Ever needed to know who that telephone number belongs to? Ever wondered who owns a particular car? Ever needed to access someone’s bank account details? Have you ever really given much thought to exactly what private investigators can legally do for you?
Although there are a huge amount of lawful enquiries that a Private Investigator can make on your behalf; there are just as many enquiries that cross the border from lawful to unlawful and, as professionals, PIs really need to be in a position to know the difference.
The three most common requests for unlawful information are;
1. Obtaining Telephone Subscriber Information (Landline and Mobile)
2. Obtaining the Registered Keeper/Owner of a Vehicle (it can be done under certain circumstances; the DVLA are the people who decide if the circumstances are justified)
3. Obtaining Banking Information (Unless you are the account holder or it is the Police or Security Services, or you have a Court Order)
A frequent scenario that presents itself is, clients who suspect that their spouse is having an affair; they have a mobile phone number or car registration number that they have obtained by some means and they want to know who the telephone number or who the car is registered to. Many people don’t realise that it is illegal. Likewise many people are unaware that accessing a persons bank account is a criminal offence; even in divorce cases where it is believed that one party or the other is hiding assets. Obtaining information like this is unlawful and anyone, including private investigators and their clients, convicted of this type of offence could face a heavy fine or a prison sentence and end up with a criminal record.
Source: Ian Harm - www.iacinvestigations.co.uk
