Why Do Private Investigators Follow People?
July 16, 2021 - Reading time: 7 minutes
As private investigators, our work is often misunderstood and fictionalized by popular TV shows and movies… The reality is that private eyes work across the UK (and most countries!) on a daily basis. Some people may even develop fears that private investigators might be following them, however, PIs will only follow people for good reason.
There are many different reasons which might cause a private investigator to follow you, from an accident injury claim investigation, to an investigator instructed by your partner and anything in-between. Private investigators do not simply follow people out of their own free will – they do so because they receive instructions from their clients. We will explore some of the most common reasons for private investigators to follow people in this article.
1. Accident injury claims
Accident injury claims are one of the most common reasons for private investigators to follow people. With an abundance of “no win no fee” law firms operating across the UK, pursuing litigation is often easy and costless for claimants, and the temptation for them to exaggerate or fabricate their injuries is ever-present.
With stakes running high, it is often a cost-effective decision for insurance companies to instruct private investigators to follow people and examine their injury claims. If, for example, a subject claims that they are not able to walk unaided, and that same person is later photographed by a private investigator playing football, then they may find it difficult to explain the evidence which is gathered.
If you are making an injury claim then you should expect that a private investigator may examine your claims and verify their accuracy.
2. Infidelity investigations
Infidelity and accident injury investigations are by far our most common reasons for conducting surveillance on an individual. If your partner suspects that you might be cheating on them, then they may decide to check your activities by hiring a private investigator to follow you and check on your movements.
Most people that are cheating on their partners would never suspect that a private investigator will get involved and be asked to follow them – it is usually the last thing on their minds. If you suspect that your partner is having an affair but are unable to prove it, then gathering hard evidence showing their activities can be very rewarding in most cases.
When a marriage breaks down due to infidelity and a couple parts ways, then the stakes can be even higher, and the cost of hiring a private investigator can often be earned back a thousand times over if it helps to swing a divorce settlement in one party’s favour.
3. Investigating sick employees
When an employee claims that they are too unwell to work, they might receive statutory sick pay from their employer. If their claims are genuine then the firm should have no issue in compensating their employee. However, not all people are as honest as we might hope.
False claims of this nature can wind up costing small fortunes, with the costs particularly damaging to small and medium size enterprises.
If a company suspects that their employee is being dishonest about their health in order to receive sick pay, then hiring a private investigator to place that individual under surveillance can be a cost-effective solution to the problem in most cases.
If, for example, an employee is claiming to be bedridden, but is subsequently photographed by a private investigator playing golf for several hours, then they might find their claims difficult to maintain. Protecting a company’s interests by checking on sick employees can help to save significant amounts of money.
4. Character checks by a concerned relative
What do we mean by “Character checks by a concerned relative”? Well, if a close family member begins a romantic relationship with a certain person that you have a concern about, then a private investigator can help by placing that person under surveillance and checking their lifestyle.
It should be noted that in most cases of this type, a background check would be the most common solution provided by us. However, if our client wishes to take things a step further than a simple background check, then we can also help to place the subject under surveillance and check their movements. Often is the case that our clients will ask to include personal surveillance in addition to our background check service.
In such cases we always recommend running checks or performing surveillance as soon as possible after a relationship starts to become serious… The more time that passes, the stronger feelings can become, and we find it’s better to perform due diligence from the outset.
5. Cohabitation investigations
There are many different reasons that we might be instructed to start a cohabitation investigation. Most commonly, we will be asked to gather evidence of cohabitation for use in a case related to matrimonial maintenance payments (typically post-divorce), in financial or divorce settlement cases, and in child custody cases.
We often work alongside solicitors for cohabitation investigations, though we equally happy to accept instructions from private individuals.
Local authorities also commonly rely on private investigators to gather proof of cohabitation for investigations into potentially fraudulent benefit claims.
Investigations into cohabitation can often span over several weeks or even months, as our clients will typically need to document a subject’s living circumstances beyond any doubt.
Static surveillance or mobile surveillance
When it comes to surveillance, there are usually two different services offered by us: Static surveillance or mobile surveillance. As part of “Mobile surveillance” the agent will remain mobile and actively follow the subject as they travel around. Mobile surveillance can be conducted on foot, using public transport, or using vehicles (usually cars), depending on the subject in each case and how they are likely to travel around.
Static surveillance on the other hand would involve the surveillance agent remaining outside a specific property and photographing subjects as they come and go from the address.
Both forms of surveillance hold their own advantages and the best course of action will always depend on the circumstances in each case and our clients’ goal for the investigation.
Private Investigators UK
We are a leading private investigation firm based in the UK and provide surveillance services nationwide. For more information about PrivateInvestigators-UK, our services, and our fees, please click through to our homepage, or continue browsing our blog for more free private investigator resources.
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10 Body Language Signals That Your Partner Might Be Cheating
July 11, 2021 - Reading time: 7 minutes
Does it feel like something in your relationship is different? Like something has changed but you aren’t exactly sure what it is?
Detecting infidelity in a relationship can be difficult, especially if your partner hones their lies by having an affair over several months or even years.
Fortunately, there are some body language signals which can help to give away what your partner has been up to. Here are 10 body language signals that your partner might be cheating on you:
1. They will avoid eye contact with you
When your partner doesn’t look you in the eyes like they used to, this is a strong sign that they are being dishonest. A lack of eye contact is one of the most common indicators of dishonesty and people resort to this body language signal when they are trying to hide something.
If your partner is cheating, they will avoid eye contact when you ask them direct questions. If you notice that they are looking away when questioned, then you should press them on why they don’t want to look you in the eyes.
If they start a fight, try to change the subject, or still not maintain eye contact with you, then their behaviour should act as a strong indication that something isn’t right.
2. They become tense when you show them affection in public
Public displays of affection like hand-holding, an arm around their shoulder, or a hand on their waist will cause them to be reluctant and hesitant. If you see any shift in behaviour from what they usually behaved like, then there may be something they are hiding from you.
If they usually liked hand-holding, but now they avoid it, then that is a shift from their normal behaviour, and you should look into it.
3. They look you in the eyes more often
If your partner is looking you in the eyes more often, they might be trying to compensate for their disinterest in what you are saying and doing.
Why is this? People know that looking away and avoiding eye contact can be interpreted as being disinterested and that it will come across as rude. Knowing this, they will try to keep as much eye contact as possible to try and fool you.
4. Their feet face away from you
The positioning of your partner’s feet can give you a hint as to whether they are cheating on you or not. if their feet are pointing away from you when you are talking, then they are not interested and are focused on something else.
This is one of the most obvious body language signals that you can pick up on and use to help yourself find out more about what or who your partner is more focused on.
5. They are blinking too much
Blinking rapidly is a sign that something isn’t right. If your partner is blinking more than usual, especially when talking about specific things like your relationship and their movements, then this is a signal that they are struggling to keep up the lies they are telling you and hiding their affair.
6. Increased anxiety signals
Lying is a stressful thing and keeping up with the lies can be difficult. If your partner is cheating on you, then they may well show more anxiety signals.
Anxiety signals include rapid blinking, shallow and fast breathing, increased foot-tapping, fiddling their fingers and objects, and having mood swings. If your partner displays any of these, then they could be lying to you or hiding something they don’t want you to find out about.
7. They give you the cold shoulder
If your loving partner becomes cold and distant all of a sudden, then it’s obvious that something has changed. Have the fun and enjoyable conversations become dull and forced? This is a sign that your partner is trying to distance themselves from you because they feel guilty about cheating and lying, and that they want to get out of the relationship.
8. Increased hygiene
If your partner becomes more hygienic all of a sudden, this could be a sign of infidelity. Yes, really. They could be doing this to remove all traces of the other person’s scent on their skin.
Your partner might start showering more, changing their clothes more frequently, buying clothes more often, and purchasing new perfumes or aftershaves to hide any trace of their new lover’s scent.
9. Their voice will start to change
Men and women tend to drop the tone of their voices, so it becomes deeper when they are feeling sexy. If you notice your partner’s voice becoming deeper when they are talking to someone on the phone compared to when they are talking to you, then you should start paying attention.
If your partner is laughing more when they are on phone calls than when they are talking to you, then this is something that you should be suspicious of. Especially if this change in behaviour is paired with some of the other body language signals that have been mentioned in this article.
10. Hesitation in their speech
If your partner uses more placeholders when they are talking to you, this is an easy signal to notice. It is your partner’s body’s way of asking them to buy more time so they can come up with answers to your questions.
They don’t want to be caught out on a lie, so they will need to think about what they have to say for longer, and they will fill in this extra time with placeholder words. If you notice this, then ask them if anything is wrong, their answer and the way they say that answer could tell you everything you need to know.
Catch a cheating partner
If you suspect that your partner might be cheating on you, then don’t suffer in silence! PrivateInvestigators-UK operates a network of experienced private detectives, covering all areas of the United Kingdom and beyond.
We can help to place your partner under surveillance, check their movements, and provide hard evidence that they are cheating on you. Evidence which is captured by us can help our clients to make life changing decisions, or be used as proof of infidelity during divorce proceedings.
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Online Romance Scam Warning Signs
July 9, 2021 - Reading time: 10 minutes
Scammers are drawn to dating websites and apps because they know that people visit them in order to find partners with whom they can create personal connections with. Scammers will try to take advantage of their trust with the ultimate goal of soliciting money. They will often take several months, or even years, to gradually build the trust of their victims before asking for money or gifts.
Action Fraud received 4,555 reports of romance fraud in 2018, with each victim losing an average of £11,145. The amount of romance scams reported has nearly tripled since 2015, and the amount of money lost to scammers in 2019 was almost six times higher than it was five years previously. Women are more commonly victims and lose twice as much as men on average.
Many victims have lost hundreds or thousands of pounds to these online dating scammers, and it’s not always easy (or possible) to get any money back.
With this in mind, we have put together some of the common warning signs that you should know about to help you detect and avoid online dating scams. When you are talking to someone online, be on the lookout for these warning signs:
1. They will try to speed up the relationship’s growth
Internet dating scammers want to get your money, and they want to get it as fast as they can. They will take advantage of people’s desires of creating a real connection with someone and try to speed up the growth of the relationship as fast as possible.
They will do this by making early declarations of their love for you and by telling you why they believe you are meant to be together. This is one of the most common warning signs that the other person isn’t real and is just trying to scam you.
Scammers will also ask you to message them outside of the online dating site. They do this so they have more control and so that they can’t be stopped by the dating site before they take your money.
2. Asking for money, gifts, and favours
Once the scammer feels like they have made enough progress in the scam by gaining your trust, they will start to take money from you. They may do this in many different ways, some of these could be:
- They will tell you about health problems that they don’t have enough money to deal with
- They could ask you for money because they need help and you’re the only one they can ask
- They will ask for gifts so that you can show how much you really care about them
- Asking for favours that involve some sort of financial gain for them
The scammer will become more direct if you are not willing to give them money or aren’t sure that you should. They may even threaten to end the relationship and never talk to you again. This is a strong sign that you are talking to a scammer.
3. Communicating with basic responses and providing strange details
Scammers will usually be talking to many people at the same time, with the ultimate goal of receiving money from some of them. Managing many different fake profiles can become difficult and this will cause the scammer to respond with basic sentences that don’t appropriately answer your questions.
Sometimes they will be using pre-written scripts, so when they respond to you their replies will not have any information that mentions what you have already said.
Once they believe their victim has fallen for their lies, the scammer will start focusing on them more and communicate more attentively. They will start sounding different from before, this will likely be caused by them not using the pre-written script anymore. If you notice differences in writing styles and tone, then you should be suspicious about who you are really talking to.
Look out for inconsistent details too. A scammer might find it hard to remember all the lies they have told you. Details they mention in the chats with you might be different from the information they have added to their profile. This is a common sign that you may be talking to a scammer.
4. They will plan to video call you but then back out by making up excuses
If the person you are talking to has planned to video call you many times but then backs out at the last minute and makes excuses, then you could be talking to a scammer. They might say that their camera broke and they are going to buy a new one to video call with you, they might even ask you to help them pay for the camera.
If you do end up video calling with a person that you have met through the internet, make sure that they are actually speaking to you and responding to the things that you say. One tactic used by dating scammers is to play pre-recorded video in order to make it seem that you are video calling with someone else entirely.
5. They don’t have a digital footprint
It’s difficult not to have a digital footprint nowadays, so if the person you are talking to doesn’t have one, then you are likely talking to someone with a fake profile. Though some people don’t like to use social media sites and prefer not to share personal information online, this is usually a more telling warning sign when paired with the other warning signs listed in this article.
How can you check whether a person has a digital footprint? Well, simply running a Google search for their full name should reveal their presence on social networking sites, forums, and any other platforms they frequent… Perhaps their name is listed on a site linked to their workplace, or maybe they use LinkedIn for professional networking.
If the person you are talking to has no digital footprint whatsoever, or a very small one, this could be a sign that they might be using a false name, and that they are potentially a scam artist.
6. They seem too good to be real
Scammers will try and find out as much information about you as they can so they can seem like they are the only person for you. They might claim that you both share the same interests and always bring those up and talk about them. These interests could be found out by them looking at your other social media accounts.
Using this information, they can change their personality to one that they believe is more appealing to you. They will use this to lure you in and make you drop your guard. Once they have done this, the scammer will do whatever they can to take money from you.
7. Their profile was recently setup and has little activity
Let’s face it, most of us have been using social media platforms for many years, or decades in some cases. During that time, we will gradually interact with more and more people, ourselves and our family/friends will share photos of us, and document our lives in some form or another.
If you are speaking to someone that has a social media profile which was very recently setup, you should question why that is. Similarly, if the person has very few photos on their account or very little activity, this can act as another warning sign that something isn’t right.
8. They ask you to do things for them
Dating or romance scammers will sometimes involve themselves in multiple different forms of online fraud. These frauds can often become very elaborate and involve several people being duped in order for them to work properly.
You might be asked to do something on behalf of a scam artist which seems innocent and harmless, however, we recommend to err on the side of caution, and be very mindful about what you are being asked to do.
For example, if you are asked to receive money into your bank account, this should act as a massive red flag. Scam artists often use bank accounts belonging to third parties in order to receive money before forwarding it on to them. They might instead ask you to print off and mail documentation, to receive items in the post for them, purchase gift cars, or wire money through Western Union… Whatever the case, be careful, this is a giant warning sign that you might be talking to a scam artist.
9. Their English is poor and can be difficult to understand
We commonly find that romance scammers are based overseas, and as such they do not always have the best English abilities. If the person you are speaking to often writes with grammatical errors or you find it difficult to understand them, this could act as a signal that they are in fact based abroad and that they are not a native English speaker.
This may seem like a trivial point but is actually very important and a big indicator that the person you are speaking to could be lying about their identity. Read through their messages and ask yourself whether it all makes sense… Is this someone based in an English speaking country or someone that is speaking English as a second language?
What to do if you suspect that you are speaking to a scammer
Romance scams are one of the most devastating forms of fraud. Aside from the financial damage, romance scams can leave victims feeling vulnerable and alone. If you suspect that you might be falling victim to a dating scam, then seriously consider the warning signs listed in this article and whether they apply to you.
We also recommend that you seek help and advice from a trusted friend or family member. Talking through your situation with others can help with coming to terms with the situation and provide emotional support.
As a leading detective agency based in the UK, PrivateInvestigators-UK are often called on to verify claims that have been made by internet romances, and we have helped to expose numerous romance scammers over the years. If you suspect that you might be falling victim to a scam then feel free to get in touch with us and see how we can help.
Can Photographers Work As Private Investigators?
July 6, 2021 - Reading time: 6 minutes
Whichever way that you look at it, the photography market is saturated with thousands and thousands of skilled photographers working across the UK. Many photographers seek to venture out into as many forms of work as possible, and private investigation is a potential market which some photographers will consider venturing into. So, can photographers venture into the detective industry?
Yes, photographers can work as private investigators and are often able to gather high quality images during surveillance assignments. However, just because you know how to take photographs, doesn’t mean that you should be working as a private investigator. All agents should be equipped with the relevant training before working on surveillance cases.
Why photographers can make great private investigators
When it comes to working as a private investigator, photography and videography plays a huge role. Often is the case that an investigator will sit in wait for hours on end, waiting for the right moment to take that one desired photo of the subject in a compromising position.
As any photographer will tell you, point and shoot cameras have their limitations, especially for long distance photography or in low light. Taking a good shot in many conditions will require a DSLR camera with a suitable lens.
Most point and shoot cameras will provide optical zoom before switching to digital zoom; when the camera reaches its limit for optical zoom it will simply enhance the image that it has captured by zooming in on it digitally. In order to take things a step further, a DSLR camera with a suitable lens will be required.
Most photographers will have at least 3-5 lenses for their cameras, and will choose the most appropriate lens for each use case.
For example, a photographer might keep a 14mm wide angle lens which can be used to capture large areas in one photo, a 50 mm lens which is more suited to close range photography, a 18-140mm which is a close to medium range lens, and critically a lens which is suited to long range photography.
For long range photography, we would typically use a lens which has a focal length of at least 300-400mm or longer.
In many cases during surveillance or undercover assignments we also use pin hole cameras which can be hidden in common objects and used to photograph a subject without their knowledge.
For skilled photographers with the right equipment and knowhow, working for a detective agency can make a lot of sense.
Getting the right training
Being a great photographer won’t necessarily make you a great private investigator; and any agent that is tasked on working a surveillance case should have already received formal training on the best practices to avoid being caught by the subject and to ensure that the best possible evidence is captured in each case.
While there are hundreds or even thousands of different “private investigation courses” to be found on the internet, we would suggest doing your research and making sure that you choose a reputable course which is known and respected by detective agencies.
Generally, courses which are based solely on the internet will not provide adequate training and are not held in high esteem by detective agencies. It’s worth going the extra mile and receiving hands on, “in person” training, if you are serious about pursuing a career in the detective industry. Such training is offered by various providers across the UK.
For the most up-to-date information on training courses and qualifications recommended by us, please read our “How to become a private investigator” article.
Choosing a suitable vehicle for surveillance
If you decide to work on surveillance cases using your own vehicle, then you should consider the type of car you have and how it might be used. Surveillance assignments can span over several hours in some cases, and you should be able to remain in your vehicle comfortably for long periods, with enough space for your camera/tripod setup.
Remaining hidden inside your vehicle during static surveillance is another point to consider… Most surveillance agents will tint their vehicle’s windows so that they are able to take photographs discreetly and without being noticed by the subject or anyone else.
Some investigators will even purchase a second vehicle for use during surveillance assignments, such as an inexpensive van or minivan which can be kitted out with photography equipment.
For more information on surveillance vehicles, check out our articles “Window tint for private investigators” and “What type of cars do private investigators drive?”.
Working as a private investigator is not for everyone
Lying in wait for hours at a time in order to photograph a person as part of an accident injury claim investigation, or perhaps a subject suspected of infidelity, is worlds away from the typical duties of a photographer; and working as a private investigator is not for everyone.
Working as a private investigator can involve long, unsociable hours, it can be boring at times and unnerving at other times.
Aside from the boredom, some people are simply not capable of working within the detective industry; they feel nervous or as though they are doing something wrong. A good investigator will need to put their own feelings aside, they will need to act with confidence and for the best possible results.
Before pursuing a career within our industry, you would be wise to seriously consider whether it is a profession that you are capable of and whether you would feel comfortable in fulfilling the role of a private investigator.
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