Open Source Fraud Intelligence

Nightwatch Intelligence

Practical and Written Assessments

Included in course price

This course provides comprehensive training in open-source intelligence techniques for professionals working in fraud investigation, customer verification, due diligence, and compliance. Learners gain practical expertise that can be applied immediately in operational roles.

The course content covers:

• Foundation and operational security: Understanding OSINT principles, legal frameworks, VPNs, virtual machines, and methodologies for protecting identity whilst conducting intelligence gathering.
• Advanced search techniques: Mastering search syntax to discover exposed documents and databases, using specialised search engines, and recovering deleted content from cached and archived sources
• Organisation research: Comprehensive methodologies for investigating companies, charities, and corporate structures, including director information, ownership mapping, and identifying fraud indicators
• Primary key investigation: Extracting intelligence from email addresses, phone numbers, and usernames; checking credentials against breach databases; and linking identities across platforms
• Social media intelligence (SOCMINT): Platform-specific investigation techniques for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, TikTok, forums, and community platforms; identifying fake profiles and inauthentic behaviour; using automated monitoring tools
• Image and video analysis: Reverse image search, detecting manipulated images and stock photography, and analysing content for location indicators and authenticity verification
• The Intelligence Cycle: Learning the professional intelligence framework used by counter-fraud teams, including translating requirements into actionable intelligence, creating structured collection plans, applying analytical techniques (timeline analysis, link analysis), and using visualisation tools
• Recording and documentation: Professional methodologies for capturing screenshots, archiving evidence, maintaining audit trails, and writing reports that meet evidential standards

Throughout the course, learners complete hands-on assignments including comprehensive website investigations, building intelligence profiles on companies and conducting full intelligence cycle investigations using realistic fraud scenarios.

This programme is for anyone who needs to conduct digital research, verify information online, or investigate suspected fraud using open-source methods. It is particularly relevant for teams handling identity verification, due diligence, fraud investigation, and compliance monitoring where understanding digital footprints and online activity is critical.

This includes:

• Counter-fraud and financial crime investigation teams
• Customer verification, KYC and AML staff
• Due diligence and risk assessment professionals
• Trading Standards and regulatory enforcement teams
• Law enforcement and civilian investigators
• Compliance and audit teams
• Private investigators and intelligence analysts
• Individuals seeking recognised OSINT credentials for career advancement in fraud, compliance, or investigative roles

There are no technical prerequisites. The course is designed to take complete beginners to confident practitioners.

Becoming skilled in Open Source Intelligence can open a host of career paths as any investigative or intelligence role will massively benefit from a solid understanding of OSINT.
Even outside directly relevant roles, many roles will benefit from the ability to thoroughly digitally analyse individuals, organisations and situations.