When it comes to your company, you can’t be too careful. A professionally conducted business investigation can save you time, money and heart-ache in the future. And since so much of our professional lives survive on hard drives or in the cloud, a competent computer forensic investigator should be a part of any thorough examination of your business and employees.
Corporate investigators can help ensure the safety of you and your business in a number of ways, both obvious and subtle.
Background Checks : Despite a written warning on almost every employment application, an astounding number of people lie. One study puts the number as high as 40 percent. And while most applicants tell “little white lies” about themselves (perhaps to cover a shaky year on a resume, or to appear to have managed more people in a previous job), a disciplined business investigation should reveal which candidates are hiding criminal backgrounds, undisclosed debts (such as an excessive amount of unpaid child support or low credit ratings) or unrevealed aliases. A computer forensic investigator will look specifically for discrepancies between a potential employee’s resume and skills set, and an online persona.
Employee Fraud : On occasion, it is the already employed members of your work force who aren’t as forthcoming as they should be. Corporate investigators are skilled in finding cases of workman’s compensation fraud and disability fraud. Many times, these types of business investigations are run through the use of surveillance and undercover operations, to determine if an employee who’s collecting compensation or disability checks is as injured as s/he claims to be. In these cases, a computer forensic investigator may rely on social networking or hard-drive access to find virtual information that proves fraudulent activities on behalf of your employee.
Counterfeit Goods : Companies that produce items that “borrow” from your design are bad for everyone, but they can completely destroy your business. Investigations into counterfeit goods may lead to larger, national investigations – IF you can prove the idea was yours. When you hire private investigations services in this capacity, you’re hiring professionals to look for more than just the business that “ripped you off:” you’re also looking for potential leaks in your own staff. A computer forensic investigator will utilize internal hard drives and software to trace back the leak of your design. Often times, this includes accessing company-wide email servers, online data storage facilities and employee records.
The Benefits of Hiring Corporate Investigators
Private investigation services keep you abreast of everything that’s happening within your company, even when you’re not there. And while there are some solutions that you can implement on your own – such as installing security cameras in and out of your building(s), or requiring designated clearance levels and/or passwords to access specific company information – a proper and professional business investigation goes much, much further. Corporate investigators look at every possible angle to help keep your assets protected. They can monitor your finances (from your petty cash drawer to your thousands-of-dollars investments), your intellectual property, your acquisitions and your employees. A top-notch computer forensics investigator is a necessity to any modern business, since s/he can spot inconsistencies in online accounting, emails and data storage.
In the end, the goal of all business investigations is to make sure your property and your money is safe with you and your company. Using private investigation services to determine the sources of possible fraud or theft can help you keep your intellectual property secure and your business model successful.