Investigation Bureau guides Plain-English guides from working UK private investigators https://investigationbureau.uk/guides 2026-10-05T00:00:00Z Investigation Bureauhttps://investigationbureau.uk/ Bug Sweeping (TSCM): How It Works and What It Costs in the UKhttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/bug-sweeping-cost-uk2026-10-05T00:00:00ZIs your home, office or car bugged? What a professional TSCM sweep involves, typical UK costs, why cheap detectors mislead and what to do with a find. Can a Private Investigator Find Someone Who Owes Me Money?https://investigationbureau.uk/guides/can-a-private-investigator-find-someone-who-owes-me-money2026-10-05T00:00:00ZYes. Debtor tracing is among the most common investigator jobs. How it works, typical UK fixed fees of £150 to £500, and what to do once they are found. Can a Private Investigator Get CCTV Footage?https://investigationbureau.uk/guides/can-a-private-investigator-get-cctv-footage2026-10-05T00:00:00ZNobody can force a private CCTV operator to hand footage over, but the lawful routes work if you act before it is overwritten. How it is done in the UK. Can a Private Investigator Get Phone Records or Text Messages in the UK?https://investigationbureau.uk/guides/can-a-private-investigator-get-phone-records2026-10-05T00:00:00ZNo. In the UK a private investigator cannot lawfully get phone records, texts or live location. The offences, the risk to you and the lawful routes. Can I Hire a Private Investigator to Follow Someone in the UK?https://investigationbureau.uk/guides/can-i-hire-a-private-investigator-to-follow-someone2026-10-05T00:00:00ZYes, lawfully and within limits. What UK law allows, who instructs surveillance, what an operation involves, typical day rates and what we refuse. Due Diligence on a Business Partner: a UK Investigator's Methodhttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/due-diligence-on-a-business-partner2026-10-05T00:00:00ZHow to run due diligence on a UK business partner: the free checks to do first, the red flags investigators look for and when to bring in professionals. Employee Working a Second Job While Off Sick?https://investigationbureau.uk/guides/employee-working-a-second-job-while-off-sick2026-10-05T00:00:00ZWhat UK employers can lawfully do about suspected sick leave abuse: why a tip-off is not enough, what tribunal-ready evidence looks like and what it costs. Employment Background Checks: What a DBS Check Misseshttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/employee-background-checks-beyond-dbs2026-10-05T00:00:00ZA DBS check shows criminal records and little else. What employment background checks should cover, what is lawful under UK GDPR and when to go deeper. Hiring a UK Private Investigator From Abroadhttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/hiring-a-uk-private-investigator-from-abroad2026-10-05T00:00:00ZLiving overseas with a problem in the UK? How remote instruction works: first conversation, fixed quote, evidence and reporting, without travelling here. How Do Investigators Trace Hidden Assets? The Lawful UK Methodshttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/how-do-investigators-trace-hidden-assets2026-10-05T00:00:00ZHow UK investigators lawfully trace hidden assets (property, companies, vehicles) in divorce, debt and fraud cases, and what needs a court order. How Do Private Investigators Find People?https://investigationbureau.uk/guides/how-do-private-investigators-find-people2026-10-05T00:00:00ZHow people tracing works in the UK: licensed data, open-source research and field enquiries. How long a trace takes, and why some are refused. How to Check if a UK Company Is Legitimate: 10 Checks That Cost Almost Nothinghttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/how-to-check-if-a-company-is-legitimate2026-10-05T00:00:00ZTen low-cost checks that expose a fake or failing UK company: Companies House, CCJs, addresses, VAT, domain age and the patterns behind them. How to Find a Long-Lost Family Member in the UKhttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/how-to-find-a-long-lost-family-member-uk2026-10-05T00:00:00ZFinding a lost relative in the UK: the Salvation Army, adoption registers, intermediaries, DNA matching, probate records, and when to use a tracing agent. How to Find a Lost Friend in the UK: Free Routes First, Then Professional Tracinghttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/how-to-find-a-lost-friend-uk2026-10-05T00:00:00ZLost touch with an old friend in the UK? The free searches that work, why they fail, how to make first contact well, and what professional tracing costs. How to Find a Missing Person in the UK: What Actually Workshttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/how-to-find-a-missing-person-uk2026-10-05T00:00:00ZSomeone missing in the UK? The first steps that matter, what the police will and will not do, the free help available, and when professional tracing helps. How to Find Someone's Address in the UK, Lawfullyhttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/how-to-find-someones-address-uk2026-10-05T00:00:00ZThe public records that can reveal a UK address, the ones that never will, the reasons that justify a professional trace, the law, and typical costs. How to Hire a Private Investigator in the UKhttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/how-to-hire-a-private-investigator2026-10-05T00:00:00ZHow to hire a private investigator in the UK: what to check, what to ask, what it should cost and the warning signs to avoid. How to Locate an Heir or Beneficiary Abroadhttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/how-to-find-an-heir-or-beneficiary-abroad2026-10-05T00:00:00ZHow executors and families locate an heir or beneficiary overseas: where to start, who can help, proving identity, and the options if they are not found. How to Prove Fraud in the UK: The Evidence Investigators Gatherhttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/how-to-prove-fraud-uk2026-10-05T00:00:00ZWhat fraud means in UK law, the evidence that proves it, how to preserve it, the routes to police, banks and civil recovery, and what an investigator adds. Invoice Fraud: What to Do in the First 48 Hourshttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/invoice-fraud-what-to-do2026-10-05T00:00:00ZYour business paid a diverted invoice. The order of actions: bank recall, Report Fraud, preserving evidence. Then how the breach and the money are traced. Is It Legal to Hire a Private Investigator in the UK?https://investigationbureau.uk/guides/is-it-legal-to-hire-a-private-investigator2026-10-05T00:00:00ZHiring a private investigator is legal in the UK. What investigators may and may not do, how courts treat the evidence, and where clients risk liability. Is It Legal to Put a GPS Tracker on a Car in the UK?https://investigationbureau.uk/guides/gps-tracker-laws-uk2026-10-05T00:00:00ZGPS tracker law in the UK, explained by working investigators: when vehicle tracking is lawful, when it is not, and how it is done properly. Is Private Investigator Evidence Admissible in a UK Court?https://investigationbureau.uk/guides/is-private-investigator-evidence-admissible-in-court2026-10-05T00:00:00ZGenerally yes, if it is relevant and lawfully gathered. How UK civil courts, family courts and tribunals treat investigator evidence, and what sinks it. Parcel Theft in Your Building: What Can You Actually Do?https://investigationbureau.uk/guides/parcel-theft-in-my-building2026-10-05T00:00:00ZParcels vanishing from your block? The practical steps that work: camera rules, what police and building managers will do, and when an investigator helps. Private Investigation Terms Explained: A UK Glossaryhttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/private-investigation-glossary2026-10-05T00:00:00ZPlain-English definitions of UK private investigation terms: OSINT, TSCM, skip tracing, process server, enquiry agent, lawful basis and more. Process Servers in the UK: How Court Papers Get Servedhttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/process-servers-uk2026-10-05T00:00:00ZHow court papers are served in the UK, what process serving costs, and how tracing fixes a failed serve when the respondent cannot be found. Romance Scam: What to Do Now, and Can Your Money Be Traced?https://investigationbureau.uk/guides/romance-scam-money-recovery2026-10-05T00:00:00ZSent money to someone you met online? The urgent first steps, your bank refund rights, whether the money can be traced, and how to avoid recovery scams. Signs an Employee Is Committing Fraud: An Investigator's Listhttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/signs-an-employee-is-committing-fraud2026-10-05T00:00:00ZThe warning signs of employee fraud that UK investigators see: sickness abuse, expenses, moonlighting. And what to do before you confront anyone. Signs of a Cheating Partner, and How to Actually Knowhttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/signs-of-a-cheating-partner2026-10-05T00:00:00ZThe behavioural signs of a cheating partner that investigators see, and how to get certainty lawfully, without hacking a phone or confronting on a hunch. Tracing Agent or Private Investigator: Which Do You Need?https://investigationbureau.uk/guides/tracing-agent-or-private-investigator2026-10-05T00:00:00ZOnly need a current address? A fixed-price trace is cheaper and quicker. When you need a private investigator instead, with UK costs and timescales. What Does a Corporate Investigator Actually Do?https://investigationbureau.uk/guides/what-does-a-corporate-investigator-do2026-10-05T00:00:00ZWhat corporate investigators do in the UK: due diligence, internal investigations, IP theft, asset tracing and vetting. How it runs, the law and the cost. What Does a Private Investigator Cost in the UK? (2026 Guide)https://investigationbureau.uk/guides/private-investigator-cost-uk2026-10-05T00:00:00ZWhat a private investigator costs in the UK in 2026: hourly rates, surveillance day rates, tracing fees, and the warning signs in a cheap quote. What Is Executive Due Diligence? A Board's Guidehttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/what-is-executive-due-diligence2026-10-05T00:00:00ZWhat executive due diligence covers, when boards and investors need it, how it differs from a DBS or reference check, and what a sound report looks like. Who Is Behind an Anonymous Account? How Investigators Identify Online Harassers and Scammershttps://investigationbureau.uk/guides/who-is-behind-an-anonymous-account2026-10-05T00:00:00ZHarassed or scammed by an anonymous account? What to preserve, how lawful attribution works, when police act, and how a court can order disclosure.