VSI GLOBAL // ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE

OSINT-017-investigative-reputational-due-diligence-collection

13 min read

[COMPANY/ENTITY] - Collection Map

OSINT-017 Investigative / Reputational Due Diligence - collection workspace. Central topic = the subject entity and/or individual under investigation. Branches = data-point categories for human-source-led reputational investigation. Drop each collected value as a child node; expand with where it was found and what it corroborates. Paste raw tool/source output into the node’s Notes. → feeds deliverable OSINT-017.

00 · Collection Plan - PIRs & EEIs

The questions this collection must answer + the essential elements of information (EEI) for each. Tick as satisfied. → drives §3 Key Judgments, §4 PIRs, §14 Verified Findings Summary, §15 Red Flags, §18 Collection Gaps & RFIs, §19 Reputational Risk Assessment.

PIR-1 - Reputation & Standing: How is the subject regarded by those who have dealt with it?

  • EEI: counterparty/customer reputation reports (positive/negative/mixed)
  • EEI: peer/competitor perception (market standing, credibility)
  • EEI: employee/former-employee sentiment and specific conduct accounts
  • EEI: professional-services adviser and sector-figure characterizations
  • EEI: local-market and local-language reputation (by jurisdiction)
  • EEI: source coverage breadth - gaps and blind spots documented

PIR-2 - Integrity & Conduct: Is there a substantiated pattern of dishonesty, bad-faith dealing, or unethical/illegal conduct?

  • EEI: honesty/candor-in-dealings accounts from direct witnesses
  • EEI: fraud or financial-impropriety allegations (graded, corroboration attempted)
  • EEI: corruption or improper-influence indicators
  • EEI: regulatory, ethical, or professional-conduct breaches
  • EEI: general ethical reputation across independent sources
  • EEI: subject’s documented response/denial to adverse claims

PIR-3 - Track Record: What is the subject’s actual business history - ventures, exits, stakeholder treatment?

  • EEI: prior legal entities, ventures, and roles (documented vs. claimed)
  • EEI: record of success and failure, including dissolved/struck-off/insolvent entities
  • EEI: conduct on exit - treatment of investors, creditors, employees
  • EEI: claimed track record vs. verified documented history (discrepancies)
  • EEI: pattern identification (serial failure, value extraction, leaving counterparties exposed)

PIR-4 - Associations: Are there problematic relationships, networks, or associations?

  • EEI: business partners, backers, and co-investors with adverse profiles
  • EEI: PEP nexus - political connections and nature/currency of links
  • EEI: sanctions/restricted-party adjacency (matches or near-matches)
  • EEI: organized-crime, corruption-network, or reputationally toxic associations
  • EEI: closeness and materiality of each association (incidental vs. substantive)

PIR-5 - Dispute Conduct: What does litigation and dispute behavior reveal about character and risk?

  • EEI: pattern of litigiousness or use of litigation as an intimidation tool
  • EEI: settlement/non-payment behavior and conduct toward counterparties in conflict
  • EEI: adjudicated findings bearing on integrity
  • EEI: reputationally telling matters even where legally inconclusive

PIR-6 - Verifiability: Which adverse claims are substantiated vs. allegation/rumor?

  • EEI: each adverse item assigned substantiation status (Fact / Substantiated / Reported / Rumor / Refuted)
  • EEI: source motivation and bias assessed and noted for each adverse claim
  • EEI: corroboration attempted and result documented
  • EEI: residual unverified allegations quarantined in §13 register

Collection gaps / RFIs (running)

  • [open item] → route to [EDD / M&A DD / Vendor DD / POI products / SoW / Asset Tracing / further source development]
  • [open item]

01 · Entity Identity (Legal Anchor)

Establish and lock the subject entity/individual identity before any reputational collection. Disambiguation is explicit - never assumed. → feeds §5 Subject Profile & Investigation Context, Appendix A Subject & Identifier Index.

  • Full registered name:
  • Trading / DBA names:
  • Former names / name changes:
  • Native-script name(s):

Registration identifiers

  • Registration number:
  • Jurisdiction of incorporation:
  • Incorporation date:
  • Legal entity type:
  • LEI (if applicable):
  • Status (active / dissolved / dormant):

Registered address

  • Registered office address:
  • Principal place of business:
  • Other operating addresses:

Identity resolution

  • Entity-resolution confidence: [Confirmed / Probable / Possible / Unresolved]
  • Matched identifiers used (list):
  • Same-name / similar-entity candidates identified & excluded:
  • Notes / tool output: ← (OpenCorporates, national company registries, LEI lookup)

Individual subject(s) (if entity + principals scope)

  • [Full name of principal/individual]
    • Role / title:
    • DOB / nationality:
    • Aliases / former names:
    • Identity-resolution confidence: [Confirmed / Probable / Possible / Unresolved]
    • Notes:

02 · Corporate Structure

Map the group structure to identify ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs), parent/holding entities, subsidiaries, and off-balance-sheet vehicles. Flag nominee, shell, or opaque layers. → feeds §5 Subject Profile & Investigation Context, §10 Relationships, Networks & Associations.

Parent / holding entities

Clone per entity. → feeds §10 Associations, §5 Profile.

  • [entity name - e.g. HoldCo Ltd]
    • Jurisdiction:
    • Registration number:
    • Relationship to subject (% ownership / control):
    • Notes on opacity / shell indicators:
    • Notes / tool output: ← (OpenCorporates, company registries, GLEIF)
  • [entity 2]

Subsidiaries / affiliates

Clone per entity.

  • [entity name]
    • Jurisdiction:
    • Registration number:
    • Role / purpose:
    • Notes / tool output: ← (OpenCorporates, national registries)
  • [entity 2]

Ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs)

Clone per UBO. Escalate deep SoW/asset work to OSINT-011.

  • [UBO name]
    • Ownership / control %:
    • Jurisdiction of domicile:
    • PEP / sanctions status:
    • Reputational notes:
    • Attribution confidence: [Confirmed / Probable / Possible]
    • Notes / tool output: ← (national PSC/BO registers, OpenCorporates, GLEIF)
  • [UBO 2]

Nominee / shell / opaque structures

  • [structure description]:
    • Red-flag indicators:
    • Source grade:

03 · People - Directors, Officers, UBOs & Key Staff

Identify all current and former officers/directors, and key staff relevant to the reputational scope. Each person is a recursive block - clone per individual. → feeds §5 Profile, §10 Associations, §9 Integrity & Conduct.

Current directors / officers

Clone per person.

  • [Name - e.g. J. Smith, CEO]
    • Role / title:
    • Appointment date:
    • Nationality / domicile:
    • Other directorships:
    • PEP / sanctions status:
    • Adverse / reputational notes:
    • Attribution confidence: [Confirmed / Probable / Possible]
    • Notes / tool output: ← (OpenCorporates officers, company registry filings, LinkedIn, PEP/sanctions DBs)
  • [Name 2]

Former directors / officers (relevant period)

Clone per person.

  • [Name]
    • Role / period:
    • Circumstances of departure (if known):
    • Reputational notes:
    • Notes / tool output:
  • [Name 2]

Key staff / principals outside board

  • [Name]
    • Role:
    • Reputational notes:

04 · Registrations & Filings

Document the formal filing record to identify discrepancies, omissions, and adverse markers. → feeds §8 Track Record & Business History, §11 Litigation & Dispute Conduct.

Annual filings & accounts

  • Latest filed accounts (year / date):
  • Dormant / late filings:
  • Audit qualifications / going-concern notes:
  • Notes / tool output: ← (Companies House, EDGAR, national registries)

Prior entities - dissolved/struck-off/insolvent

Clone per entity. This is a core track-record signal.

  • [entity name]
    • Jurisdiction / registration number:
    • Status: [Dissolved / Struck-off / Insolvent / Wound-up]
    • Date of closure:
    • Circumstances (if known):
    • Source grade:
    • Notes / tool output: ← (OpenCorporates, insolvency registers, court records)
  • [entity 2]

Charges, liens & encumbrances

  • [charge / lien]
    • Creditor:
    • Amount (if public):
    • Status:

Regulatory filings (sector-specific)

  • [filing type / regulator]:
    • Status:
    • Notes:

05 · Digital & Infrastructure

The subject’s digital footprint - domains, social presence, email patterns, and online reputation signals. → feeds §12 Adverse Media & Open-Source Reputational Picture, §5 Profile.

Domains / websites

Clone per domain.

  • [domain - e.g. subjectco.com]
    • Registrant / WHOIS:
    • Registration date / expiry:
    • Hosting / IP:
    • SSL / crt.sh indicators:
    • Notes / tool output: ← (whois, crt.sh, DomainTools, SecurityTrails)
  • [domain 2]

Social media & professional profiles

Clone per platform. Attribution graded.

  • [platform - LinkedIn / X / Facebook / Glassdoor / other]
    • Handle / URL:
    • Attribution confidence: [Confirmed / Probable / Possible]
    • Status: [Active / Dormant]
    • Reputational signals / content of note:
    • Notes:

Email patterns

Review-platform / employer-review presence

  • [platform - Glassdoor / Trustpilot / Google Reviews / Yelp]
    • Rating / trend:
    • Reputational themes in reviews:
    • Reliability note:

06 · Financials

OSINT-accessible financial indicators only - indicator level, not a forensic audit. Flag stress signals and anomalies. Escalate deep SoW/asset work to OSINT-011. → feeds §8 Track Record, §9 Integrity & Conduct.

Revenue / turnover indicators (public)

  • Reported revenue (year):
  • Source / reliability:

Solvency / credit indicators

  • County Court Judgments (CCJs) / judgments:
  • Credit-rating signals (if public):
  • Payment-behavior indicators:
  • Notes / tool output: ← (Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business, Companies House)

Publicly disclosed liabilities / encumbrances

  • [liability / charge]:

Financial-stress / adverse indicators

  • [indicator - late filing / going-concern / winding-up petition]:
    • Source:
    • Date:

07 · Commercial Footprint (Locations, Customers, Suppliers, Contracts)

Map the real-world commercial relationships - clients, suppliers, contracts, and locations - that generate reputational signals. → feeds §7 Commercial Reputation & Market Standing, §8 Track Record.

Operating locations (offices, facilities)

  • [location]
    • Type / function:
    • Verified / claimed:

Key customers / clients

Clone per customer. Customer accounts are prime sources for PIR-1.

  • [customer name / type]
    • Nature of relationship:
    • Duration:
    • Status (current / former):
    • Reputational signal from this relationship:
    • Attribution confidence: [Confirmed / Probable / Possible]
    • Notes:
  • [customer 2]

Key suppliers / subcontractors

Clone per supplier.

  • [supplier name / type]
    • Nature of relationship:
    • Status:
    • Reputational notes:
    • Notes:
  • [supplier 2]

Contracts / tenders / public procurement

  • [contract reference]:
    • Value (if public):
    • Status:
    • Reputational signal:

08 · Legal, Regulatory & Sanctions

Distinguish charged vs. convicted vs. alleged; adjudicated vs. pending. Grade and date each. → feeds §11 Litigation & Dispute Conduct, §15 Red Flags, §10 Associations.

Litigation - civil

Clone per matter. → feeds §11 Litigation & Dispute Conduct.

  • [case / matter]
    • Forum / jurisdiction / case #:
    • Role (plaintiff / defendant / third party):
    • Status / disposition:
    • Conduct signal (what it reveals about character):
    • Substantiation: [Fact (adjudicated) / Pending / Settled]
    • Source grade:
    • Notes / tool output: ← (PACER, national court portals, CourtListener)
  • [case 2]

Regulatory / enforcement actions

  • [matter / regulator]
    • Jurisdiction / regulator:
    • Nature of action:
    • Status / outcome:
    • Substantiation:
    • Source grade:

Criminal / law-enforcement matters

  • [matter]
    • Jurisdiction / reference:
    • Nature:
    • Status / disposition:
    • Substantiation: [Fact / Reported / Rumor]
    • Source grade:

Sanctions / PEP / watchlist screening

  • OFAC SDN / Consolidated: [Clear / Hit / Near-match]
  • EU Consolidated:
  • UK HM Treasury:
  • UN Consolidated:
  • INTERPOL / national wanted:
  • PEP databases (World-Check / Refinitiv / Dow Jones):
  • Debarment / procurement exclusion lists:
  • Notes / tool output: ← (OFAC search, EU sanctions portal, World-Check, Refinitiv)

09 · Reputation & Adverse Media

Deep multi-jurisdiction, multi-language adverse-media review - deeper than standard desktop screens. Establish the open-source reputational narrative. → feeds §12 Adverse Media & Open-Source Reputational Picture, §13 Allegations Register, §15 Red Flags.

Adverse-media themes (integrity taxonomy)

For each theme: identify articles/items, grade reliability, assign substantiation status.

  • [theme - e.g. Fraud / Financial impropriety]
    • Summary of reporting:
    • Key sources / outlets / dates:
    • Substantiation: [Substantiated / Reported / Rumor]
    • Source grade (A–F / 1–6):
    • Notes:
  • [theme - Corruption / Improper influence]
    • Summary:
    • Substantiation:
    • Source grade:
  • [theme - Labour / human-rights]
    • Summary:
    • Substantiation:
  • [theme - Environmental]
    • Summary:
    • Substantiation:
  • [theme - Governance / regulatory]
    • Summary:
    • Substantiation:
  • [theme - Organized-crime ties]
    • Summary:
    • Substantiation:
  • [theme - Other adverse]
    • Summary:
    • Substantiation:

Local-language / hard-to-surface sources

  • [jurisdiction / language]
    • Sources canvassed:
    • Findings:
    • Coverage quality: [Broad / Adequate / Limited / None]

Positive / counter-narrative media

  • [outlet + date]:
    • Reliability / potential PR-driven:

10 · Network & Affiliations

Map the relationships and associations that carry reputational or legal contagion risk. Assess closeness, currency, and whether incidental or material. → feeds §10 Relationships, Networks & Associations, §4 PIR-4.

Business partners, backers & co-investors

Clone per associated party.

  • [party name]
    • Nature of association:
    • Closeness / currency:
    • Reputational / legal risk type:
    • Substantiation: [Fact / Substantiated / Reported / Rumor]
    • Source grade:
    • Notes / tool output: ← (OpenCorporates co-directorships, Companies House, Orbis)
  • [party 2]

Political connections / PEP nexus

Clone per connection.

  • [PEP name / political entity]
    • Nature and currency of link:
    • Jurisdiction:
    • Risk type (influence / corruption / sanctions-adjacent):
    • Substantiation:
    • Source grade:
  • [connection 2]

Shared infrastructure / co-directors across entities

Clone per shared element. → feeds structural mapping.

  • [shared director / address / phone / filing agent]
    • Entities sharing:
    • Significance:
    • Notes / tool output: ← (OpenCorporates, Companies House network graph, ICIJ Offshore Leaks)
  • [element 2]

Criminal / organized-crime / sanctioned-party adjacency

  • [party / network]
    • Nature of link:
    • Closeness and currency:
    • Substantiation: [Fact / Substantiated / Reported / Rumor]
    • Source motivation noted:
    • Source grade:

11 · Source Coverage Register (Human Sources)

The signature collection artifact of OSINT-017. Document source network engaged - by relationship type, placement, geography, and language - without recording identities in this node (identities in the controlled source register, Appendix F). → feeds §6 Source Coverage & Collection Map, Appendix B Source Coverage Map.

Source-type / placement blocks

Clone per source type. Do NOT record source identities here - describe placement/access only.

  • [source type - e.g. Former senior employee / insider]
    • Placement (access to subject):
    • Jurisdiction / language:
    • Independence / potential bias: [Independent / Interested - note basis]
    • Coverage domain(s) addressed:
    • Coverage quality achieved: [Broad / Adequate / Limited / None]
    • Gap / blind spot introduced:
    • Controlled annex ref (Appendix F):
  • [source type - e.g. Counterparty / customer]
    • Placement:
    • Independence:
    • Coverage domain(s):
    • Coverage quality:
    • Gap:
    • Annex ref:
  • [source type - e.g. Competitor / market figure]
    • Placement:
    • Independence:
    • Coverage domain(s):
    • Coverage quality:
    • Gap:
  • [source type - e.g. Professional-services adviser]
    • Placement:
    • Independence:
    • Coverage quality:
    • Gap:
  • [source type - e.g. Local-market / community / media contact]
    • Placement:
    • Jurisdiction / language:
    • Coverage quality:
    • Gap:

Overall source coverage assessment

  • Coverage breadth: [Broad / Adequate / Limited]
  • Principal blind spots:
  • Language / jurisdiction gaps:
  • Impact on assessment confidence:

12 · Source-Reported Allegations & Rumors (Pre-Substantiation Quarantine)

DEFAMATION FIREWALL. Every adverse claim NOT yet substantiated is quarantined here until corroborated. Items that survive corroboration move to the relevant thematic branch and §14 Verified Findings. → feeds §13 Source-Reported Allegations & Rumors - Substantiation Register.

Allegation blocks

Clone per allegation. Stated neutrally. Source identity in Appendix F, not here.

  • [allegation ref - e.g. ALG-001: allegation stated neutrally]
    • Source grade (A–F / 1–6):
    • Assessed source motivation / bias:
    • Corroboration attempted (method + result):
    • Subject response / denial (if obtainable):
    • Current substantiation status: [Reported / Rumor / Refuted / → Substantiated - move to §9/§11/§14]
    • Disposition: [Corroborate further / Monitor / Disregard / Refuted]
    • Notes:
  • [ALG-002]
    • Source grade:
    • Source motivation:
    • Corroboration:
    • Subject response:
    • Status:
    • Disposition:

99 · Collection Admin

Working register - not a deliverable section, but the audit trail behind it. Every material datum traceable to a graded source.

Source register

Every material datum traceable to a graded source. Human sources in Appendix F (controlled). Open/licensed sources here.

  • [S-1 - source name / type]
    • Type: [Primary / Secondary / Tertiary / Human-source (→ App F)]
    • Reliability (A–F) / Credibility (1–6):
    • Date accessed:
    • Reference / URL:
  • [S-2]
    • Type:
    • Reliability (A–F) / Credibility (1–6):
    • Date accessed:

Evidence archive

  • [screenshot / capture ref + hash + URL + timestamp]:
  • [document / filing ref + source + access date]:

Substantiation tracking

  • [ALG ref] → [current status] → [disposition]:

Open gaps / verification pending

  • [item not yet returned / corroboration pending]
  • [jurisdiction / language coverage gap - escalation route noted]

RFIs routed to adjacent products

Graph View