Hiring a Private Investigator in Costa Rica? Buyer beware

Caveat Emptor:  Latin for “let the buyer beware.” The basic premise that the buyer buys at his/her own risk and therefore should examine and test a product himself/herself for obvious defects and imperfections.  No less scrutiny should be given when obtaining services, especially if you are relying on the internet to provide you potential service providers.

Hiring a private investigator anywhere should be done with the same caution as hiring a lawyer. Many of the services provided by private investigators are sensitive in nature and demand that whoever you hire adheres to the highest ethical standards and is in fact who they hold themselves out to be. The last thing you need is to place your trust in some inept, unreliable, inexperienced and dishonest private investigator who is not what they represent themselves to be.

How should you go about deciding which private investigator to hire? First and foremost, the private investigator should physically be in the jurisdiction they say they are in providing investigative services. Google does not screen internet advertisers and does not rate or otherwise tell you if they are reputable and trustworthy. The search engines publishes whatever the submitter of information writes with absolutely no verification. They do not verify that the person is actually in the location they purport to be. Thus you should have proof that they are there and not “farming out” services to less than ethical or professional private investigators.

Secondly, visit the Facebook, Google+ and other social media networks and read the content contain therein.  A quick review will speak volumes about the private investigator and his professionalism. During your review if you read comments that are personal in nature and seething of contempt for clients and or other professional private investigators, you should consider checking out other private investigators.

Thirdly, check the local news outlets and see if there are any news articles about the investigator or the private investigative agency. In Costa Rica you have several English news outlets such as;  AM Costa Rica, Inside Costa Rica and The Tico Times.  In searching these news outlets you find information that causes alarm you should avoid that private investigator.

Fourthly, never send money to any private investigator in via Western Union or MoneyGram. Costa Rica is infamous for scams involving sending money by this method.  If they don't have a Costa Rica Bank account or other reliable method to send money buyer beware. If they don't have an office or business telephone in Costa Rica, buyer beware.

Finally, check out their credentials. Don't blindly accept what they say. For example I am a Certified Fraud Examiner in good standing with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. A check with them will reveal that claim is real. Ask for references and delay your decision until you verify the private investigator with the references they provide. Ask who will be conducting the investigation. If they are in another country and cannot travel to Costa Rica you can rest assured that your case will be handled poorly.

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