Rapid Screen
Approx. 48 hoursDigital footprint, historical DNS/WHOIS, Wayback check, red flag summary. Early-stage vetting.
Forensic due diligence · Australia
Know who you’re really dealing with.
We investigate the digital footprint, historical records and human history behind a business — before you acquire, partner, supply or invest.
Australian-owned. Confidential. Evidence-led.
The problem
The paperwork can look clean. The history rarely is.
Phoenix operators and sham transactions survive on surface-level compliance. Directors change, trading names stay the same, assets move quietly, online histories get erased. Traditional checks miss it — because the records look fine until you cross-check them against each other.
What we do
We deliver the report and everything behind it.
Registry extracts. Archived captures. Certificate logs. Screenshots. Interview notes. Every finding traceable to its source, so nothing has to be taken on trust.
If a finding cannot be supported by something in the evidence pack, we do not report it as a finding. If the record is clean, we say so — with the same rigour we apply when it isn’t.
01 — Corporate
Registry history
ASIC, ABR, director networks, prior entities
02 — Digital
Infrastructure
SSL, DNS, WHOIS history, subdomains, hosting
03 — Archived
What sites used to say
Wayback captures of erased or rewritten content
04 — Open source
Public footprint
Social media, listings, court records, media
05 — Human
Discreet interviews
Former staff, contractors and suppliers
06 — Physical
Corroboration
CCTV, imagery, licensed investigators where warranted
07 — Delivery
Complete evidence pack
Every document behind every finding
08 — Retention
Nothing kept
Destroyed on your confirmation of receipt
Reports
Three levels. Scoped to the decision.
Standard Investigation
Approx. 5–7 daysFull OSINT, archived web analysis, imagery corroboration, 2–3 discreet interviews.
Enhanced Due Diligence
Approx. 10–14 daysEverything in Standard, plus deeper entity mapping, jurisdiction review and extended intelligence.
Who we serve
For decision-makers who cannot afford surprises.
M&A & private equity
Pre-acquisition and pre-investment checks where reputation, control and history matter.
Franchisors
Vet prospective franchisees and avoid brand damage from phoenix or sham operators.
Procurement & suppliers
Understand who is really behind a supplier before contracts, credit or continuity risk is accepted.
Legal & insolvency
Support counsel, insolvency practitioners and advisors with forensic public-record intelligence.
“I was weeks away from buying another studio. The seller had never mentioned the debt — the business was carrying far more than the asking price suggested. Sentinel found it before I signed anything. I walked away.”
MariaWeb design business owner · Acquisition enquiry
Confidential enquiry
Before you sign, know the history.
Tell us what you are assessing. We will confirm scope, timing and the most appropriate investigation level.
Send a Confidential Enquiry[email protected]