Corporate Fraud: Types, Red Flags, and How to Investigate It
2,402 real cases, a median loss of $104,000 and twelve months before anybody noticed. What corporate fraud looks like, and how an investigation is built.
Smart investigations, precise data
You see only the tip of the iceberg
Advanced Digital Investigations, Business Intelligence & Cyber Intelligence. Turning the hardest digital traces into actionable evidence.
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Intelligence beneath the surface
The Problem
You Don't Know the Whole Story.
Critical details can be hidden across identities, platforms, databases and networks, leaving you to make important decisions with only part of the picture.
Our Solution
We find out what happened.
Underwave conducts advanced digital investigations and intelligence research to uncover hidden identities, connections, information and evidence. Using sophisticated technology and intelligence-led investigative methodologies, we connect the fragments and reveal hidden information, for cases that can't be solved with ordinary searches.
Law firms & litigation teams International corporates Investors Executives Public sector Security teams Startups & technology companies Media & PR Private clients
Our Solutions
Whatever you need to know, we know how to find it.
From complex digital investigations and corporate intelligence to due diligence, reputation and litigation support, Underwave helps clients uncover the information they need to make critical decisions with confidence.
Digital Investigations & OSINT
What this includes
- Digital Footprint Analysis
- Online Identity Investigations
- Social Media Investigations
- OSINT Investigations
- Dark Web Investigations
- Financial Investigations
- Find All Accounts Linked to One Person
- Find Who Is Behind a Fake Account
- Find Hidden Social Media Profiles
- Identify Someone by Username, Email or Phone
- Search the Dark Web for Stolen Company Data
- Follow the Money Behind a Person or Company
Uncover hidden identities, digital footprints, online connections and hard-to-find information through advanced open-source intelligence.
See the capabilities behind this: Digital Investigations & OSINTBusiness Intelligence
What this includes
- Market Intelligence
- Competitive Intelligence
- Strategic Intelligence Consulting
- Business Intelligence Consulting
- Customer & Supplier Intelligence
- Business Risk Assessments
- Research a New Market Before You Enter
- Find Who Your Real Competitors Are
- Monitor Competitor Hiring and Expansion
- Competitor Analysis Before You Move
- Investigate a Supplier, Partner or Customer
- Map Hidden Business Relationships
Gain deeper insight into companies, competitors, markets, partners and commercial relationships to support critical business decisions.
See the capabilities behind this: Business IntelligenceLitigation Support & Digital Evidence
What this includes
- Digital Forensic Reports
- Electronic Evidence
- Chain of Custody
- Forensic Data Collection
- Pre-Litigation & Case Preparation
- Asset Tracing
- Collect Digital Evidence for Court
- Recover Deleted Social Media and Online Content
- Preserve Digital Evidence Before It Disappears
- Trace Leaked Information Back to the Source
- Investigate Online Fraud and Scams
- Find Hidden Assets Before You Sue
Discover, verify and preserve digital evidence, online activity and financial information to strengthen investigations and litigation.
See the capabilities behind this: Litigation Support & Digital EvidenceCyber Investigations
What this includes
- Cyber Crime Investigations
- Digital Forensics & Digital Evidence Analysis
- Identity Theft & Impersonation Investigations
- Online Fraud Investigation
- Leak Exposure Analysis
- Cryptocurrency Investigations & Digital Asset Tracing
- Find Out Who Hacked an Account
- Investigate a Company Data Breach
- Investigate Phishing Emails and Fake Websites
- Investigate Online Fraud and Romance Scams
- Check If Company Data Has Been Leaked
- Trace Stolen Bitcoin or Crypto
Investigate cybercrime, online fraud, data breaches, compromised accounts and cryptocurrency transactions to uncover what happened and who was involved.
See the capabilities behind this: Cyber InvestigationsBackground Screening & Due Diligence
What this includes
- Investigative Background Screening
- Executive & Key Person Screening
- Third-Party Screening
- Corporate Due Diligence
- Vendor & Supplier Due Diligence
- Ownership & Beneficial Ownership Analysis
- Background Check Before You Hire
- Executive and C-Level Background Check
- Uncover Hidden Risks, Assets and Affiliations
- Investigate a Company Before You Invest
- Vendor and Partner Due Diligence
- Find Out Who Really Owns a Company
Investigate people, companies and counterparties through background checks, ownership research, adverse media and risk-focused due diligence.
See the capabilities behind this: Background Screening & Due DiligenceOnline Reputation Intelligence
What this includes
- Disinformation & Influence Campaign Analysis
- Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior (CIB) Detection
- Reputation Risk Intelligence
- Adverse Media Screening
- Influence Network Analysis
- Reputation Monitoring
- Find Who Is Behind a Reputation Attack
- Detect Fake Accounts and Coordinated Attacks
- Find Who Is Posting Fake Reviews
- Find Negative Information Before It Spreads
- Investigate Online Defamation
- Monitor Brand and Executive Reputation
Monitor and investigate reputation threats, adverse information, fake profiles, impersonation, disinformation and coordinated online activity.
See the capabilities behind this: Online Reputation IntelligenceThe first conversation is discreet and without obligation.
Our Services
Intelligence at every depth of the web.
Intelligence-Led Investigations & Advanced Cyber Capabilities. The Critical Information You Need, Right When You Need It.
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Digital Investigations & OSINT
For complex cases where the answer is buried online. We trace digital footprints, aliases, identities, relationships and hard-to-find information across open and hidden sources.
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Business Intelligence
For businesses making decisions where the wrong partner, competitor or market assumption can be costly. We map companies, ownership, relationships, markets and commercial risks.
03 06
Litigation Support & Digital Evidence
For lawyers and private clients with a case to win. We recover digital evidence that is hard to reach, verify its origin, and document findings for litigation and legal proceedings.
04 06
Cyber Investigations
For organizations and private clients facing fraud, data breaches, account compromise or online crime. We trace digital activity, compromised data and cryptocurrency transactions to uncover what happened and who was involved.
05 06
Background Screening & Due Diligence
For investors, executives and organizations deciding who to trust. We investigate backgrounds, ownership, affiliations, adverse media, litigation history and hidden risk before commitment.
06 06
Online Reputation Intelligence
For anyone who needs to know what is being said, shared or built about them online. We uncover harmful content, fake profiles, impersonation, coordinated activity and emerging threats before they escalate.
Why UnderWave
The right intelligence makes all the difference.
Because when the answer matters, Underwave finds what others can’t.
When the answer matters, we go deeper.
Some questions cannot be answered with a Google search or a conventional investigation. We take on complex and time-sensitive cases where the information you need may be fragmented, hidden or difficult to verify, and work until we can give you a clearer picture.
Every finding is verified.
Information is only useful when you can trust it. We cross-check findings across independent sources, connect the dots, build timelines and assess credibility, separating verified facts from assumptions and unconfirmed leads.
Find the evidence your case is missing.
We help lawyers and litigation teams uncover, collect and preserve digital evidence, hidden identities, connections and facts that can change the course of a case. With years of experience in complex digital investigations, we apply forensic methodologies to document findings, verify authenticity and maintain a clear chain of custody, from social media and online identities to financial activity and digital records.
Human expertise behind the technology.
Advanced tools can find enormous amounts of data. Experienced investigators know what matters. We combine technology, analytical thinking and human capabilities to identify connections, patterns and details that automated searches will miss.
Absolute discretion.
Our clients come to us with sensitive matters- personal, business, legal and reputational. Every investigation is handled with strict confidentiality and discretion, from the first conversation to the final report.
24/7 Rapid Response for Critical Intelligence
UnderWave provides around-the-clock availability, delivering rapid and professional responses to urgent intelligence requirements. From high-stakes skip tracing and asset location to complex financial investigations and strategic due diligence, we are ready to act when time is of the essence.
Confidentiality
You will not find a client name on this site. Your case stays your business.
Our clients come to us with sensitive matters involving people, companies, legal disputes, reputational risk and confidential business decisions. We protect that trust throughout every engagement. Client identities, case details and findings are always kept confidential.
Read our information security policy-
Always ethical, always private.
Findings are delivered to the recipients you name and handled under our published information security policy, which follows ISO/IEC 27001 and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
Case studies
What UnderWave Has Uncovered
Anonymized examples of the complex questions Underwave is brought in to answer.
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Dozens of Identities. One Coordinated Campaign.
A company facing attacks from seemingly unrelated accounts. UnderWave traced the digital connections and uncovered who was behind the campaign.
Read the case study -
120 Companies. A Hidden Business Network.
A multinational struggling to explain stalled growth. UnderWave mapped its customers, executives and commercial relationships to uncover missed opportunities.
Read the case study -
One Man. Seven Identities. A Fraud Network Hidden in Plain Sight.
One missing person led to aliases, fabricated businesses and a wider fraud operation. UnderWave followed the digital trail to connect them.
Read the case study
Get in touch
No question is too early.
Most people come with one question, not a case file. Tell us what you need to know, and we will say what can be found, how long it takes and what it costs. The first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Start a confidential conversation Before you ask
Questions we're asked before the first meeting
Can you find information that ordinary searches can't?
We combine advanced investigative technology, specialized data sources and intelligence-led analysis to uncover information, connections and digital traces that may not surface through conventional searches.
What if I don't know exactly what I'm looking for?
That's where an investigation begins. Tell us what you need to understand, decide or prove. We define the intelligence objective, determine the right investigative approach and take it from the initial question to verified findings.
Can you investigate a person, company or digital identity?
Yes. We can investigate individuals, companies, online identities and their connections - including digital footprints, affiliations, ownership structures, business activity and relevant risk indicators.
How confidential is an investigation?
Completely discreet. Sensitive investigations are handled on a need-to-know basis, with strict confidentiality throughout the engagement.
Will you stay involved until we have an answer?
Yes. We don't see our role as simply delivering a database search or a report. We work with the client to define the question, investigate it, interpret the findings and determine what they mean for the next step.
Can you help before I make an important business decision?
Yes. Our business intelligence and investigative due diligence services can help assess competitors, partners, investors, suppliers and companies before a deal, investment or strategic relationship.
What makes digital evidence hold up, and what quietly breaks it
A screenshot proves nothing. What a hash value does, what ISO 27037 leaves out, and the three ordinary ways a chain of custody breaks.
How a cryptocurrency investigation actually works
119,754 bitcoin, six years, and a seizure that came down to a file in cloud storage. What the chain gives you, and where the answer really sits.