There were obviously relatively senior (above branch level) people in on this scam, otherwise as you say, the jig would have been up as soon as a few people wen

There were obviously relatively senior (above branch level) people in on this scam, otherwise as you say, the jig would have been up as soon as a few people went to HR. I'm just not convinced that it's absolutely necessary for the most senior people to have known about it, especially since I can't imagine what they would have gotten out of it.