How We Work – Sentinel Due Diligence

⚡ Quick Summary – How We Work at a Glance

                One‑time fee: No retainers. You pay once for a complete report.

                Human‑verified: Every report is signed off by a licensed investigator.

                Secure delivery: Ephemeral, time‑bound portal with identity verification.

                Clean slate policy: Your case data is deleted after delivery – only de‑identified intelligence is retained.

                Your Early Warning System: If we uncover illegal activity, we are legally required to report it – but we will notify you first, where legally permitted, so there are no surprises.

🧠 Why Most Firms Leave You Hanging – And We Don't

Most due diligence firms charge you thousands in unpredictable hourly fees, dump a heap of raw data in your inbox, and tell you to "make up your own mind." That leaves you with liability, confusion, and no clear path forward.

❌ Typical Firms

💸 Hourly billing that balloons
📦 Raw data dumps (no analysis)
🔄 Keep your data forever (breach risk)
🤷 "You decide what it means"

✅ Sentinel Due Diligence

💰 One fixed fee – no surprises
📋 Decision-ready report (clear verdict)
🧹 Data deleted – hackers get nothing
🎯 "Here is the risk – here is your next step"

⚡ You don't pay us to collect data. You pay us to tell you what to do with it.

1. Initial Contact

You reach out to us via email, phone, or our secure contact form. We will:

Acknowledge your enquiry within 24 hours.
Understand your needs – what you need to know and why.
Assess whether we can help and whether there are any conflicts of interest.
Explain our process, fees, and answer any initial questions.

            🔒 Confidentiality from the start: Your enquiry is treated as strictly confidential. We do not share your interest with anyone, including the party you are investigating.
        

2. Engagement & Payment

Once you decide to proceed, we will:

Provide a fixed‑fee quote – no hourly billing, no surprises.
Collect a pre‑registered mobile number and Security Code / Trigger Word for identity verification.
Receive payment via bank transfer or credit card.
Formally commence the investigation.

            💰 One‑time fee – no retainers: We do not hold retainers or ongoing fees. You pay once, you receive your report. No hidden costs, no monthly bills.
        

3. Investigation

Our investigation is thorough, evidence‑based, and human‑verified. It may include:

Public records search: ASIC, ABN Lookup, PPSR, court records, insolvency notices.
Commercial intelligence: Credit reports, director histories, and linked entities.
Open‑source intelligence (OSINT): Media, social media, and publicly available online information.
AI‑assisted pre‑search: We use AI tools to scan for red flags, but every finding is reviewed and verified by a licensed investigator.
Liquidator and regulator checks: Where relevant, we check for ATO proof of debt, liquidator reports, and ASIC enforcement actions.

            🤖 AI‑assisted, human‑verified: Our AI tools are a starting point – not the final word. Every report is personally reviewed, verified, and signed off by a licensed financial investigator. You receive a decision‑ready report you can trust.
        

4. Report Delivery

Your report is delivered via our Ephemeral Delivery Protocol – a secure, time‑bound portal designed to protect your data.

Secure portal: You receive a unique link to access your report.
Time‑bound access: The file is only accessible during the download session – the timer does not start on login, but only when you click to download.
Identity verification: Access requires your pre‑registered mobile number and Security Code / Trigger Word.
Three attempts: You have three verification attempts – after which the link locks permanently.
Immediate deletion: Once you download the report, it is immediately and permanently deleted from our servers. We retain no copy.

            📱 Ephemeral Delivery Protocol:

            Your report is delivered via a secure, time‑bound portal. The file is only accessible during the download session – the timer does not start on login, but only when you click to download. This gives you time to review the portal without pressure, while ensuring the file is not left exposed.

            Access requires a pre‑registered mobile number collected before engagement. You have three verification attempts – after which the link locks permanently. If digital access is lost, we verify your identity using a pre‑agreed Security Code/Trigger Word.

            Once the report is downloaded, it is immediately and permanently deleted from our servers. We retain no copy. We delete it from our servers so hackers can never find it. To keep your copy safe, we strongly recommend saving it to your internal secure drive. We do not retain any backup or copy—once deleted, it is permanently unrecoverable. It simply does not exist on our systems, ensuring that no hacker, employee, or external party can ever access your data after delivery.

5. Clean Slate – Data Deletion

We believe in storing only what we are legally required to keep. Once your report is delivered, we follow our Clean Slate Policy:

Case‑specific investigative files: Permanently and securely deleted from our active systems.
Proprietary intelligence database: De‑identified intelligence (ABNs, business names, patterns) is retained permanently to protect future clients from repeat offenders. Your name and specific findings are never linked to this database.
Financial invoices: Retained for 7.5 years for tax and audit compliance, then securely deleted.

            🧹 Clean Slate Policy: Your sensitive investigation data does not linger on our systems. We protect your privacy by design – not by accident.
        

6. Aftercare & Support

After you receive your report, we remain available to:

Answer questions about the report and our findings.
Provide referrals to trusted legal or regulatory professionals if you need to take further action.
Assist with reporting to the ATO, ASIC, or other authorities if needed – provided you quote your pre‑arranged Security Code / Trigger Word for identity verification.

We do not charge for reasonable follow‑up questions – we believe in standing by our work.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the questions we hear most often.

🔐 What if my download link expires or I get locked out?

Unless the report has been downloaded, your account stays active. If the link expires, it's as simple as giving us a call—just have your Security Code / Trigger Word handy for identity verification, and we'll refresh it immediately. We never charge extra for link refreshes—it's part of our service.

📄 Can I share the report with my lawyer, accountant, or board?

Absolutely. You are free to share the report with anyone you choose, for any reason. It's yours after delivery. We don't restrict how you use your intelligence. We only ask that you respect confidentiality when sharing.

🧾 What about my invoice and payment records?

We keep invoices and payment records for 7.5 years as required by law. This information contains nothing relating to the investigation itself—only engagement dates and payment amounts. Your sensitive findings are never linked to your billing information.

🔍 What if the investigation finds nothing wrong?

You always get the paid‑for report. Whether we uncover red flags or give you a clean bill of health, you receive a formal, signed PDF report confirming our findings. The truth is valuable either way—and it's still deleted from our servers after delivery.

👥 Can my CFO, adviser, or lawyer engage you on my behalf?

Yes, you are free to have a third‑party engage us on your behalf; however, we must have written consent from the initiating party before we can proceed. This ensures we always know exactly who we are working for and protects your confidentiality.

⏱️ How long does an investigation typically take?

General turnaround depends on the investigation depth, as outlined in our three packages (detailed in your engagement letter). For minor engagements, we typically deliver within 3 business days. More complex cases are scoped individually—so there are no surprises.

💬 Still have questions? Contact us – we're here to help.

⚖️ Our Ethical Obligations

Mandatory Reporting – Our Duty to Warn You First

By law, we are required to report certain illegal activities.

If during an investigation we uncover evidence of illegal phoenix activity, tax evasion, fraud, or other criminal conduct, we are legally obligated to report this to the relevant authorities – including the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), ASIC, or the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

This obligation applies even if the illegal activity is uncovered during work for a client. Our duty to the law overrides any confidentiality agreement.

            ⚖️ Our Commitment: While we are legally required to report serious misconduct, we will never blindside you. If we uncover a red flag, we pause, notify you immediately, and give you the opportunity to seek independent legal advice before any regulatory step is taken.
        

Our Promise to You

Confidentiality: Your interest, findings, and any information you share with us are never shared with the investigated party.
Independence: We are not advocates for any party. We gather facts and present them honestly.
Integrity: We do not take on two firms that are investigating each other – your loyalty is our priority.
Transparency: You will always know where you stand. If we find a red flag, we will tell you within 24 hours before we take further action.

            🔐 Personal sign‑off: Every report produced by Sentinel Due Diligence is personally reviewed, verified, and signed off by a licensed financial investigator. You receive a decision‑ready report you can trust.
        

Disclaimer: This page provides a general overview of our process and does not constitute legal advice. For legal advice, you should consult a qualified Australian legal practitioner.

⚙️ How We Work