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Finding Missing Persons in London: An Insight into Finding Lost Loved Ones

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By London Missing Persons Investigator, Tim Boyd

Not long ago, I passed a local charity in central London and paused in front of a cluster of posters featuring missing people who had vanished.

It was a depressing sight and another stark reminder of just how many families are searching for loved ones who have disappeared.

Statistics from the charity Missing People reveal that “someone is reported missing every 90 seconds in the UK, amounting to over 170,000 people annually. If you consider the families and friends left behind, the issue affects approximately 2 million people in total each year.”

And with police resources routinely stretched, it’s a reminder of why the role of a Private Investigator in London is sometimes a family’s only hope when official avenues are exhausted.

Simple Request

Most people who contact us at PDL begin with a simple but harrowing request: “Can you help me find a missing person?”

Sometimes, they’re trying to reconnect with a long-lost sibling. Other times, they’re desperate to find a partner, child, or parent who’s abruptly dropped out of contact.

And that simple request –  “Can you help me find a missing person?” – can often lead to a very tough challenge for investigators, especially if there’s no social media activity, no address records, or no recent sightings.

Missing persons london

Tracing vs. Finding a Missing Person

To explain how we work at PDL, we find it helpful to distinguish clearly between ‘trace someone’ cases and true ‘missing person’ cases.

  • Tracing someone typically involves tracking people who may have changed addresses, jobs, or names. They still leave clues — like paper trails, employment records, or social activity.
  • Finding a missing person, however, means working with near-zero leads. They’ve disconnected deliberately, or something serious has occurred.

Why Aren’t All Cases Investigated by Police?

Unfortunately, not all missing person cases get the full attention they deserve. Police services are frequently stretched, and if there’s no indication of foul play or immediate danger, the case may not be prioritised.

That’s why many people turn to Private investigation services in London. At PDL, we’re experienced professionals with access to tools, databases, and techniques that the public does not. And often, that makes all the difference.

What are the issues/reasons involved in cases of missing persons? Some thoughts: 

Mental Health and Vulnerability:  Many missing person cases are deeply connected to mental health challenges. Individuals suffering from anxiety, depression, or other conditions may disappear without warning, often as a way of coping.

Estranged Family Members:  Sometimes the person in question is a family member who simply want to cut ties. These cases often involve complex family emotions.

Legal and Inheritance Matters:  Not all missing person cases are about emotional reunions. In some instances, individuals must be located for legal reasons, such as matters of inheritance, estate settlements, or serving legal documents. These cases require careful diligence and clear documentation, which our team is well-versed in providing.

Cross-Border Challenges:  In an increasingly mobile world, some people simply disappear across borders for many reasons. Finding a missing person who has moved abroad – sometimes without leaving a clear trail – can be a major challenge.

A Real Cross-Border Case: Success after 20 Years Missing

One such cross-border challenge occurred when we recently helped a family from overseas locate a relative who had been missing for 20 years. The police had long given up. But after deep-dive investigative work – including cross-referencing dates of birth, following faint digital trails, and some classic fieldwork –  we found the missing person. He’d amended his name slightly and relocated to England’s south coast, living quietly.

While the reunion was emotional and complex, the family finally had the answers they had yearned for. Happily, the missing person became a found loved one. It was certainly a touching moment for all of us who were involved.

Do You Need Help Finding Someone?

Whether you’re hoping to trace someone in London or launch a full-scale missing person investigation, please contact (PDL).

We combine expertise, dedication and compassion while knowing how to sensitively follow the faintest trail.

Contact us now 

AI and the Modern Private Investigator

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AI and the Modern Private Investigator

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly, reshaping industries and revolutionising how businesses operate and deliver value to their clients. PDL’s Lead Investigator Peter Torley takes a look at its impact on Private Investigations.

I found myself watching the late News the other night and one piece in particular grabbed my attention. It was a report about a big AI Conference in Paris this month – global leaders, tech experts and a range of academics gathering to discuss AI’s evolution and its future implications.

Much of the excitement at the conference, said the News, would surround China’s DeepSeek, a groundbreaking new AI assistant shaking up the industry.

It was a timely news item for me because AI has been on my mind in recent times and – along with my colleagues here in our London office – we’ve been toying over its likely ongoing implications for the whole Private Investigation industry.

A game-changer?

Over the years, I’ve seen the world of private investigations evolve dramatically, and one of the biggest significant changes has certainly been artificial intelligence.

When I first started out in this line of work, the tools available were vastly different from what we have now. Today, AI has streamlined so many aspects of the job, making our work more efficient and – in some areas – more precise too. And while technology has always been part of our profession, the increased integration of AI has certainly taken things to a whole new level.

Some people even ask me if AI will ever replace private investigators entirely. The short answer is a definite No. But like everything else, it’s not a simple black-and-white situation.

Only part of the story

I remember when GPS trackers first became widely used – there was a lot of talk about how they would eliminate the need for physical surveillance. While GPS trackers are admittedly an incredible tool (allowing us to monitor locations with pinpoint accuracy and minimizing the risk of losing a subject) they only tell part of the story. After all, a tracker can tell you where someone has been, but it won’t tell you what they were doing or who they were with. That’s where physical surveillance remains invaluable.

The same applies to advances in remote surveillance technology. Back in 2012, we were already experimenting with unmanned camera systems that allowed us to monitor locations remotely. That was good – but there was a big issue, because reviewing the footage was incredibly time-consuming. In many cases, it was even more practical and cost-effective to have one of our investigators on-site.

Admittedly, today’s AI-enhanced security solutions are far more advanced, but even the best technology still requires a trained professional to interpret the data correctly. Off-the-shelf solutions are widely available, but at PDL we only use the best bespoke systems tailored to the specific needs of our clients.

One thing that hasn’t changed in my time in the industry, though, is the absolute importance of human testimony. Evidence from AI tools, GPS trackers or surveillance cameras can be incredibly useful, but at the end of the day it doesn’t replace the need for signed witness statements. As we always tell our clients and professional associates, data alone isn’t always enough – human verification remains essential for credibility in legal cases.

Security and Ethical Considerations

Of course, with the benefits of AI come some important security concerns. At PDL, we take privacy incredibly seriously, and we have strict Non-Disclosure Agreements in place for every aspect of our work, from our clients to our internal processes.

Any AI tools that we use, especially those that handle sensitive data, are carefully vetted by our team as we take the utmost precautions to protect our clients’ confidentiality at all times. That is – and always has been – central to PDL’s core ethical standards. This area certainly needs the human touch as the ethics cannot be handed over to a machine.

Practical AI Applications in Investigations

The term ‘artificial intelligence’ makes it sound like something futuristic, but in reality, it’s already embedded in much of our everyday work and many of us have been using AI for years without realising it – spell checkers, for example, or things like predictive text. The list is always growing.

A perfect example: I once had to analyse a document in French regarding property ownership. With no French-speaking colleague immediately available, I turned to a well-known AI-powered translation tool – you can probably guess which one. Within seconds, I had a clear summary of the document’s key points. It saved me considerable time and effort, but of course I still had to verify the translation in a more human way before relying on it as evidence.

AI has also enhanced PDL’s ability to conduct international investigations. With the right tools, we can now access intelligence databases, track down individuals, and gather background information more efficiently than ever before. Whether you consider an intelligence database an AI tool or not, the fact is that technology has made it significantly easier to find the information we need.

That being said, AI isn’t always perfect. We’ve evaluated various AI-driven report-writing tools, and the results have been somewhat mixed – because while AI can summarize data quickly, it doesn’t always get the details right. As accuracy is 100% critical in our field, AI-generated reports still require careful fact-checking – by humans! The last thing we want is for an automated system to unintentionally alter the truth.

The Bottom Line

AI is certainly a powerful asset in modern private investigations, but it’s just that – an asset, nothing more. Like other industries, it enhances our work, makes certain tasks more efficient, and provides valuable insights, but it doesn’t replace the need for skilled professional investigators. At the end of the day, our ability to analyse situations, interpret human behaviour, and make professional judgment calls is what truly sets good private investigators apart.

There’s no doubt that technology will continue to evolve, and we’ll keep integrating AI at PDL where it makes sense. But no matter how advanced AI becomes, the human element remains irreplaceable. And as long as that’s the case, private investigators will always have a job to do – professionally, efficiently and effectively.

Get in Touch

If you are seeking a professional Private Investigator in London or worldwide, we’d love you to get in touch.

Call me – Peter – anytime on +44(0)2037471865.

PDL | UK-based Global Investigation Services

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By Peter Torley, Lead Global Investigator: PDL, Mayfair, London

As a Private Detective in the heart of London, conversations with strangers often start the same way. “Oh, you’re a detective? How fascinating! What’s it really like being a private eye?” Even more so when the International Investigations angle is involved.

The most recent instance was last month. An old friend had arranged for myself and some others to attend a big football game in London. While there, I got chatting to the gentleman on the other side of me at half-time – let’s say his name was ‘Paul’. Anyway, myself and ‘Paul’ got talking and the conversation veered to what line of work we were both involved in. He told me that he was a dentist – but quickly admitted that root canals didn’t leave much room for excitement.

Investigating abroad

It turned out that he was much more interested in my particular line of work as he had just seen a film about an American Private Investigator who had to come to London on a global investigation case. So he asked me if I ever got to investigate abroad, and he was genuinely keen to know exactly what it was like.
I wondered for a moment if he was seeking a career change. But no, he was just intrigued by the fact that one morning you get a phone call and later that evening you might end up working in Toronto, or Paris, or Hong Kong or… wherever.
I began by telling him that all Global Investigators based in London were in an excellent strategic position – geographically speaking – as we’re able to get the most out of any day. For example, we can be dealing with somewhere in the East, like Singapore, early in the morning and then consulting with New York in our afternoon, just as America is waking up. So our positioning is extremely fortuitous.

PDL | UK-based Global Investigation Services

Agile thinking, extensive knowledge

‘Paul’ then said he imagined that a successful global investigator would need to be pretty quick-thinking.
I agreed. I told him that when we get that early morning call, you need to be up and at it straight away. For example, there might be a plane to catch, so decisions need to be made in an instant, sometimes with rather incomplete information from a client.
As it happened, our PDL office had just taken a call the previous week from someone who wanted to obtain information on a French citizen – not a million miles away geographically speaking, of course, but with totally different legislation in operation. So we quickly set expectations for the client, processed timescales, and informed them about French regulations – all of which comes from specific, granular knowledge that we’ve collectively built up over the years.
So the ability to quickly Assess, Adapt, and Act – all while keeping a cool head, of course – is crucial to the success of the many different types of International Investigations we undertake from our Mayfair base in London.
I also mentioned to ‘Paul’ that cultural awareness is critical, too. Investigating globally means respecting the laws and nuances of every place you go to. What works in London won’t necessarily cut it in Los Angeles or Latvia. So, to some degree, you’ve got to be an international lawyer or police officer, knowing different legal systems and local rules on things like data protection, etc, as well as understanding the ‘unspoken rules’ of each environment.

 

Global Investigation Services

We continued to chat about it on and off for the rest of the dreary 0-0 draw and, by the end of the game, ‘Paul’ seemed well pleased with what I had told him. But – as is always the case – on the way home I started thinking about other specific areas I could have mentioned, like:
How we increasingly use the very latest advances in technology. This means we can now do a lot in the office that we previously may have had to reach out to our global partners for. If we’re looking for someone in America or New Zealand, we can now do that in-house. This saves time for us and saves money for our clients!

  • How we increasingly use the very latest advances in technology. This means we can now do a lot in the office that we previously may have had to reach out to our global partners for. If we’re looking for someone in America or New Zealand, we can now do that in-house. This saves time for us and saves money for our clients!
    Yet more instances include:
  • Cases we’ve had involving multinational businesses and Global Asset Tracing.
    Finding missing persons in other countries, plus things like cross-border divorce investigations.
    Collaborating with Foreign Private Detectives – partnerships that we’ve built up over many years.
  • Serving Documents on multiple offices of a global company with officers in various countries.
  • And the several corporate crises and family emergencies that we’ve solved abroad.

Yes, we’ve done all of those in recent times. Some days it will be a call from the States wondering if we can collaborate quickly with them on an urgent case. Other days – like a very recent example – it will be a call from Cyprus asking us to urgently follow a person who was on a flight landing in London imminently:
“Sure,” we said. “Which airport? And what time?”
They didn’t know.
So we quickly spoke to our PDL contact in Cyprus and had them conduct surveillance at both of the airports on the island. In that way, we were able to determine what flight our target was on and were then able to deploy our UK team to follow the person after they landed in Britain. After that little flurry of activity, it didn’t take very long until the job was completed successfully.
I think my new dentist acquaintance would have been impressed with that one. All done and dusted… practically in the time it takes to do an awkward root canal!

 

Contact us now for:

International Investigations for Private & Corporate Clients​

Professional, Experienced & Friendly Services
Global Reach Plus Local Expertise
SPECIALISING IN: EUROPE | MIDDLE EAST | US | ASIA | AFRICA

How exactly do you judge the ‘Best Private Investigation Firm’?

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If you’re reading this right now, there’s a very good chance that you’ve just searched for something like ‘the best private investigation firm in London or the UK’.

And, of course, if you do actually need to hire a private investigator, that’s precisely the sort of search term to use.

But will Google always serve up the ‘best private investigation firm’ for the specific issue you have on your mind?

Maybe. But then again, maybe not.

Let me explain.

In the world of private investigations, there are classic scenarios that – to all intents and purposes – appear to be similar. On the surface at least.

Missing persons, for example. Suspected infidelity. Counter-surveillance. Finding valuable stolen assets. Etc. Etc. They’re the bread and butter of the private investigator’s world – the sort of task any private investigator ought to be able to do in their sleep.

But when you dig deeper into some other less common scenarios, the more thought you may need to put into finding the best private investigator for that particular niche.

In other words, you may have to look for someone who specialises in the type of investigation you need.

Best private detective

Let’s be honest, though. The vast majority of private detectives out there, will have excellent reputations and will do a terrific job for you. And the chances are that they will all have enough of the relevant background experience to carry out the task in hand successfully.

Furthermore, of course, they’ll all have the discretion, integrity and resourcefulness needed to be successful in this profession in the first place.

However, it could be a little difficult for the average person to know exactly which investigator to pick when you want the ‘best detective’ for your particular case.

So, here’s some quick food for thought. When checking out who to choose, see if their experience ties in closely with what you need. Check their websites closely and see if any of their case studies resembles your particular scenario.

And here’s a little list that might be helpful. It’s the Top 10  ‘specialities’ that private investigators carry out. I hope it makes you aware of the types of investigations where proven experience is a big advantage right from the off.

For example, it may not be the case that the best ‘infidelity’ investigator will necessarily be the right person to follow up on ‘international corporate fraud’ concerns!

So, to wrap up, when you’re looking to find the best investigator for a particular issue, the very first investigator on the case may actually be you as you begin to check the various websites out there.

Hope your search is a fruitful one! Here’s that list I mentioned.

  1. Background Checks – Private investigators can conduct thorough background checks, ranging from simple to complex, to uncover criminal history, previous aliases, or verify information provided during a job application or interview.
  2. Bug Sweep & Detection/Counter-Surveillance – In this investigation, the investigator performs electronic and manual sweeps of specific areas to detect hidden recording devices or gps trackers.
  3. Domestic – These investigators handle cases like child support or custody disputes, often employing surveillance techniques to gather evidence.
  4. Due Diligence – Primarily for corporate clients, due diligence investigations are conducted to support business transactions and ensure informed decision-making.
  5. Process Serving – This can often be a very crucial part of the legal process and typically involves ‘serving’ legal letters or court documents on individuals in cases where that ‘serving’ – and proof of it – is needed.
  6. Financial – These investigators compile detailed financial background reports to provide insights into an individual’s or organisation’s financial history.
  7. Fraud – Often working for companies such as insurance firms, fraud investigators specialize in uncovering instances of fraud where someone is attempting to obtain financial gain deceitfully.
  8. Infidelity/Cheating Spouse – Classified as domestic investigations, these cases involve high-level surveillance to confirm whether a spouse or partner is engaging in extramarital activities.
  9. International Investigations – Many private detective companies are asked to work on cases that cross country borders. This can be for many reasons and can involve complex issues regarding differing jurisdictions and legal processes. A proven international reach and trusted global network is recommended for this type of investigation.
  10. Missing Persons/Locating People – Investigators use a range of methods to find missing persons or track down individuals who have intentionally left without a trace, aiming to determine their current location.

If you are interested in any of the above types of investigations, anywhere in London or across the UK, get in touch with us here at Private Detective London. We’ll be happy to help and advise on the best way forward for you.

Call +44(0)20 3747 1865 or drop me an email in the strictest confidence.

Avoiding the UK’s Counter-Surveillance amateurs 

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Leading expert Peter Torley of PDL explores the growing challenges of defeating those monitoring us – while also avoiding poor Counter-Surveillance standards

It’s not very often that you see the term ‘Counter-Surveillance’ in the headlines here in London, or indeed anywhere in the UK.

But be prepared to see a lot more of it in the near future as more and more UK businesses – and indeed government agencies – continue to deal with the various security threats that come with finding themselves increasingly under one type of surveillance or another.

And, as the prevalence of business surveillance increases (with more sophisticated techniques providing greater challenges to all of us in the profession) clients need to be aware that cheap ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions no longer cut the mustard. Indeed, if you’re offered such an amateur ‘solution’, it’s time to pause and think if that’s what your business deserves.

More specific details on that in a moment, but firstly it was in fact a recent headline from the United States that prompted me to write a few words now on Counter-Surveillance and its increasing relevance.

Donald Trump

Following the massive news that an assassination attempt was made on the life of former President Donald Trump, there gradually followed several allegations that the US security authorities had dropped the ball in their Counter-Surveillance approaches.

Fox News reported that an ex-Secret Service agent ‘couldn’t believe’ that there wasn’t any counter-surveillance in place during the assassination attempt. And NBC reported that the agencies involved could – at a bare minimum – even have deployed plainclothes Counter-Surveillance agents to stop the gunman.

That, of course, is a pretty basic ‘old-school’ approach to a particular issue of Counter-Surveillance in the Trump case.

But in Britain’s modern business world – with technology evolving exponentially and with competition between businesses continually intensifying –  the risk of your business being under highly sophisticated surveillance is very, very real.

So, if you have reason to suspect your commercial activities are being covertly monitored, you’ll appreciate that it’s now becoming increasingly challenging to outsmart those listening in to your calls and discussions.

Buyer Beware: Quick and Cheap or Thoroughly Professional?

While you will understandably want to get the Counter-Surveillance task completed as soon as possible, it’s important not to rush into choosing a seemingly quick and cheap solution. Very often, the cheaper and the quicker the work means that the end result will not be effective. It will not have been carried out in depth, and ultimately will probably necessitate engaging a fully qualified and ratified professional to complete the work thoroughly.

Are you one of those at high risk of Surveillance?

Let’s have a look firstly at the top three types deemed to be especially at risk of coming under surveillance:

  • Businesses working in highly competitive markets
  • High net-worth individuals
  • Spouses going through divorce

There are many more of course but, first, what actually is Counter-Surveillance?

As the name suggests, Counter-Surveillance involves taking steps to prevent or detect surveillance, including covert activities employed against you. Techniques may include such things as detecting hidden surveillance devices.

When effectively implemented, successful Counter-Surveillance can identify and neutralise any hostile monitoring of your business or private life.

Changed work practices play into their hands

The pandemic has, in very significant ways, changed the way most businesses and individuals operate regarding work. For example, with more people logging in from home, that level of relatively open access has inadvertently opened the doors for easier covert surveillance of one’s activities.

And in the commercial world especially, with many high-end businesses now choosing to meet in ‘halfway houses’ – such as hotels close to a major airport – it becomes increasingly difficult to avoid the threat of the premises having been bugged ahead of your meeting. 

How PDL excels in Counter-Surveillance

The overwhelming advantage that we at PDL have over our competitors – and this is across all aspects of our work – is our approach and our knowledge.

Naturally, and as you would expect, our Counter-Surveillance approach covers all the bases. From domestic issues at one end of the scale to working alongside high-end, global businesses discussing incredibly sensitive information. Through all of this, our knowledge and approach helps and reassures those at risk of being subject to intrusive surveillance. 

We also – more recently – have now begun to advise a large number of clients on how they can safely work with entrepreneurs on implementing constantly improving device security.

The Effectiveness of our Counter Measures

At PDL, we regularly find that we are called into a company on the back of their previous attempts at counter-surveillance ‘sweeps’ having failed.

This is largely because either not enough time or care has not been allocated to the ‘sweep’ by the service provider; or, on the other hand, the detection equipment used is of an over-the-counter type without the ability to successfully find the devices that, well, are just now so clever that they can easily escape detection by substandard, run-of-the-mill equipment.

This is why it is so crucial to use only sophisticated professional-grade equipment that can counter the range of frequencies in the latest bugging devices. And that’s what we at PDL use every time.

Indeed, in terms of the specialist Frequency Knowledge needed in this line of work, our team is unsurpassed.

For example, from our base in London’s Mayfair, we frequently send our teams all over the world. As a result, we have perfected procedures for detecting the different frequencies used in different countries around the globe. Like we always say at PDL – knowledge is indeed the key.

Counter-Surveillance: do you get what you pay for?

It’s a fact that some of our competitors charge exorbitant fees for a quick Counter-Surveillance sweep that may be largely ineffective. What’s even more shocking is that they often spend maybe just half an hour on the job, wave their equipment around a little, and then leave. Indeed, many of them lack the necessary basic training and knowledge, which is a serious concern to our industry as a whole.

Likewise, many companies may be tempted to try a DIY approach using equipment they’ve bought from somewhere like eBay. When that equipment is positioned around a commercial office or client’s home address, it may very well flash and beep and seem both impressive and reassuring. But is it really? What we find is that this approach rarely, if ever, goes deep enough to find the latest, sophisticated surveillance devices.

Guaranteed

So, reassuringly, with PDL you are guaranteed a fully immersive Counter-Surveillance sweep/investigation.

What’s more, in addition to one-time surveys, we can also offer the continuous monitoring and detection which are crucial for high-stakes events in the commercial world.

No stone unturned

The bottom line is that when we leave your office, we will have left absolutely no stone unturned in finding the bug that other services may never find.

Additionally, we offer you a detailed report with recommendations for strengthening your existing Counter-Surveillance measures.

Talk to us now and let’s beat those buggers – professionally and thoroughly.

Check our full Counter-Surveillance Service here.

Our Top 5 Fraud Prevention Tips

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Unfortunately, fraud is on the rise in the UK and worldwide. Fraudsters’ natural inclination to prey on our vulnerability has only been heightened by 2020’s unusual times, due to the increasing desperation of the fraudsters themselves.

It’s easy to become isolated, or financially cornered – both things that can cloud our judgement and make us more susceptible to fraud and scams.

As such, it’s vital to retain a healthy amount of suspicion, undertake some due diligence, and ultimately seek some advice, before co-operating with any activities that arouse suspicion.

At PDL, we’ve seen just about every type of fraud case there is, and caught fraudsters enacting every trick in the book. We’re always updating our understanding of scammers’ methods, to ensure we’re best-placed to get to the bottom of all the cases with which our clients entrust us.

To help you become a little more fraud savvy, here are our top 5 fraud prevention tips:

 

1 – Take Your Time With Cryptocurrency

Since Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies burst into public awareness in recent years, many people have invested money therein, with some success. However, it’s important to remember that these stories are the exceptions and not the rule. Far more prevalent have been the stories of huge losses, scams, frauds, and other presenting problems.

It’s important to remember that ‘Get rich quick’ schemes are nothing new, and that if someone or something is offering unbelievably high yield in a short time, it deserves equally high scrutiny. To use the old adage – if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

So – don’t make instant decisions on cryptocurrency investments. Take 24 hours thinking and cooling-off time, and seek advice from a trusted friend – particularly if they’re financially savvy.

Take your time is one of many wider points to be made here, about finances and financial fraud in general. At PDL we prefer prevention rather than cure, and it’s – naturally – much harder to get your money back after a fraud than it is to stop it going in the first place.

Consider also your payment method for any transaction of which you’re remotely uncertain, remembering that credit card transactions are more protected than debit card transactions or bank transfers, and certainly do not go to meet someone in person with large sums of cash as there’s almost no subsequent recourse in cases of fraud.

2 – Speak To Friends About Online Romances

The primary reason that romantic scams continue to thrive despite being such well-covered ground, is the way in which the associated emotion can cloud the victim’s judgement.

Professional fraudsters are incredibly adept at establishing rapport – that feels entirely genuine – and at manoeuvring themselves into the trust of others.

We’ve had clients worldwide come to PDL having already sent large sums to romantic partners they’ve never met – carried away by the apparent relationship, rapport, and connection.

Of course, they’re simply victims of highly-skilled manipulators with bad intentions, meaning they’re often still partially convinced by the fraudster even while we’re working with them to extract them from the situation and recover their money where possible.

We advise that you always confide in a trusted friend before sending any money to an online romantic partner. Your friend’s emotional detachment from the situation is crucial in differentiating between a genuine romance and a romantic scam. Look out also for any red flags along the way, such as your partner’s unwillingness to have a phone call or video call, their back story not adding up or containing holes, or their reluctance to reveal much about themselves.

 

 

3 – Institution Imposter Scams

This is a type of fraud in which an individual or group may contact you, posing as an institution such as HMRC, a bank, or a service provider, seeking your personal details, or money.

While we all like to think we’re wise to such scams, nowadays, there are two reasons that fraud like this continues to work.

Firstly, the increasing sophistication of the fraudsters. Their approach and technology is always ’improving’ meaning their scams can appear very genuine.

And secondly, our natural tendency to defer to authority. Organisations like HMRC, or a bank, are things we usually take quite seriously and attempt to show cooperation to. Fraudsters know this and look to exploit it.

Institutions like these have systems and processes in place by design. It’s extremely unlikely that their means of contact would be a spontaneous, withheld-number phone call to you. If you receive one, inform the caller that you will hang up and call the organisation back – on the number you already have for the organisation, rather than a number the caller gives you.

The genuine organisation’s employees should not take issue with this – it is something they are aware of as good security practice, and are trained to encourage. If the caller shows any anger or irritation relating to this, the evidence would suggest it’s even more likely that this is a fraud at work.

If you receive emails from institutions like this asking you for personal information or money, scrutinise it, and call the institution directly to verify the communication’s accuracy.

In short – protect your bank account as fiercely as you’d protect its contents in cash in your pocket.

 

4 – Consider Greater Email & Data Security

In January 2020, we wrote a full blog post on data security which is full of useful advice to ensure you’re protected online.

One of the key points with security is to consider greater email encryption, so be sure to research the level of security offered by your current email provider, and how you may be able to increase your level of security, either by upgrading with the provider, or switching to another.

Another thing you can do to protect yourself online, not just regarding email but in general, is to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to equip yourself with protection and anonymity online.

If you’d like to discuss the specifics of your situation so we can give more direct and specific advice, don’t hesitate to contact PDL.

 

5 – Don’t Be Embarrassed!

It’s simultaneously worrying and reassuring to consider that a fraud in some form, on some level, will probably happen to us all on at least one occasion.

One of the primary reasons a fraud is prevented, minimised, or stopped in its tracks, is the victim sharing some details with a trusted friend, colleague, or advisor. Someone with some detachment who is more inclined to spot the red flags and help the victim take the necessary steps.

We have often encountered clients who are at first shy or embarrassed – perhaps blaming themselves – for becoming victims of fraud.

To which we would say, please don’t be embarrassed! Fraudsters’ methods are manipulative and increasingly sophisticated. There is no shame in falling for their advanced and devious methods.

The vital thing, and the final point in this post, is to speak to people. Seek advice, share stories, be healthily suspicious, and take a constantly protective attitude to your data, finance, and personal information.

Contact

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