Hire a beautiful woman to disguise as a
rich woman,
——private detectives have many investigation ways.
New Express
by Wang Xiaohua, Wen Jianmin
June 21,2004
09:13 am
The chief of the earliest private detective company
(PDC) of Guangzhou, who tells reporters that all
kinds of “investigation companies" or “information consultant
companies" welled up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, at the beginning of
last
century 90s. These companies essentially were PDC, and mostly took charge of investigation and evidence
collection, such as marriage or family disputes, economic obligation
disputes...etc.
It is reported,
there are few thousand PDC and several
ten thousand practitioners at home. Only in Guangzhou, there are about one hundred PDC. Although the
number is
numerous, this business line was very low-pitched and seldom appeared in
the medium.
Recently, our reporters
contacted the chiefs of many PDC, via the chance of
interviewing the first private detective forum. So that we can unveil the PDC of Guangzhou.
Investigation and evidence collection
are similar to the secret inquiries of reporters; and ultra-marriage love
case occupies 80% of the total.
As the
manager of the Guangzhou Ge An consultation Co, Ltd,
Chen Deming can be called as an old professional of private detective industry in Guangzhou. He studied in Public
Security School of Guangzhou at the beginning of 1970's, started working for
Public Security System of Guangzhou in 1980, worked for a National Security Department of
Guangdong from 1985, and became one of the first private
detectives in 1993.
On June 16, according to the address of his business
card, reporters found
out his company. They
found that there wasn't any sign out of the office door, but found two
photographs hanged up the wall of office. One is a group photo of he and
his classmates (someone are chiefs of Public Security System now)
took when he worked for Public Security System. In this way, he can let clients trust him. And no sigh is to avoid of some unwanted
troubles.
The business scope of his
company covers to investigate trademark infringement, product counterfeit,
the concubine, the ultra-marriage love, the vicious hidden property, debt discharge, looking for
the people or the address, employee's loyalty and personnel integrity, and
so on.
As a private detective,
he says that he had a
ruler in his mind all the time. He never accepts
any case which breaches the national laws and policies, even if is given more
money, and never accepts any case which involves in the public security
organs, the procuratorial organs and the people's courts. The
extramarital love and the concubine cases are the most accepted cases and occupy 80% or above.
He tells reporters that
the fee is depended on the difficulty or easiness of case. For
example, the average fee of marriage case is about ￥6000. It
will be much less if the client can provide the car by himself/herself. After finished,
they will provide the client with video tapes, photographs, the data registered by government, the
notes recorded by the judicial department……etc.
The investigation ways are a privacy of this business line.
Chen says, they are afraid
that their whereabouts will be exposed during investigation. Because the
private detective company is not judicial department. It's very
dangerous to be exposed. Their investigation ways are a secret and can't
be told to clients.
He tells reporters
some investigation ways until he is required over and again. He says
their equipments, such as video recorders and sound recorders, are similar to equipments used by CCTV's reporters. Their evidence
collection way is similar to the secret inquiries of reporters too.
But it depends on the fact of the case.
For example, once they needed to
investigate a man's identity. They employed a beautiful girl especially, and
asked she to disguise herself as an insurance salesman to drop on the man, for
a survey of intentions. She pretended to give him an high level gift,
if he could fill in her sheet. The man filled his personal information
in the sheet with no wariness at once when he saw the beautiful girl.
Otherwise, detectives usually dress up as a rich man to buy
a house, or a carrier to send an express, when they need to entry some upscale
apartments. They may buy off someone to spy information for them when
they investigate commerce case. Chen says they will not break laws
no matter what they do.
Private detectives' salary is usually
comprised by the basic
salary and the royalty. The basic salary is about ￥1000, and the
royalty is about 10% per case. For some special cases, they hire jobbers
according to need, and give them royalty according to situation.
If detectives can settle the case independently, they will deduct 40% of the
charge.
News reports on the private detective of Guangzhou
Demand repayment of a debt, crack down
on counterfeit goods and investigate marriage situation —— the
private detective companies have experienced
three big
change.
By New Express
Chen's company is the
earliest one which involves the Private Detective Industry in Guangzhou.
It's a private detective company which employee is the most ones now.
He introduces, in Guangzhou,
the
private detective industry has
experienced three stages —— demand repayment of a debt, beat
counterfeits and investigate marriage situation from
1990's.
The 1993 is the
start stage of the private detective industry in Guangzhou. At
this time, the main business is to demand repayment
of a debt for clients.
Chen says they usually
dressed up cool and wore a pair of sunglasses to drop in the debtor's
office or home for repay at that time. Because he was
afraid of troubles, when the debtor saw them, he was
very mannerly and paid money back voluntarily.
Chen says they did that as a
mental tactics actually. They would accept the rough luck if the debtor
had no money really.
Once they dropped on the debtor
for debt. The debtor called polices and told them that he was dunned.
Then, the detective was taken to the police station. After checked, they
discovered that the detective didn't use any violence. Finally, they helped
the detective get money back.
From 1998, private detectives
started to beat counterfeits insanely. Lots of counterfeiter
who got rich quick ruined overnight, and hated detectives guts for
their investigation. The profits was topmost, many private detectives
became rich too because of this. But the risk is the biggest too,
someone became the revengeful object. Many old detectives also were
forced to change
their profession.
From 2000, along with
the increase of ultra-marriage loves and concubines, marriage investigation
has became the main business of the private detective companies. Because
victims want to get more property from divorce. It's usual that
wives entrust detectives to investigate their husband. They want
to find out if their husband have ultra-marriage love or other property.
Recommended by Zhang Wenjun
New Express
by Wang
Xiaohua, Wen Jianmin
How
should the private detective industry develop in the future in China?
By
Deng Yifu <Golden
time>, tenth issue of 2005
When
I arrived at the building of Chen Deming’s company, I felt that I were
contacting with another spy. He had told me the route clearly on the
line, but I didn’t find his company after turning around the floor one
circle. Calling him again, I heard his voice around my ears suddenly and
I found his office was around the corner. Watching carefully, I found no
signboard out of his office. After entering the office, I saw the
signboard, the business license etc, hanged on the wall.
He
was in his 40s and not tall, no sunglasses, no handlebar, and no any
detective style. He was very different to my imaginations. But he was
the very man who was counted as a private detective in Guangzhou, and
was the boss of this office.
Self-
localization:
we are the evidence investigators.
He
is very self-confidence to his detective ability, because of his
background---graduated from Guangzhou Public Security school in 1978,
then worked for Public Security Bureau and National Security Department
over ten years.
After
going to business many years, he opened this office named as a
consultation company. Its consultative scope covers trademark
infringement, commercial credit, commercial trick, product counterfeit,
the marital sentiment, the hidden property, bankrolls and housing
property, looking for the people and the address, whereabouts and
activities, the registered vehicles and residences, bodyguard, and so
on. And the marital sentiment case occupies a half.
Chen
says he is a cautious man. When he worked as an investigator for other,
he thought himself not a bold man. Around 1995, cracking down on
counterfeiting offences, they gained a lot profit. Generally, the
investigators signed a contract with their company firstly, and then
gained the deduction by the fine. But they must pay the fee by
themselves, gained profit when were successful and red when were
unsuccessful. So some brave people gained their first barrel of gold,
when Chen looked on them cautiously with indifference. Until 2003, he
found this profession prospect broad more and more, and then decided to
organize his own company.
“Detective
is the word that your reporters like to use. Accurately speaking, we
should be the evidence investigators,” Chen said. In his business
license, the legal business scope is the civil investigation and the
economical information investigation.
“Our
business doesn’t involve in criminal cases, and we can’t use the
high-power wiretaps and other special equipments prohibited by the
national laws. Our duty is to solve the troubles legally for clients by
our professional knowledge. Actually, we are not mysterious at all.”
Profession
principle: they never shoot the scenes of sexual intercourse.
After
all, this profession is to investigate the privacy of other people, so
they feel mysterious, such as marriage privacy.
Chen
has witnessed the marital affection changes of his clients. Who have a
concubine most are upstarts ago, but now are from different levels, many
are white-collar and intellectuals. On the start stage of his company,
his clients are all female. Now male clients appear in his office more
and more, who are very angry about their wives’ affair but bear it,
want to know the fact.
He
has a precise procedure when he receives the marital case. At first, he
asks clients for him/her marriage certificate to verify their
identities. Or else, he will not accept because she/he has no right to
investigate the party.
Clients
usually ask him to provide investigation reports or video taps, even ask
him to capture the person who is in adultery. He has a “two no”
principle: one is he will not enter the house at will for secret shoots,
unless the client has property right. The other is he will not shoot
scenes of sexual intercourse, because these photos can’t be submitted
to the court as evidences even if could be gotten. Otherwise, he will be
accused for infringing other’s privacy right and intruding private
space.
“So
we must know and obey the law if we engage this business. Or else, we
will make mistakes easily and won’t last long.”
Chen
says that the male informant and the female client have several
residences generally. If the informant derails in one of their
residences, they will do it easily. “Because the client installs a
camera at her home, it is legal.” Moreover, it will be regarded as
giving up his privacy right if the informant has vague actions in the
public.
Moreover,
they can steer clear of secret shoot by using technique means to collect
evidences. For example, they discover the informant who stays overnight
at hotel. They will book the same room quickly after he check out, and
ask the servant not to sweep the room. While they enter the room, they
will take some powerful evidences, such as hairs and semen left on the
bed sheet or the room.
Once,
a Hongkong woman entrusted Chen to investigate her husband and his
concubine, and wanted to capture them when they were in adultery. She
told that her husband had a factory in Zhongshan and She discovered that
he kept a mistress in a love rest.
Chen
took 2 months to do this case.After
tail, investigation and evidence collection, he found out their
residence in Zhongshan accurately. Then he led her and her relatives and
friends to it, and blocked up the parties in the house. But Chen agreed
with her firstly that she couldn’t take any harmful tool but a bottle
of ink. As a result, the concubine was splashed with a face of ink. It
claimed that he was successful.
Chen
didn’t deny that some private detectives used some immoral strategies
when they did cases, because they were short of training and weak in the
legal system concept but pursued economic profits unilaterally. For
example, when a female client wants to cause a man troubles, the
part-time women of these companies will make a chance purposely to
allure the man for swallowing the bait.
Service
level: whether should divorce or not, I will give you some advice.
Chen
says, during the marital investigation, 1/3 of formants were verified
that they were spoken or acted on hearsay evidence and had no problem.
The clients just wanted to set their heart at rest. For example, most
digamous women want to verify if their husbands keep touch with the
former wife. Some men doubt that their wives fall in love with the first
lover again but no evidence. But the hypochondrium always reappears. To
cure this illness and to let them re-own the happiness, the only way is
to find out the fact.
But
another 2/3 of informants have problems. It’s easy to know who has a
concubine or illegal husband, just to storm their dun. It’s most difficult
to investigate the secret lovers who appear and disappear mysteriously.
They have no tryst regulation so that detectives control it hardly.
Clients
usually have three purposes: one, they have already decided to
divorce, want to find out the fault evidences of betrayers and make more
odds in divorce and properties or children division. Another, they have
no divorce decision and just want to know their spouses’ misdeeds, so
that betrayers will scruple or turn their heads. The other, they want to
know the fact secretly and are afraid of divorce, so they dare not to
place the problem on the table, just endure it dumbly.
Their
requirements are similar. It’s to find out the love nest and the in
and out time of betrayer, and if the betrayer transfers the property
secretly for divorce.
For these marital puzzles, Chen has brightened his eye and mind. When he
faces the utterly discomfited or the heart stricken clients, he seldom
acts impetuously and always calms them down. In his opinion, you are
more anxious and you will do more badly. Whether should divorce or not,
investigate the fact thoroughly firstly.
After
confirming the case as a ultra-marriage love, Chen always still acts as
a mental consultant and tells clients with his experiences that most
ultra-marriage loves are amusement, just some uncertain games between
men and women, are settled as soon as the fresh feeling falls back. If
clients don’t want to break marriage, it may be a good outlet for them
to work hard for remediation. So Chen ends the cases where it should
stop. For example, if a client entrusts him to find out the residence of
the lost wife or husband, he will end the case when they have met he/she
spouse. He will not do any action any more that may be cause troubles
for parties.
For
commercial cases, Chen is very clear in the rights and wrongs. For
example, if a company wants to know about the goods channels or the
internal frame of rival, Chen will accept at once. But he will refuse
uncompromisingly if he is entrusted to poke technique secrets.
“Although it’s a very venturesome line, I never do anything illegal.
Because our tenet is to maintain laws, principles and justice.”
Recently, a man planed to entrust him to investigate the exact details
of his female net friend, but Chen refused. Because the client had no
juridical relation with her, he had no right to do.
Profession
sight: besides courage and insight, they still need good acting.
“I’m
a policeman! Carry out the official business, ask you to cooperate with
me.” This is so perfectly justifiable that private detectives envy it
very much. They can’t present with authority, take out the paper and
frighten the opponents to confess frankly, but act secretly and think up
some coups by themselves. For example, it is most familiar for them to
wait someone in a fixed place when they trail after unsuccessfully.
Moreover, they must judge correctly to select the right place. Or else,
they will do it for nothing.
Now,
the security personnel of many residential areas refuse strangers to
visit. Detectives have no skill to speed across the sky, like Sun Wukong,
so they always are denied. But they have knacks to entry straightway,
such as dressing up as the express deliverer. If they need to check the
abode of the party, they may ask the administrative office for the
details, like this: “I want to meet Mr. ## for this express, why not
have this person there?” Then, they will help you kindly to check the
address, then tell you that you have got a wrong address and it should
be 301 not 801.
Methods
are more than difficulties, generally speaking. If you have controlled
knacks, you will make difficulties easy.
In
Chen’s opinion, it’s more defiant to work as a private detective
than a police. Because polices have rights granted by the Nation, and
detectives depend on their acting only. “ You must play the right pole
wherever you are, such as a laborer in building site and a customer in
teahouse. Only you have this acting, people visited by you would trust
you and talk with you, even let the secrets out to you. These are
skills!”
Once,
Chen trailed after a party. He didn’t know which room the party
entered when he arrived 8F. He showed resourcefulness in an emergency
and took out his own keys, then knocked from door to door and asked:
“I’ve just got some keys in the corridor. Yours?” After a lot
“Thank you”, he met with the party successfully.
You
must have thought that Chen had the complete high-tech equipments, such
as pinhole vidicons, infrared powerful telescopes, and so on. In fact,
he uses the common home vidicons and the common cameras. Because he has
no investigation right, he only adopts legal means and equipments. He
said confidently, “Do this business, we depend on our brain but not
high-tech equipments.”
People
are interesting in some legends, such as Sherlock Holmes, 007. Because
of these techniques introduced by Chen, many people want to join him,
especially the young people with strong curiosity. At present, he takes
charge of more than 20 investigators. He has many principles in employ:
firstly, character is first and ability is second. It’s very difficult
to control them when they go out for business. So he needs some virtuous
people with good self-discipline. Secondly, they must be mannered, must
do business according to commands and can’t do as their pleases. Or
else, they will make mistakes easily. Finally, they must do their job
well. Driver must drive safely and rapidly, and investigators must cast
about to gaze at parties well and can’t lose.
Comparing
to the new detectives, Chen has already had no much excitement and
buried feeling in his mind. Such as trail, in old days, he was depressed
when he failed and very excited when he trailed after the party again.
At present, he is very professional. Everything is all expected and he
doesn’t have any accidental gain and loss.
But
it always appears the exciting cases. Lately, he accepted a case to
crack down on counterfeiting offenses. One famous company discovered
that there is a lot counterfeits in the market of Guangzhou, so they
entrusted Chen to do an investigation and wanted to find out the den. Do
these cases, they can make more profits, even several ten thousand, but
have big risks.
“In
fact, it’s not very difficult. At first we must find out a small shop
selling counterfeits. The shop is easy to find, always offered by the
client. The client’s purpose is to destroy the counterfeit company or
den not the shop. When we discover the shop, we will work hard to get
the trust of the boss, and then sign a contract with him/her for a major
of goods. While the goods arrive at, we will track down by following the
truck to find out the bigger distributing center, even the counterfeit
den. Finally, we tell it to the client and let it be reported and
checked. Until then, we have ended our duty.”
But
this time they work unsuccessfully. It had already been near evening and
the sky was dark, when the boss got the contact with provider. The boss
said, “Provider says that he won’t sent the goods and asks us to
fetch it.” “How far? How much time we spend?” “Not far. About a
half hour.”
Chen
decided to go to and thought that a faint heart never win fair lady. The
truck was droved down the curving hill road with a long time, and the
provider changed the route instructions constantly. Chen felt badly, so
he decided to give up it temporarily. He pretended very angry and told
the boss, “What’s this? We don’t need the goods now! Go back!”
He
says, “Safety is first forever for our to do these cases.”
What
course to follow: the private detective is a two-edged sword.
Chen
says frankly that profit is considerable, while we’re talking about
the fee. Such as marital case, the fee is about 6,000 Yuan in his city,
and about 10,000 Yuan in other places. It depends on the difficulty and
easiness of the case, and can be bargained. “ There is market, there
is price. Something is not good for policeman to deal with, so private
detectives have their existence room.
Because
of “who claims who offers proof” in national < code of civil
law>, when the legal rights of common citizens are infringed, such as
concubines, hidden properties, missing debtors or counterfeits, and they
have no investigation ability, the non-governmental investigation
organizations appear.
But
the private detective has been subjected to controversy badly since
it was born. Supporters think who can offer evidence for the fault
principle and the indemnification principle written in civil law? The
parties usually are the small weak group harmed by others. The national
public prosecution organization and the scout organization will not get
involved this, so they only can ask detectives for help. Opponents think
that detectives will infringe the rights of citizens, including personal
safety, personal freedom and privacy right.
Chen
talks about that laws certainly protect personal privacy, but its
precondition is that your privacy is not illegal and doesn’t infringe
the legal rights of others. Laws also protect legal marriage, but not
paramours and concubines because their actions infringe legal marriage
and do harm to others. What he does is to disclose the fact and maintain
the dignity of laws. For parties, it is to “of two evils choose the
least”. Do you maintain your marital rights or your privacy? Besides,
the private detective companies all set down a strict lifelong secrecy
system and will not let down any information of clients.
“We
have never had the scout right. It
is a special right of the specialized organization given by the nation.
We only exert the most basic right of citizens, investigation right. As
long as detectives behave well, go straight, don’t have an eye to the
main chance and desert morality and justice, they will be accepted by
people.” Chen says.
This
year is the fifth year that China joins WTO. According to the agreement,
our country will open servicing business completely and the abroad
detective agencies will enter. It is reported that in the origination of
the private detective, America, the practitioners is up to 1,600,000 or
more and the turnover is already over $1,000 hundred billion every year.
The foreign detectives have already stared at the huge market of China.
Up
to the end of 2003, in China, the Investigation Company or Organization
was close to 23,000, such as Investigation Company, Consultation
Company, or Crisis Management Company etc, and practitioner is near to
200,000. Some companies have 100 or above employees.
Although
its practitioner number is large, few companies have license. Such as
Guangzhou, there are at least one or two hundred investigation
companies, but only twenty or thirty companies registered normally. Many
detectives are underground workers.
How should the private detective industry develop in the future in
China? For this, the doctors’ tutor of People University of China, He
Jiahong thinks that the best way to administer this industry is to give
it an unambiguous identity and restrict it with laws. So we will need to
enact the evidence collection and investigation law and the civil
investigation ordinance. If it doesn’t occur anything important and
influential in this industry, it will maintain actuality in a very long
time. Regardless quick or slow, it will walk from underground to
overground sooner or later.
This
industry will walk to overground before long. This is the biggest
aspiration of Chen. Once the profession service will be into the open,
more skilled talents will join and will cause more challenges. But he
still hopes that it will develop more quickly, iceberg will melt while
sun is rising, and the big potential market will accept it. Only after
being put on the market and under the environment of the fair
competition, the good and the bad will be distinguished, and this
industry will strengthen its self-discipline.
“The
private detective is a two-edge sword, and I will master it well.”
Chen thinks this sword should be law.
When we said goodbye, I asked, “ Why don’t hang the signboard in the
doorway?” Chen smiled and answered significantly, “ Wish you could
see our golden signboard next time!’
