Background and Pre-employment inquiries

Whether you are doing business locally or taking on local employees it is essential that you have background information before taking a decision. It has never been more vital to be able to carry out cross-border inquiries quickly and surely to ascertain with whom you are planning to do business or take into your employment. Apart from the current risk of international terrorist organisations, there are those who have committed offences or proved to be unsatisfactory or dishonest employees in one place who think that their past will be no hindrance to them if they move some distance away before repeating their undesirable practices. Our network can be of inestimable assistance to you in this field.

Theft, Fraud, Embezzlement

Theft, fraud and embezzlement appear to be democratic: they treat everyone the same! Not only the business world in the widest sense, but also clubs, foundations and (semi-) official bodies are regularly the victims. Depending on the function of the dishonest individual, it is only a question of time before the help themselves to the company’s money, goods or data, or misuse company time.

Via the media little is known about the extent of fraud experienced by the business world. We compare fraud to an iceberg: only the smallest part is visible, the greatest part is hidden. Now and then rumours of fraud surface, often without the victim-company having divulged any information. Most frauds are dealt with inside the company without the intervention of the authorities. We call this ‘silent fraud’. In these cases, discretion is a must.

Often internal theft only comes to light after unexplained losses, through internal or external controls, or because management receives an anonymous message. Questionable expenses declarations, deviant patterns in the use of time, clients with a preference for a particular employee, are not normal occurrences and should be investigated. Also continual stock differences, reports of theft from pockets and purses, and also the offering of company products by non-customers at reduced prices are signals of internal theft. Recognising signals, of which we have named only a few, is the first step to resolving the problem. It is time to act.

Management often wait too long before taking action thinking that the perpetrator will spontaneously give up when they have enough, or that it is someone outside the organisation. This is wishful thinking. In practice a thief or fraudster only stops after intervention. In most cases the fraudster is an employee and often one who has been in the company’s service for some years. In practice the extent of the theft and fraud increases over time.

How long can management permit this sort of situation to continue before they take action? Fraudsters and thieves do not stop spontaneously. Often details are known, or at least suspected, within the organisation but people remain silent out of a misplaced sense of loyalty, or uncertainty. If staff know that management are aware and do nothing there is uncertainty regarding norms and values, and that can be very damaging.

A well-executed investigation can establish the facts of the matter. Our employees have the expertise. Finding the truth is the aim so that the company’s interests can be protected or it can be established the cause of the problem is other than fraud.

Business Espionage

When you have put years of effort and money into developing products or formulas, or building up a business, you do not want you competitors cutting the ground from under your feet by stealing your results and undercutting you prices. Business espionage may be committed by placing someone one your staff, by bribing one of your employees, or by the use of eavesdropping equipment. We can investigate which of these is the case. We can also assist in prevention by checking your meeting rooms for listening devices before important meetings.

Dishonest Employment Practices Including Outside Services Checks

Dishonest practices include absence on supposed sick leave, working for a second employer, or working on their own account, perhaps even using your vehicles, tools and materials. All these practices use your time.

Many businesses are now trying to raise their turnover by approaching prospective clients through direct mail or via the Internet, but a large part of turnover still comes from the efforts of representatives. Unfortunately the motivation of some representatives may have dropped or even disappeared and there may be little or no effort on their part. Signals of this may be stagnant or even reduced turnover, no new clients, cancelled orders, and complaints from clients. Resistance to administrative adjustments or changes in the organisation may also be an indication that something is wrong.

Of course, all these indications of something being amiss apply to other outside workers such as service technicians and drivers too.

When such signals are recognised it is a good idea to have action taken. A client is likely to note when one of your employees lacks motivation. When a client hesitates between you and one of your competitors this can be an important factor in their decision making.

We have seen occasions when suspicions concerning outside workers were unfounded, but unfortunately the signals and suspicions of our clients are generally confirmed. How much turnover those clients had lost is difficult to estimate, but replacement employees certainly brought about an increase.

 Tracing

There are people around who wish to mislead others in an attempt to enrich themselves and as soon as they have the desired goods, money or data they disappear. The victim may be left with a considerable loss. We investigate the whereabouts of this kind of fraudster in order to give clients and their lawyers the opportunity to recover their losses or claim compensation by legal seizure.