'Things to Consider Before Choosing a Reliable Detective Agency'

Small detective agencies are mushrooming all over the place in India. This spurt in numbers is never good for an industry where 'quality is everything'. In fact, most of these companies are known for doing unethical things and not delivering results at all. They make lofty promises, wrongfully claim to be the leader of the industry and find new ways to dupe clients. Such agencies often take small cases, do unrealistic commitments and offer low prices to mislead clients. Worse still, some even take money but don't do any work at all. Naturally, the industry gets a bad name and big players suffer for the deed of a few players. So, it's important for people/clients to should show caution before hiring a detective agency.

Here are the things clients must check before hiring a detective agency -
1. Check whether the company is registered with the Government of India
First of all, clients must check whether the detective agency is registered with the Government of India. Although there are no special or separate license issued to detective agencies in India but clients can still check if the agency is registered with the Registrar of Companies, Government of India. They should also check whether it's registered with goods and service tax, and has a valid GST number. If the agency does not meet all these criteria, it may be a fake company and should not be trusted.

Before hiring the agency –
  •  You must demand a copy of their registration certificate with the registrar of companies
  •  Also demand a copy of the registration certificate with GST
  •  Also ask them to show their Memorandum stating the clear objectives of the company passed by the Registrar of
    Companies

We at Sleuths India are registered with the Registrar of Companies and with Central Excise, and we deliver invoices under our proper GST number. We have clearly stated objectives in our Memorandum & Articles of Association which has been passed by the Registrar of Companies, Government of India.

2. Check whether the Company is filing its Income Tax Returns, GST Returns & TDS Returns.
There are many companies which are duly registered yet still working dubiously. Registration alone should never be taken a surety while judging the authenticity of a detective agency. So, clients should check them on some other filtration as well to verify their legitimacy.

Clients should know that, a genuine company doing ethical business will always advise customers to pay through bank transfers. These companies always file their Income Tax Returns and GST Returns consistently, so a client can always visit the detective agency's office personally to see and check if they have filed their income tax and GST return properly or not. A genuine company will never refuse to show their returns to the clients under the garb of maintaining secrecy.

We at Sleuths India are very ethical to our clients, to our employees and to the government of India, and we have consistently been filing our income tax returns, GST returns and TDS returns. Any client who wants to go through the returns filed by us can personally peruse the same by visiting our Head Office. We are not only one of the heaviest income tax payers but also among the highest GST payers in the detective space in India.

3. Personally visit the office of the agency and meet a responsible person
Well before hiring a private detective agency, a client should always try to visit the company's office personally and see the kind of infrastructure it maintains in reality. Such a visit can help check many things, including the number of people working there on their payrolls (by going through their payroll registers to check total strength of the company), whether the office is well-equipped, the resources available at the office, and how professionally the management addresses to your queries.

We at Sleuths India always encourage clients to personally visit any of our offices mentioned on our website and check the authenticity of the above parameters. Our offices are fully equipped with proper Human Resource, Infrastructure, Technology, Equipment and Apparatus.

4. Check the quality and background of the Management of the Company
A lot of detective agencies dubiously claim to have Army Officers, IB Officers or Police Officers working for them. They lie because clients generally prefer a company supported by an excellent management. Such bogus claims must be verified as it's the management that is always the difference between good and bad detective agencies. That's why, clients should always personally check the profile of the management whether it's displayed on the website or not.

We at Sleuths India have Senior retired Intelligence Bureau Officers, Police officers, Army Officers and RAW Officers actively associated with the company and their detailed profile can be checked anytime on the Management page of our website.

5. Check the Company's previous reports submitted to its clients
It's always helpful to peruse the company's previous reports submitted to clients to know the way it works and solves cases. Such reports will give a peek into the methods and tools already employed by the company in cracking cases similar to yours. A genuine company would never refuse to show such reports under the garb of maintaining secrecy. It however will always hide the names of the clients and the names of the subjects while showing the reports to its future clients to maintain a complete confidentially of the client.

We at Sleuths India will be happy to show to our clients the reports that have been submitted to our past clients to demonstrate the quality of service provided by us. We will be able to show the report only after hiding the client details and subject details from the report so that the complete confidentiality of the clients is maintained at all times. But to see the report, the client will have to visit our offices.

6. Check the Achievements of the Company
Before hiring a detective agency, a client should always check the kind of recognition it has gained over the years in the form of awards by various associations and government dignitaries. A strong media presence is also a sign of a good detective agency, although there are a lot of small-time companies who have somehow gained media presence and hence, it should not be the only judging criteria.

We at Sleuths India are perhaps the most awarded investigative agency in India, we have won so many awards, including Awards by the President of India (The Young Entrepreneur Award in 2012), by MoS, Ministry of Home Affair (Investigation Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2014), by Minister of Tribal Affairs (Investigation Leadership Award in 2017). We have a heavy media presence with regular mentions in the Doordarshan, Economic Times, the Times of India, Deccan Herald, DNA, The Outlook, The DD News, ZEE News, Mint, Dainik Jagran etc. We have the maximum coverage of branches in India.

7. Know about the Associations of the Company
Checking the membership of the company with various prominent associations will give a good idea about their authenticity and reliability. Normally, these associations conduct a detailed background and integrity check of the company before granting the membership. The membership is also a testimony to the corporate excellence achieved by detective agencies. Fake agencies generally don't have the membership to these prestigious associations.

Sleuths India has been a member to India's top associations. We're currently an active member of APDI, WAD, ASSOCHAM, PHD Chambers of Commerce and Industry, CII (Confederation of Indian industry), NASSCOM, DMA (Delhi Management Association). You can visit the Membership page of our website to get details of the membership.

8. Verify the Client List of the Company
A lot of companies often claim to work for various big corporates in the country and they also mention several high-profile names on their website. They obviously do this to win the trust of clients, get business, and make money. And clients are generally not able to know whether the client list displayed on the website is genuine or not. So, they may get duped in the process or fall prey to false claims.

However, it's easy to check the authenticity of the client list displayed on the website by any company and avoid being cheated. This is done by checking the form 26AS of the company where the clients have deducted TDS, where the names of the clients are mentioned who have deducted TDS while making the payment to the detective agency.

Sleuths India has been catering to India's Top high-profile clients, celebrities, Politicians, Bureaucrats & Corporate Houses etc. To check the authenticity of the client list mentioned on the website, you may always reach our Head Office and peruse the form 26 AS of the company. This form can give a complete detail of the taxes deducted by any client or taxes paid to the government by any client mentioned on the website.

9. Verify the authenticity of the Office Addresses mentioned on the Website
There are a lot of companies who claim to have multiple offices in various cities of the country. Some agencies even also brag to have presence outside the country. Unsurprisingly, most of these agencies have mentioned fake addresses of their offices on their website as they know a client can obviously not visit each and every office mentioned in different cities. However, anyone can easily check the authenticity of these offices and be sure about the claims of the agency.

To do this, clients can check if the detective agency has mentioned the landline numbers of their offices in each city against the address mentioned by them, and also the names of the people who are handling their branches. And the clients can always ask for the names and mobile numbers of the local representatives of the detective agency in each city. A genuine detective agency would always mention the names and personal mobile numbers of their local representatives in each city. Ask the agency how you can talk with local representative to make their claims verified.

Any of offices mentioned on the Sleuths India website can be checked either personally or telephonically. All our contact details and address can be verified, and you can verify details of each branch.

10. Don't ever select a company only for location benefit
Some people make the mistake of hiring a detective agency near to their location. This may not be a wrong decision if the company is already verified on all above parameters. However, the focus should always be on hiring a genuine company whether it's near or far. Location may provide some convenience in the short run but it never helps with cases in any manner. Plus, a good company can't open branches everywhere as it choose locations strategically.

We at Sleuths India may not have offices in every nook and corner of all cities but we cater to the clients across the country and we provide our services to virtually key every region.

11. The Receipt and Invoice in lieu of the Payment
Whenever you hire the services of a detective agency, make sure you get the Tax Invoice of the company with the receipt of the payment. A genuine company will never have any problem in issuing the receipts against the payment.

We at Sleuths India always give proper receipt and invoices in lieu of the payments made to us. This is a clear demonstration of our commitment to our clients and to the government.

12. Don't get influenced by Online Reviews.
It would be a big mistake to hire any detective agency based on the reviews on their website. Online reviews must never be the sole criterion for selecting a detective agency. Because, it's easy to fake reviews and any company can do that to impress clients and gain business. Clients should rather use their judgment to check whether the reviews are genuine. Whether reviews look authentic or fake, it's always better to judge any agency on other more important criteria before availing their services to avoid being duped.

13. Don't get influenced by only Female Detective Agency
Some clients think that hiring only a female detective agency can help them more for their cases. They believe that female detective can extract more information which is a wrong assumption altogether. People should know that investigation is a team effort where both the sexes play an equal role in cracking cases. Neither male alone nor female alone can do much with cases as either has utility according to merits of the case. So, it would be a mistake to prefer female only detective agency.

We at Sleuths India have a committed team of both male and female detectives. We have a full-blown team of male and female investigators in an approximately equal ratio. Both the sexes work collectively with each other's assistance and deliver best quality results to clients.

14. Don't trust the pictures of Awards given to the Company
A lot of detective agencies promote themselves by showing pictures/images clicked at receiving certain awards from various government authorities. The pictures may or may not be fake but their context in most cases is deliberately twisted to gain undue advantages. In fact, most of those awards displayed on their website are actually not for any achievement but they are merely presented as the mementos of participation. They are not the winner of real awards, so don't trust them.

On the other hand, top agencies would always explain the award presented to them in a detailed manner. They would clearly mention the reason for the award, who presented it, who were the members of the selection committee of the award, the members comprising the jury, and the parameters to choosing the company for the award.

We at Sleuths India have explained all the awards presented to us in a detailed manner on our Awards page. Plus, all the trophies presented to us are displayed in our Head Office at Delhi.

15. Don't get lured by Low Fee
There are lot of companies who try to woo clients by quoting them low professional fee. Clients however should understand that conducting investigation is a very detailed exercise which involves a lot of brain storming, human resources, man days, and equipment. So, it's surprising how companies that charge low fee will be able to maintain quality. You can thus imagine the worth of the services provided by them. In most cases, these agencies initially charge less just to get clients and later on, either try to get more money, or don't deliver the results. And then clients get harassed and start blaming the whole industry.

We at Sleuths India make very clear commitments to our client with transparency. We maintain total clarity and always clearly tell what we do and what not. Our charges may sound more than the industry but are very reasonable as for as the quality of services is concerned.

16 – Check the kind of Apparatus and Equipment the Company uses
An investigation agency is only as good as the tools and equipment it uses. Can you expect a small company to solve complex cases involving the use of up-to-date snooping devices? So, what purpose would it serve to hire a team that does not have the latest spy gadgets, sting operation cameras, and surveillance system? Small agencies often lack quality apparatus and equipment so they can't be trusted for all type of investigation and situations.

We at Sleuths India are equipped with all the latest investigation devices and equipment to solve cases of any complexity. In fact, we are easily the most resourceful investigation agency in India on the back of our outstanding tools and gadgets. We have high-end & imported spy gadgets, our surveillance cameras are easily the best in the domain, we use exceptional quality sting operation cameras and our audio devices are of top-notch.

17 – Whether the Company provides written proposal before starting the investigation
Most small-time agencies don't give anything in writing to clients before starting the work. So, clients never know the commitments, pricing and other things regarding their work. This is a bad practice, and also unprofessional on the part of any agency that does the same. However, good and reliable agencies would always provide a written proposal either through email or offline, and it thus becomes quite easy for clients to know the things they can expect with their investigation work.

We at Sleuths India always encourage clients to ask written proposals from us before hiring our services to check pricing and our commitments. We do this to maintain transparency and professionalism as we never believe in keeping anything secret with our clients.