Thailand Investigations Blog » General Archives – Thailand Investigations Blog

The Importance of Reputation

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:08:08 +0000

Especially in a country where private investigators are not required to get licenses or certifications or even qualifications to practice the trade, it is very important for PI agencies to establish a good rapport and reputation as industry players.

Since Thailand has no law or requirement for private investigation agencies and private investigators to have a licence, one can simple set up shop and call his business a “private investigation agency” himself a “private investigator”. But the sad truth is that many of these people have absolutely no idea how to conduct a proper investigation, much less have any investigation skills. Many also assume that a couple of contacts are all they need to put up a PI agency. Which is obviously very wrong.

Unfortunately for many clients I’ve come across through the years, they’re easily duped into enlisting the services of false agencies such as this mainly because of the dirt cheap prices they advertise. But in the end, they cannot deliver what is needed of them, or worse, they come up with many additional charges to the clients that he or she ends up paying much more than he or she originally thought.

The sad thing is though, that there are a lot of agencies who post their services online, but are not transparent with the kind of information they give to potential clients. Most simply have a generic email or a mobile phone number you use to contact them – which, as I would like to remind you, are both easy to produce on the fly and are thus completely disposable and expendable. Rarely have I seen agencies with fixed addresses or offices. Mobile numbers and emails can easily be replaced should the need arise. Office addresses and business names, on the other hand, are harder to throw away. So look for the physical business locations and visit them from time to time. And more importantly, look for agencies that are established and stable, such as Thailand Investigation, who have already built a good and honorable reputation for themselves.

The private investigation business is built on trust. Clients come in and give away sensitive information, as well as hard earned money, to an agency to help them solve a particular problem. It may be finding a missing relative, catching a cheating spouse or girlfriend, doing background checks on business partners, or any other related job. Clients are always the ones who take the first step by trusting the agency and take whoever they hire by their word alone, as there are no government standards or certifications they can turn to. So it is especially hard for clients to find out that they misplaced their trust plus dealing with the fact that their problem is still unsolved.

We have worked through the years to establish a good reputation with our clients, and we really value our relationship with them and their impression of us before, during, and after we handle any cases they give us. It’s a matter of being professional and sensitive to the needs of clients. It’s about real, genuine, and honest-to-goodness service.

After the breakup: You may be in a better place than you think

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:29:00 +0000

There’s something about human beings that makes us crave answers. I suppose it goes without saying that this curiosity, this desire to know “why,” has been one of the driving forces behind our progressive civilization. It’s also the one-word question that we as parents spend endless hours answering for our children from the time they’re toddlers, “Why is the sky blue?” To the time they grow up, “Why can’t I date her? She’s a talented dancer! She’s just in a bad place at the right time.”

The word “why” has proven its worth over the past two thousand years (I don’t really know if it’s that old) and that won’t change. But there is one area where we’ve seen that seeking answers to our why’s has borne out to be of little value: Relationships.

We hear the questions with alarming regularity at the start of new relationships. “Why does she like me?” is the one we most often hear. But most of the “Why’s” come tumbling out at the end of relationships, under the guise of seeking clarity. “Why isn’t she calling me back?” “Why would he tell me he loves me and then walk away a week later?” “Why would she choose him?” “Why did she take all me money when I treated her well?” “What did I do wrong? Didn’t I give her a better life?” We’ve heard them all and I’m certain you have as well. Heck you’ve probably even screamed those questions into a tear-stained pillow once or twice yourself. Bargaining, reasoning….

The dilemma created by seeking answers at the end of a relationship is that each answer leads directly into more questions that end up being inadequately answered. I mean sure, you WILL get answers, just none that ever seem to completely satiate you. That’s the catch twenty-two. No answer is the right answer. Yet instead of a straightening of the spine– many people experience an almost obsessive desire to get those questions answered to their complete satisfaction.

This is what you should remember: She’s STILL going to be out of your life. Has anyone, male or female, EVER been satisfied with the answers to their break-up questions? No. That’s because in the mind of the dumpee, the person walking out on the relationship is making a huge mistake. How could they be walking out on YOU? Did they forget how amazing and incredible you are? But wait… they’re TELLING me how amazing and incredible I am… but they STILL want to leave? This doesn’t make sense! I need explanations!

That’s right. It DOESN’T make sense. And it never will. So why ask why? The answers don’t and won’t make provide an ounce of release. In all likelihood, they will probably only add to the confusion. Fact is, you were in a bad relationship, something that would have ruined you if went on for longer than it did.

And guess what, she’s probably doing you a great favor. Now do yourself a favor and let her leave. Feel free to ask your questions. Get your why’s out in the open. And then accept those answers unconditionally. And then clear a path for your future relationships by getting out of your own way.

Ang next time, get a background check so you’ll know where you stand, right at the beginning, so this never happens to you again.

Is change for cheaters?

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:12:57 +0000

Many of our readers have gone through some sort of brush in with cheaters. Be it on a professional or on a personal and intimate level, that experience is not always a pleasant one. And then comes the proverbial question: Will they change? Can they even change to begin with?

To be fair, cheaters CAN change, but it is not up to you, it will always be up to them. It’s important to realize that upfront. The decision you have is whether or not you should give them a chance or should you just walk away and move on. Conventional and practical wisdom naturally dictates the latter, but things are rarely as simple as that. Many people feel compelled to forgive a cheater, especially if they’ve already invested a lot of time, money and emotion in the relationship.

However, there are a few things you should look out for first, before handing out a second chance. Here some signs that you have something to hope for:
1. A sense of remorse and pain over cheating.  
2. The willingness to get help individually and/or as a couple to change the issues that caused the cheating in the first place. 
3. The willingness to show their partner their cell phone, emails, etc. without getting defensive. 
4. The ability to break off the affair to work on their primary relationship. 
5. Admitting that they DID cheat (no excuses) and that it was wrong.

However you might also be in a place where it’s just something you throw up your hands for and say you surrender, time to move on. Here are some signs that might help you make that decision:
1. No remorse.  
2. History of cheating in other relationships and reluctance to seek help. 
3. Continuing to be secretive with their phones, emails, texts, etc. 
4. Inability to stop the cheating. Character disorder, i.e., narcissism, sex addiction. 
5. Inability to actually admit that what they did was wrong…lots of rationalizing, excuses, and blame.   

Being cheated on by a person you love and trust is incredibly hurtful. When you are cheated on it impacts the core of how you interact with people. Infidelity makes raw nerves of things like trust, self respect, self worth and ego identity. People who have been cheated on often have difficulty trusting again. They either avoid relationships altogether or become detached serial-daters. People who have been cheated on are afraid of being hurt again.

But, people can always change. Cheaters are no different. Whether or not a cheater can change is completely up to the individual. The reasons the cheater gives for their past infidelity can help determine if they really want to change or if they might do it again.

This is why it is always important to get things right and always have as much data or proof as possible so you can always make an informed decision. Thailand Private Investigations guarantees professional and discreet services so you have nothing to worry about.

On Moving On

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:24:57 +0000

As one door closes another one opens. There may be a brief time in between the doors when you are meant to reflect or learn from your old door before you can be ready to step into the opening of a new one. A closed door may be an opportunity to move forward in our lives. This is a time of preparation, a time to find peace within you. The door that was shut will always be a glass door. Look back through it with gratitude and embrace every moment you had, while it was open. It was a part of you, which has helped mold you into the person you have become.

Not every plan works out. There are losses and failures happening every day. We don’t always have control over these happenings, but we can exercise control over our attention and attitude. We can control our emotions and our attributes to the situation though. When one of these things happens, and we focus our attention on the loss – the closed door, we see only a closed door with the resultant frustration and unhappiness, but if we could only move our sight and attention away from the closed door, we might be surprised to discover a row of open new doors.

And a new door is about to open to finish the creation process, for you to be exactly where you were meant to be in this world. It is hard not to cry because it’s over. Try with all your power to smile because it happened, for in every experience there is a lesson to be learned. When one door closes another opens but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.

Learn to have patience with all things and especially have patience with yourself. Time heals all wounds, as it heals closed doors. Try and form a support group while you are in-between doors. Stay in touch with those who touch your life, touched your heart and invigorated your spirit. Always look on the bright side and don’t let adversity keep you from winning. Be yourself because you are filled with special qualities that have brought you this far and will always see you through. Keep your spirits up, make your heart happy and let it reflect on everything you do and every word you speak. Your new door is opening; don’t miss a step or a chance to walk through it.

Your three most powerful tools at this point will be to have faith, allow time to heal wounds, and have patience. When one door closes another one opens bringing opportunities and adventure beyond our wildest imagination. When faced with that locked door, take a deep breath, give a prayer of thanks, and prepare for the miracle that will become your life. Hold on to your dreams and never let them go. Show the rest of the world how wonderful, unique and special you are by giving your circumstances a chance and others the benefit of the doubt. Never give up.

Why Monitoring May be the Solution for You

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:09:31 +0000

Imagine yourself in this situation: You are in a relationship. At the beginning things seem great, things seem wonderful, like all relationships are in the beginning. After some time passes, it begins to slow down, again, like all relationships do. But then unlike other relationships, you experience something different. You’re kept up at night by nagging thoughts and suspicions. You are uneasy, even at work, and maybe a few people have noticed. You’re becoming more and more paranoid, and you think the other person you are in a relationship with is up to something you will not approve of.

If you are in this kind of situation (and don’t need to imagine it) it is not a pleasant feeling.
But the thing is, suspicions, no matter how nagging they are, are not always true. A conservative estimate may have the chances of you being right are at 50. That might not sound too bad, but think of it like you being given a 50/50 chance to live. Sure, it’s better than just 20 or 30 percent, but it is still a significant percentage of uncertainty. And when it comes to dealing with tricky situations like suspicion, any kind of uncertainty is not a good thing to have.

Good thing technology has a solution for your problems, a solution we here at Thailand Private Investigations always rely on and provide to our clients. Enter GPS location and mobile phone and computer monitoring.

The good thing about this kind of technology is that it give you accurate results. For example, you can use a GPS tracker (easily concealable and very small) to monitor the whereabouts of your subject – see where he or she went at what time and have all these sorts of details about his or her movements. Computer monitoring will allow you to see who he or she is doing on the net – is he or she chatting with someone else? What do they talk about? Is an affair (or anything else that’s fishy, for that matter) brewing online? How about through mobile phones? Is he or she looking to meet someone later? Are they exchanging personal and intimate messages through the phone or do they even have some sort of video together stored on the mobile phone? These are just some of the questions you get answers to when you use any kind of monitoring.

Some may have a problem with that but as far as we are concerned, it’s not a bad thing. Everything is fine as long as the reason and intentions are clean, and the technology is not abused. In the numerous cases we have handled, our GPS location monitoring, computer activity monitoring and mobile phone monitoring that have helped us a lot in delivering concrete and specific solutions for our clients. It has helped us get nearer to the truth so many times.

So if you are interested in using this kind of technology, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us, and we will be glad to assist you in this matter.

Dealing with Missing Persons Cases

admin — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:35:27 +0000

I am of the opinion that cases involving finding missing people is probably one of the most difficult, if not THE most difficult, aspects of my work. But it is also the most rewarding one. Most often missing cases are hardly ever given a minute’s notice by law enforcement, except in exceptional cases. You have to understand, there are other, bigger cases to press on, and being human, the police can only do so much.

Particularly when I am called upon to trace a long lost relative, or a son or a daughter a parent has not seen for years, this is exactly the kind of case that lies outside the realm of law enforcement—but it is also a dilemma one will be hard pressed to solve when done alone.

I have more than several cases where I have been hired to find a missing child, a son or a daughter separated from his or her mother or father for a long time. Due to certain circumstances, the child and the parent are separated, but as with most parents, they can only endure being away from their child for so long. There are some who try doing it alone, making inquiries here and there, and sometimes they do succeed, but most often, they don’t. Sometimes those who succeed manage to do so in only a couple of months, or weeks even, if everything turns out right—but most a lot of times, when the length of the separation has been significant, it is hard to locate someone, especially when the people concerned have changed their homes or their jobs or their lifestyles. It is not common to see a searcher fail, discouraged by his lack of progress, overwhelmed by the various difficulties he has faced and those he still must face. Not all attempts succeed, even when a professional has taken the task. As I have said, it is a daunting task.

But as also mentioned, one with the best rewards. There are very few things in the world more heartwarming to see than a couple reunited, or a parent and child brought together again, their love renewed, their connection to each other restored. The feeling of reunion, after months or years of being apart, is truly beyond my limited vocabulary to describe to you. It is a deep and profound feeling of warmth you can only understand when you are there. Some cynics may point out that things like this are only a job for me; that is true in a sense, as I am professional although out the searching process, but I must protest that I am a human as well, and as such it is natural for me to empathize with this people, they may have paid me, but I am sure the service I have rendered for them is priceless. I daresay I would have done the same things had I been in their shoes, and had the person I hired succeeded, I would consider it money well spent.

It is not easy to understand what these people go through; I consider myself fortunate that I have not undergone the trials that they have gone through. I do not presume to know. I can only offer my humble services, and hope that at the end, there is a happy reunion.

It Always Pays to Be Careful

admin — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:12:53 +0000

It’s been said time and again, and the reminders are everywhere.

It always pays to be careful with the Thai girls you date or go out with. There are many, many articles on the web and a couple on this site that talk about the risks you take when you trust your Thai girlfriend too much. There have been countless news reports and articles about how many expats have been left metaphorically and literally with their pants down, embarrassed to the core, because they trusted their girlfriends and one night partners too much.

Henson, 37, found himself divested of his wallet, credit cards, mobile phone and cash after he allowed himself to sleep with a girl he got from a go go bar. He was lucky she didn’t know that his Armani suit cost a couple of thousand bucks, because he wouldn’t even have clothes to wear to the hotel lobby to call one of his office mates to come pick him up.

Ray, 52, a widower, met his girl at an all-boys party in downtown. She was part of the entertainment. He hooked up with her after the party and they became a couple for about 3 months. Then she proposed starting a business and asked if he could help her finance it. Too bad for Ray, because he trusted her completely, and gave her the money. When he did, he never saw her again.

John, 46, also met a girl from a bar one night out. She seemed out of place, and said that she just needed money for her sick mother who was in the province, which forced her to work in such a place to earn money for medicine. John was touched, and offered to take her in. She was hesitant at first, but agreed after John insisted. They of course became a couple. They were together for more than 5 months when John noticed that his girlfriend was starting to ask for larger amounts of money for this and that reason. Her mother needed more expensive medicines. A sister needed money for giving birth. A brother needed a little money for daily expenses. She never ran out of reasons to ask him for money. Despite being well off, John started to become suspicious and sought out help, it turned out that the girl was an orphan, and was working for a local gang who wanted to bleed him dry.

Henson, the guy in the first story, didn’t even need to hire anybody. He just needed to be careful. But these last two incidents could have been easily prevented if they had consulted a private investigation agency first before trusting their girlfriends. It would have done them no harm. A simple background check would have shown them if their girlfriends were really who they said they were.

It would be a win-win situation. If their girlfriends were clean, then they would not have any problems and could sleep better at night knowing that they’re not being lied to. On the other hand if their girlfriends turned out dirty, then they would be spared losing thousands of dollars to someone who was just playing with their emotions.

Again, I ask all you guys out there to be careful whom you trust. You might be lying down at night with a snake.

Letter from our readers (I)

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:05:16 +0000

We sometimes receive feedback from our clients whom we’ve worked for in the past. Some we cannot share due to the personal content of the messages, but this particular message was sent to us with the request to put it up in the site. We agree with the intent of this letter, and we will be publishing the letter in its entirety.

—————–

Dear Thailand PI,

Thank you very much for your help with the problems and issues I approached your organization with. I’d like to say for the record that while we may have had some unforeseen complications due to several factors, I am very satisfied with your service in general as well as the end result of our partnership.

I am writing this message not only to you, but more so to the people who visit and read your website. I write as a person who has been where many of them are (at least I think so) so I believe that I will strike a chord in many of them. I write this not really for you, but for them, as I believe that in the end, the choice of approaching you and having you take me as one of your clients has helped me out a lot.

Suffice to say that my issue is both of a personal and financial nature. The posts here often talk about betrayal – emotional and financial – and I have experienced both. Like many who visit this site, I believe that many of you are expatriates like me – expatriates who may think that they have everything down, but in truth, there is more out there than you think.

I have been working in Thailand for more than half a decade, in a satellite office of a large western firm. I was really taken aback when this problem hit me – I never saw it coming. Looking in hindsight, as well as reading all the content on the Thai PI website / blog, I think I SHOULD have seen it coming, but well, we are all human, and that error put me where I am right now.

At the beginning, I was at a loss of what to do. I was afraid of what people might say – both the people I know and am friends with in this beautiful country (where I want to retire someday), as well as the people from where I’m from originally. I knew a lot of people would tell me, “I told you so.” I did not want to put myself through that. I’ve also heard a couple of horror stories about PI agencies here in Thailand, so I was hesitant to approach an agency and tell them my story. Plus the fact that I was terribly embarrassed to begin with, and I couldn’t imagine myself telling complete strangers about what I was going through. It was a very difficult process to try to seem normal during the day, then try to process things when I was alone. I did not talk to anyone, not even close friends.

—————–

We’ll be continuing this letter in the next post. Stay tuned!

Understanding the ‘rules’ of the game

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:54:16 +0000

It can be very difficult to catch a cheating partner.

Understandably, most people do not know how to investigate a partner. But, if you want to catch a cheater, it often helps to understand the nature of the problem at hand.

Why is it so difficult to catch a cheating partner? Catching a cheating partner is difficult because cheaters have an unfair advantage when it comes to infidelity. In fact, most infidelity goes undetected, or unproven, because the rules of the game tend to favor those who cheat.

For one, they take advantage of your trust. Most people have a strong desire to believe what a partner has to say. Trusting a partner creates a sense of security and comfort. No one really wants to think that a partner may be lying, especially when it comes to infidelity (see, love is blind). Rather than assume the worst, it’s often easier to believe a “pleasant lie” than to acknowledge a “devastating truth.” In fact, some people work very hard to overlook a partner’s infidelity, because to acknowledge the alternative is much too painful. This helps explain why the partner is typically the last to know: Because knowing always causes a faithful partner the most pain. Cheating partners take advantage of this. Cheaters often exploit their partner’s desire to trust by telling their partners exactly what they want to hear (“I would never cheat on you.”).

Another thing is suspicion and your attitude towards it. You see, suspicion is a very strong emotion and it’s difficult to hide. Suspicious individuals tend to signal their doubts by making accusations, acting insecure and anxious, being overly inquisitive, and so on. And a cheating partner’s worst fear is getting caught. So, cheating partners constantly monitor their partners for signs of suspicion. And if a cheating partner detects suspicion, he/she will adjust his/her behavior to better hide and conceal the affair.

Simply speaking, suspicion tends to help cheaters cheat more effectively. If your partner is cheating, and you signal your doubts and suspicions, it’s going to be much more difficult to discover the truth (see, common mistakes). When you put it all together, cheaters have the advantage: Both, trust and suspicion, tend to work in their favor.

So, how can you catch a cheating partner?

If you suspect infidelity, do not confront your partner until you have proof. And while it is helpful to talk to partners about most relationship problems, this is NOT the case when it comes to infidelity. A cheating partner will almost never admit to infidelity, unless presented with evidence to the contrary. Even when presented with evidence, some partners continue to lie.

One of the best solutions is to get professional help – especially if you are legally bound to each other, the results on an investigation from a reliable and reputable private investigation firm may help you gain the upper hand when it comes to resolving (or dissolving) the problem in a court.

If It Smells Fishy, Stay Away From It

admin — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:30:08 +0000

Sometimes it happens that we get a case or two which involves people being involved in some kind of illegal activity. Most often, they never really know what’s happening or what laws they broke – they were scammed into committing illegal acts. Sometimes there are also people who involve themselves in it because of the money or payoff involved – and oftentimes their rationale is because no one gets hurt.
.
We understand that it is hard for many to completely grasp not only the culture, but also the laws in a certain place. Especially for foreigners – who often have only good intentions or who only want a good time – it is easy for some “enterprising” individuals (sometimes locals, but also sometimes fellow foreigners) to take advantage of the ignorance of the locale to scam people and milk them for all they are worth.
.
Our advice is to always be cautious. It may something from a friend, or a referral of a friend or a loved one, but as the saying goes, caution is the better part of valor. While it is true that opportunities are fleeting and can be gone in a heartbeat, not all opportunities are legit or appear to be what they seem at first (or even second) glance. The first order of business in things like this need to be you staying away and taking the time to think things through.
The next order of business should be you hiring a PI to look things up – sometimes a deal that looks shady may not be a shady deal at all, or maybe you just want to make sure that you are not passing up on a good opportunity.
.
One of the most important things you can do when entering into a business or personal relationship with someone whose background you’re not too sure of is to have his or her background checked. At the very least, you can avoid being surprised by whatever skeletons he or she has hidden in the closet. Sometimes these things don’t matter too much, sometimes they do. Either way, you’re always better off knowing rather than constantly being in the dark until the last minute – and if it does turn out that these ‘surprises’ are important, then the time you know is probably when it’s too late to do anything about it. Having a background check done protect you, sparing you from being exposed, duped or unknowingly made into unsuspecting accomplices by these unscrupulous people.
.
Remember that the truth can sometimes be elusive, and some people take advantage of that. They make you feel like everything is perfect, so that you let your guard down and after a while, the lie will be solidified as truth to you. You need to stop them before they latch their claws onto you.
.
That’s what background checks are for. They’re more important than you think they are. You need a discreet and effective investigative agency that will help you ferret out the real score so you can determine whether the person is trustworthy or not, and in that, we here at Thailand Investigations are one of the best in the industry. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for further details. We will keep all communications confidential.