Whilst some might assume that a private investigator is primarily geared towards personal cases, such as infidelity or tracing individuals, it is in fact the case that a large proportion of a private investigator’s work involves helping businesses deal with many different challenges they might be experiencing.
There are a number of reasons why an organisation might hire a private investigator, including employee theft, fraud, absenteeism and industrial espionage, all of which can start off as small issues, but if left unresolved, can lead to more significant problems.
One of the most common areas we are asked to investigate is fraud. Private Investigators are highly experienced detectives who can help successfully resolve these concerns by identifying signs of suspicious activity and uncovering any wrongdoing. They can even advise on next steps when the necessary evidence has been captured.
The typical warning signs of company fraud
If you are experiencing one or more of the following at your organisation, you might want to consider hiring a private investigator:
Discrepancies in accounting records
Employee who is regularly absent or long-term sick with no medical records
Physical items missing
Employees who avoid others / hide themselves
Rumours around the workplace of fraud
Unusual activity on social media
Missing or altered documents that contain confidential information
These are some of the more common warning signs that could suggest an employee could be committing some type of fraud. However, please bear in mind that in most cases, many of these behaviours are harmless and there is no violation taking place.
It is important that you never jump to conclusions without having enough evidence against the wrongdoer. Only after a thorough investigation has taken place and the right evidence has been gathered professionally should any action be taken.
How we can help
Bascombe International have 90 years of experience conducting corporate and commercial investigations by examining a business’s financial accounts, interviewing staff and carrying out undercover surveillance to help identify and resolve criminal offenses.
Speak to a member of our private detective team on 01489 588 885 to discuss our corporate investigation services.