by Ronald L. Mendell | Buy Now!

The overall theme of this edition is for investigators to obey the law. With the concerns over privacy and identity theft continuing to impact the investigations industry, investigators must obey new laws and adhere to new standards of conduct. In response, this edition covers the issue of identity theft and offers investigative techniques that will be sensitive to current and future legislation.

The key to asset investigations in a privacy-conscious era is to become an excellent database and web-based information researcher with emphasis on using open sources (many of them available through the Internet). Compliance with the Graham-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 is encouraged, with explanations on how its financial privacy provisions impact investigators. The text explains data gathering from computer databases, CD-ROM, human sources, surveillance, public records, including intelligence gathering techniques and their role in financial assets investigations. The topics cover both individuals and businesses. They range from obtaining subjects’ basic identifiers, such as a social security number, to using key business ratios to calculate figures for a company’s balance sheet.

Financial investigation for security officers, piercing the corporate veil, news groups, public record searching shortcuts, and learning how to exploit information trails and cutting through smoke screens are examined. Throughout the book, useful forms are provided for gathering, organizing, and analyzing data which allows for easy integration of information. This book serves as a practical primer for emphasizing the use of data collection forms, the latest computer technology, and tools for identifying, locating, and assessing assets and liabilities.