Case Studies

The economics of counterfeiting

When most people think of counterfeits we think of cheap athletic shoes, fake leather handbags, and knock-off luxury watches. This perception is about to change, however, as fake goods have taken a turn for the serious. The big deal is that counterfeits are no longer just about profit losses for a few companies. They are about some of the largest issues we have to deal with today -- issues like trust in corporations, public health & safety, and globalization.

Theft of company equipment in southern China

A large international software manufacturer approached PSA to carry out a fraud investigation on their behalf. An unknown person had exploited a procedural weakness in the company’s warranty program, enabling him to steal some computer equipment from their operation in Southern China.

Investigating fraud in China

A major multinational bank invested about US$200 million in a bridge and highway construction project in the southern Chinese province of Guangxi. As the scope of the project was rather ambitious, the construction was divided into five separate phases with companies invited to bid on each phase. The bank hired a project management agency to oversee the bidding and manage the project to completion. In total, 15 companies were deemed to qualified to bid on the various phases of the project. The lowest bidders for each phase were then selected.

Company and individual background checks in China

A European risk consultancy company, working on behalf of their China-based client, tasked PSA to help conduct a background check. Their client wanted to rent a significant amount of office space from a local real estate firm, the staff and CEO of which were largely foreign nationals. The deal brokered and the accompanying services offered by the firm appeared to be very attractive. Before entering into a contract, however, the client asked PSA to provide more information on the real estate firm’s history.

Dealing with governments on sensitive issues

A large multinational client approached PSA with a particularly tricky problem. It had a sensitive and widely misunderstood product that it was hoping to test in a Southeast Asian country. The testing, which had to take place in each individual country where the company operated, was absolutely essential. Without it, the government would not approve the product for commercial sale. And if the testing was successful, the approved product would significantly boost the local economy in one particularly vulnerable sector.

Operating in challenging environments

The client had been hired to supply, install, and maintain millions of dollars' worth of alternative energy equipment in a project that had financial backing from two different governments. The problem: after examining all options, the best location for the space-hungry project was the island of Mindanao, where leftist and Muslim rebels are active.

Managing complex site challenges

Some clients' security concerns extend far beyond the factory wall. PSA's decades of combined experience in the military, intelligence, investigations, law enforcement, and community/government relations can ensure that clients' most far-reaching security problems stay under control.

Dealing with extortion threats in the Philippines

The president of a major multinational corporation in the Philippines received a letter demanding a large sum of money in annual revolutionary taxes. The letter claimed to be from a well-known armed communist movement and included a thinly veiled threat to the president if payment were not received. Threatening phone calls soon followed.

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