June 22, 2021 - Reading time: 5 minutes
Updated on: August 7, 2025

People often assume private investigators are only hired in extreme situations, but the truth is quite the opposite. In the UK, private investigators assist with a wide range of sensitive, personal, and legal matters - many of which the police either can't or won't handle.

If you need verified information, surveillance, or help finding someone, hiring a private investigator could be the most efficient way to get answers. Below are 12 of the most common reasons people in the UK choose to hire a PI.

1. Infidelity investigations

Suspect your partner might be cheating? Living in doubt can take a toll on your wellbeing. Private investigators can discreetly monitor your partner’s activities, providing photo or video evidence. This evidence can help bring clarity - and closure - whether you're seeking peace of mind or preparing for legal proceedings.

2. Background checks before marriage or dating

Whether you’ve met someone online or are planning to marry a foreign partner, it’s wise to verify their background. A PI can confirm identity, marital status, employment, education, and more. Better safe than sorry - especially when legal issues or immigration processes are involved.

3. Child custody disputes

If you're going through a custody battle, proving your child’s welfare is key. Private investigators can gather evidence of neglect, risky behaviour, or dishonesty - helping your solicitor build a stronger case. Surveillance and witness interviews can be presented in court if needed.

4. Tracing missing people or debtors

Need to find someone? Whether it’s a missing relative or someone who owes you money, private investigators can help. We use public records, databases, and investigative techniques to locate missing persons or trace debtors across the UK.

5. Insurance or benefit fraud investigations

Insurance and welfare fraud cost businesses and taxpayers millions every year. Private investigators are often hired by insurers or councils to verify claims. We’ve exposed cases where claimants with “life-limiting injuries” were seen playing sports or doing manual work.

6. Identity theft or online scams

Victim of fraud or identity theft? A private investigator can help you collect evidence, identify the source, and even assist the police with a stronger case. We can also help prevent future attacks by identifying data breaches or points of exposure.

7. Business and employment background checks

If you're hiring a senior employee, onboarding a business partner, or making a major investment, conducting due diligence is critical. Private investigators can vet companies or individuals to uncover red flags like previous bankruptcies, litigation, or false qualifications.

8. Pre-investment checks (UK and overseas)

Thinking about investing in a startup or an international company? A private investigator can help confirm whether the opportunity is legitimate. We investigate business registration, legal history, key personnel, and financial credibility - especially important for overseas ventures.

9. Investigating stalking or harassment

If you're being followed, threatened, or harassed, it may not meet the police threshold - but that doesn't mean you're on your own. A PI can help identify the stalker, gather evidence, and support your efforts to get a restraining order or take legal action.

10. Social media investigations

More and more legal disputes involve information found on social media. We can document online behaviour, flag suspicious profiles, or uncover fake identities used to deceive or harass. This is particularly useful in family law and fraud cases.

11. Verifying personal relationships or online identities

If you suspect catfishing or are concerned about someone you met online, a PI can check whether their profile is real. We verify identities, photos, addresses, and personal claims so you can move forward with clarity - or step back if something’s off.

12. Corporate fraud or intellectual property theft

If your business is losing money or you suspect internal fraud, hiring a private investigator can help. We work discreetly to uncover theft, data leaks, or unauthorised use of company property. We also investigate trademark infringement and counterfeit goods.

Hiring a Private Investigator in the UK

Whether it’s a legal matter, a personal concern, or a business issue - private investigators offer professional, confidential services tailored to your situation. At PrivateInvestigators-UK, we handle every case with care, discretion and legal compliance.

Our clients include solicitors, businesses, local authorities, and individuals across the country. From process serving to surveillance, asset tracing and fraud investigation - our work is built on results and integrity.

Explore our services and pricing

We operate nationwide and also offer international investigations. Please visit the Private Investigators UK homepage to learn more about our services, or contact us directly for a confidential consultation.

June 21, 2021 - Reading time: 6 minutes
Updated on: August 8, 2025

Everyone likes to save money and we all enjoy finding a bargain. However, there are some moments in life where going with the cheapest option could backfire badly. Hiring a private investigator is one of them. If your future, relationship, finances, or legal situation is on the line, choosing a cheap private detective can do more harm than good.

Why Do Cheap Private Investigators Charge Less?

There are typically two reasons:

• They are new and inexperienced, trying to get their first few cases
• They have a bad reputation and can’t charge what experienced PIs do

Hiring a cut-price investigator often means poor quality surveillance, missed evidence, or reports that aren't legally usable. You might even lose your one chance to catch someone out - and never get the opportunity again.

Why You Should Avoid Cheap Private Detectives in the UK

• Evidence may be unusable – If it's gathered unlawfully, it won't stand up in court
• They might blow their cover – Once spotted, the subject will always be cautious
• They often lack proper equipment – We use camera gear worth thousands. Cheap PIs usually don’t
• No insurance or credentials – If something goes wrong, you have no protection

Are They Even Articulate?

Check how your PI communicates. Do their emails make sense? Is their spelling and grammar poor? We've seen "reports" that look like they were copied and pasted from a teenager's phone. If you can't understand their evidence, you can’t use it.

Always request a sample report or ask to see previous case outcomes (with personal info redacted).

Beware of Fake Private Investigator Services

We’ve seen countless examples where people have tried to pay someone to hack WhatsApp, Instagram or GPS-track a phone. The scammer will either:

• Take your money and vanish
• Demand more money before disappearing

Victims then realise they’ve paid for something illegal — and can’t report it. These scams often target people in desperate situations, such as partners trying to catch infidelity. Never fall for it. You risk losing your money and getting into legal trouble.

Phone Tracking & GPS Spoof Scams

Some fake “investigators” claim they can track someone's phone to find a missing person or cheating partner. In reality, this is not possible unless the person being tracked has legally opted in. Anyone who says otherwise is scamming you.

We've seen people pay for GPS tracking services and receive fake coordinates. These scammers prey on emotion and urgency.

What’s a Retainer for a Private Investigator?

In the UK, many private investigators (including us) use a retainer system for surveillance cases. This allows you to:

• Set a fixed budget for your case
• Allow us to act quickly if something unexpected happens
• Maintain flexibility without stopping the case due to admin delays

How Much Do Private Investigators Charge in the UK?

It depends on the case type, location, and complexity. As a guide, our prices reflect the professionalism, experience, and tools we bring to every investigation.

We cover all areas of the UK and offer free, no-pressure quotes. To get an accurate estimate, visit our contact page and include the postcode of your case and relevant details.

Final Thoughts

Hiring a private investigator is a serious decision - not something to leave in the hands of someone who undercharges because they lack the tools, the training or the ethics.

June 18, 2021 - Reading time: 16 minutes
Updated on: October 5, 2025

My husband was cheating on me with escorts

All contact with our agency is strictly private and confidential, we will never disclose information which is sent to us without written consent from our clients. With that said, we received a contribution to this blog post from one of our clients, for the purpose of this article we will call her “Sarah”.

Sarah contacted us in April of this year regarding concerns that her husband may be involved in a relationship with another woman. We were asked to place her partner under surveillance, and ultimately gathered damning evidence against him.

What follows is a written testimony from Sarah:

I had been seeing my partner for almost 7 years. He is 34 and I’m 33. We had been engaged for 16 months and were due to get married in the summer of next year. Lately we had been going through a tough patch in the relationship. Everyone has arguments and bad patches, but this time felt different.

One thing I noticed was that he was less interested in becoming intimate with me. He has felt sort of disconnected from me for a good while.

I always knew that he had used escorts in the past before meeting me. I was shocked at the time he confessed to this, but he told me that it was at a dark time in his life and he needed female company. I felt sorry for him.

As his behaviour became more and more odd, I decided to look through the internet history on his iPad and found that he had been looking at escort websites. I confronted him and he brushed it off by saying that he was looking for a friend and would never do anything with an escort. I didn’t believe him but I needed proof.

This is when I decided that I needed help and contacted PrivateInvestigators-UK. I was apprehensive at first but they were great and explained the process to me and what I could expect.

The first evening that my fiancé was followed nothing really happened. On the second night however, when he was supposed to be at the gym, I received photos of him entering a house, which looked like a normal terraced property. He returned out 30 minutes later before driving home.

Whilst he was inside the house, one man left and another one entered. It seemed like the writing was on the wall, and with some more research we were able to find the property mentioned online where it was described as a brothel.

My suspicions were confirmed. He was seeing cheap escorts on a regular basis and probably for months of our relationship.

I felt betrayed, dirty, and sickened. But most of all, I was glad to have discovered my partner’s true colours before it was too late and we tied the knot.

Why do men cheat on their partners with escorts?

There could be many different reasons which lead married men to solicit services from escorts, whether it is purely the physical enjoyment and thrill of sleeping with other women, or the emotional bond which can follow in some cases. We have listed some of the more common reasons below.

• The enjoy the thrill of being caught

The thrill of being caught soliciting services from escorts can prove to be a turn on for many guys, whether they enjoy the seedy nature of indulging in an illegal practice, or the risk of being caught out by their partners or the authorities.

• They began using escorts while single and continued while in a relationship

Some men will begin using the services of escorts while single, but find the habit hard to break after entering into a serious relationship or even marriage. It would seem that old habits can die hard for many men that use escorts.

• They lack excitement in the bedroom

Many couples will experience a lack of excitement in the bedroom over the course of their marriage. As the years go by, many couples become more and more used to the habits and preferences of one another. Rather than trying to bring excitement back into sleeping with their partners, some men will choose to venture out and seek their excitement with other women. Escorts can provide an easy and discreet means to this end.

• They are addicted to paying for sex

If your husband has been secretly paying for the services of escorts from a young age, then breaking that habit is often easier said than done. Massage parlours, strip clubs, and similar establishments can be found in most cities around the UK. Many of our will walk past these places on a regular basis without realizing what is occurring behind their closed doors.

Other men will prefer to meet escorts through websites or apps, which is as easy as browsing photos of different escorts and making a selection. If your husband has been accustomed to paying for sex from a young age, then he may have developed an addition to paying for sex which he will seek to feed.

• They enjoy the feeling of power

Make no mistake about it, some men thoroughly enjoy the feeling of power which they can receive from having the pick of their next sexual partner, and the ability to have sex whenever they choose.

Signs that your husband is cheating on you with escorts

If your husband is cheating on you and soliciting services from escorts, then detecting this can be very difficult. Men that visit escorts tend to do so over many years, or decades in some cases. Their behaviour becomes normalized to them and they learn how to conceal their habits from long-term partners.

With that in mind, we have put together the following signs which could indicate that your husband is cheating on you with escorts:

• He has browsed escort or hook-up websites

Why would someone browse through escort websites if they are not considering paying for services from an escort? There is simply no logical answer to this question. If your husband has been searching for escorts online then this should act as a strong indication of his interests.

• He is carrying strange smells

If your husband is coming home smelling of strange fragrances, this could act as a sign that he has been intimate with other people. While this is an age-old adage, strange smells on your husband can still give his game away. Some people even claim that they can “smell sex” or bodily fluids on their partner.

• He is showering more often and irregularly

If your husband is becoming intimate with other people behind your back, then he will likely decide to shower more regularly in order to mask the scent and freshen himself up. If your husband has started to shower more often than usual, and at irregular times when he would not usually bathe, then you would be wise to question why he is doing that.

• Money is going missing

Escorts do indeed cost money, with some ladies at the top of their profession commanding hundreds (or even thousands) of pounds per session in some cases. If your husband is spending more cash and withdrawing more money from his account than usual, and he cannot reasonably explain why that is, this is another sign that something could be amiss.

• He is less intimate with you

Have you have noticed a drop in your husband’s libido? Perhaps he has started telling you that he is “not in the mood” more often than usual, this could be an indication that he is satisfying his urges with another woman. It should be noted that not all men are the same, and some guys will not become less intimate with their partners whilst paying for time with escorts in their spare time.

• He hides his phone screen and won't let you use his phone

If your husband hides or turns off his phone screen when you are around him, then you need to ask yourself why he is doing that. Similarly, if you ask to borrow his phone for any reason and he won't let you, or needs to "do something" on his phone before allowing you to use it, these are strong indications that he might be communicating with other people he doesn't want you to find out about.

How we catch cheating husbands

We are a leading detective agency covering all areas of the United Kingdom. If you suspect that your husband is cheating on you with escorts, or with anyone else; then we can help to launch an investigation with the goal of catching him red handed, and providing the proof needed to make decisions about your relationship.

Our primary method for catching men that are suspected of cheating be our personal surveillance service. As part of surveillance we would follow your husband on foot, or in vehicles, and capture photos/video as proof and confirmation of his activities.

The total amount of surveillance required to catch a cheating husband can vary from case to case. Some of our clients will end an investigation once they have received photos showing their partner committing infidelity, other cases can remain open for longer periods if our client requires proof for divorce proceedings or is simply curious about how often their partner is visiting escorts.

Please visit our homepage for more information, or feel free to get in touch with one of our experienced team members and request a free quote.

Related articles

• 10 surprising red flags that your partner is cheating on you
• What are private investigators allowed to do in the UK?

Think Your Husband Is Using Escorts in the UK?

If you suspect your husband is paying for escorts, PrivateInvestigators-UK can help. Our experienced detectives operate nationwide, discreetly monitoring your partner, verifying activities, and gathering evidence. Free quotes available, and all enquiries are strictly private and confidential.

Learn More Request a Free Quote

June 12, 2021 - Reading time: 5 minutes
Updated on: August 8, 2025

If someone owes you money and has vanished, you're not alone. Whether it's a former tenant, an ex-partner, or a business client who's gone quiet, it can be frustrating when someone disappears owing you money. Our team specialises in locating debtors across the UK and, depending on the case, we may be able to help on a no-find no-fee basis.

We provide discreet, fast, and effective debtor tracing services for individuals, landlords and companies. If you’ve reached a dead end or have limited details to go on, hiring a private investigator is often the best way to move forward.

Legal Options for Debt Recovery in the UK

If you're owed less than £10,000, you can begin a claim through the Money Claim Online service. If you win the claim and secure a County Court Judgement (CCJ), you can then take steps such as sending bailiffs or applying for enforcement through the High Court.

But all of that relies on knowing where the debtor actually is. If they’ve moved, changed their name, or cut contact, our tracing service gives you a clear way to get back on track.

Need help understanding the legal side of things? You might find our article on statutory demands for debt recovery helpful.

Why Use a Private Investigator to Trace Debtors?

Trained investigators can find people even if they’ve moved several times, changed jobs or tried to cover their tracks. We use a mix of legal databases, field enquiries and other tools to get accurate results. In many cases, we can trace a person with just a full name and a past address.

• Reliable and legal tracing methods
• No-find no-fee available in many cases
• Covering all areas of the UK and some international cases
• Fast turnaround with confidential handling

Tracing Former Tenants

If you're a landlord dealing with unpaid rent or property damage, you're entitled to seek what you're owed. But if the tenant has vanished, you’ll need their new address to take further action. Our investigators can track them down quickly, often when traditional methods have failed.

Don’t Let Time Pass You By

The longer a debtor is gone, the harder it is to find them. Many people assume it’s not worth the effort, but the reality is that a good tracing agent can often locate someone even after years have passed. If you act quickly, the odds of recovery are much higher.

For cases involving financial hiding or avoidance, have a look at our post on how asset tracing works.

What We Need to Start

To trace a debtor, we ideally need their full name and at least one address they've previously lived at. Other helpful details include their date of birth, phone number, social media accounts, or any known workplace. The more information you can provide, the more likely we are to locate them quickly.

Let’s Help You Get What You’re Owed

We’ve helped clients all over the UK find missing debtors and take the next steps toward recovery. If you're ready to get started or just want some advice, get in touch for a free and confidential quote. Our team will talk you through your options and give honest advice on how to proceed.

Contact us today to trace a debtor and move forward with confidence.