Due Diligence Download

Hidden fortunes. Offshore trails. Unanswered questions.

Every major investigation eventually comes down to one thing: who really owns what?

In this episode, Sylwia Wołos and Amritha Edachery unpack the world of asset tracing and the meticulous craft of following money through shell companies, bank accounts, and digital trails to uncover what others try to hide.You’ll learn:

What asset tracing actually means (and why it’s not just about bank accounts)

How investigators connect property, corporate, and digital clues

The biggest challenges such as secrecy jurisdictions to data barriers

How AI, blockchain analytics, and digital forensics are transforming the field

A real-world look at a UK Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO)

Resources and links:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/20/how-a-bangladesh-minister-spent-more-than-500m-on-luxury-property

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/11/uk-crime-agency-freezes-assets-of-disgraced-sheikh-hasina-ally

https://baselgovernance.org/sites/default/files/2019-01/tracing_illegal_assets_EN.pdf

https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/350d0740-92ae-5045-bfc4-3b64964b3fb0/content

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unexplained-wealth-orders-2023-to-2024-annual-report/unexplained-wealth-orders-2023-to-2024-annual-report

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/07/moneyland-oliver-bullough-review

Sponsors:

Ground Truth Intelligence (GTI) is a platform designed to simplify third-party risk management. GTI solves the three core TPRM challenges: unclear program design, fragmented execution across multiple providers, and poor system integration. Their all-in-one platform handles everything from screening to deep-dive in-country investigations through one annual fee – supporting more consistent, transparent and efficient risk management. With coverage across 250+ jurisdictions and 2,500+ human intelligence sources, compliance and risk teams get the optimal blend of human insight and AI efficiency. Learn more at gtintel.io.

The Search Group- Every Decision Carries Risk. Managing it requires more than surface-level checks. At The Search Group (TSG), we deliver specialist due diligence and risk intelligence through a global network of expert hubs, combining deep local insight with global perspective. For over 15 years we have supported clients across 100+ jurisdictions with Compliance reviews, Pre-transaction due diligence,Investigations and Ethics advisory.Our tailored research transforms complexity into clarity and risk into opportunity – empowering confident, informed decisions. Discover how TSG can support your next big move at www.thesearchgroup.com.

Follow us here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dddpodcast/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@duediligencedownload

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/duediligencedownload/

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your friends, family and colleagues who live and breathe ethics & compliance or just love a good investigative story.

Meet the real-life “girl spy.”

In this episode of Due Diligence Download, Sylwia and Amritha step into the shadows with Katie Frodsham, CEO of National Security News, who’s spent nearly 20 years conducting both overt and covert investigations - from boardrooms to back alleys.

Katie takes us inside the secret world of undercover work - guts, grit and a few gadgets! She shares jaw-dropping stories from her career working on some of the world’s biggest cases of fraud and corruption,including an 18-month infiltration of a dangerous cult, and reflects on the ethics, risks, and mental resilience that define life undercover.

Tune in to discover how the “girl spy” decides when to stay visible, when to disappear, and what it truly takes to expose hidden truths and uncover crime.

Resources and links:

https://nationalsecuritynews.com/about-us/

https://www.theabi.org.uk/news/understanding-undercover-operations

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/undercover-investigation

Follow us here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dddpodcast/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@duediligencedownload

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/duediligencedownload/

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your friends, family and colleagues who live and breathe ethics & compliance or just love a good investigative story.

What if everything on paper looked perfect but the truth on the ground told a different story?

In this episode of Due Diligence Download, Sylwia and Amritha dig into one of the most powerful and sometimes misunderstood tools in corporate investigations: the site visit.

From government-funded “ghost” road projects to fake factory façades and tender-rigging schemes hiding in plain sight, they reveal how a simple visit can uncover what no spreadsheet or satellite image ever could. You’ll learn:

- What a site visit actually is (and the different types: open, covert, internal, external)

- Why Google Maps alone won’t lead you down the right path

- Who really carries them out (hint: not James Bond)

- The legal, ethical, and safety lines every professional must respect

- Real-world case studies where on-the-ground verification exposed fraud, sanctions risk, and political associations

Whether you’re a compliance officer, investigator, or simply someone who loves a good “the truth is out there” story, this episode shows why boots on the ground still matter in a digital world.

🎧 Tune in to find out what’s really happening beyond the glossy reports and how one site visit can change everything.

Got your own field or site visit mystery? Share it with us and we might feature it in a future episode!

Resources and links:

https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/china-green-agricultures-imaginary-fertilizer-production-and-vanishing-cash-2014-10-01

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-04-26/wall-street-scion-lost-in-china-agritech-as-shorts-cry-scam-

https://toolkit.bii.co.uk/investment-cycle/cdc-guidance/site-visits/

https://legal.thomsonreuters.com/en/insights/articles/due-diligence-business-investigations-checklist

Sponsors

We’re proudly independent - but we partner with companies who share our passion for smarter due diligence and investigations.

A Data Pro turns global data into actionable intelligence. For over 26 years, we have helped decision-makers in risk, compliance, and communications with tailored solutions. Our three core divisions deliver measurable impact: Risk Intelligence strengthens compliance and KYC/AML programmes through due diligence, sanctions lists, UBO tracing, and PEP/SEP screening; Media Intelligence equips PR, marketing, and executives with insights on reputation, crises, competitors, influencers, and trends; and Data Solutions provide clean, structured data for automation and AI. With 500+ multilingual specialists across 80+ jurisdictions, we catch risks before they catch up to you—helping your business act confidently and proactively.

Find out more here - https://adata.pro/

Ground Truth Intelligence (GTI) is a platform designed to simplify third-party risk management. GTI solves the three core TPRM challenges: unclear program design, fragmented execution across multiple providers, and poor system integration. Their all-in-one platform handles everything from screening to deep-dive in-country investigations through one annual fee – supporting more consistent, transparent and efficient risk management. With coverage across 250+ jurisdictions and 2,500+ human intelligence sources, compliance and risk teams get the optimal blend of human insight and AI efficiency. Learn more at gtintel.io.

Follow us here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dddpodcast/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@duediligencedownload

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/duediligencedownload/

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your friends, family and colleagues who live and breathe ethics & compliance or just love a good investigative story.

More data doesn’t always mean better data. Or does it? In this episode of Due Diligence Download, Sylwia and Amritha dig into one of the biggest blind spots in compliance and investigations: figuring out which sources you can actually trust.

From Wirecard’s spectacular collapse to the hidden traps of relying only on structured data, we unpack the difference between numbers that look neat on paper and the messy reality and context you find in unstructured sources - emails, whistleblowers, local media, even social chatter. Along the way, we explore why misinformation and malinformation make the job harder, and the importance of combining technology with human judgment so as to turn raw data into real intelligence.

Tune in to find out how to spot the red flags at the end of the data rainbow. Got your own data sources war stories? Share them with us, and we might feature them in a future episode!

Resources & Links

https://www.ft.com/wirecard

https://hbr.org/2023/06/your-data-strategy-needs-to-include-everyone

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbooksauthors/2023/10/16/too-much-data-not-enough-insights/

https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/fca-fines-barclays-%C2%A372-million-poor-handling-financial-crime-risks

https://news.mit.edu/2018/study-twitter-false-news-travels-faster-true-stories-0308

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2019/10/16/what-is-unstructured-data-and-why-is-it-so-important-to-businesses-an-easy-explanation-for-anyone/

Sponsors

We’re proudly independent but we partner with companies that share our passion for smarter due diligence and investigations.

The Search Group- Every Decision Carries Risk. Managing it requires more than surface-level checks. At The Search Group (TSG), we deliver specialist due diligence and risk intelligence through a global network of expert hubs, combining deep local insight with global perspective. For over 15 years we have supported clients across 100+ jurisdictions with Compliance reviews, Pre-transaction due diligence,Investigations and Ethics advisory.Our tailored research transforms complexity into clarity and risk into opportunity – empowering confident, informed decisions. Discover how TSG can support your next big move at www.thesearchgroup.com.

Ground Truth Intelligence (GTI) is a platform designed to simplify third-party risk management. GTI solves the three core TPRM challenges: unclear program design, fragmented execution across multiple providers, and poor system integration. Their all-in-one platform handles everything from screening to deep-dive in-country investigations through one annual fee – supporting more consistent, transparent and efficient risk management. With coverage across 250+ jurisdictions and 2,500+ human intelligence sources, compliance and risk teams get the optimal blend of human insight and AI efficiency. Learn more at gtintel.io.

Follow us here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dddpodcast/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@duediligencedownload

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/duediligencedownload/

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your friends, family and colleagues who live and breathe ethics & compliance or just love a good investigative story.

Episode 1: The One on the complexity of names.

What’s in a name? More than you might think. In the very first episode of Due Diligence Download, Sylwia and Amritha pull back the curtain on one of the biggest—and most overlooked—challenges in corporate investigations: names.

From FBI indictments gone wrong, to the pitfalls of transliteration, to the cultural nuances of Arabic and Russian naming conventions, we explore why names can’t be taken at face value in compliance work. Plus, we look at how Natural Language Processing (NLP) and AI are reshaping the way investigators handle name-based searches.

Tune in to the full episode to uncover the stories behind names in investigations. Do you have stories of your own, thoughts, or questions on the topic? Share them with us - we would love to hear from you.

Resources & Links

https://www.occrp.org/en/news/us-imprisoned-head-of-a-bogus-un-agency-using-the-name-of-his-twin

https://howmany-ofme.com/

https://www.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=1867400 https://www.hyperscience.ai/resource/natural-language-processing/

https://www.icij.org/investigations/panama-papers/20160403-putin-russia-offshore-network/

https://www.occrp.org/en/project/the-troika-laundromat/sergei-roldugin

Sponsors:

We’re proudly independent - but we partner with companies who share our passion for smarter due diligence and investigations.

A Data Pro turns global data into actionable intelligence. For over 26 years, we have helped decision-makers in risk, compliance, and communications with tailored solutions. Our three core divisions deliver measurable impact: Risk Intelligence strengthens compliance and KYC/AML programmes through due diligence, sanctions lists, UBO tracing, and PEP/SEP screening; Media Intelligence equips PR, marketing, and executives with insights on reputation, crises, competitors, influencers, and trends; and Data Solutions provide clean, structured data for automation and AI. With 500+ multilingual specialists across 80+ jurisdictions, we catch risks before they catch up to you—helping your business act confidently and proactively.

Find out more here - https://adata.pro/

Every Decision Carries Risk. Managing it requires more than surface-level checks. At The Search Group (TSG), we deliver specialist due diligence and risk intelligence through a global network of expert hubs, combining deep local insight with global perspective. For over 15 years we have supported clients across 100+ jurisdictions with Compliance reviews, Pre-transaction due diligence,Investigations and Ethics advisory.Our tailored research transforms complexity into clarity and risk into opportunity – empowering confident, informed decisions.

Discover how TSG can support your next big move at www.thesearchgroup.com.

Follow us here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dddpodcast/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@duediligencedownload

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/duediligencedownload/

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your friends, family and colleagues who live and breathe ethics & compliance or just love a good investigative story.

Due Diligence Download is the newest independent podcast for Risk and Compliance professionals. Hosted by two seasoned female industry experts, the engaging conversations focus on corporate investigations and DD. The show is full of stories, case studies, research and investigation techniques, industry secrets, and gaps no one else talks about. And admittedly, quite a few jokes and puns.

Due Diligence Download demystifies complex processes and busts industry myths in a light and accessible way.

Compliance Pros- it’s your new favourite weekly podcast!