Theft, non-compliance, and data breaches can all have a negative impact on your business. When an issue occurs, either with compliance due to poor audit and security controls, a data breach or suspected fraud or theft, a business can suffer from severe reputational and financial damage. Especially if they have failed to meet current compliance legislation.
Corporate risk management, especially for large businesses, can take up valuable time and resources, especially if they have a large number of third parties, employees, and assets. However, the quicker you identify a problem and conduct an internal investigation, the less chance of negative repercussions.
This is why we would advise hiring or working with a private investigator to help you investigate matters of illegality or wrongdoing, as they have the skills and expertise to get a successful outcome with minimum impact on your business operations.
Identifying possible issues or breaking of company policy is the first step towards any corporate investigation, so here at OpSec Solutions, we have created the top 5 signs that you may need to conduct a corporate investigation, so you can be proactive in your approach to mitigating the risk posed by breaches of trust and compliance and illegal practices within your business or organisation.
5 signs to look out for before conducting a corporate investigation
It is important to always be professional should you have any suspicions regarding any impropriety and feed the information through the appropriate channels so that any investigation conducted is done correctly should the need for legal action arise.
- Breaches of data
With worldwide legislation in place for misuse of data and how that data is stored, loss of personal information or non-compliance with data regulations can be costly for companies. If personal data is being used elsewhere or if sensitive company information makes it into a wider domain, then it is time to review your security protocols and investigate how the data has been made public, whether that is through employee misuse or cybercrime.
- Unusual employee behaviour
One of the signs to watch out for within your workforce is changes to employee behaviour. Although this can be for various personal reasons, it is worth keeping an eye on, especially if a previously loyal employee resigns unexpectedly. If any of your workforce quits and starts work for a competitor, it is always worth investigating to make sure no company information is being passed on.
- Accounting irregularities
One of the most obvious signs you may need to conduct a corporate investigation is financial irregularities. Corporate fraud is on the rise and ANY financial irregularity should be investigated immediately, even if you suspect no wrongdoing.
- Increased mileage on company vehicles
If you have company vehicles, then it is important to watch out for unauthorised vehicle use which can have unnecessary costs for your business. GPS tracking and geofencing are useful tools to manage this risk and give you the information needed if you suspect an employee is using a company vehicle for personal use.
- Theft of company assets
Theft of company assets can include everything from office supplies to company secrets and sensitive data. If competitors appear to be matching your innovations or you see an increase in ordering supplies, it may be that you have issues with theft.
Help from a private investigation company
Corporate investigations can often benefit from outside help such as the use of a private investigation company. Private investigators are trained to spot irregularities and will often come from corporate and police backgrounds, ensuring you get the experience and expertise required to put together the portfolio of evidence you need to act.
What can they investigate?
- Employee theft or absence
- Embezzlement
- Industrial and corporate espionage
- False accounting
- Security breaches
If you believe you have been a victim of any of the above list or have any suspicions and would like help to conduct an internal investigation, it is important you choose a reputable private investigation firm or private investigator. Make sure they are a member of an industry trade body such as the Association of British Investigators (ABI), the Institute of Professional Investigators, and the U.K Professional Investigators Network. This means that, when employing anyone to help you with a corporate investigation, you have peace of mind that these experts will find the truth and any private investigative services, methods and techniques are carried out ethically, legally and with full confidentiality.
How OpSec Solutions can help
OpSec Solutions balances a team of highly trained personnel from corporate backgrounds, with years of experience in corporate security, with state-of-the art equipment and technology, to help identify and investigate suspicions of fraud, theft, espionage, and breaches of data in your business and provide both actionable evidence and security advice to prevent this happening again in the future. This pro-active approach and the strategies created by OpSec Solutions to protect your organisation, information, and assets, no matter the outcome of the investigation, can help you anticipate weaknesses, and prevent fraud, theft, and data breaches before they happen.
We are a fully accredited, professional standard, security service that can conduct corporate investigations to help protect key areas of your business and to provide risk management solutions and the framework needed for a secure environment and smooth running of your operations. We can provide a range of support and investigative techniques in cases of corporate theft or fraud. Using our technology to monitor a range of media and with legal access to video and audio recordings, corporate phone call records and computer activity, we can help assess any security breaches and provide the evidence you need. We can also use vehicle tracking devices to electronically track the location of one or more vehicles.
- Protect your property by examining on-site movements
- Monitor employees’ activity if you suspect theft or absence
- Check whether someone is emailing or calling people they shouldn’t
- See how (and where) company cars or vans are being used
If you think OpSec Solutions could help you for any of your corporate security needs, or if you suspect fraud or theft within your business enterprise, then please contact our team using our contact form on the website or call us on 0844 6641125.