In the busy environment and world of a commercial or corporate business, there are many forms of corporate investigations. Many situations occur where a corporate investigation is required to help identify underhand internal activities right through to matters such as employee absenteeism.
However, due to a general lack of knowledge of the services that private detectives offer, there are many companies that are falling victim to fraud, theft and general employee misconduct without the hierarchy of the business being able to prove or even know where to begin to investigate such activities.
Business is fast moving in a modern technological world, so knowing how to access outside help to uncover the facts can save invaluable time, leaving businesses to get on with what they do best, while leaving the fact finding of a corporate investigation to the specialist.
No employer wants to point fingers without solid foundations and evidence to back up any claim of an employee acting in a way that is damaging the business, a corporate investigation is one sure fire way of identifying or putting to rest any fears.
One thing a business wants when embarking on the route of employing a private investigator, is to know that their problem can be solved with a legal solution, whilst discovering the truth, and to then be in a position to make an informed decision.
Many experienced private investigators and detective agencies will have a wide range of services on offer to assist a business that require a corporate investigation, whilst offering a range of investigators who each have a skill set in singular or multiple types of investigation services.
Choosing the right private investigator is imperative to assist with the many forms of commercial and corporate investigations such as:
- Company Background Checks
“Be safe and secure in the knowledge of who you are working with” - Identity Theft
“Is there a rogue trader out there – passing themselves off as your company” - Due Diligence Investigations
“Who are you going into business with?” - Employee Theft Investigations
“In times of economic stress, something that can’t be overlooked” - Employee Absenteeism
“Fraudulently claiming you are not able to work, has a knock on effect” - Misconduct Investigations
“In this climate of litigation, be sure grounds are not unfounded” - Company Fraud
“Is your workforce secure from outside threats?” - Employee Accident Investigations
“Discovering the facts of an event is critical to any legal proceedings” - Counterfeit goods
“With easy sales over the internet make sure fake products are not being sold as your brand” - Counter Industrial Espionage
“Are you safe – who might be trying to gain advantage?” - Copyright Infringement
“The use of works protected by copyright law without permission”
Discreet highly trained experienced professional investigators at Insight Investigations are here to assist. Our Operations Directors and Managers are here to assist in explaining the many forms of corporate investigations and how it can specifically assist in your circumstances.
One major issue that at some point will affect most companies, is employee absenteeism. No employer wants to point the finger at a valued member of the team for being absent with genuine illness or personal reasons that fall within a bracket of genuine time off, however private detectives have time and time again found that employees absent from work through long term illness have in their absence, set up their own business which is competing with their employer, been working elsewhere whilst claiming sick pay or benefits and even lying about illness when in fact they are in perfect health. An employee absenteeism investigation will prove either way if there is any evidence or not of misconduct.
In the past few years since the recession and financial restraints hitting the UK for the majority of families and workers, companies have reported an increase in employee theft and company fraud cases, again a private detective can help to ascertain evidence and uncover the truth. Employee theft investigations and company fraud investigations will determine if an employee has been committing such crime for personal gain at the expense of the company. Private investigators have also helped to assist in recovery of money in some cases.
Counterfeit products have always been a thorn in the side of “big brands” but shopping for copies or rip-offs of products or trademarked items has become big business for the e-bay seller, with many more on-line platforms now available to sell goods. With customers currently flocking for internet purchases, you cannot be too careful with your brand. Brexit is now only a few months away, with a potential drop in standards of products, this is now the time for all companies in retail to be vigilant. It is not just the public that is at risk, it’s your brand identity. Before the exponential rise in internet sales, you knew when the £300 product you were buying for £30 was not genuine, quite often because of the shop or stall you were buying it from. How many times on holiday have we thought “that’s a nice pair of Raybans for the beach and at £20 it doesn’t matter if they get lost”. With the almost instant availability for setting up on line shops, the mask they can provide is very worrying. How many times have we seen in the past few months, “Rip off Britain” showing highly suspect goods that are not only fake, but highly dangerous?
Fake products are not just an issue for big brands but also for the end consumer. Retailers selling legitimate products have to compete with less scrupulous retailers, selling fake and rip off products to the end consumer, making competition even harder. Insight offer a bespoke mystery shopping service, enabling you to have the evidence and facts surrounding the sale of such products, to take things further, even if this is direct to the branded company for them to utilise their legal expertise to halt these sales.
Not all employees who commit acts of misconduct against their employer will necessarily look at financial gain, theft or fraud to improve their situation, it could be that as an employer you suspect company assets such as vehicles are being used for outside of work purposes or you need to monitor valuable cargo and goods being transported. Hiring a private investigator skilled in GPS tracking, vehicle tracking and surveillance will help to ease fears and present an employer with the truth. GPS will 100% prove the whereabouts and activity of vehicles through state of the art reporting and tracking equipment.
It is not just internal issues that a private detective can assist in. Competitor profiling plays a huge part in any company planning and implementation, as such understanding potential markets for services and products is vital. Just as vital is to a business is protecting their position in a market, ensuring the competition are not replicating areas of the business or gaining sensitive strategic information can help with protecting company value and assets. Instructing a competitor profiling investigation to report accurately on the market and competition could be the best move a corporate business ever makes.
One form of corporate investigations that we have seen rising is a very alarming issue, in the current unprecedented situation we all have to trade in which is COVID 2019. Whilst the majority of companies are fighting for survival, and employees are home working or furloughed, the last thing a company wants is employees taking advantage of that fact, but it is happening.
Whatever the requirement for a private investigator, it is clear that corporate and commercial bodies both large and small need to be clear on the services available to assist their business in the short, mid and long term, private investigators can help you discover the facts to make an informed decision.
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