Private and corporate investigations
Investigative Services

Private & Corporate Investigations.

Discreet investigative support for individuals, businesses, legal professionals and organisations requiring facts to be established, information to be verified, concerns to be examined or evidence to be developed before important personal, commercial or legal decisions are made.

Confidential Enquiries • Professional Investigative Handling

When You Need Facts, Not Assumptions.

Private and corporate investigations are used when a person or organisation needs information examined independently and methodically. The purpose of an investigation is not to guarantee a particular conclusion. It is to establish what can reasonably be determined from the circumstances, available information, lawful investigative methods and evidence that may be identified during the enquiry.

01 / PRIVATE

Private Investigations

Private investigations generally concern matters affecting individuals, families or private interests. This can include verifying information, examining unexplained circumstances, locating information, investigating suspected dishonesty or developing a clearer factual picture before a client makes an important decision.

02 / CORPORATE

Corporate Investigations

Corporate investigations focus on concerns affecting businesses and organisations. Matters may involve suspected fraud, employee misconduct, internal irregularities, information verification, due diligence, conflicts between accounts or other circumstances requiring an independent investigative assessment.

An Investigation Built Around the Questions That Matter.

The appropriate investigative approach depends on the issue, available information and the questions that need to be answered. An engagement may involve one investigative method or several coordinated services.

01

General Fact-Finding

Examining circumstances, timelines, available information and relevant sources to establish a clearer factual account of a matter.

02

Fraud & Misconduct Concerns

Investigative support where fraud, dishonesty, unauthorised activity or other forms of misconduct are suspected.

03

Information Verification

Assessing information supplied to a client and attempting to verify relevant facts through appropriate available sources.

04

Due Diligence Support

Investigative enquiries intended to help a client better understand relevant facts before significant personal or commercial decisions.

05

Workplace & Internal Enquiries

Independent investigative support for businesses examining internal incidents, irregularities or concerns involving personnel.

06

Evidence Development

Identifying and assessing potentially relevant information or material where evidence may be needed to support decision-making or further action.

07

Investigative Intelligence

Bringing together information from appropriate sources so that relationships, events, inconsistencies or patterns can be more clearly understood.

08

Sensitive & Discreet Matters

Handling enquiries where confidentiality, discretion and careful management of information are particularly important.

09

Multi-Service Investigations

Where appropriate, an investigation may incorporate surveillance, background enquiries, skip tracing, asset enquiries or other relevant Six Paths services.

Common Situations That May Require Investigation.

Clients do not always begin with proof. Often, they begin with uncertainty, conflicting information or circumstances that require independent examination.

Something does not add up.

Information, behaviour or events appear inconsistent and the client needs the circumstances examined objectively.

Independent verification is needed.

A decision depends on information that should be checked before the client relies upon it.

Fraud or dishonesty is suspected.

There are concerns about possible deception, misconduct, misrepresentation or unauthorised activity.

Accounts of an event conflict.

Different versions of events exist and further investigation may help clarify what occurred.

A significant decision carries risk.

Additional information may be appropriate before entering a major personal, professional or commercial arrangement.

Evidence may be required.

The client needs to determine whether relevant information or supporting material can be identified and documented.

A Structured Investigative Process.

Every matter is different. The investigation is scoped around the circumstances, the client's objectives and what can appropriately be investigated.

01

Confidential Consultation

You explain the circumstances, what concerns you and what you need to understand.

02

Scope & Planning

We identify the relevant questions and discuss an appropriate investigative scope for the matter.

03

Investigation

Appropriate investigative enquiries are undertaken within the agreed scope and applicable requirements.

04

Assessment

Information obtained is reviewed in context and assessed against the questions the investigation was intended to address.

05

Findings & Next Steps

Relevant findings are communicated and, where appropriate, possible next investigative steps can be discussed.

Investigative Support for Different Types of Clients.

Individuals & Families

Private matters requiring discreet fact-finding, verification or independent investigative support.

Businesses & Management

Corporate concerns involving internal irregularities, suspected misconduct, fraud or information requiring verification.

Legal Professionals

Investigative support where attorneys or legal teams require information, enquiries or evidence development relevant to a matter.

Insurers & Professional Organisations

Appropriate investigative support where independent enquiries or factual verification are required.

Decision-Makers

Individuals or organisations considering significant transactions, relationships or commercial decisions where additional verification may be appropriate.

Organisations Responding to Concerns

Businesses addressing allegations of misconduct, fraud, dishonesty or other internal irregularities.

What Helps Us Understand the Matter.

You do not need to have every detail before contacting Six Paths. A concise initial explanation is usually enough for us to understand the nature of the enquiry and discuss what may be appropriate.

Useful Initial Information

  • A concise explanation of what has happened or what concerns you.
  • The main questions you would like the investigation to address.
  • Relevant names, dates, locations and relationships.
  • A basic timeline where events occurred over a period of time.
  • What you already know and what remains uncertain.
  • Any relevant deadline or time-sensitive issue.

Sensitive Documents & Evidence

Initial contact should focus on giving us enough information to understand the enquiry. It is generally unnecessary to send large quantities of documents or highly sensitive material before the matter has been discussed.

If documents, records, photographs, recordings or other sensitive material are relevant, appropriate arrangements can be discussed after the initial consultation.

What an Investigation May Produce.

The information available at the end of an investigation depends on the circumstances and what the investigation establishes. No particular result or item of evidence can be guaranteed.

Investigative Findings

Relevant information established through the investigative enquiries undertaken.

Supporting Material

Where available and appropriate, relevant supporting information or material identified during the investigation.

Chronology & Context

Organised information that may assist in understanding the sequence and context of relevant events.

Investigation Report

Depending on the engagement, findings may be presented in an appropriate written investigative report.

Sensitive Matters Require Careful Handling.

Investigative enquiries can involve personal, commercial, legal and reputationally sensitive information. Six Paths approaches such matters with discretion and seeks to avoid unnecessary disclosure of information relating to an engagement.

Not every requested activity will necessarily be appropriate, available or possible. The investigative approach depends on the circumstances, the agreed scope, lawful access to relevant information and applicable professional or legal requirements.

Where an investigation cannot establish a particular suspicion, that does not mean the investigation has failed. An important function of professional investigation is to distinguish what can be supported by available information from what remains unverified.

Before You Contact Us.

Private investigations generally concern matters affecting individuals or private interests, while corporate investigations concern businesses, organisations, personnel, commercial activity or internal concerns. The investigative methods required depend on the circumstances rather than simply the category of client.
No. Clients frequently contact an investigator because they do not yet know what the facts are. Explain what you know, what concerns you and what you need to understand. We can then discuss whether an investigation may be appropriate.
Potentially, yes. Corporate investigations may involve suspected misconduct, fraud, dishonesty or internal irregularities. The appropriate scope depends on the specific concern, available information and what can appropriately be investigated.
No. Surveillance is a separate investigative capability and is used only where it is appropriate to the circumstances and agreed scope. Many investigations do not require surveillance.
There is no standard duration. Timing depends on the nature of the matter, investigative scope, availability of information, operational requirements and what is discovered as the investigation progresses.
An investigation should not begin with a predetermined conclusion. Its purpose is to determine what the available information supports. A suspicion may be supported, contradicted or remain unresolved depending on what can actually be established.
Reporting requirements can be discussed when the engagement is scoped. Depending on the matter, findings may be communicated through an appropriate written investigation report or another agreed format.
Start with a concise explanation of the matter, the main questions you need answered and any relevant deadline. You do not need to send large quantities of sensitive documents through an ordinary initial website enquiry. Appropriate arrangements can be discussed if supporting material is required.

Need to Establish What Actually Happened?

Tell Six Paths what you know, what concerns you and what you need to understand. We can review the initial circumstances and discuss an appropriate investigative scope for the matter.