Private investigators in the UK regularly use deceptive methods to gain access to private records, such as bank documents, client lists, and the like. Parliament may outlaw the practice on privacy grounds, but enforcement of any anti-impersonation laws will be difficult.

JOURNALISTS are notorious for invading people's privacy. The government is currently drafting laws to curb their excesses. But another bunch of rogues--private investigators--have inspired the latest attempt to bolster privacy laws.

Home Office ministers are promising to make it a crime to obtain information by deception. Investigators have long used impersonation to snoop into people's secrets. They telephone banks, for example, claiming to be the person whose account details they want. Or they gain access to medical records by phoning health centres and pretending to be a doctor. Until now, this has been legal, if devious.

Ministers felt obliged to toughen the laws after an advertising campaign by ACT, an investigations firm, backfired. ACT sent leaflets to various members of the House of Lords, offering to obtain people's bank statements, telephone bills and details of their salaries. It said it could supply a company's client-list, plans for flotation and other financial details to competitors. "It's not who you know. It's what you know about who you know," the leaflet explained. This must have been one of the most ill- conceived mail shots in history. The Lords were incensed. They demanded a clampdown.

ACT refuses to say how it obtains its information. But the police reckon they know the methods used by similar investigation agencies. Investigators either bribe staff at banks and other firms which hold personal data, or they use the impersonation trick.

Unfortunately, making deception a crime is unlikely to stamp it out. Enforcing the law will be far from easy. Consider an investigator who impersonates a bank's client over the telephone. First, the bank needs to be able to rumble the deception. Next it must locate the investigator and prove the offence. It could tap all incoming calls and try to trace any suspect calls to a detective agency. But the smart investigator will, of course, use a public phone.

There is a wider problem with using tougher laws to reform investigators: their victims rarely know who the violator is, or even that they are victims. If the subject of intrusion by the press appears naked on the front page of a tabloid newspaper, she (it is usually she) knows she has been spied upon. But if a worker is rejected for a job, for example, he may never know it is because a detective was hired to snoop into his medical records. Both the Data Protection Registrar, who guards against abuses of private data, and the Office of Fair Trading, which guards against anti- competitive behaviour by firms, say they receive few complaints about private investigators.

At the same time, investigators say that demand for inside information, especially about people's finances, is growing. During the recession firms have become more worried about bad debts and losing money to frauds. The pool of information that can be tapped is larger than ever. The computer records held by private firms, the police and government departments are becoming more sophisticated. Credit-reference agencies, which hold files on virtually every adult in the country, are fed increasingly detailed information by banks and retailers.

The solution to the problem of nosy investigators may be to require them to obtain a government licence. There are about 15,000 private investigators in Britain, estimates James Cole, secretary general of the Institute of Professional Investigators (IPI). But only 600 or so belong to regulatory bodies such as the IPI or the Association of British Investigators. Both organisations expel members who betray their ethical codes. But nobody has to belong to either group to work as a detective.

In many European countries and American states it is illegal to practise as an investigator without a licence. One American state even requires investigators to attend a course before selling their services. Above-board investigators in Britain have long called for compulsory licences. The government, with a distaste for any new regulation, has so far refused.

Licences would improve the seedy image of the profession. Like journalists, many investigators serve the public good. They trace missing persons. They weed out frauds. But also like journalists, their image is tarred by unscrupulous colleagues who serve nobody's good but their own.

Belgium Belgian Brussels Antwerp

detective Belgium
detective Brussels
detective Antwerp
detectives Belgium
detectives Brussels
detectives Antwerp

detective-Belgium
detective-Brussels
detective-Antwerp
detectives-Belgium
detectives-Brussels
detectives-Antwerp

detective_Belgium
detective_Brussels
detective_Antwerp

detectives_Belgium
detectives_Brussels
detectives_Antwerp

Private detective Belgium
Private detective Brussels
Private detective Antwerp
Private detectives Belgium
Private detectives Brussels
Private detectives Antwerp

Private-detective-Belgium
Private-detective-Brussels
Private-detective-Antwerp
Private-detectives-Belgium
Private-detectives-Brussels
Private-detectives-Antwerp

Private¬_detective_Belgium
Private¬_detective_Brussels
Private¬_detective_Antwerp

Private_detectives_Belgium
Private_detectives_Brussels
Private_detectives_Antwerp

Private investigator Belgium
Private investigator Brussels
Private investigator Antwerp
Private investigators Belgium
Private investigators Brussels
Private investigators Antwerp

Private-investigator-Belgium
Private-investigator-Brussels
Private-investigator-Antwerp
Private-investigators-Belgium
Private-investigators-Brussels
Private-investigators-Antwerp

Private¬_investigator_Belgium
Private¬_investigator_Brussels
Private¬_investigator_Antwerp

Private_investigators_Belgium
Private_investigators_Brussels
Private_investigators_Antwerp

investigator Belgium
investigator Brussels
investigator Antwerp
investigators Belgium
investigators Brussels
investigators Antwerp

investigator-Belgium
investigator-Brussels
investigator-Antwerp
investigators-Belgium
investigators-Brussels
investigators-Antwerp

investigator_Belgium
investigator_Brussels
investigator_Antwerp

investigators_Belgium
investigators_Brussels
investigators Antwerp

détective-privé Belgique
détective-privé Bruxelles
détective-privé Anvers

détectives-privé Belgique
détectives-privé Bruxelles
détectives-privé Anvers

détective-privé-Belgique
détective-privé-Bruxelles
détective-privé-Anvers

détective_privé_Belgique
détective_privé_Bruxelles
détective_privé_Anvers

Due diligence counterfeit trademark trade-mark stalking theft pre-employment pre employment sweeping tracing GPS tracer assets real estate bank accounts company information civil criminal litigation espionage fraud insurance bankruptcy

Contrefaçon vol criminelle civille

Diefstal fraude handelsvertegenwordigers ziekte namaak plagiaat valsheid strafrechterlijk arbeidsgeschillen stalking solovbalibilteit eigendommen bankrekeningen bedrijfsinformatie bankroet bedrieglijk faillissement,

Duediligence_counterfeit_trademarktrade-mark_stalking_theft pre-employment_pre employment_sweeping_tracing_GPS_tracer_assets_rea_estate_bank_accounts_company_information_civil_criminal_litigation_espionage_fraud_insurance_bankruptcy

Contrefaçon_vol_criminelle_civille

Diefstal_fraude_handelsvertegenwordigers_ziekte_namaak_plagiaat_valsheid_strafrechterlijk_arbeidsgeschillen_stalking_solovbalibilteit_eigendommen_bankrekeningen_ bedrijfsinformatie_bankroet _bedrieglijk faillissement,

detective België
detective Belgie
detective Brussel
detective Antwerpen
detectives Belgie
detectives België
detectives Brussel
detectives Antwerpen
detective-België
detective-Belgie
detective-Brussel

detective-Antwerpen
detectives-België
detectives-Belgie
detectives-Brussel
detectives-Antwerpen
detective_België
detective_Belgie
detective_Brussel
detective_Antwerpen
detectives_België
detectives_Belgie
detectives_Brussel
detectives_Antwerpen

Private detective Belgie
Private detective Brussel
Private detective Antwerpen
Private detectives Belgie
Private detectives Brussel
Private detectives Antwerpen

Private-detective-Belgie
Private-detective-Brussel
Private-detective-Antwerpen
Private-detectives-Belgie
Private-detectives-Brussel
Private-detectives-Antwerpen

Private¬_detective_Belgie
Private¬_detective_Brussel
Private¬_detective_Antwerpen
Private_detectives_België
Private_detectives_Belgie
Private_detectives_Brussel
Private_detectives_Antwerpen
Private investigator België
Private investigator Belgie
Private investigator Brussel
Private investigator Antwerpen
Private investigators Belgie
Private investigators België
Private investigators Brussel
Private investigators Antwerpen

Private-investigator-Belgie
Private-investigator-Brussel
Private-investigator-Antwerpen
Private-investigators-Belgie
Private-investigators-België
Private-investigators-Brussel
Private-investigators-Antwerpen

Private¬_investigator_Belgie
Private¬_investigator_Brussel
Private¬_investigator_Antwerpen
Private_investigators_België
Private_investigators_Belgie
Private_investigators_Brussel
Private_investigators_Antwerpen

investigator België
investigator Belgie
investigator Brussel
investigator Antwerpen
investigators Belgie
investigators Brussel
investigators Antwerpen

investigator-Belgie
investigator-Brussel
investigator-Antwerpen
investigators-Belgie
investigators-België
investigators-Brussel
investigators-Antwerpen

investigator_België
investigator_Belgie
investigator_Brussel
investigator_Antwerpen

investigators_België
investigators_Belgie
investigators_Brussel
investigators Antwerpen

détective-privé Belgique
détective-privé Bruxelles
détective-privé Anvers

détectives-privé Belgique
détectives-privé Bruxelles
détectives-privé Anvers

détective-privé-Belgique
détective-privé-Bruxelles
détective-privé-Anvers

détective_privé_Belgique
détective_privé_Bruxelles
détective_privé_Anvers

Due diligence counterfeit trademark trade-mark stalking theft pre-employment pre employment sweeping tracing GPS tracer assets real estate bank accounts company information civil criminal litigation espionage fraud insurance bankruptcy

Contrefaçon vol criminelle civille

Diefstal fraude handelsvertegenwordigers ziekte namaak plagiaat valsheid strafrechterlijk arbeidsgeschillen stalking solovbalibilteit eigendommen bankrekening bedrijfsinformatie bankroet bedrieglijk faillissement,

Due diligence_counterfeit_trademarktrade-mark_stalking_theft pre-employment_pre employment_sweeping_tracing_GPS_tracer_assets_rea_estate_bank_accounts_company_information_civil_criminal_litigation_espionage_fraud_insurance_bankruptcy

Contrefaçon_vol_criminelle_civille

Diefstal_fraude_handelsvertegenwordigers_ziekte_namaak_plagiaat_valsheid_strafrechterlijk_arbeidsgeschillen_stalking_solovbalibilteit_eigendommen_bankrekeningen_ bedrijfsinformatie_bankroet _bedrieglijk faillissement,