| With rising competition between corporate | | | | information or responsible posts in the |
| entities, corporate investigations are gaining a lot | | | | organization, it's important to know the candidate's |
| of importance. Corporate investigators are | | | | past employment, educational qualifications and |
| actually private investigators or investigation | | | | lifestyle. For these, the investigator conducts an |
| agencies engaged by a company to investigate | | | | extensive background investigation and busts any |
| civil and criminal activities and allegations viz a viz | | | | discrepancies in the applicant's past. He can also |
| companies or corporate houses. These | | | | carry out specialized checks whenever the need |
| investigators perform investigative activities within | | | | arises. |
| as well as outside the companies. Other than the | | | | Criminal activities that are investigated include |
| civil and criminal activities, corporate investigators | | | | intake of drugs within the office premises. The |
| undertake investigations such as: | | | | investigator also checks for fraudulent activities |
| | | | held outside the organization, like fake invoices |
| 1. Forensic accounting (irregularities in accounts) | | | | from vendors and suppliers. |
| 2. Embezzlement | | | | In all kinds of investigation, the private |
| 3. Intellectual property theft | | | | investigators follow a procedure: |
| 4. Electronic crime | | | | |
| 5. Cyber crime | | | | 1. Analyzing facts presented by the organization |
| 6. Industrial espionage and information leaks | | | | 2. Devising an effective strategy |
| 7. Transaction due diligence | | | | 3. Interviewing witnesses and obtaining the precise |
| Forensic accounting: It's quite common for | | | | evidences |
| companies to have financial frauds or | | | | 4. Recovering documentary evidence including |
| embezzlements. Financial investigations or forensic | | | | electronic files |
| accounting is when the company engages | | | | 5. Interviewing the confront targets |
| detectives to uncover a fraud and to determine | | | | Financial due diligence |
| whether the accounts are correct or not. The | | | | Whenever entering a new business venture, |
| forensic accountants find out a fraud by: | | | | investing, loaning, or in the case of acquisitions, it's |
| | | | always advisable to check the other company's |
| 1. Examining business records | | | | financial records. Investigators bring forth any |
| 2. Determining if any dubious activity has taken | | | | financial irregularity or discrepancy. The collective |
| place | | | | expertise of financial investigation, forensic |
| 3. How long it has been going on | | | | accounting and asset appraisal helps you in |
| 4. How it was buried | | | | determining whether you should sign the dotted |
| 5. And the value of the fraud | | | | line or no. |
| The investigators also help in recovery, litigation | | | | |
| and insurance claim approach. Forensic | | | | 1. There are many other aspects and activities |
| accountants are both educationally qualified | | | | that are also uncovered by these detectives. |
| accountants and analysts, or have the backing of | | | | Employee misconduct and absenteeism |
| established financial analysts, statisticians, and | | | | 2. Security and risk management |
| computer forensics professionals. For them it's a | | | | 3. Computer forensics |
| combination of financial insight and experience | | | | 4. Competitor profiling |
| along with investigative techniques. | | | | 5. Surveillance |
| Employee background checks | | | | With all these extensive and thorough services, it |
| A very important part of corporate investigation | | | | becomes easier for corporate entities and |
| is employee background checks or accurate staff | | | | companies to minimize risks and losses in their |
| personnel vetting by the company, especially | | | | venture. |
| employing those that will be handling sensitive | | | | |