Business fraud causes losses of over $413 Billion per year in the US alone. The value of corporate critical infrastructure information stolen by information technology (IT) breaches is another $100 Billion. Average losses are 18.6% of total annual revenues per company. These statistics do not include the damages of lost opportunities and sabotaged projects caused by many other risks and threats to business. Corruption inside Fortune 500 corporations is 5 times higher than even governmental corruption in emerging market countries. Approximately 96% of all these economic crimes are initiated, enabled or perpetrated by insiders or contractual business partners.

Due Diligence investigations are the primary line of defense in avoiding such losses and damages to business continuity, cash flow and revenue streams. Professional services on a commercial intelligence level have proven to be more than 95% effective in avoiding, detecting and stopping such economic security breaches. An aggressive due diligence policy, checking almost all key employees, partners and major deals, would cost less than 2% of annual revenues, while the results have proven to prevent the annual loss of at least 17% of revenues. Thus, the cash revenue value of due diligence yields a return of greater than 850% on each dollar spent on economic security.

STILAS’ methodology for Due Diligence investigations is both an art and a science. For reliable results, our experienced investigators know exactly what factors to look for, quickly assess or verify the information discovered, and effectively apply seemingly irrelevant or unrelated data to facts or issues that may be discovered at later stages of the investigation. Cross-comparison and cross-referencing of interrelated data, and expert analysis of all information obtained, add essential depth and dimension for more effective results. To give practical benefit for use in real-world business situations, STILAS fully explains and interprets the significance of information, and makes practical recommendations.

Due Diligence is traditionally relied upon by corporate and governmental clients for the following purposes:

• Employment screening
• Entrusting current employees with new responsibilities or key projects
• Engaging a new partner, distributor or major client in commercial relations
• Concluding any major deals or contracts
• Mergers and Acquisitions

STILAS' more advanced Competitive Intelligence investigations add several powerful capabilities for enhanced and expanded results, primarily through the involvement of experienced field operatives on relevant territories. This gives maximum depth, detail and dimension necessary to fully understand and adequately deal with all new and potentially threatening business situations.

Because of the more penetrating methods used, Competitive Intelligence investigations are relied on for any and all of the following processes in the course of normal business operations:

• Entering a new market or territory
• Expanding operations into new industry sectors
• Developing or launching a new product or service
• Planning strategies to deal with a competitor company
• Developing strategies to neutralize and protect against unfair competition
• Whenever organized crime involvement or unlawful opposition is suspected

STILAS also provides Forensic investigations, which deliver additional fact finding, law enforcement facilitation and legal analysis results. The primary mission of this more advanced type of investigation is to deal with the consequences and damages resulting from recently discovered or unresolved events, including:

• Theft, fraud or asset stripping
• Breaches of information security
• Unfair competition practices
• Unlawful interference with business relations
• Physical security threats or harm

STILAS conducts all Due Diligence and investigations with prudence and discretion, to avoid disclosure of the client’s identity or interests in the information obtained, to avoid awareness by subjects that they are being investigated, and to otherwise avoid client exposure.

STILAS, through proprietary networks on multiple territories, conducts information collection on a disciplined professional level, providing both corporate and governmental clients with a higher quality work product which meets the standards of national security structures.

Download Free Report: "Information and Recommendations on Due Diligence and Investigation Services"

Download Free Report: "The STILAS Business Fraud Manual"