The Sad Truth And Reality!

This blog really follows on from the one I did a few days ago orientated around 'How to find a trustworthy Private investigator’. The two, essentially go hand in hand.

I however wanted to be a little bit more specific with regards to the fraudsters within our industry. Will it make much of a difference? Probably not. I will however feel like I have done my bit, for now. So, here we go….

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In the realm of private investigations, where truth and justice are sought out by skilled professionals, sadly, a dark and shadowy underbelly exists that tarnishes the reputation of the industry. 

While many private investigators work diligently and honestly to uncover facts and unveil the unknown, a small but significant and successful number engage in fraudulent activities that compromise the integrity of the entire industry. When I say 'successful' I am referring to their success in extorting large amounts of money from innocent, every day, hardworking people, who are often desperate and in a time of need.

This blog will shed a little bit of light on the unsettling issue of fraudsters within the private investigations industry, exploring their methods, motivations, and the steps that can be taken to mitigate their negative impact.

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The Rising Concern:

Private investigators play a critical role in various scenarios, from corporate investigations to personal matters such as infidelity cases, people traces and background checks. Our skills in gathering evidence, conducting surveillance, and analysing information are sought after for the ability to uncover truths that may not be readily apparent. However, the presence of fraudulent individuals within our profession raises concerns about ethics, accuracy, and accountability.

Fraudulent Methods:

Fraudsters within the private investigations industry often utilize a range of deceitful methods and tactics to exploit clients and manipulate information. These generally include the following:

Fake reviews: Are there hundreds of fake reviews left over a two-to-three-week period. Are they written in poor English and completely generic and similar in nature? Are there any negative reviews anywhere stating that the company is a fraud? If you carry out a basic Google search you will often find some form of negative feedback left somewhere telling ‘perspective clients’ to stay away because of their incompetent or fraudulent ways. I always say, “there’s no smoke without fire” and such negative feedback will often have a large element of truth to it.

Fabricated evidence: Creating false documents, photos, or videos to present as legitimate evidence. This may be very tricky for a client to be able to establish, however make sure beforehand you are going to receive a legally binding report. Time and date stamped evidence is an absolute must along with professionally obtained photographs taken from handheld cameras and covert devices. Not mobile phone footage or text messages with basic drivel and data allegedly obtained. Ensure the investigator stands by his or her evidence and is willing for it to be used in a court of law if required.

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Misrepresentation: Presenting themselves as legitimate, accredited and time served professionals when they are not, or falsely claiming affiliations with awarding bodies, regulators, other companies, legal companies, and the media.

Illegal Services: Offering Illegal services that simply cannot be carried out. Phone hacking and obtaining medical records being the main ones. These are common enquiries that we receive and therefore the fraudsters know this and exploit it, under the false pretext of being able to carry out such work reliably. They will often demand cash for such services due to the nature of it, and in some instances will even state that the services are illegal hence them pushing for a cash payment. They know they will not provide any sort of service and therefore by not making any sort of digital & electronic transaction the client cannot seek a refund via their bank or credit card company.

Extortion: Threatening to expose sensitive information to partners or immediate family or work connections when confronted and exposed. In some cases, even demanding further fees. If a background check or trace is taking many weeks to complete, yet the company states they need more time and budget as they have already gone above and beyond, stop right there. You’re more than likely not going to receive anything and nor will have they spent several hundred hours on the case already.

Exploitative billing: Overcharging clients for services, adding hidden fees, and billing for unnecessary tasks. The most common one when a company charges the client for three, or four operatives and only deploys one. Also, background Checks and basic traces at three and four times the industry standard. If you ring around and talk with different companies, you will get a feel for what the ‘industry standard’ is for the required service you require. Anything way out of those costings, avoid, and ask why. Ask for a breakdown of costing.

Dedicated | Diligent | Discreet

Pressurising sales tactics: They will often be pushy. Asking what you do for a living to get a flavour of whether you have money or not. They will then manipulate the quote depending on what they think you can afford. They may then ask for a credit or debit card payment upfront to secure the job; this will be a non-refundable deposit. In some instances, they will advise that they send someone to collect cash from you at, or near to your home address. It will often be large amounts. I have heard horror stories of background checks being charged a £5000, surveillance at £250 per hour for basic static observations where only one, or two operatives are mainly required, basic and simple people traces at £1000 plus, with zero interest in even attempting to carry out the work. It’s absolutely disgusting and deplorable behaviour.

Fake satellite offices: Most private investigators operate with a satellite office for safety reasons, where we may use the meeting rooms for meetings and shared workspace in required. Some, mainly the fraudsters will have many tens of satellite addresses and offices all over the country. The idea behind this is so that when a potential client types into Google "Private Investigator near me", the fraudulent company comes up first. Little does the client know they're talking to someone 250 miles away. Most of the landing pages you see will be registered at completely random residential addresses and will all be directed back to one website, that acts very similar to an umbrella company. There will not be a Private Investigators office located down behind your local post office, in deepest, rural Cornwall, or a tiny village in Mid-Wales, or next to the local working men’s club at the back of your local housing estate! Look for the ones on your local Google maps listings, those with some form of an online presence, social media, legitimate reviews and verifications and so on.

Fake affiliations and registrations: Claiming to be affiliated with the ABI, WAPI, and UKPIN, along with being ICO registered, GDPR compliant and fully insured. Often the fraudsters will use the logos of these organisations on their websites to create a professional and legitimate online presence. They may also have lots of fake media links to newspapers and TV channels. This is also to create the image of being on TV or in the newspaper. This in turn creates an element of trust, transparency, and professionalism. In fact, it is nothing more than further deceit. Click on the links, are they live, do they connect to articles and reports, or are they just logos used to create a professional image.

Motivations Behind The Fraud: Understanding the motivations behind these fraudulent activities can provide insight into the factors that contribute to their prevalence. Financial gain is often a primary driver, as the lucrative nature of certain investigative assignments may tempt individuals to cut corners or engage in dishonest practices to secure more clients and higher revenue. Additionally, the small and competitive nature of the industry can lead some investigators to resort to unethical tactics to outshine their peers.

Impacts on Clients and the Industry: The presence of fraudsters in the private investigations industry can have profound consequences. Clients who fall victim to these individuals may suffer financial losses, emotional distress, and compromised legal outcomes. Often clients are vulnerable and in a time of need. The fraudsters know that, and exploit with little care or concerns for the client. It's all about getting the money in their back account, or back pocket as is often the case. Nothing more.

Moreover, the reputation of the entire industry becomes further damaged, as public trust in the credibility of private investigators is eroded and further damaged. The industry does not have a great reputation as it is. These fraudsters only add to that. Legitimate professionals may find it challenging to build relationships with clients who are sceptical due to the actions of a few bad actors. We often talk with clients who are suspicious of who we are because of the previous fraudulent and incompetent private investigators they have unfortunately already dealt with.

What do we do then?

How do we mitigate the issue? How do we stop this from happening?

In truth, I don’t think we can stop it. We can however maybe minimise the above issues. I believe the below points may help.

Enhanced regulation: The industry needs to tighten up licensing requirements and conduct thorough checks to ensure only qualified and professional individuals are allowed to practice. This must be a starting point.

Transparency: Investigators should provide clear contracts and sample work, outlining services, fees, and expected outcomes to avoid misunderstandings. 

Online platforms: Developing trusted online platforms that connect clients with certified investigators can help filter out the fraudsters. If a company has no online presence other than his, or her paid Google Ads, why? If they are not part of trusted networks, again why?

Action and reporting: These fraudsters need to be reported to the police and trading standards. They need to be held accountable for their dishonest and deceitful ways. It may seem like a pointless task, but rest assured if Trading Standards for example receive no end of complaints about one company or individual, they will likely investigate, at some point. It may take a while, but it’s better than nothing. At least make the fraudsters sweat a little bit.

Banning and deleting from social media groups: A small number of these fraudsters operate within professionals sourcing groups where companies will advertise work. It's important that they are banned from such groups. Most I think now are. It's also important people stop working for them. There are a small handful who will try and source the work out. They do so after charging extortionate, unfair, and unreasonable prices. Taking away the ability to source the work out, takes away another one of their lifelines! 

Leave negative feedback: Where possible, leave some form of negative feedback, although this can be often tricky as many won’t have a platform such as Facebook, Google maps, Yell, and Bark, to name a few, where they would leave themselves wide open to criticism and negative feedback.

Carry out due-diligence. Do your research. Don't be a victim!

Conclusion: As the private investigations industry continues to evolve in an increasingly complex world, the battle against fraudsters becomes crucial. By acknowledging the existence of these deceitful individuals, taking proactive measures to prevent their influence, and promoting ethical behaviour among legitimate professionals, the industry can hopefully reclaim its reputation as a trustworthy source of truth and justice. Clients deserve nothing less than the assurance that their pursuit of answers and clarification will be conducted by reputable, legitimate, and professional investigators committed to honesty and integrity!

My biggest issue is that anyone can have a well-made website put together and throw a few thousand pound a month at Google Ads, and away they go. As a result, most of the above isn’t going to stop these fraudsters, certainly not overnight. It however spreads a message, and if you are a potential client doing a little bit of research and this stops you from being ripped off, let down and lied to, then that is a good result in itself!