Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy"

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Nico Dekens is an experienced all-source intelligence analyst and the founder of Dutch Osint Guy Intelligence Services, specializing in Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), online Human Intelligence (HUMINT), and digital investigations. With a deep passion for intelligence gathering, analysis, and online investigations, Nico has dedicated over 20 years to the field, including extensive experience within Dutch law enforcement. Throughout his career, he has worked on a wide range of cases, from high-profile homicide and international narcotics investigations to tracking stolen art, gang violence, and online extremist networks. He has also conducted covert virtual HUMINT operations and counterterrorism investigations.

Recognized in the OSINT community as @Dutch_OsintGuy, Nico is a well-known trainer and consultant, providing expertise in OSINT methodologies, risk assessment, security awareness, and structured team workflows. As a co-founder of the OSINTCurio.us project, he actively contributes to the growth and development of OSINT professionals worldwide.

Driven by a mission to enhance global security, Nico pursued OSINT and cyber intelligence to help safeguard communities and stay ahead in an ever-evolving digital landscape. His commitment to continuous learning and knowledge-sharing has led him to train thousands of professionals in government and private sectors, including the development of OSINT units within the Dutch government.

Nico is a SANS instructor for SEC497: Practical Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and is the lead author of SEC587: Advanced OSINT Gathering and Analysis. His teaching philosophy revolves around practical, real-world application, emphasizing a dynamic exchange of knowledge between instructor and student. He is also a faculty member at the SANS Technology Institute, a recognized NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense.

Among his most impactful achievements, Nico takes pride in his role in preventing terrorist attacks and tracking down child predators. His contributions have earned recognition from organizations such as Europol, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), NATO, and Dutch law enforcement. Additionally, the Dutch Military Cyber Intelligence and Cyber Defense department has formally expressed gratitude for his efforts.

In 2023, Nico was named Open Source Intelligence Champion of the Year by the OSMOSIS Institute in recognition of his contributions to the field. His professional credentials include certifications as a Police Detective, Operational Intelligence Analyst, Tactical Intelligence Analyst, Strategic Intelligence Analyst, Open-Source Intelligence Analyst, Cyber Intelligence Tradecraft Professional, and Online Counterterrorism Specialist.

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Latest Posts by Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy"

Person typing on a laptop with a digital cybersecurity interface overlay showing icons for banking and credit card authentication, representing KYC integration in financial systems

KYC Integration: Step by Step Guide for Financial Institutions

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | November 11, 2025

Financial institutions face growing pressure to authenticate customer identities, detect financial crime, and comply with shifting KYC and AML regulations, all without slowing down onboarding or harming customer experience. But legacy KYC tools that focus on document verification and static watchlists can miss synthetic identities, shell companies, or disguised ownership structures. This guide provides a

A rubber stamp marking the words “Do you know your customers?” onto paper, symbolizing the KYC onboarding process

The KYC Onboarding Process: Expert Guide

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | November 11, 2025

Know Your Customer (KYC) onboarding is the first line of defense between your organization and its customers, and it’s where most financial crimes are either detected and prevented or slip through the cracks. It’s much more than ID gathering. Done right, KYC onboarding confirms identity, assesses risk, appeases regulators, and protects your business with minimal

Financial professionals discussing KYC remediation workflow with digital icons illustrating identity verification, risk assessment, and compliance

What is KYC Remediation? Step by Step Guide

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | November 11, 2025

KYC remediation occurs after onboarding is complete. Remediation is the process of digging into existing client files to fix missing or expired information, update changes in ownership, and re-score risk against today’s increasingly stringent regulatory requirements. For regulators, there is no distinction between new and existing customers; full current files are expected, regardless of when

Person using a laptop with digital icons symbolizing customer risk assessment and compliance processes in KYC and CDD

KYC vs. CDD: What’s the Difference?

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | November 10, 2025

Financial institutions are required to “know their customer,” but the terms KYC and CDD are often confused or treated as separate processes. Customer Due Diligence (CDD) is a subset of KYC; it is not an alternative framework. KYC encompasses the entire lifecycle of identifying, verifying, assessing, and monitoring a customer over time. CDD is contained

Businessperson using a laptop and smartphone with digital ID verification icons representing KYC and AML compliance

Required KYC Documents for Banks

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | November 10, 2025

Banks are required to gather KYC documents to comply with regulations, but they must also validate the documents are authentic, accurate, and associated with the actual real people or businesses involved. Banks need to establish and validate each customer’s identity, address, financial transactions, and, if the customer is a business, beneficial ownership structure. Banks must

Digital interface showing KYC verification icons on a laptop screen, symbolizing automated KYC verification and data security

Automated KYC Verification: 8 Winning Strategies

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | November 10, 2025

Financial institutions and fintechs are facing increasing pressure to onboard customers quickly without missing hidden risks. Traditional manual KYC solutions can’t keep pace with digital onboarding, global data sources, and sophisticated fraud techniques. For this reason, more banks and fintechs are deploying automated KYC checks to meet expectations around better risk and compliance outcomes. These

A packed baseball stadium with players on the field, illustrating how large crowds require OSINT-enabled security to monitor online threats before and during events

How OSINT Is Transforming Stadium Security: Real-Time Insight for Game Day Threats

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | November 7, 2025

Major sporting events are high-profile, high-stakes operations. Thousands of fans, live broadcast coverage, and an open digital ecosystem make stadiums an attractive target for disruption. Traditional physical security is no longer enough, threats now emerge online, often days or weeks before the event begins. The Evolving Threat Landscape Modern security teams face a growing digital

Abstract background with icons for banking, identity verification, fingerprint, and compliance, symbolizing the end-to-end KYC verification process

KYC Verification Process: 8 Steps to Compliance

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | October 24, 2025

Know Your Customer (KYC) verification is a critical component of any financial compliance program. KYC verification is the process of verifying an individual’s or entity’s identity to confirm that they are who they claim to be, minimizing the risk of fraud, money laundering, and terrorist financing. The KYC process flow encompasses customer identification verification, risk-based

A person typing on a laptop with digital Bitcoin and security warning symbols, illustrating crypto KYC challenges like fraud, ransomware, and regulatory risk

What is KYC in Crypto? Requirements, Process, and Verification Explained

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | October 15, 2025

Cryptocurrency has evolved from an experimental fad to a worldwide market. As it has grown in popularity, regulators around the world have made one thing clear: the platforms used to buy, sell, and store cryptocurrency have to know who their users are. Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations, once the domain of traditional banks, are now

Abstract visualization of global data connections and code overlay, symbolizing how OSINT tools integrate diverse digital sources to map relationships between identities, domains, and networks

OSINT Without Barriers: Spend Time on the Case, Not the Bureaucracy (with OSINT Tools)

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | October 8, 2025

Data grows by the second, more than 5 billion social data points are created a day. Yet too many investigations stall in the same places — getting access, crawling sources, juggling exports and manual pivots. That doesn’t produce better intelligence; it produces fatigue. If the goal is faster, defensible decisions, the barrier isn’t a lack

Threat intelligence platform concept showing digital alerts for cloud security, identity correlation, phishing, and external attack surface monitoring

21 Best Threat Intelligence Platforms (2025 Guide)

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | September 5, 2025

Threat intelligence has become a critical function for security operations. With the rapid shift in attack tactics and a proliferation of threat signals on the surface, deep, and dark web, security teams need tools that help them filter out the noise, surface the real risks, and respond in an informed and targeted way. Threat Intelligence

Cybersecurity concept showing a person using a laptop and tablet with a digital wireframe face, warning icons, and deepfake alerts symbolizing AI-driven fraud detection tools

21 Best Fraud Detection Software Tools (2025 Guide)

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | September 5, 2025

Fraud tactics are evolving faster than ever, and they’re becoming increasingly sophisticated. Driven by AI, automation, and novel attack vectors like synthetic identities and phishing-based account takeovers, organizations today face threats that can slip past outdated, rule-based defenses. To keep pace, fraud teams need advanced tools that combine real-time monitoring, machine learning, and contextual intelligence.  

Digital interface showing a man’s face with facial recognition mapping lines, highlighting AI-based identity verification and fraud detection

Top 5 Fraud Detection Techniques Every Organization Should Know

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | September 5, 2025

Fraud is an arms race. Account takeovers, synthetic identities, and organized fraud rings are just a few of the ways attackers are testing organizations’ defenses and looking for weak spots. Fortunately, there are established fraud detection techniques that enable companies in any industry to fight back. In this article, we’ll explore five of the most

Person holding a smartphone with a digital lock and facial recognition overlay, representing identity verification and biometric authentication in identity intelligence.

What is Identity Intelligence? Techniques, Benefits, and Real-World Applications

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | August 28, 2025

Understanding who’s behind digital activity can shift the direction of an investigation. That’s the essence of identity intelligence: the process of collecting, enriching, and analyzing identifiers such as usernames, email addresses, and phone numbers to reveal real-world actors. With threats becoming more sophisticated and anonymous, identity intelligence has emerged as a crucial additional layer of

Business professional interacting with virtual security and compliance icons, including a lock, legal symbol, and cloud storage graphic

Corporate Security Compliance: How to Meet Regulations to Stay Compliant

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | August 14, 2025

Corporate security compliance is a critical part of operating in today’s regulatory environment. Whether you’re handling healthcare records, financial data, or cloud infrastructure for government clients, regulators expect proof that your security controls are working and that you understand the risks tied to your systems and data. This guide breaks down the key regulations businesses

Concept image of corporate security risk assessment with a lock shield at the center and multiple digital threat icons surrounding it

10 Steps to Conduct a Corporate Security Risk Assessment in 2025

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | August 13, 2025

Every organization faces corporate security risks, but not every organization knows where those risks are or how to prioritize them. A well-executed corporate security risk assessment gives you the visibility needed to protect what matters most. This guide breaks down the process into 10 clear, actionable steps, from defining your scope to monitoring emerging threats.

Red digital warning symbol over a glowing network map, representing cybersecurity threats and the importance of threat intelligence tools in identifying and mitigating risks

12 Best Threat Intelligence Tools (2025 Guide)

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | August 6, 2025

As cyber threats grow more sophisticated, security teams need tools that deliver speed, clarity, and actionable context. The right threat intelligence tools can expose malicious infrastructure, detect suspicious activity, reduce false positives, and help you move faster when the stakes are high. This list highlights 12 of the best threat intelligence tools in 2025, including

Conceptual image of a person holding a smartphone with digital warning symbols, representing corporate security trends in mobile threat detection and real-time alerting

9 Biggest Corporate Security Trends Shaping Modern Risk Management

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | August 6, 2025

Remote work, cloud sprawl, and supply chain dependencies have permanently reshaped the risk landscape, shifting where threats emerge and how they remain concealed. Meanwhile, threats are faster, more distributed, and more complex than ever. Staying ahead means rethinking your approach. The organizations leading the way are shifting from perimeter defense to identity-based security, from information

Hand holding a smartphone with holographic icons of a bank, currency, and digital finance elements, symbolizing mobile banking security

Corporate Security in Banking: 12 Best Practices

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | July 24, 2025

Banks are high-value targets for cybercriminals, fraudsters, and nation-state actors seeking financial gain, sensitive data, or systemic disruption. Between the money, data, and public visibility, it’s no surprise they attract everything from financially motivated threat actors and insider risks to hacktivists and state-sponsored campaigns. But the threats aren’t just external. Misconfigurations, insider risk, and third-party

Key requirements for effective corporate mobile security

14 Essential Corporate Mobile Security Requirements

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | July 24, 2025

Mobile security is no longer limited to traditional endpoints like desktops and laptops. Today’s workforce depends on smartphones, tablets, and laptops to access sensitive emails, corporate systems, and critical business functions—often from outside the office. This increased mobility boosts productivity, but also significantly broadens the attack surface. Modern mobile security must extend beyond basic measures

Corporate security monitoring

Corporate Security Monitoring: 9 Key Benefits

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | July 16, 2025

Most security incidents rarely happen without warning and emerge from known vulnerabilities or missed threats. There’s usually a signal, such as a leaked password, a spoofed domain, or malware hiding in plain sight. With corporate security monitoring, you can catch those signals before they turn into problems. Whether it’s watching for suspicious network activity, tracking

Security analyst with binoculars viewing network activity

12 Ways to Improve Corporate Security Awareness

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | June 30, 2025

Employees are your first line of defense. No matter how sophisticated your security operations are, a single click, one misplaced device, or one overlooked warning sign can unravel your best-laid plans. That’s where corporate security awareness comes in. It equips each and every employee with the knowledge and tools they need to become part of

Attention warning attacker alert sign with exclamation mark on dark background with abstract network connections illustration

Information Security Policy: 14 Key Elements for Corporate Security

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | June 27, 2025

Information security policies (ISPs) are guardrails for your business. They define who can access what, how data is handled, and what happens when something goes wrong. Without an ISP, you’re relying on guesswork, which is ineffective for stopping breaches. This article breaks down the core elements every policy should include to reduce risk, ensure accountability,

Analyst reviewing data for a corporate security investigation

22 Best Practices for Effective Corporate Security Investigations

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | June 27, 2025

The stakes are high in corporate security investigations. A single misstep can erase evidence, trigger legal exposure, or leave threats unresolved. Whether you’re investigating insider leaks, external breaches, or executive threats, a disciplined approach is critical. This guide walks through the 22 best practices that are essential to helping you run cleaner, faster, and more

World map in red

8 Best Social Media Monitoring Tools for Law Enforcement (2025)

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | June 18, 2025

Law enforcement agencies depend on sophisticated tools for detecting threats and tracking suspects, and social media monitoring has become an indispensable source of intelligence. Social media can support investigators’ efforts in everything from exposing criminal networks to gauging public sentiment. The right technologies enable investigators to gather real-time data and unify digital information to speed

Social media monitoring for government

Social Media Monitoring for Government: Expert Guide

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | June 13, 2025

In the current threat environment, ignoring social media is a liability governments can’t afford. Social platforms function as more than communication tools, serving as digital battlegrounds where narratives form, movements begin, and threats emerge. From lone-wolf attacks planned in comment threads to mass disinformation campaigns seeded by nation-state actors, the signals are already there. You

Monitoring social media for threats

Social Media Threat Monitoring: 10 Effective Strategies in 2025

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | June 13, 2025

Social media threat monitoring is a key component of open-source intelligence (OSINT) that involves real-time tracking and analysis of social media platforms to detect security threats, harmful content, and criminal activities. Social media threat monitoring systems provide essential functionality for public safety organizations, as well as corporate security departments and risk management professionals. In this

Corporate data security best practices

Corporate Data Security: 10 Best Practices for Protecting Sensitive Business Information

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | June 10, 2025

Threat actors don’t need to break down your front door; they just wait for an unpatched server, a shared password, or a misconfigured S3 bucket to seize an opportunity for illicit access. Corporate data breaches extend beyond system damage, with impact to revenue, undermining trust and harming reputations while leading to regulatory consequences. The guide

Strengthening your corporate security plan

8 Strategies to Strengthen Your Corporate Security Plan

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | June 10, 2025

Modern threats operate continuously and ignore organizational boundaries between departments. Attackers target every possible vulnerability through phishing attacks, malware, insider threats, and even physical breaches. That’s why an effective corporate security plan requires more than basic locks, firewalls, and policies. It demands an intelligence-driven defense. Current threat conditions make reactive measures insufficient, and effective prevention

Corporate security

What is Corporate Security? The Complete Guide

By Nico Dekens - aka "Dutch Osint Guy" | June 4, 2025

Corporate security isn’t just about surveillance cameras, firewalls, or background checks. It’s about protecting the entire operation, from people and data to operations and reputation. Today’s threats don’t come from one direction. They’re physical, digital, and often hiding in plain sight. This guide breaks down what corporate security really means, why it matters, and how

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