. Fraud means deceiving someone to obtain property or money, not merely taking it outright. Larceny is the broader legal term for theft—taking someone else’s property without permission with intent to permanently deprive them. The term that directly fits the scenario in a corporate context is theft of operation property, which specifies the act as theft of company assets.