The work of a real life private detective is very different from the pone portrayed in films. A real detective almost certainly spends more time working with businesses to help them save money than chasing around after priceless statues like Philip Marlowe in the Maltese Faclon. Here’s how: Due Diligence This term refers to the research done before making a key business decision.
It could relate to a merger or acquisition, or entering a new and unknown market. Case Study: Frankie Troutson owned a successful trout fishery in Birmingham. He was considering adding to his portfolio by buying a nearby salmon farm. The accounts looked good and the acquisition seemed almost too good to be true. However, a due diligence investigation by a private detective uncovered some serious financial discrepancies and that the owner of the salmon farm had exaggerated the value of some key business assets.
The business also had a an impending court judgement for unpaid invoices that the owner had failed to declare. Amount saved: 347,000 Debtor Tracing Private detectives often use their investigation skills to track down debtors who have disappeared owing large amounts of money. Case Study: Mickey. C. Ment ran a successful builder’s merchant yard. Among his many clients was property development company, Buyit, Bodgit and Selwyn, who spent a great deal of money with Mickey.
On completing and selling a number of developments in the area, Buyit Bodgit and Selwyn disappeared, leaving their last, leaving Mickey with several unpaid invoices totalling nearly 16,000.A private detective was called in who managed to track down the missing developers and issue them with a formal court summons for payment. Amount saved: 14,500 Employee Surveillance Luigi Scramola, a successful restaurateur from Chiswick, noticed that takings were often much lower than anticipated.
He called in a private investigator to find out why. The investigator set up a number of covert audio and video recorders which found a member of staff was entering false records into the till and pocketing cash. Unfortunately the thief went on sick leave with a back injury before Luigi could confront him about the misdeed. He claimed that he had slipped on a margarine spillage in the restaurant’s kitchen and threatened to sue Luigi for damages. Surveillance cameras showed that the member of staff had not slipped on the daate and time that he claimed.
An extended surveillance operation showed that he was engaged in regular bungee jumping during the time he was supposed to be sick and therefore could not have been suffering from a back injury. Amount saved: 100,000 Fraud Investigation Brighton McHighton ran a small debt recovery agency in Milton Keynes. A middle manager from the company approached Brighton with concerns that some customers’ direct debit payments were lower than expected by a few pennies. An audit trail by an investigator found that a member of staff was siphoning off a few pence from each direct debit payment he set up into an offshore account. In just a few weeks he had amassed several thousand pounds. Thanks to the private detective, Brighton was able to hand over the evidence to police and eventually recover the stolen money. Amount saved: 2600