we are

FACTS

FACTS History

FACTS Consulting was founded in 2004 offering cyber forensics and information security training and services.  In 2008, FACTS also established itself as a data analytics service provider in the private and public sector.  In support  of the analytics and forensic service offerings, custom software development was also incorporated into our service offering and the combination of the skills and experience in FACTS has made our capacity to give a unique, powerful and efficient service offering to our clients possible and second to none. 

FACTS has had the privilege and embraced the opportunity to become a pivotal part of South Africa’s fight on corruption and injustices against the citizens of our country who are not able to defend themselves.

At FACTS we believe the force multiplier in investigations and proactive fraud detection is not applying more human resources but rather to apply technology in an innovative and collaborative manner to find the proverbial “needle in the haystack” in a sea of data quickly.

As we are not limited to commercial tools and processes, we can often find a solution or conduct an investigation in ways which challenge the conventional approaches making it much more cost effective and with a much faster turnaround time than other service providers in the respective fields.

Yolandé Byrd
Director of Fraud Analytics

Director of Fraud Analytics

Yolandé Byrd

Yolandé Byrd is a Director, Chief Financial Officer and co-founder of FACTS Consulting, a South African firm that specialises in forensic technology and data analytics. A Certified Fraud Examiner with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Accounting, Yolandé merges her expertise in data analysis, programming and financial systems to help organisations detect and prevent procurement fraud.

Over the last 22 years, Yolandé has conducted investigations and implemented forensic solutions in a variety of industries around the world. She has worked with some of the biggest names in Government, Finance, Utilities, Insurance, Telecommunications, Media, Manufacturing, Retail and Mining, in countries including the Czech Republic, Hungary and Belgium. In 2008, she was tasked with developing best practices for the forensic division of a major South African insurance company.

Most recently, Yolandé led a team of FACTS programmers and technical experts in developing a Procurement Integrity Solution for SAS, a global leader in analytics software. The solution, which proactively monitors and detects fraudulent activity, has since been implemented in two of South Africa’s banks, a major utility provider and one of the largest international oil and gas companies. It has also been adopted as a formal SAS product, making FACTS one of the first small businesses to become a premier SAS partner.

For Yolandé, no data set is ever too big. She is happiest when facing large volumes of data and solving a reconciliation problem. With cybercrime and corruption on the rise, Yolandé is also passionate about encouraging more young South Africans to enter the forensics field. She serves as a regular guest lecturer at the University of Pretoria, addressing students in the undergraduate and post-graduate programmes. She also speaks at a number of international events, including the annual ACFE Africa Fraud Conference, which hosts delegates from Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana.

Around the office, Yolandé is a hands-on leader who is dedicated to growing the business. She is famous for believing that “nothing good comes for free. You have to work hard in life in order to enjoy the rewards.” She challenges her team to deliver results that consistently exceed client expectations – and always rewards hard work.

Outside of the office, Yolandé enjoys spending time with her family and travelling the world.

Jacques Malan
Director of Cybercrime and Development

Director of Cybercrime and Development

Jacques Malan

Professional and educational Outline:

• B Eng. (Electronic Engineering)
• CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional
• ENCE (Encase Certified Forensic Examiner)
• GREM (GIAC Certified Reverse Engineering Malware)
• GCFA (GIAC Certified Forensics Analyst)
• GCIH (GIAC Certified Incident Handler)
• GCFE (GIAC Certified Forensic Examiner)
• GMOB(GIAC Certified Mobile Security Analyst)
• GPEN (GIAC Certified Penetration Tester)
• GCTI (GIAC Certified Threat Intelligence analyst)

Jacques started FACTS Consulting in 2004 and is the technical team lead of the software development and cyber forensic investigation business.

One of South Africa’s most qualified and well-known experts in cyber forensic investigations, Jacques Malan has built his career around investigating tech or high profile crimes. After working as an information security analyst for organisations including the CSIR (Counsel for Scientific and Industrial Research). As the company’s director, he has grown FACTS into one of the country’s top forensic technology consulting firms, developing cutting-edge solutions to assist organisations in large-scale fraud and cybercrime investigations.

Jacques has a Bachelor of Electronic Engineering from the University of Pretoria, and is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional, Open Text EnCase Forensic Examiner, Information Systems Auditor, Forensic Analyst, Incident Handler, Mobile Security Analyst and Penetration Tester. He has received extensive training in forensics, incident handling and high-tech crime investigation in both the USA and Europe.

Today, Jacques continues to conduct research into new ICT technologies and trends, predicting their long- and short-term implications. He also serves on an international board of advisory experts; designs and delivers training modules and certification courses in cyber forensics; and annually contributes forensic applications to the Open Text Forensic Software Enscript Programmers community.

Anton Herman van Wout
Director of Cybercrime

Director of Cybercrime

Anton Herman van Wout

Unlike many of today’s cybercrime experts, Anton’s career began in the military, where he worked for 13 years and moved on to computers security in 2002. He worked for the next 15 years as an information security analyst and cyber forensic investigator at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and South African Revenue Service (SARS) institutions. During this time, he honed his skills in information systems security, penetration testing and digital forensic investigations.

In 2017, Anton joined FACTS Consulting as the Director of Cybercrime. In his role, he is responsible for running digital forensic investigations and helping clients develop innovative new processes and investigative procedures.

Anton’s name is well known in the global forensics field. After receiving training in advanced cyber forensics in the USA, he has gone on to train most of the digital forensics practitioners currently active in South Africa. He also trains international investigators across Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Mali, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Cyprus, Turkey, Romania, Norway and the United Kingdom. Furthermore, during his time at the CSIR, he trained key personnel from the South African law enforcement community and Department of Defence.

Anton holds a Bachelor of Military Science in Political Science and Military History, a Bachelor of Commerce in 1998 and a Bachelor of Science Honours in 2002. He is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional, Information Systems Auditor, EnCase Certified Examiner, Global Certified Incident Handler, AccessData Examiner and Instructor, Hacker Forensic Investigator, and Cellebrite Mobile Examiner and Instructor.

Outside of his career, Anton enjoys spending time with his wife and family. He is fluent in English, Afrikaans and Dutch. In 2018, Anton also began his Master’s degree in 2018 at the University of Pretoria. Although he is a firm believer in continuous learning and sharing his knowledge with others, his personal mantra remains that “there is no substitute for experience.”

Arno Strauss
Fraud Analytics and SAS specialist

Fraud Analytics and SAS specialist

Arno Strauss

With a Bachelor of Science Honours in Information Technology, an advanced certificate in Fraud Examination and over a decade of experience, Arno Strauss has found his niche in using advanced data analytics and programming to identify, track and prevent fraud. As the Fraud Analytics Specialist at FACTS Consulting, Arno is responsible for helping a variety of organisations assess their fraud risks, develop analytical forensic tools, automate relevant business processes and use data analytics to catch fraudsters. A recognised expert in his field, he is currently the only registered SAS Certified Advanced Programmer in South Africa to also be certified by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

With extensive experience in SAS solutions – from design to installations and management – Arno was most recently made FACTS’s technical lead on the development of a Procurement Integrity Solution for SAS. The solution, which monitors procurement data to detect potential fraud, has since been implemented in two of South Africa’s major banks and one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world. It has also been adopted as a formal SAS product, making FACTS one of the first small businesses to become a premier SAS partner.

Before joining FACTS Consulting in 2013, Arno spent three years at one of the big 4 audit firms, where he oversaw all data analysis during forensic investigations in Central and Eastern Europe. He has also worked at three of the Big Four banks in South Africa, automating their financial services products. During this time, he created and automated over 30 campaign products.

Working in a consulting firm like FACTS has been a welcomed challenge for Arno. He thrives on being exposed to new and different clients every day, and has worked first-hand on fraud issues across the Government, Finance, Utilities, Insurance, Telecommunications, Media, Manufacturing, Retail and Mining industries. One of Arno’s personal philosophies is to never stop learning and growing, and to always embrace change. Fortunately, in the ever-changing world of technology, Arno’s profession allows him to do exactly that.

Riaan Strauss
Fraud Analytics and SAS specialist

Fraud Analytics and SAS specialist

Riaan Strauss

With nearly a decade of experience in programming and data analysis, Riaan Strauss is an expert in identifying business needs and translating them into technical requirements. The Senior Developer at FACTS Consulting, Riaan develops and implements bespoke software solutions, based on clients’ available technology. He supports organisations across the public and private sector in using forensic technology and data analytics to track and prevent fraudulent activity, with a focus on procurement.

Riaan has a Bachelor of Science Honours in Information Technology from the University of North West. He joined FACTS Consulting in 2016, after a history of working in the banking industry developing automated returns and reconciliations, and writing campaigns to market products to the bank’s customers. Between 2009 and 2014, he was involved in automating the Bank Acts (Basel 2, Basel 2.5 and Basel 3), which were periodically submitted to the South African Reserve Bank.

During his first year at FACTS, he was assigned as the lead developer on building a Procurement Integrity Solution for SAS, created to monitor procurement data and detect potential fraudulent activity. The solution has since been implemented in two of South Africa’s major banks and one of the largest international oil and gas companies. It has also been adopted as a formal SAS product, making FACTS one of the first small businesses to become a premier SAS partner.

Riaan’s profession requires him to solve new problems every day. While he enjoys the challenge of designing new solutions, he still maintains that “if something ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

WE ARE FACTS

the team

The team has grown significantly in the past years in legal as well as technical experience and we have investigated many large fraud and corruption cases amounting to billions of Rands. In our team we have extensive experience in the complete process of investigation starting with the identification, extraction, preservation as well as presentation of evidence in court and related legal proceedings. Our team boasts expert skills in accounting, engineering, law, cybercrime investigations, IT security, software development and intelligence gathering