The Quiet Threat, by Ronald L. Mendell

Learn How Corporate Espionage and Spies Work

In The Quiet Threat, author and educator (and Real Law Radio guest - first hour July 24, 2010) Ronald L. Mendell offers tips and insights on how corporate spies really work. The book is invaluable to business owners, company leaders, and anyone else who wants to know how to protect themselves against spies who would steal their corporate secrets.

(This is from the upcoming Second Edition of The Quiet Threat to published later this year.)
The effective industrial or corporate spy will consider the following sources:

1. Basic research on the target.  What are its principal lines of business?  Who are the principal officers in the business?  Who are the key operational people in the business?  The sources for obtaining the information can be news accounts about the target, Web sites sponsored by or about the business, SEC filings online (EDGAR), regulatory agency filings online, and public records about the business online.
2. If the prospective asset would fall into a certain profession or occupation, then locating professional organizations in the target’s area could help.  For example, to find an electrical engineer at the targeted business may be as simple as using a Web search engine to locate an electrical engineering association in the area.  One may find on the group’s Web site: names, job titles, and corporate affiliations of members.
3. Looking for an online directory of employees is another avenue.  Savvy corporations generally will be smart enough not to provide this easy avenue though.  A visit to the company under a pretext may be necessary, for directory information may be available at the physical location in several forms.  Sometimes the company directory lies on the magazine or coffee table in the visitor reception area.  The mailroom may be accessible for a quick check of the directory.  Signage or directories on the wall may provide names and departmental information. Getting a few names and telephone numbers is usually all that is necessary to begin a “dialing for dollars” campaign.
4. When “dialing for dollars” the spy leverages a few names and internal telephone numbers to gain additional information.  People love what is familiar to them.  If a spy calls around in a company dropping names, surprising amounts of information can pass his or her way.  Finding people in the electrical engineering section may not be hard at all.
5. A spy may consider working for a vendor that has regular contact with the target.  The job can be as simple as the local pizza delivery place nearby.  Casual conversations with the receptionist or clerical staff often provide leads.

Ronald L. Mendell is an Adjunct Associate Professor in Computer Science at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas.  In addition to The Quiet Threat, his other books include How To Do Financial Asset Investigations and Probing into Cold Cases.  Visit Ronald L. Mendell's Web page or that of his publisher, Charles C. Thomas, at http://www.ccthomas.com.