Brand Protection – IBIS Anti-Counterfeit Task Force:
IBIS has hundreds of brand names and thousands of items in its evidence lockers or scheduled for destruction.
Production of counterfeit or diverted products has become more than a cottage industry. It is burgeoning multi-national business, safer than drug trafficking, more profitable than arms, and with no money laundering problems.
Few Security and Brand Protection departments are tasked with directly attacking and destroying the source of the counterfeit product. Most eke out only enough budget to arrest street vendors and seize a few dozen knock-offs while leaving the off-shore factories; importers of container loads; and warehouses full of goods, strictly alone.
If you want to protect your brand, you must attack the source and cut off the head, not just occasionally irritate a few street vendors.
IBIS Anti Counterfeit Task Force:
• Identifies the manufacturers and distributors wherever they are in the
world
• Gathers evidence in a form suitable for use in court in the foreign jurisdiction;
• Gathers evidence for use in the courts in our client’s marketing areas so as to
prevent or
hinder the continued sale of the counterfeit products;
• Liaises with, assists and motivates the foreign civil authority, the police and
attorneys in each
jurisdiction;
• Plans, orchestrates and executes the apprehension, seizure of equipment
and seizure of assets;
• Implements the freezing of the manufacturer's corporate and personal assets
and bank
accounts by way of civil recovery for our client's damages.
Your marketing and your profits are on the side of the counterfeiter. As a legitimate manufacturer, you need IBIS today!
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Computer Forensics and Document Management:
In fraud and influence peddling investigations, critical data can often be found in computer files and E-mails of the perpetrators. The vast amount of data, documents, e-mails etc. from all the hard drives, PDA’s etc. then has to be collated, managed, sorted and individual items quickly retrieved for presentation to Courts, opposing Counsel etc.
In many cases, attempts to erase the damning evidence data only makes it easier for an IBIS specialist to identify the information.
IBIS technicians are highly skilled and experienced forensic engineers who can find a needle in the haystack and recreate critical events and answer the critical questions concerning computer data surrounding the issues in your case.
• State-of-the-art proprietary mirror imaging to preserve the integrity of
evidence;
• Data Mining to locate crucial evidence;
• Secure chain-of-custody procedures to ensure the admissibility of the
resulting evidence;
We are available to give expert testimony. We can prepare and present our forensic findings to the judge, the jury, foreign bank regulators or others at your direction to help you win your case.
IBIS provides complete Document Management Services for entities involved in litigation.
IBIS will act for either party or as a neutral document repository and document manager for both parties and the court.
In some case an accounting firm or a law firm is appointed as custodian and IBIS acts under the custodians auspices.
IBIS acts as an unbiased secure document repository and keeps all electronic and paper
documents secure and secret.
Under consent, or court order, IBIS acquires the hard drives, portable media and paper, organizes and catalogs thedocuments, performs such comprehensive searches as are from time to time required, applies filters as agreed by theparties or ordered by the court and supplies electronic or paper documents to either or both parties as directed.
IBIS can also set up separate secure document databases for the parties to access on line in doing their preparation, so that each party can search the specific data and documents to which they are entitled.
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Tac-Intel & Security in hostile areas:
IBIS has been in the counter-terrorism business a very long time.
When the original concept that became IBIS Corporation was born in 1976, our very first assignment was the protection of an airline hangar and flight simulator for an international airline. It grew into security at six international airports, including pre-flight screening; then security at a NATO base routinely used by aircraft carrying nuclear weapons.
At one of our stations our security personnel were the first point of contact for defectors who arrived from Soviet Bloc countries on a weekly basis.
IBIS has counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency force protection operations in Iraq and many other trouble spots worldwide.
Executive Protection: IBIS protects Government Officials, Politicians, Heads of State, CEOS of multinational corporations and rock stars;
Kidnap, Ransom and Extortion Negotiations, and operational plans for recovery and evacuation or “bug-out” routes. IBIS has highly classified evacuation routes and safe houses in place for executives and their families in several politically unstable countries;
TAC-INTEL (HUMINT): IBIS has real people “on-the-ground” in over 45 countries, in unsettled areas we can provide verifiable relevant information concerning active and potential terrorist organizations, insurgent threats, and other information on threats in countries where our clients want to do business;
24 Hour Hot-Line Services: Rapid Reaction Forces; Drivers, Local Support and Security as well as Cross Cultural Training for persons traveling to or working in potentially hostile environments.
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Crisis Response: extortion, kidnapping, terrorism:
IBIS has handled and prevented crises and critical incidents all over the world. We are in the problem solving business.
IBIS handles all requests in a professional, diligent matter. No IBIS operative is ever dispatched to any foreign locale without an understanding of local laws, customs and practices, and liaison with local IBIS field operatives or resource personnel.
The most common calls concerning current & potential crises that IBIS responds to are:
“X” has happened, we are in imminent danger!” or “Our people are being
threatened.”
IBIS responds to cases in which someone is threatening your operations, or is threatening to harm, kidnap, (or has already kidnapped), an employee or a family member.
“We need to get our people out of that country- Now!” IBIS can prepare and implement an emergency evacuation route with safe houses for executives and their families to wait out a temporary breakdown of the civil authority until they can be evacuated.
“I travel and work abroad. I am very concerned about terrorism and being kidnapped.” IBIS will draft, review, amend, and test an Executive Protection Plan and the Security Plan for facilities abroad. IBIS provides cross-cultural training, which includes how to avoid being kidnapped, and how to act if you are. IBIS will provide protective services for your plant, assets, and people just about anywhere in the world.
“We don’t really know what would happen in the event of an emergency or critical incident at one of our facilities.”
IBIS personnel will draft, review, amend, and test your plant Critical Incident Response Plan and the Plant Evacuation Plan by themselves or as part of a Security Survey. We can assist you to put a Crisis Prevention plan in place that will prevent many incidents from occurring in the first place.
For many clients, IBIS has specific crisis plans in place which take into account the client’s specific circumstances and area of operations. They provide for IBIS Crisis Response Personnel to be on the ground, often in a matter of hours to protect assets, protect lives and to discreetly and efficiently resolve any situation.
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Praedial Larceny Task Force:
From the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia to the Fruit Estates of the Caribbean, from the cattle ranches of South America to the farms of Central Africa to the Orchid cultivation areas of South East Asia, IBIS Corporation is a world leader in the international battle against Praedial Larceny.
IBIS Corporation knows the devastation that Praedial Larceny gangs can cause to individual farmers, to an entire industry and to the economy of a region or an entire country.
IBIS understands that often the gangs are well organized and have powerful, organized, international criminal support. To combat this growing worldwide problem, IBIS has proprietary praedial larceny countermeasures plans which are designed to strike at the heart of the problem, and not only arrest the low level thieves who are the foot soldiers, but to arrest and seize the assets of the wealthy criminals who make their living preying on farmers and fruit growers.
IBIS assistance is designed to be smoothly integrated into our agricultural client's existing security plans and to augment measures already in place.Depending upon the specific circumstances IBIS will field specially trained security personnel to provide the entire security function, or to assist and train our client's existing security force. In many situations IBIS support personnel will put in place a variety of covert state-of-the-art electronic personnel detection devices, and other technical aids. IBIS "air operations" use every conceivable mode of transport from fixed wing to rotary wing, to ultra lights to UAV’S to capture the thieves.
Simultaneously, other IBIS personnel gather intelligence concerning the identities of the bosses and corporate entities profiting from the larceny, identify their methods and income streams, and using both civil and criminal remedies reduce the problem to insignificant controllable levels.
If your agriculture based company or your region or country is suffering from the effects of Praedial Larceny contact us. We would be happy to discuss how we can help.
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IT and AML Assessments:
IBIS IT Audits are usually pro-active, when clients want a threat assessment for their computer systems. IT Audits include:
System-wide computer intrusion analysis and review;
Social engineering vulnerability assessment including an examination of hiring practices for
high level password holders;
Assessment of procedural weaknesses that could lower resistance to attack;
Interviews with specific personnel who have access to the system at various password levels;
Physical security survey relating to access to the computer, servers and systems.
Note: IBIS IT audits do not include running programs on your system, any physical or electronic technical manipulation of your servers, or making pseudo intrusion attacks on your network in the first instance.
Such methods may be put in use, but only after IBIS technical personnel have done an initial review and made a preliminary diagnosis.
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Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Assessments:
IBIS can audit an existing AML Program, or set up an AML program from scratch.
Issues we examine include:
Regulations, policies and practices in the jurisdiction: This includes liaison with local government and central bank regulators:
Existing Compliance Program: IBIS audits all facets of the existing compliance program taking into account the legal and regulatory requirements of the jurisdiction(s) in which the financial institution and its branches operate.
Social Engineering: We compare the policies and procedures in place to the practices that are followed in day to day business.
Suspicious Transactions: This includes “Shell Banks” “Politically Exposed persons” and other client issues.
Know your Customer: Identification and verification of customers including information collection procedures and updates to that information and what the normal and expected transactions for that customer are.
Due Diligence: The risk-based assessment of the financial institution’s customers and levels of due diligence in place for heightened risk customers.
Reportable Transactions: We look at the policies, procedures and practices regarding reportable transactions, cash transactions, lists of designated persons and procedures of correspondent banks.
Monitoring Program: To determine reasons for significant exceptions to the customer’s expected transactions.
Record Retention and Records Security: We examine the policies and procedures in place regarding records.
Branches and Subsidiaries: We examine the policies, procedures and practices in place with respect to branches and subsidiaries in the home jurisdiction and in other countries.
AML Training: We look at the training in place for all levels of staff from customer service representatives, back office staff and management.
IT AML Audit: A system wide review from an AML perspective
Physical security survey: relating to access to the financial institution its computers, premises,
and facilities.
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Worldwide QC audits, specification & compliance testing:
Quality Control:
Essentially what IBIS does is maintain Quality Control on behalf of our clients, ensure that product specifications are being adhered to and that production timelines are being met.
Quality Control – Not Obstruction:
IBIS recognizes the difference between obstructing production with unnecessary procedures and our obligation to protect our client’s interest by maintaining strict quality control and insisting on contract and production schedule adherence.
Initial Verification of Production Capability and Scheduling:
IBIS assesses the production facility to ensure that that the facility is capable of producing the required units per month and that their workers have the skill sets to do so.
Pre Production Inspections Include:
• Employees on site
• Skill Sets of production staff
• Management expertise
• Equipment and Machinery on site
• Structure of the facility
• Potential Labor or regulatory issues
• Quality Control Systems in place
• Work flow, production scheduling and document control
Actual Capacity vs. Theoretical Capacity:
IBIS also verifies actual capacity. The factory may have a theoretical capacity of 200 units per month, but if our client has ordered 100 units per month and the factory is already committed to producing 125 units per month for other customers, the real capacity is only 75 units and a shortfall could impact our client.
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Permits, Licensing, Export Restrictions, IP Issues:
IBIS verifies that the producer’s licensing requirements are in force and that there are no export restrictions or other issues with the product, intellectual property or technology transfer, the industry, the area to which the product is being exported, or the particular producer. IBIS reports on issues that could potentially impact on the producer being able to supply the product to the client or export the product to the client’s country in accordance to the contract and LC conditions.
IBIS Team Approach:
Skilled, experienced Quality Control personnel, including engineers and other experts in the particular field being examined carry out in depth inspections and report their findings. We operate in more than 40 countries.
We can and do draw on many forms of expertise, wherever and whenever the situation requires it. IBIS frequently uses outside experts to examine specific technical issues. IBIS has one of the most a highly effective and diligent inspection services operating anywhere. We speak most languages.
Skilled, experienced Quality Control personnel, including engineers and other experts in the particular field being examined carry out in depth inspections and report their findings. We operate in more than 40 countries.
We can and do draw on many forms of expertise, wherever and whenever the situation requires it. IBIS frequently uses outside experts to examine specific technical issues. IBIS has one of the most a highly effective and diligent inspection services operating anywhere. We speak most languages.
Supply Chain Monitoring:
We inspect, monitor and verify the producer’s entire supply chain to ensure that the suppliers adhere to the production schedule and Quality Assurance standards. IBIS assesses the Supply chain to verify that the components will be available and in the hands of the producer on time to assemble the unit(s). For example, no matter how credible the producer, if the producer cannot obtain a necessary component because of a problem with a supplier, or if a supplier is shipping defective components and the producer has insufficient inventory and no second source for that component, then the entire production schedule breaks down.
Timely Reporting:
IBIS files timely comprehensive reports with the client, and notifies the client immediately if there are any critical issues which threaten the successful completion of the contact within specifications and on time.
Production Quality Control and Timeline Monitoring:
IBIS monitors production at each stage and carries out inspections in order to maintain production Quality Control and ensure that production timelines are met. The supplier’s production schedule is monitored to ensure that the schedule continues to be valid and that it allows the units to be manufactured, assembled, inspected and shipped to meet the required timeline.
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Financial Controls:
IBIS recognizes that LC’S are designed to prevent financial abuses; however LC’S are increasingly prone to manipulation and fraud.
Unfortunately, some producers will obtain a large deposit, with interim LC openings, and actually ship 75% (+/-), of the order but never intend to ship the last 25% of the units. This fraud typically results in the per unit price being artificially inflated by 10% to 15% and, of course, a shortfall.
IBIS currently has financial protection and anti-fraud plans in place where the producer’s use of the client’s production funds is closely monitored to verify that client funds are used for the production of the client’s units and not otherwise.
 Specification Monitoring:
Typically units also have a particular set of specifications particular to the customer. For example in a current IBIS inspection project, a large military customer required that there be 40 cm clearance road surface to bottom of the lowest point on the frame; as opposed to the 24 cm clearance on standard models.
If delivery schedules are to be met, then any problems with the clearance issue must be detected before the entire unit is assembled. Among the inspections IBIS carried out included an inspection when the chassis was assembled to ensure that the clearance met the minimum, but did not exceed a maximum clearance, to ensure stability of the unit was maintained. Other specifications unique to the order are verified at each step in the production schedule.
Benchmark Verification:
Numerous benchmarks are established and timely inspections carried out to ensure that production is on schedule, specifications are being adhered to, and the commitment of the contracted number of units per month can and will be met.
Evaluation of “Extras”:
Many orders generate extras part way through production. A technical advance may occur, the producer may offer an enhancement, or the client may request a change in their specifications after their evaluation of the first units. IBIS ensures that any changes or extras are properly applied to subsequent units before shipping.
Adherence to Contract and Testing:
IBIS tests components to verify that the contract is being adhered to: For example where a particular level of armoring is specified, IBIS randomly selects armor being applied for laboratory testing to ensure it is of the strength specified in the contract.
Final Inspection and Shipping Verification:
Following QC inspections at various steps in the process, the units are be given a final inspection, the shipping of the correct number of units with the correct specifications is verified and certified by IBIS and reported to the client.
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 Shipping and Insurance:
IBIS physically ensures that the products are loaded into the container(s) and handed off to the carrier prior to our client opening the final installment on the LC. IBIS also verifies with the insurance carrier that the producer’s insurance is valid and sufficient to protect the client in case of loss.
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