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· Fraud Investigation/Prevention/Reduction
Fraud comes in many shapes and forms. It is the act of deceiving someone deliberately in order to gain an advantage. Whether this is to receive cash, goods or property of any description, it is a common occurrence and can destroy many businesses.
Fraud can involve such deceptions as falsifying accounts, duplicating or altering invoices, diversion of stock, and even setting up a bogus company for use in diverting funds or stock. We can provide investigative resources to identify such incidents, and then provide solutions for eradicating the problem and dealing with the perpetrators.
Many frauds in the corporate sector do not involve Police enquiries because many clients believe adverse publicity of a fraud may irreparably damage their overall status in business. We are therefore able to use the expertise and resources of our former law enforcement and specialist fraud experts as an alternative investigative arm for the client.
· Intellectual Property Investigations
Designer wear isn’t the only commodity to be copied or counterfeited and sold on, giving the impression to the purchaser that this is the genuine article. Almost anything is capable of being copied, not just the obvious brands such as Dolce and Gabbana or Gucci etc, but simple things like a small electrical item or computer accessory.
Whether or not the customer realises is or not, the proprietary owners of the brand name have usually spent millions of pounds on developing their branded products and it is now being illegally copied and sold to a sometimes unwitting customer. In some cases, the copied product can be potentially lethal. Such items as pharmaceuticals, airplane parts and car parts have been sold as the originals, and therefore unlikely to have been through the stringent testing procedures that the brand owners have to follow before placing the product on the open market.
We work in cooperation with the brand suppliers and also Trading Standards officers, and conduct investigations including covert surveillance, and test purchasing at suspected outlets and have enjoyed a great degree of success in locating and confiscating counterfeit products, and providing the evidence to prosecute the offenders.
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· Mystery Shopping