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The complete archive of NCRB articles on digital investigation, fraud, and online evidence. Filter by topic or browse all publications.
Articles
Is This Number a Scam? How to Check an Unknown Phone Number
Unknown caller, strange text or a new WhatsApp number? How to check whether a phone number is a scam, which warning signs matter, and where to report it.
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Tracing a Person: What a Licensed Investigation Agency Can Legally Do
Can you hire an agency to find someone? What licensed investigators may legally do, which requests they must refuse, and how tracing differs from police work.
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The EUR 1.2 Million Investor Who Never Existed
Case study: an investor offered over a million euros, provided the company opened a crypto wallet first. How NCRB exposed the fraud in five working days.
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What Does an OSINT Investigation Cost? Pricing Factors Explained
What determines the cost of an OSINT investigation? The four pricing factors, what a quote should include, and the red flags when comparing providers.
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WhatsApp Fraud and Impersonation: How It Works and What You Can Do
Impersonation scams on WhatsApp and other messengers: how they work, how to preserve evidence, and when investigation makes sense.
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Is That Webshop Legit? How to Check an Online Store Before You Buy
Practical checks to spot a fake webshop: domain age, company details, payment methods, reviews, and what to do if you already paid.
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Before Legal Action: How Investigators Trace Assets
How asset tracing supports recovery strategy, enforcement options, litigation decisions, and dispute resolution before legal costs increase.
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Cybersecurity Company or Digital Investigation Agency? When You Need OSINT Instead
Many people search for cybersecurity companies when they actually need digital investigation, OSINT, fraud tracing, or evidence reporting.
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Social Media Investigation for Insurance Claims: What Public Activity Can Reveal
How lawful social media investigation supports insurance claims review, injury claims, activity checks, and fraud detection.
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OSINT for Law Firms: Turning Open Sources into Evidence-Ready Intelligence
How law firms use OSINT for litigation support, fraud matters, asset tracing, background checks, and cross-border investigations.
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What to Do After a Crypto Scam: Evidence Checklist for Victims
A practical evidence checklist for crypto scam victims: what to save, what not to do, and when professional tracing may be useful.
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Can Stolen Crypto Be Recovered? What Blockchain Tracing Can and Cannot Do
A realistic guide to cryptocurrency tracing, blockchain tracing, evidence reporting, and the limits of what investigators can promise after crypto fraud.
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How to Identify a Scammer: What OSINT Investigators Check
How OSINT, domain research, social media analysis, payment traces, and blockchain indicators can support online scam investigations.
Read articleDue Diligence Red Flags: What to Check Before You Hire, Invest, or Partner
A guide to background checks, due diligence, adverse media, corporate records, sanctions, and reputation risks before important decisions.
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Catfishing: How to Verify an Online Identity and Expose a Fake Profile
How catfishing works, the warning signs of a fake online identity, and how investigators verify profiles, photos, and digital traces.
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AI and Insurance Fraud: Why Injury Claims Are Becoming Harder to Verify
How AI-generated evidence, synthetic identities, staged injury claims, and online signals are changing insurance fraud investigation.
Read articleHow to Respond When You've Been Scammed Online: A Step-by-Step Guide
Step-by-step guide for online scam victims. What to do immediately, how to preserve evidence, when to involve investigators. Expert guidance from NCRB.
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Crypto Fraud: Legal Frameworks Across EU Jurisdictions
Analysis of legal frameworks for cryptocurrency tracing across EU jurisdictions, including enforcement mechanisms and regulatory developments under MiCA.
Read articleOSINT in Corporate Investigations: Best Practices and Legal Boundaries
Open-source intelligence is one of the most valuable tools available to corporate investigators, but the legal and ethical boundaries are frequently misunderstood.
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