It would be nice to think that we lived in a world where everyone trusted each other and had no reason to suspect anybody of wrongdoing. However, the rise in popularity of hiring private investigators tells us an entirely different story. Here are some examples of people and businesses turning to private eyes to find out info on those they suspect of being up to ‘something’.
The Ashley Madison affair(s)
Earlier in the year, the Ashley Madison website suffered something that all of its members would have dreaded – a data leak. The service is a dating website, primarily targeting those wishing to have an affair. So, when the names of millions of married people and partners were released to the world, you can imagine a sharp intake of breath or two. Unsurprisingly, shortly after that, there was an upturn in enquiries to hire private detectives. Lots of distrusting husbands and wives are fearing the worst there, obviously!
The marriage inspectors
The Hindu tradition of arranged marriages is well-known. But, in recent years, those arrangements have started to include a more thorough look into the lives of those chosen as bride and groom. Check out the Meet the Marriage Detectives show by the BBC. It shows how middle-class Indian families are hiring private eyes to dig up the facts on their sons and daughters future wives and husbands. It’s not just a local thing, either. Many of the families live abroad and are hiring investigators to look into potential partners from India.
School catchment areas
The struggle to get your child into the best school has been a long-standing problem for British parents. And the councils that investigate them. Local councils have long been looking into parents claims about where they live to make sure they aren’t ‘cheating’. According to this BBC report, things are so bad that councils are using private detectives to help them weed out the more untruthful parent.
Landlords
The worldwide success of Airbnb has been nothing short of astonishing. And, it has set the nerves of landlords across the pond in the States on edge. According to this report in the New York Post, the same landlords are hiring private eyes to sniff out tenants who they think are letting out on the sly. The investigators will respond to ads on the Airbnb service and then gather evidence. That includes taking photos, getting receipts, and copies of keys. The result? The landlords get to evict their tenants – so be careful if you have plans to do something similar!
Insurance firms
We all know that insurance firms are great snoopers – it’s how they avoid paying out big for every claim. However, according to The Times, some are hiring investigative teams to snoop on their clients. Zurich insurers and property lenders Dunbar Bank were planning on reducing its clients and needed to find a way to scale things back. They later admitted to hiring private detectives to look into the personal lives of many of its customers.
Have you ever hired a private eye? If not, would you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
