You hold a judgment or a claim. The debtor's accounts are empty, the apartment is registered to someone else, and the company was transferred to a relative a week before proceedings began. Israel Background traces assets moved out of creditors' reach, maps how they were moved, and delivers a documented factual file that lets your lawyers act: attachment, setting aside a transfer, or an application to the court.
Who we work for
- Foreign law firms and creditors pursuing a debtor with assets, companies or family ties in Israel.
- Insolvency practitioners, trustees and receivers who need a full picture of the debtor's assets and of transfers made before proceedings.
- Companies and investors harmed by embezzlement, fraud, or a partner who stripped the business.
- Israeli law firms and collection departments holding a judgment they cannot enforce.
- Heirs and estates who suspect assets were moved or concealed before a death.
What concealment looks like in practice
People who hide assets rarely make them disappear. They move them somewhere harder to see. The patterns we see again and again:
- Transfers to family or close associates. An apartment, a vehicle or shares change hands as a "gift" or at a token price shortly before a claim or proceedings.
- Shell companies. A new company is registered in another person's name, and the business moves into it while the old company keeps the debts.
- Nominee and hidden ownership. The asset is registered to a third party, while the decisions, payments and use stay with the debtor.
- Moving assets abroad. Accounts, companies or real estate in other jurisdictions, sometimes behind several layers of entities.
- Splitting and disguising. Cash withdrawals, frequent small transfers, or assets that are hard to follow.
What we investigate
Real estate
Identifying property in Israel and abroad linked to the debtor, directly or through related parties: prior transactions, registrations, charges, and ownership changes close to the proceedings.
Companies and holdings
Mapping companies in which the debtor is a shareholder, director or signatory, including companies registered to relatives. Research in the Israeli Registrar of Companies, foreign company registries and official publications.
Charges and pledges
Research in the Israeli Pledges Registry: what is pledged, in whose favor, and when. A charge registered to a relative shortly before proceedings is a well-known warning sign.
Vehicles, vessels and equipment
Tangible assets in the debtor's use, even when registered to someone else, and their actual location.
Cross-border assets
Research in public registries of the relevant jurisdictions, international databases and open sources, with local professionals where needed. We work in English, Hebrew, Russian, Arabic and French.
Lifestyle versus declared income
A gap between what the debtor declares and how they live, such as a luxury car, frequent travel or an active business, documented through field work. This is often where the thread begins.
What a licensed investigator may and may not do
We tell clients this up front, because it is the difference between a file that holds up in court and one that is thrown out.
A licensed private investigator in Israel may:
- Research open sources and public registries.
- Conduct lawful field work and observation.
- Interview witnesses and people willing to provide information.
- Analyze documents the client lawfully holds.
- Build a complete factual picture and document it in a report.
A licensed private investigator may not:
- Obtain information from banks, credit card companies or closed government databases. Israeli banking secrecy applies to us too.
- Break into computers, phones or online accounts.
- Impersonate an official to obtain information.
So how do you reach bank accounts? Through legal process. Our findings give counsel a factual basis to ask the court or the Israeli Execution Office for orders, attachments or disclosure. We find the lead, and the law opens the door.
Anyone offering you "bank records" or an "account search by ID number" is offering you a criminal offense, and evidence you will not be able to use.
How the engagement works
- 01Confidential first call
We learn what is known, what has already been checked, and what the goal is: attachment, setting aside a transfer, a settlement, or criminal proceedings.
- 02Scope and budget
We agree in advance on what will be researched and what it will cost. No surprises.
- 03Research and mapping
Public registries, open sources in Israel and abroad, and analysis of the links between people, companies and assets.
- 04Field work, where needed
Verifying what the research shows: who uses the asset, who runs the business, where the asset actually is.
- 05Factual report
Documented findings, sources, timelines and a link chart, with no speculation and no opinion, structured for use in proceedings.
- 06Support through proceedings
Close work with your Israeli and foreign counsel, follow-up research as needed, and testimony if required.
What you receive
- Asset map: what was found, where, in whose name, and how it connects to the debtor.
- Transfer timeline: what was moved, to whom and when, relative to the proceedings. This is the factual basis for an application to set aside a transfer.
- Link chart of people, companies and assets.
- Source documentation for every finding, so it can be reproduced and verified.
- A report ready for use by counsel, a trustee or the court.
Why Israel Background
- Licensed by the Israeli Ministry of Justice. License number: 100209001
- Evidence, not rumor. Every finding is documented and verifiable.
- Built for counsel. We understand what a court needs to see, and build the file accordingly.
- Cross-border by design. Five working languages and experience with matters spanning several jurisdictions.
- Absolute discretion. Client identity and case details are kept confidential, and all materials are deleted on request.
Frequently asked questions
Can you trace assets in Israel for a foreign creditor?
Yes. We work for clients outside Israel and coordinate with their counsel. The investigation itself does not depend on where the client is based. Enforcing a foreign judgment against assets in Israel is a legal process that your Israeli counsel handles. Our role is to establish what assets exist and where.
Can you find out which bank the debtor uses?
Not directly. Banking information in Israel is protected by secrecy. What we can do is gather factual findings, such as an active business, income or assets, on which counsel can base applications for attachments or court orders.
What if the asset has already been transferred to a family member?
A transfer for no or low consideration, close to proceedings, may be grounds to have it set aside, in insolvency or civil proceedings. Our job is to prove the facts: what was transferred, when, at what price, and who still uses the asset. The legal decision belongs to counsel and the court.
Do you trace assets outside Israel?
Yes. We research public registries and open sources in the relevant jurisdictions, and work with local professionals where needed.
How long does an asset tracing investigation take?
It depends on the scope. A focused search on one person in Israel is very different from a matter with several companies and assets abroad. In the first call we define the scope and tell you what to expect.
How much does it cost?
The fee is set according to the scope of the matter and agreed in advance, before any work begins. In the first call, at no cost, we tell you what can be checked and what it will cost.
Can your report be used in court?
The report is built so counsel can use it: documented findings, sources and timelines. The investigator can also testify to the findings. Admissibility in any given case is ultimately decided by the court.
Start with a confidential conversation
Holding a judgment you cannot enforce, or suspect assets have been hidden? Tell us what you know. In the first call, with no obligation, we will tell you what can be checked, how, and what it will cost.
The information on this page is general and is not legal advice. Every matter is assessed on its own facts.