When do clients usually require asset tracing?
Working closely with law firms and counsel to bring private prosecutions that adhere to the highest standards required by the UK criminal justice system, we are usually engaged from the very start of an investigation – this might include:
- Investigating suspected or known fraudulent activity in order to trace goods that are being sold on through online marketplaces and other avenues at the earliest opportunity.
- Identifying specific assets such as property, vehicles, high-end clothing and accessories, artwork, and other high-value items that evidence where funds could potentially be seized.
- Capturing overt displays of wealth and associated lifestyles through social media activity, such as photographs of luxury holidays and high-value items.
How does AnotherDay carry out an asset trace?
Gleaning the evidence needed to move forward with an investigation or prosecution, or to generate and direct further lines of enquiry, tends to include drawing together information from a range of different sources to form a comprehensive picture. Through these, we can identify current and historic addresses, family members and associates, personal identifiers such as email addresses, phone numbers, and social media accounts, property ownership, company information including financials and other corporate interests, and negative media scrutiny or allegations. The sources we tend to use include:
- Credit and consented databases.
- Land Registry or equivalent.
- Social media analytics.
- Open and closed source research, including deep web searches.
- Corporate records searches.
- Checks on sanctions, enforcement, Politically Exposed Person (PEP), and other watchlists.
- Mainstream and local media searches.
- Closed source adverse media searches.
Starting from even the smallest amount of information, the tools we have at our disposal coupled with robust disclosure management and area-specific expertise enable us to build a comprehensive overview of a subject or group’s lifestyle and activities, and ultimately to help bring criminals to justice.