Finance Monthly - August 2022

37 Finance Monthly. Bank i ng & F i nanc i a l Se r v i ce s identities that sometimes bear no resemblance to the person behind the persona. From my office, I can reach across the world, and I can access all manner of sources that cannot be compared to when I started my investigative career. That helps me with my passion for investigations and I am able to continue doing what I do because of the Internet. Much of my work now involves Enhanced Due Diligence for financial institutions and Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes. This mostly entails researching High Net Worth and Ultra High Net Worth Individuals, some of whom do not want to be found or do their utmost to protect their online profiles. For reasons of confidentiality, I must limit what I can share but there are a couple of recent cases. One of my most challenging investigations has not actually been connected to Due Diligence at all. For five years now I have been helping a family who is desperate to trace their adult son who we believe to be in South America. The person concerned has a minimal online footprint and doesn’t appear to want to be found. The trail hasn’t gone completely cold, and I am hoping for a positive result very soon. Another interesting case involved an organisation that needed to be able to better understand an individual who appeared reluctant to share information. He had almost thrown down a challenge and had told them: “I want to see what you can find about me”. The case was difficult for a host of reasons and took time but eventually, I discovered links to several companies, technology, and cryptocurrency. The subject was very surprised. What elements of your job do you find the most rewarding? Providing answers for my clients has to be at the top of the list. When you get feedback that tells you your report was ‘insightful’, ‘really helpful’ or they tell you the service they got was ‘first class’ then you know you are adding value. There are of course times when an investigation results in more questions than answers, but that, in my humble opinion, is a good thing, it shows that the enquiry has integrity and is not there just to tick boxes. I do get out from behind my desk from time to time and train people in the techniques I use, something I really enjoy. I have been fortunate enough to travel all over the world to deliver Due Diligence Investigations training. Only today I had an email from a delegate asking a query about an online search string. She had attended a course in 2019 and added: ‘I still remember your course. Hand on heart it’s one of the best I ever had and definitely the most interactive. For me, doing what I do is helping businesses protect themselves and ultimately keeping the world a safer place. ABOUT COLIN TANSLEY Colin Tansley is the Managing Director and founder of Intelect. He has an enviable background in investigations and intelligence from his work in the police service and private industry. A former senior police officer, he lives on the Isle of Man and works all over the world. He helps compliance officers and their companies with the provision of Due Diligence training, investigations, and risk management. His client base is broad but is predominantly in the financial services, legal and wealth management sectors. He is also a published author. His book ‘Mastering the Wolf’ charts his experiences in the armed forces, police, and private industry. Website: www.intelect-group.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/IntelectG

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