The art of surveillance

Date: 28/4/2006
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Corporate fraud has become a familiar term in the last several years, and fraud or employee theft can - and at some point usually will - affect a business of any size. In response, many companies are using investigation agencies and high-tech gadgets to defend their assets.

Veritas Investigations, a Duluth-based agency that has been in business for 14 years, is one of the companies at the forefront in helping businesses fight back. Whether it's fraud, liability issues, worker's compensation or copyright infringement, Veritas uses old-fashioned gumshoe tactics to get the information it needs.

"Most people, when they hear ?private investigator,' have no idea what we do," says Kim Gilliam, owner and president of Veritas. "Surveillance is 50 percent of our business, if not more. Our business is basically white collar crime. We do whatever we have to, to get that information."

For many companies, the new trend in information-gathering is having an undercover investigator pose as a new employee.

"One thing we do here that is catching on, is we'll take one of my employees and we will put them into a manufacturing environment as an employee for whatever reason - a drug problem, a work-related accident, or employee theft," Gilliam says. "He will be given a job where he is able to roam the entire plant."

Veritas has five full-time employees, and subcontractors all over the country. The company, which launched in 1991, is licensed in five southern states, and works heavily with grocery store chains - and even professional sports teams. In that capacity, an investigator will routinely go to sporting games to spy on vendors to make sure they're not supplying the public with knock-offs or black market merchandise. Criminal and background screenings on potential new hires is another facet of the company's offerings.

Spying on employees, customers, vendors - or anyone else for that matter - isn't just for the professionals. Some businesses opt for the do-it-yourself route instead of hiring an investigator. Companies like Buford-based Spyderbase, a spy equipment company, helps them with the gadgets they need to get the information they crave.

"You can spend hundreds or thousands," says Robert Poulson, Spyderbase manager."It depends on the degree that you want to invest. The more you spend, the more you're going to find out."

Spyderbase operates out of a warehouse while awaiting the completion of its storefront, which is being built on Friendship Road in Buford. Formerly called Spy Supply, the store was based in Duluth near Gwinnett Place Mall but closed a little less than two years ago. Now, business is run on an appointment-only basis.

"We get spouses that are in divorces, business owners that want to watch their inventory and homeowners who want to be sure their homes are safe," Poulson says. "It used to be you could leave your doors open and nothing would happen. The way society is changing, more and more security is needed for protection or the knowledge you are protected."

The latest technology is digital video recorders (DVRs). They allow remote access via the Internet to review security tapes. Spy finders are also popular. These gadgets detect if there are hidden cameras in your surroundings or if illegal "bugs" are tapped in your house.

Aside from helping businesses, Spyderbase has a large retail base. "Nanny cams" and custom-built hidden cameras are popular with their customers.

"We've done air fresheners and smoke detectors," Poulson says. "Just about anything a camera can fit in, we've done it."

One gadget Gilliam can't live without is the Internet.

"With the Internet, it's amazing what we can do from our homes or offices. It has helped our business tremendously, because if I need to find out tax liens, it's a click of a mouse button versus going downtown."

Although the need for security and surveillance is keeping these types of businesses in business, a downturn in the economy can sometimes spell trouble for this industry.

"I've always considered what we do for businesses as a luxury, other than employee screening," Gilliam says. "Every time the economy takes a dive it concerns me. When the economy dives we see a downturn in our revenue."

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