How Much Does A Private Investigator Cost
August 16, 2017 | Business Crime
How much does it cost for a private investigator to find a person?This is a question that pops up so often, I figured I would share it with everyone. At this point you have probably spent countless hours scouring the Web. Maybe you spent some money using one of the many online databases, reached out to everyone you know and have searched Facebook until you turned blue in the face.You may have even used some of our tips in How to Find Someone on the Internet. But you are stuck. Every lead you have found has ended up a dead end.So now y...
Bosses Can Have Right To Know About Criminal Charges, Despite Name Suppression
May 9, 2017 | Business Crime
Bosses can have a right to know about criminal charges that are relevant to a worker's job even if the employee has name suppression, the New Zealand Supreme Court has ruled.The country's highest court this month released its decision in a case involving a former University of Otago security guard and the tertiary institution.The guard was given name suppression after being discharged without conviction for charges of assaulting a female and willful damage.A university staff member, who had received a tip-off, was in the public galler...
Spousebusters Private Detective Brett Sutcliffe Under Scrutiny
January 30, 2017 | Business Crime
He has made a career out of conducting covert operations on unsuspecting spouses. But private detective Brett Sutcliffe, 37, has failed to cover his own tracks after a run in the law that should have blacklisted him from the industry. Spousebusters founder Brett Sutcliffe walking in Wollongong. The founder of spy agency Spousebusters has been operating without a licence after a conviction in 2008 for impersonating an Australian Federal Police officer and menacing an elderly woman in North Bondi. A Fairfax Media investigation has foun...
Spy Games: All Blacks Hotel Bug 'Defies Logic' As A Wallabies Snoop
September 6, 2016 | Business Crime
Have the All Blacks become the victims of sporting espionage? Or could the team have pulled a double-blind by bugging themselves in the lead up to last month's opening Bledisloe Cup encounter in Sydney? New South Wales Police have yet to rule out the possibility someone within the world champions' set-up placed the listening device in the team's meeting room in Double Bay's InterContinental Hotel. Law enforcement have stated it would treat "every possibility seriously" irrespective of how far-fetched it may seem. Private investigators...
Staff Member Stood Down As Police Investigate Missing $700k
August 24, 2016 | Business Crime
A Powerco staff member has been stood down and the police called in after $700,000 was found missing. On Tuesday, police met with representatives of the Taranaki-based electricity and gas distributor to gather more information about the suspected theft. Powerco chief financial officer Dennis Martin said the fraud was picked up after a number of anomalies in its procurement and financial processes were detected. An internal investigation was then carried out, he said. "The investigation identified suspected fraudulent activity invol...
Shoppers Happier To Steal At Supermarket Self-Service Checkouts - Expert
July 21, 2016 | Business Crime
They might be quicker for customers, but self-service checkouts could be "normalising" theft in supermarkets, a British criminologist has warned. Research suggests some people are willing to steal at such checkouts when they wouldn't dream of committing theft while wandering around the shop floor. While the retail sector waits for technology to catch up, the most powerful protection from mounting losses might be something as simple as better customer service or a cleaner corporate image. Many shoppers who'd never sneak a grocery item ...
Victoria University Staffer Scammed It Of Almost $500,000 Through Fake Contracts
May 19, 2016 | Business Crime
A senior Victoria University staffer has fleeced the institution of almost $500,000. The woman, who cannot yet be named, created a fake company, complete with a fake email address, and awarded it university contracts. She was convicted in Wellington District Court on Monday, but the university has also pursued her for reparations through the civil courts, which is understood to have included freezing her assets. She made a total of 106 applications in the name of the fake company, of which about 90 were approved. A university spokeswo...
Accountant Suspended After Alleged 'Irregularities'
May 13, 2016 | Business Crime
An Auckland book keeper has been suspended from the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants after a complaint about alleged "irregularities in his handling of client monies". The accountant, Christopher George Wright, is a director of Balancing Act Tax Services. The institute's disciplinary tribunal, last month, considered a complaint against Wright alleging "irregularities in his handling of client monies, including tax refunds". The hearing was held in private and Wright was not present or represented during it. The tribunal ...
Exclusive: PI's Declassified Speak With Danny Toresen: Panama Papers - Investigating Corporate Leaks
May 13, 2016 | Business Crime
The release of the Panama Papers by an unidentified whistle-blower has many companies circling their virtual wagons. This leak of 11.5 million confidential documents (2.6 terabytes) detailing off-shore tax havens including names of shareholders and directors have many scrambling for cover. The message: No company is safe from cyber-attack hackers. Join New Zealand security expert, Daniel “Danny” Toreson, to hear him discuss investigating corporate leaks and managing defamatory information. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN PI’s Declassified! lets ...
US Sheriff's Office Creates Internet Transaction Zones
April 25, 2016 | Business Crime
The Suffolk County Sheriff's Office has created two Safe Transaction Zones designed to help protect citizens from various crimes associated with online transactions including robberies, thefts and assaults. Future planning will expand this initiative to additional locations. Over time these areas will be enhanced with video cameras. Citizens are encouraged to use the marked areas as a place to meet and conduct transactions that require in-person exchanges of online purchases. Deputy Sheriffs will not participate in the exchanges or ac...