Do Global Background Checks Really Exist?
Global background checks offered by companies on the internet (no human involvement) are normally a scam. There are a few firms that actually offer truly satisfactory international services to qualify, but 90% of the companies or websites claiming to offer global background checks are a fraud. That’s right; the majority of the companies don’t even offer a true domestic investigations, let alone global investigations. Most websites claiming to offer background checks actually just search databases for criminal records. This is not a Due Diligence Investigation, nor does this even qualify as a true “background check”. It is however a superficial and reckless way of dealing with risk assessment and mitigation. True Due Diligence requires professional investigation. International Due Diligence requires professional field investigators in foreign countries… by an organization that has demonstrable ability to legitimately investigate at an international level.
Authentic Due Diligence involves prudent investigation conducted by professional investigators; it is a verification and investigation process that includes searching criminal records and many other factors, including financial due diligence and an understanding of those that associate with the target of your investigation. It’s important to know that criminal records cannot be checked via a database for most international cases…. nor can financial information. True Due Diligence is much more than just checking against criminal records and various government watch lists… Information concerning the financial, social and criminal background of a target, as well as those who are known to associate with the individual or organization in question are all required in order to get a more accurate and more complete picture to then based informed decisions upon. Foreign investigations require access to information in countries where you need to gather the information. This often can only be done with “feet on the street” to gather information first hand.
If you require a Due Diligence on an individual or organization with significant operations or history in one or more foreign countries, a true global or international investigation is required to gather the necessary evidence to understand and mitigate the risks associated with the contemplated counter party.
True professional background checks and private investigations don’t exist for $39.95… any more than a great top-notch paintjob does for your home or automobile. Real Due Diligence is based upon investigations which assess many factors, including education and employment history, criminal and civil records, ID and passport verification, document verification, informant testimony, travel records, financial dealings, real estate holdings, known associations, etc. There is no magical global database, not even for “Big Brother”. The fact is the majority of the world is still developing, and vast regions in Latin America, Africa and Asia are still filing records the old fashioned way. If there is no field investigator on the ground who speaks the local language, is familiar with local customs, and who has appropriate contacts with police, government and others who can provide appropriate sources of information, the job simply won’t get done.
To conduct an international or global background check, an international private investigator or a company with offices or investigators in several countries is required. You can’t conduct a Panamanian background or Uzbekistani background check without investigators in Panama or Uzbekistan, plain and simple. And, while a local office of the investigator does not have to exist in every city or every country, the investigator does have to have a network of reliable local contacts to facilitate the investigative process. Searching databases simply isn’t a sufficient option for international cases.
Fraud and scams continue to be on the rise, so it’s more important than ever to know who you’re dealing with, and minimize your risk. FE&E Inc can assist you in such endeavors…
