Investigations for organizations: due diligence, integrity and fraud

NCRB - Investigative Intelligence (Nederlands Cyber Recherchebureau) supports organizations in decisions where a lot is at stake: a new business partner or investor, an acquisition, an appointment to a position of trust, a suspicion of fraud or an integrity issue. We are a licensed Dutch investigation agency (Wpbr licence POB 1737) and work only with lawful sources and methods. You receive findings with a source, date and reliability level, with facts and interpretation kept separate, so that you, your counsel and your board know what a decision rests on.

How we help organizations

Due diligence on a business partner, investor or acquisition target

We research ownership structures and UBOs, directors, litigation, insolvencies, sanctions and reputation, in the Netherlands and internationally. For one person and one company in the Netherlands or the United Kingdom there is the Counterparty Check: a fixed fee, three to five working days and a short written report.

More on this: Background Checks & Due Diligence · Counterparty Check · Case study: fake investor exposed in five working days

Screening for a position of trust

For directors and key positions we verify the CV, employment history, business interests and public signals, proportionately and within the GDPR; candidates are informed about the screening in advance. In the Netherlands, criminal records are assessed by Justis when a Certificate of Conduct (VOG) is requested. Our research adds what can be found in public sources.

More on this: Background Checks & Due Diligence

An integrity issue within the organization

Where there are signs of conflicts of interest, undisclosed side activities or ties to a supplier, we establish in open sources what can be substantiated, including exculpatory findings. Research into your own employees requires a reasonable suspicion, proportionality and clear agreements on informing the employee and hearing both sides; we record this with you in advance. We do not conduct surveillance or interviews: we deliver the digital part, which connects to the work of your own investigators or counsel.

More on this: OSINT in corporate investigations: rules and limits

Fraud: CEO fraud, invoice fraud and internal fraud

In CEO fraud, a changed bank account number on an invoice or suspected internal fraud, we reconstruct what happened: emails with headers, domains, bank accounts, payment routes and the parties behind them, as far as the sources allow. The report is usable for a police report, your bank, your insurer or civil proceedings.

More on this: Fraud & Scam Investigation

Misuse of your name or brand

Fake websites, false profiles and emails in the name of your organization or an employee: we map who is behind them, as far as the sources allow, and document it for a takedown request, police report or proceedings.

More on this: OSINT & Person Tracing

Preserving evidence

Online evidence disappears quickly. We capture web pages, messages and profiles with a timestamp, metadata and hash value, and check emails and documents for origin and editing, for example after a leak, harassment or a breach of internal rules.

More on this: Digital Evidence & Forensics · Cybersecurity company or digital investigation agency?

Extra capacity or a second opinion

For an in-house investigations team, compliance or your law firm, we deliver OSINT, crypto and recovery research as investigative support, under your direction. We also review the method, sources and conclusions of an existing report by another agency.

More on this: Investigative Support

How an engagement works

Every engagement starts with a confidential intake, a conflict check and a short feasibility check. You receive an investigation plan beforehand with the objective, sources, scope, turnaround and a fixed price or cost ceiling. You have a single point of contact at NCRB, and significant findings are flagged immediately rather than held for the final report.

More on this: Our approach, step by step

What it costs

There is no price list: the scope depends on the number of persons and companies, the countries and the reporting you need. A short feasibility check comes first; if an investigation makes sense, you then receive a defined scope with a fixed price or cost ceiling, in writing, before any work begins. For recurring investigations we agree fixed terms per type of investigation.

More on this: Private investigator cost: how our pricing works

Confidentiality and care

• Your question, your organization and the findings are treated confidentially.
• For each engagement we document the GDPR legal basis, typically your legitimate interest, with a proportionality and subsidiarity assessment up front.
• Covert investigation by a private investigation agency requires a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) in advance; the Dutch Data Protection Authority lists it among the processing operations for which a DPIA is mandatory.
• No pretexting, no social engineering, no unauthorized access. What we deliver, you can defend.
• We report facts and indicators. The decision, and in the case of an employee the employment law assessment, remains with you.

For your procurement and compliance teams

What you need to justify our engagement internally, in one place:

Licence	Wpbr, POB 1737, verifiable with Justis (Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security)
Company	Nederlands Cyber Recherchebureau (NCRB), Chamber of Commerce 74939742, VAT NL002189118B69
Supplier registration	Registered supplier in FSQS-NE (Hellios), the supplier qualification system used by Dutch banks and insurers. Registration number available on request.
Who does the work	NCRB (Wpbr licence since 2019), with a single point of contact. You receive the investigator's name at intake and in the engagement confirmation; conflict check in advance on request.
Third parties	Where extra capacity or specific expertise is needed, we engage another licensed investigation agency, under NCRB's responsibility, under confidentiality and only with your knowledge. One contract, one report, one point of contact.
Qualifications	OSC (Open Source Certified, OSMOSIS Association) and Registered Open Source Expert (International Anti-Crime Academy, IACA)
Report	Every finding with source, date and time of capture, screenshot and reliability level. Facts and interpretation kept separate; exculpatory findings included. In English or Dutch. View a sample report →
Complaints procedure	Complaints procedure under Article 18 Rpbr

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a Counterparty Check and full due diligence?

The Counterparty Check is a fixed product for one person and one company in the Netherlands or the United Kingdom: a fixed fee, three to five working days and a short written report. Full due diligence goes further, for example covering more parties, countries and ownership structures, and usually takes one to three weeks. For that you receive a tailored quote beforehand, with a fixed price or cost ceiling.

May an organization have its own employee investigated?

Yes, where there is a reasonable suspicion and the investigation is proportionate: the lightest means that can answer the question. We document the legal basis and that assessment for each engagement, limit ourselves to a defined question and period, and agree with you how the employee will be informed and heard. Covert research requires a DPIA in advance. Discuss the employment law side with your counsel.

Can NCRB investigate suspected CEO fraud or invoice fraud?

Yes. We analyse the emails with headers, the domains used, the bank accounts and the route of the money, and map which parties may be behind it. If a payment is still in progress, contact your bank immediately first. We then document what is needed for a police report, your bank or your insurer.

Can the report be used in proceedings?

The report is designed for that: every finding has a source, date and reliability level, and the investigator explains method and sources on request. Whether and how you submit it is for you and your counsel to decide; the court assesses its evidential weight.

How quickly can you start?

After the feasibility check and your approval of the scope, we usually start right away. A Counterparty Check takes three to five working days; for a broader question the turnaround is set out in the investigation plan beforehand. Urgent timelines can be discussed.

Does NCRB work for organizations outside the Netherlands?

Yes. NCRB works from the Netherlands for clients from more than 25 countries, in English or Dutch, and knows the Dutch registers and sources.