21st April 2026

TIMING

 COURSE CODE

AP21B6

SPEAKER

Dr Stephen Hill

OBJECTIVES 

In today's interconnected world, financial professionals are increasingly tasked with due diligence, fraud detection, and risk assessment. Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) provides a powerful toolkit for gathering and analysing publicly available information, enabling accountants to enhance their investigations and make more informed decisions. This session will demystify OSINT, offering practical techniques and tools to navigate the digital landscape effectively. We'll explore how to leverage publicly accessible data to uncover hidden connections, verify information, and mitigate potential risks in the surface, deep and dark web.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to effectively utilize search engines, social media platforms, public records, and other online resources
• Discover how to verify the legitimacy of clients, suppliers, and business partners
• Beyond Google - master key OSINT techniques and tools
• Identify red flags and potential fraudulent activities through online research
• Understand legal and ethical implications

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

  Accountants (auditors, forensic, tax, analysts), Compliance/Due Diligence/Risk Professionals, and anyone in finance wanting to improve online research skills.

TOPICS

• The Business Impact of OSINT: Understanding how OSINT drives competitive advantage, due diligence, and risk assessment
• Advanced Search Strategies: Moving beyond basic search engines to utilise specialised tools and techniques for targeted information retrieval
• Social Media Intelligence: Extracting valuable insights from social platforms for market research, reputation management, and threat detection
• Deep Web Exploration: Navigating the deep web to access hidden data and uncover valuable intelligence.
• Public Databases and Archives: Utilising government records, open data initiatives, and archival resources for comprehensive research
• OSINT for Due Diligence and Discovery: Applying OSINT techniques to verify information, conduct background checks, and support legal proceedings
• Online Identity Protection: Implementing best practices for secure browsing, anonymity, and data privacy during OSINT investigations

VENUE

This course will be available live online. You will be emailed the link to join two days before the course date.

DISTRICT

All

COURSE FEE

£110+VAT. (click here for information on the Flexiticket discount scheme - fees as low as £64.00+VAT per place).