An entrepreneur running his own company wants to have a real impact on its proper development. Each new day can bring problems that are sometimes difficult to deal with on your own. And all decisions taken carry risks that can negatively affect the future of the company, which is why it is so important to check the business partner before starting cooperation.
Signing various contracts is a daily occurrence in the activity of every company and one of the aspects to which special attention should be paid. That is why it is so important to adhere to the principle of limited trust and to maintain distance in every situation. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs forget about safety and when they receive a great offer, instead of estimating the risk of potential losses, they almost thoughtlessly enter into a relationship that can expose their company to losses and in extreme cases even lead to its collapse.
In order to protect yourself from financial losses, the basic action is to obtain information about the company’s solvency and its financial condition, as well as the legality of its activities. In this matter, the work of a private detective plays a key role, as he is able to reliably check a future (and current) business partner. Professional detective agencies use legal methods of obtaining data. The choice of an experienced contractor is of great importance, because the substantiveness and quality of the information obtained will depend on their knowledge and skills. What methods does a detective use in their work?
OSINT – or white intelligence in detective work
Many people associate the world of detective work with something mysterious and inaccessible to the average person. This is certainly influenced by the plots created by films and series, which are not always consistent with reality. Obtaining information is not as spectacular as it seems. However, it is not an easy task and not everyone is able to cope with it. Obtaining information certainly requires experience and skills. It is a complicated and tedious job that requires patience.
White intelligence in detective work is actually not much different from the methods of obtaining data by state intelligence services. We are increasingly encountering the opinion that the private market operates more effectively and even supports the activities of secret services.
What exactly is OSINT?
Open-source intelligence, also known as OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence), is the first and basic technique used by detectives in their work. It is believed that this method of obtaining data was pioneered by American intelligence services. It involves obtaining information from open and public sources, generally available to anyone who has the knowledge to be able to obtain this information. Currently, open-source intelligence is a widely known practice that has been successfully practiced for many years. At first glance, searching for information in this way seems trivially simple. But if it were true, would we have so many clients and would we carry out so many orders?
Thorough verification of future business partners with whom the entrepreneur intends to cooperate should be the first step, before making any decision and signing any contract. By acting preventively, every entrepreneur is able to protect themselves from dishonest actions and lack of professionalism on the part of future contractors.
In the work of a detective, OSINT is the first step to obtaining information. A detective collects data obtained from various sources and uses many useful tools. The main sources of information are:
- Internet (there are many specialized search engines, IT systems, programs and websites that are worth using),
- publicly available media (press, television, radio, etc.) from which you can find out a lot of interesting information,
- a range of tools for analyzing photo metadata and domain and IP address search engines,
- and many other “aids” that support detectives in their daily work.
Gathering information from public sources is just the beginning. It is worth taking additional steps to verify the contractor, such as:
- check the legal status of the entity and any personal, capital and other connections,
- examine the financial situation and any debt and existing liabilities,
- conduct observation of people and places,
- obtain additional information about the contractor from his former colleagues, partners and other entities and persons with whom he had business relations in the past,
- and many other activities in the field of economic intelligence and counterintelligence.
An experienced detective will not only gather a number of important pieces of information, but above all, will thoroughly analyze them and verify their reliability. If you want to be sure who the person is with whom you intend to establish a business relationship, it is worth using the services of a good detective agency. A professional agency has high-class specialists in its ranks, e.g. analysts and IT specialists, and even former military, police or intelligence officers, who can use their extensive experience to verify the honesty of a business partner.