Investigative Services: Corporate Criminals Are More Sophisticated Than Ever. Are You Protected?

Investigative services powered by CRI® Group’s team of experts can help safeguard your business from unseen threats such as employee fraud, compliance issues, third-party risk factors, and other concerns that can quickly — and severely — impact any organisation in any part of the world. Our investigators understand fraud patterns and are trained to recognise the elements of fraud characteristics and where they might come into play at any organisation. Through this knowledge, we can help you uncover the trail of fraud and help bring about a quick and successful resolution.

HOW WE CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION ON YOUR BEHALF?

CRI Group™ works directly with the key personnel to lead and conduct fraud investigations, including, if needed, your internal board of directors, audit committee, ethics and compliance officers, general and in-house counsel, corporate security, human resources, and C-level executives.

Our certified fraud examiners or a fraud investigator will bring objective and independent expertise to auditing your fraud prevention program, employing services that encompass:

  • Review and assessment of your current fraud risk management program, including policies, procedures, controls, reporting functions, responsibilities assignment and investigative requirements to identify the organisation’s susceptibility to fraud and vulnerability by the department.
  • Developing fraud prevention measures and implementing anti-fraud controls.
  • Defining detection methods that encompass internal audits, suspicious transaction reporting, whistle-blower strategies, and program enforcement.
  • Re-engineering targeted job functions or internal controls to mesh with refinements in the fraud risk management program.
ASSET RESEARCH AND RECOVERY

One of the most challenging tasks facing any organisation that has fallen victim to fraud, white-collar crime, or corruption that leads to a financial loss is how to recover the stolen funds. This is a task best suited to experts who can trace assets and help you locate and recover funds and limit your financial damage.

The globalization of business has helped facilitate the movement of assets, and funds can be transferred around the world instantaneously. Unfortunately, it is relatively easy to set up complex corporate structures to hide the true ownership of assets.

This is where CRI Group™ comes in. Our investigators are trained to uncover hidden funds and assets and follow the money trail no matter how complex it may be. Whether taking legal action to recover property from a former business partner, seeking the return of funds misappropriated by corrupt government officials, or trying to enforce a legal judgment awarding financial damages, our experts will work on your behalf to trace your funds or assets.

ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING

The specialists in the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Advisory Services division of CRI Group™ have provided support and assistance with AML issues for more than three decades. These services help an organization:

  • Meet international and regional AML compliance requirements
  • Navigate various regional AML legislation and laws
  • Identify high-risk individuals and avoid associations with potential money launderers

Our experts have studied the countless tactics and behaviours money launderers exhibit — trafficking, counterfeiting, corruption, third-party fraud, or theft/diversion by insiders — and bring the highest level of competence and proficiency in our ability to execute effective detection and compliance programmes for our clients.

FRAUD RISK INVESTIGATIONS

CRI Group’s global team of Certified Fraud Examiners (CFEs) are highly trained in uncovering fraud. From cases including money laundering, embezzlement, cash theft, asset misappropriation, bribery and corruption, and contract and procurement fraud, our investigators have seen it all – and they have helped organizations around the world get to the bottom of suspected cases of fraud.

In any situation where fraud is suspected, it is crucial that experts be brought in as soon as possible to help unravel the facts of the case. For one thing, there are various laws (depending on the country and jurisdiction) that govern the rules for gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses.

Also, any evidence that is mishandled or collected improperly can negatively impact an investigation and hurt the chances of a resolution. At CRI Group™, our goal is to uncover the facts – and if fraud has occurred, we work with you to find the best solution and attempt to recover the ill-gotten funds for your organization.

INSURANCE FRAUD INVESTIGATIONS

Insurance fraud is something that no company can afford. CRI Group’s investigations cover the full range of insurance fraud cases, from healthcare fraud to disability and even fake death claims. Our experts are trained to look for the tell-tale signs of fraud: they can view claims, and medical and hospital records, conduct interviews, examine statements and documents, as well as perform on-site inspections.

Insurance fraud is a serious crime that can result in dire consequences for fraudsters who may find their future job prospects impacted, find it harder to obtain insurance and other vital financial services, obtain a criminal conviction and even face the prospect of imprisonment (ABI, titled “Fraud”, 2018).

We will work with you and all appropriate insurance personnel to achieve the results you need in a timely, discreet manner. CRI Group’s agents bring their investigative training to careful use in every engagement, protecting your confidentiality while uncovering the facts of the case.

CRI Group™ handles several forms of investigations, including, but not limited to:

  • Factual Claims
  • Investigations Witness
  • Statements Workers
  • Compensation Background
  • Investigations Disability Claims
  • Asset Searches
  • Motor Vehicle Injury Claims
  • Liability Claims
  • Medical Audits and Clinic Investigations
  • Medical Fraud Investigations
  • Property Claims
  • Death Verifications
  • Travel Claims
  • SIU Services
  • Fraud Investigations
  • Activity Checks
IP INFRINGEMENT INVESTIGATIONS

Intellectual property (IP) theft is a serious threat to any business. Unfortunately, trying to counteract it can be a slow and expensive process. At a time like this, the best plan is to bring in an investigative firm that can aggressively pursue your IP rights on your behalf.

CRI Group’s IP experts understand the intricacies and importance of protecting your intellectual property. Working with a global network of anti-counterfeit investigators, consultants, advisers, and industry groups, CRI Group’s brand protection strategies will help protect your brand and business from outside exploiters.

We will help you protect your Intellectual Property (IP) and branding elements, images that are unique to your organization, content, and products that others might seek to profit from. Let our investigators take over when your brand has been exploited, and we will seek quick and decisive results for you. Often such breaches require legal action, and you will need expert assistance in navigating these waters.

CRI Group utilises a variety of techniq™ues, analytics, and global technology to investigate intellectual property infringements, which includes the use of international counterfeiting seizure maps and international anti-counterfeiting directories. Our strategic partnerships with IP firms worldwide ensure that leads are identified and investigated, and claims are settled expeditiously.

As an integral member of the ICC Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau, CRI Group™ investigators are specially trained to protect the brand equity and customer loyalty you’ve built by providing professional assistance in the areas of:

  • Trade secret breaches
  • Data breaches & IP leak
  • Patent investigations
  • Theft of proprietary customer data
  • Copyright abuse
  • Unauthorised use of trademarks
  • Counterfeit & pirated products
  • Threats to brand integrity & reputation
  • Brand imitation & product copying
  • Global counterfeiting investigations
  • Brand, media and internet monitoring services
  • Litigation support
INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS & CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Conflict of interest – what is it?

Conflict of Interest happens when an individual or company has interests that might influence or could be perceived as being capable of influencing the judgment even unconsciously. Investigating conflicts of interest is simply “checking whether the subject has any additional businesses or interests that are in conflict with what they were retained to do”.

Following a fraud risk assessment, CRI Group™ can help implement internal controls and monitoring procedures at your organization. By having proactive measures in place, your company can focus on your core business practices, assured in the knowledge that fraud prevention controls are doing their work to protect your assets and investment.

While working directly with your key personnel to lead and conduct internal investigations, including your board of directors, audit committee, ethics and compliance officers, general and in-house counsel, corporate security, human resources, and C-level executives, CRI Group™ will:

  • Ensure that executive management and boards are fully informed.
  • Expose the crimes while fortifying internal controls.
  • Exemplify the company’s good-faith attempt to address internal crime.
  • Protect senior management and boards against outsider or shareholder allegations.
  • Promote a culture of transparency and compliance to the organisation’s employees.

CRI Group’s Corporate Internal Investigation Services Include:

  • Corporate Fraud Investigations
  • Corporate Crime Investigations
  • Locate Implicated Present & Former Personnel
  • Locate Personal Assets to Recover Company Property
  • Process Serving
  • Insurance Fraud Investigation
  • Surveillance Support
  • Intellectual Property Investigations
  • Risk Management Services
  • Corporate Security Services

Once internal controls are in place, they need to be monitored, and results must be tracked. Our team will help you establish benchmarks and gauge your results to know if your internal controls are working properly. Adjustments can be made as needed to ensure that your organisation has the full measure of risk protection possible.

FINANCIAL INVESTIGATIONS

CRI Group™ understands that corporate fraud can often be a complex crime, requiring a high degree of investigative expertise to ensure that evidence is gathered and handled correctly, interviews are conducted effectively and laws are carefully followed in the course of the investigation.

CRI Group™ is working with companies worldwide, conducting corporate investigations that have pertained to a variety of criminal activity, including:

  • Accounting Fraud
  • Corporate Fraud
  • Asset Misappropriation
  • Theft of Physical Assets
  • Data Manipulation or Data Theft
  • Internal & External Corruption
  • Drug Use in The Workplace
  • Embezzlement
  • Conflicts of Interest
  • Kickback Schemes
  • Personal Threats or Sexual Harassment
  • Expense Manipulation
  • Procurement Fraud
  • Violations of Codes of Conduct
  • Third-Party Fraud
  • Mistreatment of Staff
  • Whistle-Blower Complaints
  • Intellectual Property Infringement
FORENSIC ACCOUNTING

When financial pressure leads to fraud, you need a qualified forensic accountant – or better yet, a team of them – to unravel the numbers and the facts of the case. It is a specialized skill for a task that should only be conducted by experts.

CRI Group’s highly qualified forensic accountants, which include our Certified Fraud Examiners (CFEs), can certify your books, track potential fraud and ensure that your company is moving forward safely.

Forensic accounting experts can quickly find discrepancies in your finances and investigate the source of the problem.  The future of your business depends on safeguarding assets and investments from fraud. Ask how CRI Group™ can help your business by preventing and detecting fraud — thereby improving your bottom line.

Most importantly, only forensic accountants are trained to provide the accounting, auditing and investigative skills that are suitable for court – should your case proceed to a level of legal action, the involvement of forensic accountants in the case from the beginning will be critical to reaching a successful legal resolution. CRI® Group’s forensic accounting experts have the ability to gather and present evidence and testify about the case in a way that conforms to legal requirements and courtroom standards.

COMMERCIAL INVESTIGATIONS

Are you worried about Employee Theft, Company Fraud, competition, constant absenteeism, or Industrial Espionage? Some of these can start off on a relatively small scale, but as time progresses, and the perpetrator becomes bolder in their endeavours (normally due to a lack of detection), the situation can soon become out of control and start damaging your business.

As a business, you have every right to worry about what is happening inside your company and, therefore, carry out commercial investigations on your employees. Our team can help you do this in a way that is ethical and will provide you with the information you so desperately seek.

Commercial investigations can be completed for any type of business, including commercial, industrial, legal and public sector companies. Our team hail from a range of different backgrounds, including military and fraud investigators.

Warning signs might include:

  • Individuals with large debts who may be looking for personal gain
  • Transactions that take place at unusual times, with odd amounts of money going to conspicuous recipients
  • Missing documents with only photocopies available
  • Alterations and backdating of documents
  • Employees that control a process from start to finish with nobody else involved
  • Discrepancies in accounting records
CORPORATE SECURITY & RESILIENCE

In a rapidly changing world where information has a significant value, supply chains are interconnected, and there is uncertainty when doing business on a global basis, corporate security and resilience have become a board-level issue. The leaders of government and commercial organizations around the world are asking the following questions:

  • How do we manage the risks to digital and physical assets?
  • Does the organization have the appropriate controls and contingency plans in place to protect our business?
  • How quickly can we respond to a serious business crisis?
  • Can the organisation rely on our third-party business partners to maintain appropriate levels of control?

Corporate security and resilience could never be more important than today. Increased media attention highlights the growing frequency of cyber-attacks, supply chain disruption and high-consequence events such as natural disasters, insider attacks and fraud, ensuring that security and resilience are set to remain core elements of good corporate risk management both within the public and private sector.

CRI Group’s experts can help you determine your security and resilience levels and develop controls to help manage and lower risks. Our agents are trained to find security weaknesses and help provide you with the solutions you need to deal with them. With stronger corporate security and resilience, your organisation will be more secure and poised to handle unseen threats.

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