International Private Investigators – The Basics

Film industry and love- crime stories have portrayed investigators like good looking, clever and strong men. Yet, in real life, there are some important facts you should consider when hiring a private investigation firm. Many investigators are scams themselves.

In the internet era, most investigators use databases to uncover valuable information about legal, financial or personal matters. But there is a significant difference between websites offering background checks and companies that truly investigate with professional private investigators, and those that “investigate” by clicking on search for a database. In fact, for international cases, the difference is even more important and often customers and clients don’t understand the difference. This article will help shed some light on the industry of professional international private investigators, and the hundreds of websites claiming to offer “background checks” for $19.99, which misleads the public and takes advantage of many unknowing consumers.

As in any purchase, it pays to do some homework. Professional private investigation can refer to verifying facts by performing numerous types of record searches, asset searches, birth and marriage records, document, ID, passport verification, infidelity, fraud and scams, corporate due diligence, missing persons, criminal cases, background checks, surveillance, advance fee fraud, dating scams, online dating verifications, etc. The list goes on and on. In a professional private investigation, clients pay for the labor of a skilled international private detective with the proper training perform surveillance, international background checks, due diligence and many other services for global clients in different locations around the globe. Depending on the company, the international private investigator may offer services in a group of countries, such as Western Europe, or North Africa, or all of Asia, Latin America, or even across several continents.

Field investigators can conduct discreet interviews to gather as much information as possible on subjects, conduct pre-employment screening, international due diligence and much more. In most international cases outside the U.S., court, government and criminal and civil records cannot be accessed online, so professional field investigators are required. Most professional private investigators hold a college education, have served in the military or have some law enforcement background. Knowledge of criminal justice, police and computer science is essential. No real private investigator can offer any services for less than a few hundred dollars, so beware of prices for $39.99, etc. You get what you pay for. International cases involving investigators abroad and foreign agents can be costly. Location is also important to consider, mostly if your case involves a specific country. To hire a local private investigator might seem like a good idea, but sometimes language and cultural barriers might difficult to overcome. Not to mention finding someone you can trust. Companies like Wymoo® International with established reputations and international operations and a team of professional field investigators, agents and support staff might save you time and money, and provide the evidence.

Checklist when searching for an international private investigator: Chose a company that has a secure website, verified by companies like Trust-e, McAfee or the Better Business Bureau Google for references about the company you are interested to hire and see what others are saying about them Make sure the company has international operations, field investigators or offices in the country you need to conduct your investigation Make sure that the investigator replies promptly to your emails and phone calls Check if there is a “Contact Page” and look for a real address, email and phone numbers. Be skeptical of companies showing free email accounts like Yahoo, Gmail or Hotmail or websites that don’t look professional. If you want professional results, expect to pay a realistic price. To be safe, when hiring professional private investigators, do your homework.

Best of luck,

A. Hathaway.

© 2011 A. Hathaway