The work of private detectives in Madrid is very similar to that of their colleagues in different Spanish cities, and generally similar to working in big cities in different parts of the world. However, there still are certain peculiarities about the frequency at which certain types of cases are being worked on. This can certainly depend on the features of Spanish and Madrid society itself, in terms of economical and political context, the demographic profile of the population (age, origin, occupation, family members, etc.) and other factors. In short, no two cities are the same, and therefore for private detectives there are small details that change the routine of their work and different cases to which they should devote their efforts. According to our own experience at Monopol Detectives, we have analyzed the cases we worked in the past and we have created the list of the most popular types of cases in Madrid:
Background Check
The first place (with about a quarter of the cases investigated) corresponds to the research to verify and check background of a person. What is this research? For starters, we could say that this is an investigation of personal and professional history of a person, and it may be a part of different types of investigations. A common type of cases in which a background check is done is when a person is looking to hire someone for a job of great responsibility, either by hiring a new staff member or by promoting someone who was already working in the company. In making such decisions, an executive of a company wants to know if there is unfavorable background, work details and educational history, financial history, the history of having fines or even the use of social networks for the people who opt for the position. Except for the restrictions that exist related to an individual medical record, it is completely legal for a private detective to check the background of an individual who is to be hired. The research is supposed to corroborate the information that the person has provided, integrating a complete personal file, covering many details as the client demands it. There are, for example, persons seeking details of the academic records of their candidates for the position, some people put the emphasis on knowing your financial status (if you have debts, if you pay your loans, etc.), while for other types of jobs it is more important for the client to know if the candidate has personal and family stability. Today, many customers also ask for a history of using social networks for the people who are candidates for the position: if they are indiscrete and reveal elements of a professional character, if you are serious and reserved, etc.
Civil investigations
With virtually the same number of cases background checks, private detectives in Madrid often receive inquiries which might be classified as “civil investigations”. Such cases require the detective to gather evidence for lawsuits involving two citizens and covering a wide variety of cases, including domestic or family surveillance, workers’ compensation, lost people, etc. To be precise, we could say that a civil investigation is aimed at finding information that can be used in a civil trial. It is very important to distinguish a civil trial which is very different from a criminal trial. In most cases such trials involve two parties (two people or two companies) that have an issue that concerns civil rights dispute. For example, it may be that a person is suing another person for domestic accident, for a family matter, etc. There are many types of civil investigations, and the most common ones are: domestic or personal surveillance, including for example the installation of closed-circuit cameras to check the work of a nanny and generic installation of closed circuit to ensure that all family members in the house are safe; other cases include investigation related to workers’ compensation, that is, to verify that the worker does not attempt to fraudulently obtain payment for illness or accident from the company or work insurance; investigations of missing persons; investigation focused on gathering evidence to settle the custody or those involving the act of detecting domestic violence, neglect children or any kind of abuse; marital investigations, including surveillance of the spouse due to the suspicion of infidelity, or gather evidence to prove domestic violence, as well as gather information from one or both partners before marriage. A civil investigation always starts with an analysis that is performed after the initial meeting with the client where the steps and techniques to use should be determined. It concludes with a full report that includes images as evidence, video or documents that support the results of the investigation.
Surveillance
Another quarter of the total number of cases that are conducted by private investigators in Madrid could be generally defined as “surveillance”. We could say that there is a connection with the other two research cases we have discussed so far, but in this case the customers come to the detective agency simply in order to follow or watch someone else without integrating a more elaborate dossier. Surveillance can be defined as the close monitoring, thorough and detailed observation of a person, place or object. It is itself, the practice of observing a subject to document and identify any contact, interaction or displacement thereof. There are many instances where you can use monitoring, including those mentioned in civil investigations, as well as, for example, recurring thefts, vandalism, temporary possession of a particularly valuable object, corporate fraud, or fraud at work, among many others. Careful surveillance can be ordered as a part of a civil investigation to document the location of an individual or to make a detailed log of activities performed around a specific site, among many other opportunities or cases. One concern that clients requesting surveillance usually have is whether this is legal or if it affects privacy / private life. Monitoring should be conducted in public places, in a professional way, not to infringe any legislation related to privacy protection. This is the reason why you should hire a private detective agency that is regulated and officially certified. In general, according to Spanish law, surveillance is legal, but without public disclosure.
Investigations related to the payment of insurance policies
Other cases occurring for the private investigators in this great city are the insurance investigations. There are many types of investigations related to insurance such as fraud with insurance rates, that is, it is a very broad and complex field of private research specialty. The insurance fraud investigations use surveillance techniques, search of records and interviews to verify fraud conducted by charging health insurance, auto insurance, life insurance and work insurance. You can also consider an insurance research as a sub-category of fraud investigations, but having in mind the frequency at which this type of fraud is carried out, and the cost involved for insurance companies, this is a type of investigation performed quite often and it has acquired its own characteristics. Insurance companies often work internally within research departments, but if necessary an independent company is hired, so that it can objectively certify the fraud, as more evidence is critical to an insurer to refuse to pay a premium that has been charged fraudulently. Investigation of this type seeks to determine whether a person has lied to collect an insurance policy. The type of fraud can be investigated with health insurance, auto insurance, home insurance, life insurance, work insurance, etc. Finally it is clear that such investigations do not concern only insurance companies. A person may fraudulently stage traffic accident that involves a third party to collect the premium. So these people are “affected” tangentially by fraud, that may also apply for this type of investigations.
Surveillance
Another quarter of the total number of cases that are conducted by private investigators in Madrid could be generally defined as “surveillance”. We could say that there is a connection with the other two research cases we have discussed so far, but in this case the customers come to the detective agency simply in order to follow or watch someone else without integrating a more elaborate dossier. Surveillance can be defined as the close monitoring, thorough and detailed observation of a person, place or object. It is itself, the practice of observing a subject to document and identify any contact, interaction or displacement thereof. There are many instances where you can use monitoring, including those mentioned in civil investigations, as well as, for example, recurring thefts, vandalism, temporary possession of a particularly valuable object, corporate fraud, or fraud at work, among many others. Careful surveillance can be ordered as a part of a civil investigation to document the location of an individual or to make a detailed log of activities performed around a specific site, among many other opportunities or cases. One concern that clients requesting surveillance usually have is whether this is legal or if it affects privacy / private life. Monitoring should be conducted in public places, in a professional way, not to infringe any legislation related to privacy protection. This is the reason why you should hire a private detective agency that is regulated and officially certified. In general, according to Spanish law, surveillance is legal, but without public disclosure.
Investigations related to the payment of insurance policies
Other cases occurring for the private investigators in this great city are the insurance investigations. There are many types of investigations related to insurance such as fraud with insurance rates, that is, it is a very broad and complex field of private research specialty. The insurance fraud investigations use surveillance techniques, search of records and interviews to verify fraud conducted by charging health insurance, auto insurance, life insurance and work insurance. You can also consider an insurance research as a sub-category of fraud investigations, but having in mind the frequency at which this type of fraud is carried out, and the cost involved for insurance companies, this is a type of investigation performed quite often and it has acquired its own characteristics. Insurance companies often work internally within research departments, but if necessary an independent company is hired, so that it can objectively certify the fraud, as more evidence is critical to an insurer to refuse to pay a premium that has been charged fraudulently. Investigation of this type seeks to determine whether a person has lied to collect an insurance policy. The type of fraud can be investigated with health insurance, auto insurance, home insurance, life insurance, work insurance, etc. Finally it is clear that such investigations do not concern only insurance companies. A person may fraudulently stage traffic accident that involves a third party to collect the premium. So these people are “affected” tangentially by fraud, that may also apply for this type of investigations.
Corporate investigation
Business or corporate investigations are perhaps not as numerous as those mentioned above, but also occur at some frequency. It is a type of research completely focused on a business or a company and it may involve verifying the legitimacy of a business partner, finding goods or lost information, identifying faults in the network of trust within a company that allow filtering of information, damage to the reputation of a company, etc. As we can see, the information management is critical in this type of research. And this is because at present, information is the most valuable asset of a company. That is why the internal networks are encrypted and the trust placed in employees is something that should not be overlooked. Sometimes companies use a private detective to test the internal network security information management, before having to regret leakage or seepage. Likewise it is clear that the computerization of information management requires a more technical and specific preparation for a detective to focus on corporate investigation.
Other less common types of investigations
There is much variety in the case that a private investigator can address in a big city such as Madrid, although some are not as frequent. These are the cases that occur less frequently:
- Locating people
- Harassment
- Lost children
- Drug screening
- Locating valuables
- Settling disputes over property constructions
- Locating of cars and industrial machinery
- Accident reconstruction
As we can see, the cases range from personal to business, from work matters to cases involving insurance companies. What we highlight in this analysis is that in a big city such as Madrid, the work of private detectives often focuses on surveillance, whether to form a record for background checks or within civil investigations. Whatever the case that requires a private investigator, do not hesitate to resort to a specialized and prestigious agency such as Monopol.