Corporate mergers are inherently a tricky business. Not unlike a marriage, it’s the assimilation of two different corporate bodies to form a stronger entity. However, with that marriage comes the tricky business of evaluating the assets, how well two business models will mesh with one another, and how the workforce will be impacted by the merger itself. In the months preceding the merger, however, there is a long fact-finding process in which one or both companies will have a reasonable interest in finding corporate intelligence on the new arm of their structure. That’s where a corporate investigator comes in.
Finding corporate intelligence can be an opaque business in the sense that discretion is highly valued in the hopes of getting the clearest, most comprehensive picture of the corporate entity in question. Parent companies, or companies with the most to lose in a merger, will typically be the type of client a corporate intelligence investigator will see weekly in their careers. The need for this type of information is why corporate intelligence firms exist, so clients can get the clarification they need on the people with whom they are going into business. However, depending on the needs of an investigation, the involvement of a large corporate intelligence firm could still fly above the radar and compromise the needs of the investigation. In these situations a smaller to medium firm may be more appropriate.
An independent private investigator can answer almost any question that an inquiring client would have about a business—beginning with what is in the record, both publicly and otherwise. Through licensure by the state, private investigators are given access to millions of records available on both corporate entities and private individuals. With only a few pieces of information, a private investigator can get background on a company. No doubt, there will be obvious areas of interest, particularly what—if any—forms of litigation the company has been involved in. In reality, the best information comes from the background checks on individuals who drive the company’s mission and operations. After all, a business is only as good as its workforce, and leadership is one of the most important components. Private investigators can get comprehensive background checks on any and all subjects involved in daily operations and big-picture conception. Certain items in an employee’s background, like criminal history or personal litigation history can bring important albeit troubling context to any given concern in a merger situation. Their level of judgement and decision-making will be paramount to ensuring the longevity of the company in the merger.
In addition to verified licensed databases, a corporate intelligence investigator can also provide any online intelligence available from forums, communities, and platforms that allow for feedback and ratings of the business’s products or practices. At the conclusion of the investigation, a corporate intelligence investigator can provide a comprehensive file including all relevant intelligence discovered as the result of an online scrape of the company.
When on-site field investigations are required, the corporate intelligence investigator you need will be adept in hiding in plain sight so as not to pique suspicion of the subjects of the investigation. This sort of corporate intelligence investigator can get the full picture on any internal problems the subject company may be experiencing, such as repeated instances of theft, patterns of internal misconduct, or any number of items of interest during the course of a merger.
When discretion is the highest priority, CEOs and other forms of leadership should consider the expertise of Lauth Investigations International. Lauth Investigations International has over 30 years of experience working with corporations both big and small to make sure they get the answers they need in times of corporate uncertainty. We carry a glowing A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and regularly receive 5-star reviews from grateful clients. Call 317-951-1100 for a free quote or visit us online at www.lauthinveststg.wpengine.com
When it comes to your business, you don’t know what you don’t know. Successful corporations are more than their bottom line, and corporations must be conscious of all their internal operations to ensure they’re getting their maximum output or profit. Leadership must be vigilant in seeking problems out in their organization to ensure there are no leaks in the bottom line. That’s why more executives are opting for seasonal corporate culture audits to identify corporate weaknesses.
Weakness is a subjective word, but definitively, we’re talking about structural or personnel weaknesses that contribute to weekly disruptions within the corporations. These disruptions can come in many forms, including employee misconduct, theft of trade secrets, external theft, and worker’s compensation fraud. Whatever the problem, a comprehensive corporate culture audit can serve as a net to catch these unseen problems. Purveyors of corporate culture audits can range from corporate intelligence firms to independent private investigators, but regardless of the size of the operation, diverse experience in corporate investigations is key. After all, the investigator must know what they’re looking for in order to identify corporate weaknesses.
Think of a corporate culture audit like a medical checkup for your business or corporation. Just like a medical checkup, a private investigator proverbially acts as a physician routinely looking for problems. Just like a physical, a private investigator can identify corporate weaknesses that the “patient,” or client, did not previously know existed. In this way, leadership can stay on top of things and eliminate any internal problems. The most pervasive corporate crises are likely to fly under the radar, with the perpetrator(s) making competent attempts to cover their tracks. Unfortunately, this means that the problem can go undetected until irreversible damage is already done, not unlike a debilitating disease that has gone untreated.
One of the greatest examples of these undetected risks is white collar crime. When it comes to misconduct, any official action will inevitably cross an executive’s desk. Because of their level of access and oversight into all company matters, it’s frighteningly simple for an executive to cover their own tracks in an ongoing pattern of misconduct. In the case of an independent private investigator, they can easily infiltrate a business and place themselves in a strategic position where they can observe and document the behavior of all employees without being detected. This preserves the integrity of the investigation and ensures that the executive cannot suddenly destroy all of the evidence. One of the most common is embezzlement, or other forms of financial fraud within the corporate structure. Hiring an investigator to complete a corporate culture audit not only buys oversight, but objective intelligence-gathering. When an investigator attempts to identify corporate weaknesses, they do it with an independent an objective point of view. This ensure that no stone will remain unturned, and that all results of the investigation are subject to only the highest level of scrutiny in any subsequent legal action against the corporation.
If your corporate needs a corporate culture audit, call Lauth Investigations International today at 317-951-1100 for a free quote on our corporate culture audit services. Our team of investigators is staffed by former military and law enforcement personnel, and we carry a glowing A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Call Lauth today to learn how we can identify corporate weaknesses with a corporate culture audit.
During the 2020 pandemic, people throughout the globe were struggling with detachment from their family, friends, and coworkers. In search of a connection with another human being, it should be no surprise that more than a few people would fall victim to online romance scams. However, in a shocking report by the Federal Trade Commission, losses due to romance scams increased by 50%. Romance scams have dominated the top position on the FTC’s list of fraud scams. More money is lost annually to romance scams than any other type of fraud in the United States. Since 2016, reports of romance scams have tripled, and the total dollar amounts lost have quadrupled. Given this alarming spike in numbers, it’s worth refreshing your knowledge on how these romance scams work and who is at risk for being a target.
Most are familiar with the timeline of an online romance scam. News stories and talk show segments about lonely people being “catfished” by online scammers are everywhere, and the number of these incidents appears to be on the rise. The reason for this rise in romance scams can be two-fold. To begin, the isolation of the pandemic in efforts to flatting the proverbial curve left many individuals with a desire to reach out and connect with another human being online. The internet is where romance scams thrive, and users who are attempting to scrape the bottom of the barrel of human interaction can be easy targets for criminals. In the same vein, following the COVID-19 restrictions that kept many Americans completely isolated from the outside world initiated an increase in internet usage. Without routine, in-person interactions with friends, family, and coworkers, individuals who were not habitual internet or social media users—or even internet literate—flocked to the world wide web in search of some form of human connection.
This perfect storm of circumstances created a perfect hunting ground for internet scammers to hook promising marks who could fill their virtual pocketbooks with cash and other assets. In the days before Facebook, online romance scams typically started on internet forums or in chatrooms. Now, scammers have fully adapted to the ways and language of social media. With Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat dominating the way we communicate, it’s easier than ever to bilk someone out of their hard-earned money in an online romance scam.
It is not a matter of if, but when these criminals will ask for money, and the longer you look at case studies for these online romance scams, the more colorful the reasons get. Sometimes the scammer claims they need funds to keep their phone or internet service connected—and therefore keep them connected to their mark. Sometimes the scammer will claim they need money to get out of a perilous situation so they can allegedly return to the United States and finally meet up with the mark in person. Regardless of the reason, there are almost always suspicious methods of getting this money to the scammer, such as wiring the money to another person whose name does not match the scammer’s persona. Or perhaps the money must be sent to a bank account in an unexpected part of the world.
Even more staggering is that the FTC’s data on the rise in online romance scams indicates that no age group is immune to these operations. The number of online romance scams went up in all age brackets of potential victims. In fact, according to the FTC, people between the ages of 20 and 29 saw the biggest increase in being targeted, while people 70 and older were reporting the highest losses in the neighborhood of $10,000. With so much at stake in online dating, it’s imperative that you know how to protect yourself from these scammers. Here are the FTC’s tips for avoiding online romance scams:
Never send money or gifts to someone you haven’t met in person – even if they send you money first.
Talk to someone you trust about this new love interest. It can be easy to miss things that don’t add up. So pay attention if your friends or family are concerned.
Take it slowly. Ask questions and look for inconsistent answers.
Try a reverse-image search of the profile pictures. If they’re associated with another name or with details that don’t match up, it’s a scam.
Corporations in 2021 cannot afford to shirk the exposure and customer relations benefits of the internet and social media. A social media presence allows a corporation to cultivate a personality with their customer base through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and now TikTok. While Facebook itself has options for buying adspace to users, most platforms have the inherent value of free advertising, provided the corporation is able to build a following and maintain a visible presence. Social media itself opened up new opportunities for jobs in IT and social media management. However, the same level of access that allows companies to maintain daily contact with their customers can also ruin a company in a matter of weeks, and yet, the urgency to monitor these online metrics is lukewarm. 96% of businesses believe brand and reputation can affect revenue, yet only 44% monitor that impact. (CareerArc)
Prior to the new millennium, reputation management services for corporations used to be restricted to press coverage in analog newspapers and exposure through television and radio. Now in the age of the internet, the annals through which a company can be maligned have expanded exponentially. 69% of jobseekers would turn down an offer from a company with reputation problems (StatusLabs)
Through the years, Americans have seen bad actions on a company’s website or social media pages completely tank a company’s reputation, impact stock prices, and lead to sharp declines in profits within a single quarter. With billions of users on Facebook, international companies in particular are at risk of having their entire brand tainted by a mere tweet containing less than 140 characters.
Building a glowing reputation online may seem like a shallow solution to a large issue, but the ubiquity of the internet and social media has completely changed how corporations relate to their customer base. Here’s why online reputation management matters:
Online reputations can build consumer bases through integrity, transparency, and direct communication among customers, employees, investors, and the new industry of brand influencers that have developed over the last 10 years. Consumers are willing to pay more for a product if the company selling it has a good reputation. (University of Technology Sydney)
An online reputation allows a company to meticulously cultivate and maintain an image by engaging on social media. Consumer bases can be updated regularly on products and services, as well as deals on products and sale opportunities.
Draws in top-tier talent and interest from individuals who wish to work for the company, which can keep hiring costs down, and avoid a cyclical pattern of turnover that drags down the corporation’s bottom line.
Online reputations can drive sales and improve quarterly reports. By the same token, a negative online reputation can lay waste to a corporation that has previously maintained excellent consumer relations.
No online presence is a missed opportunity—but a negative online presence is a malignancy within a corporation that has the potential to rot it from within. Therefore, executives, managers, and employees alike must always be looking for opportunities to build a positive online presence. Before leadership sets out to hire a reputation management firm, there are internal measures they can take first:
Improve content marketing
Invest in customer experience
Invest in employee satisfaction
Swiftly and comprehensively address internal issues
Maintain a strict level of integrity
Online presence
Social media: A company’s social media presence must be carefully cultivated and maintained in alignment with the corporation’s mission and values.
Social media in the workplace: The social media of all persons who officially represent the company must be devoid of any disparaging posts regarding their employer.
Review sites: When exaggerated or fraudulent reviews of a company appear on one of the many review sites associated with a company’s culture and products, it can drag down the overall rating of a business, and create false impressions regarding the quality of their services. One bad review can cost you up to 22% of potential customers. The risk increases to 59.2% for three bad reviews. Four or more negative posts drive this number to 70%. (Moz)
When internal measures do not pull a corporation out of the hole created by a negative online reputation, it might be time to consider hiring a reputation management services firm. These firms can evaluate the level of damage inflicted by the negative reputation, and develop multi-pronged approaches to remedying those factors. This includes brand revitalization, social media cleanups, and white hat tactics to get negative reviews removed from a corporation’s social media and review pages. If you have need of reputation management services, please consider Lauth Investigation’s International. We have more than 20 years’ experience in managing corporate crises, and can work with clients to develop comprehensive solutions to rebuild their reputation. We are staffed by former military and law enforcement and carry a glowing A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Call 317-951-1100 today or find us online at www.lauthinveststg.wpengine.com.
What is the dark side of private investigations? Private citizens usually take what they know about private investigators from movies and television. Private investigators are typically cast in a seedy light with PIs following characters to take pictures of their movements and use that evidence against them in some way. The media tends to write high-stakes narratives about dogged private investigators who only want to get to the truth at all costs. The reality is that most of private investigations are not exciting enough for movies and television. However, there is a dark side to private investigations that the general public may not always hear about.
Compromised
The #1 fear of any private investigator is obviously getting caught, or becoming “compromised.” This is when the subject of the investigation has become aware of the private investigator’s efforts, and their level of awareness becomes heightened. The subject becomes paranoid and now behaves as if his every move is being watched by the private investigator. This deeply complicates the investigation and makes it harder for the private investigator to get to the truth. The dark side of private investigations comes in when a private investigator is compromised in a dangerous situation. Over the years, many private investigators have come forward with stories about being assaulted on the job and otherwise harassed by subjects of their investigations. Repeated instances of getting caught could also result in negative public relations and bad word of mouth from clients and families.
Unsatisfying conclusions
Private investigators may deal with the dark side of private investigations when it comes time to deliver the solution to the investigation. At the conclusion of an investigation, when all leads have been exhausted, private investigators typically prepare a full report of their findings to the client. Private investigators can run into heightened emotions when they inform the client that there is nothing more to be done. In cases of infidelity, private investigators often meet resistance in cases where no infidelity was detected from the subject. Clients insist that their spouse must be cheating and the investigator must have missed something because of their gut instincts or other suspicions. In the worst-case scenario, private investigators can run afoul of volatile clients who—for one reason or another—are dissatisfied with their investigation. Private investigators can find themselves in physical danger or subject to various forms of harassment on behalf of the client, both online and in real life. Private investigators have been known to have their Google reviews or testimonials flooded with baseless accusations of fraud and incompetence that can devastate their business.
Criminal element
In many cases, whether as the subject of an investigation or otherwise, private investigations involve dealing with the criminal element. Some private investigators incur risk to themselves by conducting field investigations populated with violent felons, or going another step further to insert themselves into the criminal element as part of an undercover operation. Regardless of the investigation type, private investigators come into contact with the criminal element every day, and must have diverse experience and a comprehensive tool chest to remain undetected in the environment. For instance, let’s say a private investigator has been contracted by a family who has lost their daughter to sex trafficking. In a field investigation, there will be surveillance required to find out where the subject may be living and document any risk factors that might impact a rescue effort. If a private investigator is compromised at this stage of the investigation, they could be seriously injured by a member of the sex trafficking ring who does not want their operation discovered.
Family impact
With the exception of corporate investigations, the dark side of private investigations is also enveloped in the impact the intelligence in question has on the client. Private investigators are often a last resort for many clients in cases where law enforcement was unable or unwilling to help. Despite their personalized attention and objective methodology, private investigators still may not be able to deliver answers in a particular case. Cases that deeply impact the client are typically missing person cases. These are clients who are out of options and desperate for answers in the disappearance of their missing loved one. When all leads have been exhausted, it’s never an easy conversation to have with the family of a missing person. When it comes to private investigations, the intelligence that is being sought will ultimately affect the client’s life. It is a tall order, and a big responsibility, to get the client the information they need for clarification in their personal or corporate lives.
If you need a private investigator, consider Lauth Investigations International. We have been serving clients and corporations with our private investigation services for over 30 years. We are staffed by former military and law enforcement and carry a glowing A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Call Lauth today for a free quote on our investigative services at 317-951-1100, or visit us online at www.lauthinveststg.wpengine.com.
What are the most common signs of a cheating spouse? Some people think they have an instinct for these things—that they know their partner, and they know when something is not right—and can identify behaviors as suspicious when they are actually innocuous. In order to get crystal clear clarification on whether or not your partner or spouse is being unfaithful, you’ll need a seasoned private investigator.
One of the most famed tasks of private investigators in popular media is hiring a private investigator to find out if a spouse is cheating. Private investigators are famous for following spouses who are suspected of infidelity, documenting their movements, reviewing their financial records, and providing comprehensive reports for the client’s use in an subsequent legal action. However, not every suspicion of infidelity might be cause for hiring a private investigator. From the experts at Lauth Investigations International, here are the most common signs of a cheating spouse.
Decrease in affection or intimacy: Intimacy comes in many forms in a relationship, and they are not always sexual in nature. Each couple has their love languages and their personal ways of showing affection to one another. Significant decreases in these forms of affection and intimacy could be a sign that your partner is having these needs filled by another person. This could come in the form of either a physical or emotional affair.
Questionable cell phone and internet use: Everyone is entitled to their privacy, but within a relationship, there must be a level of transparency and communication that inspires trust. If your partner or spouse is being secretive with their phone and internet habits, it is possible its because they have something to hide. Affairs do not have to be physical. Individuals can conduct illicit relationships over the internet and through text messaging. A constant clearing of the browser history may also be cause for alarm.
Drastic changes in appearance and hygiene: It’s not uncommon for cheaters to suddenly undergo drastic changes to their physical appearance when they are having an affair. Sure, one haircut does not mean your spouse or partner is cheating on you, but changes in hair, wardrobe, and workout routine all at the same time may be a red flag as well. In the case of physical affairs, cheaters are known to cover their tracks by increasing the frequency of bathing and opting for strong perfumes and colognes to cover unexplainable odors.
Increased working hours: “Working late” is by far one of the most common excuses for cheating spouses that exists. Partners and spouses use the cover of longer working hours because it is a convenient reason to be absent from the home or from the phone, and their significant other will likely not question their absence because they are earning a living.
If only one of these signs is present in the relationship, there could be a simple explanation. In the case of secretive device use—it’s possible your spouse or partner is planning some kind of surprise; maybe a gift, a party, or a vacation. A decrease in intimacy could be a sign of depression or illness. However, if you or someone you love is experiencing two or more of these most common signs of a cheating spouse, it may be time to call a private investigator and get the answers you need.
Life is difficult enough without embarking on a mission to expose your spouse’s cheating ways. We all have jobs, families, and hobbies that we’d much rather devote time to instead of playing junior private detective. If you suspect your spouse is cheating, it’s time to hire a private investigator. Private investigators have diverse experience in surveillance and field operations and know the sophisticated methodology behind following a person without being noticed. Because they will be a stranger to your family, this dramatically increases the likelihood your spouse will never know they’re being followed. Infidelity investigations are unique in the sense that if the client in question is the subject’s spouse, the client can give a private investigator access to documents that they might not otherwise be able to locate, such as specific bank records or sealed court documents. Private investigators can photograph or record your spouse or partner’s infidelity, compile the evidence along with additional relevant information, and even serve as an expert witness in any legal proceedings that occur as a result of the conclusion of the investigation.
If you are experiencing two or more of these most common signs of a cheating spouse, call Lauth Investigations International today for a free quote on our infidelity investigation services. We are staffed by former military and law enforcement and carry a glowing A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Call 317-951-1100 or visit us online at www.lauthinveststg.wpengine.com.
