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Criminal gangs deliberately target businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), driving them into financial ruin. In the canton of Zurich alone, hundreds of struggling businesses are under the control of fraudulent company liquidators and intermediaries. Existing companies are intentionally taken over, and through them, services are fraudulently obtained from third-party suppliers and the state. The illicit profits are transferred abroad, while the company’s legal structure is driven into bankruptcy. In this way, organized crime causes significant harm to unsuspecting suppliers, service providers, and the public sector. The economic damage caused by bankruptcy fraud runs into the billions.

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Participants in this course will learn about the phenomenon of bankruptcy fraud and the criminal networks behind it. The focus will be on identifying key warning signs, implementing preventive measures, and developing investigative approaches to protect their own business and organization from these schemes.

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Agenda

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The Phenomenon of Bankruptcy Fraud

• Effects of bankruptcy abuse

• Actors

• Modus operandi

• Shell company trading and bogus foundations

 

Preventive Measures

• Red flags

• Credit check

• Web and commercial register monitoring

• Social network analysis

 

Investigative Approaches

• Company and personal search

• Procurement of economic information

• Private and criminal case processing

• Investigation methods and tools

 

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Information

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Duration: 1 day

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Course location: At the client's premises

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Number of participants: Max. 15, Min. 5

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Price: CHF 500 per person

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Course language: Available in German and English

 

 

Your Benefits

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Participants will gain practical skills to effectively prevent and combat the practice of fraudulent company "burials"– both preventively and retrospectively. With the knowledge acquired, participants will be able to detect and eliminate criminal networks, shell companies, intermediaries, and straw men from their own business environment.

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Instructor

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The course is led by Gion Cuonz, a seasoned expert in fraud investigation and economic crime. With 15 years of experience at Swisscom in fraud management, focusing particularly on organized crime, Gion is highly qualified to instruct on this topic. He works closely with cantonal and federal police and holds a Master’s in Economic Crime Investigation (MAS ECI). He is also a member of the Swiss Expert Association for Combating Economic Crime (SEBWK).