What is due diligence in the UK?
Exercising due diligence in the UK means investigating a business or individual before agreeing terms or entering into a transaction with them. For example, businesses conduct due diligence in order to make sure that money exchanging hands with a new partner or customer is clean, by finding out more about the new partner/customer’s identity and finances. In some cases, due diligence in the UK is a legal obligation and necessary for avoiding liability for criminal offences such as money laundering.
Other forms of due diligence are when schools carry out criminal records checks of potential new employees, and when a fiancé conducts a background check on his or her future spouse.
Specific examples of due diligence include checking passports and driving licences, doing company searches, monitoring risks based on customers’ previous behaviour, DBS checks and background checks.
What happens if you don’t conduct due diligence in the UK?
Businesses risk making bad investments if they don’t conduct due diligence in the UK. Businesses and individuals could become the victims of fraud or identity theft if they don’t conduct due diligence on the persons or companies they are dealing with. A fiancé might end up inadvertently marrying a serial killer, and a school might end up employing someone with previous convictions or cautions for sexual or violent offences.
Furthermore, not conducting due diligence in the UK is effectively a criminal offence in a lot of cases. If you are ignorant about your customer, client or partner because you haven’t carried out due diligence, and end up handling or transferring the proceeds of crime, ignorance is no defence to a money laundering charge.
How can Global Investigations help with due diligence in the UK?
Private investigators like Global Investigations are due diligence specialists by definition. They can advise on and carry out background checks, criminal records checks, financial checks and investigations, identity enquiries and enhanced due diligence. Their work benefits from decades of experience and training, and they use a variety of skills, contacts and technological support to provide you with complete piece of mind about your prospective partner, customer, client or employee.
Contact Global Investigations if you need assistance in this area.