International Private Investigations in the Post-Pandemic Era

The world has been changing at a fast pace in the last two decades driven by new technologies, and by the risks and privacy concerns that come with such technology. However, the sudden and forced changes experienced as a result of the COVID 19 global pandemic are unprecedented, even though the global death toll is a small fraction of previous pandemics such as the Spanish flu, which is estimated to have killed 20 million people between 1918 and 1920. With the corona virus, the situation has brought a lot of speculation and improvisation, both factors which increase risk for individuals, companies and investors worldwide.

Many companies and industries from nearly every country in the world has had to rethink their strategies. The economic crisis, post-pandemic, and the new ways of working, socializing and shopping will change the demand for services and employment. Private investigation firms worldwide are no exception in this shifting landscape.

Although the future may seem a somewhat uncertain for our industry, the current situation could be a great opportunity to show how important international private investigations and professional investigations in general are for businesses and individuals, and how relevant it is to have professional help to remain safe throughout and after a crisis.

Investigators concerns during the pandemic

One of the main concerns for international investigators is how will the demand for surveillance services, due diligence and background check investigations change. With people confined in their homes, the demand for surveillance services has dropped significantly. Although this is a legitimate concern for private investigators, the decrease is only temporary. People will resume their lives soon, and surveillance might even have a peak post-pandemic.

As risk goes up, and economies enter into a recession, scams and fraud cases increase.  With this increased risk, international background check investigation and international due diligence demand should actually increase.  With increased risk comes increased need to verify.

Changing demand for employment screenings

International employment screenings could decrease until the job market rebounds, and countries start to come out of recession.  Part of the good news is that once the health crisis is over (and already during the pandemic), companies will start to hire more people to work remotely. Working from home was beginning to become popular, but the Covid-19 crisis made evident that working remotely is convenient and less expensive for many roles, and carries less of a health risk.  Furthermore, it has been proven to be positive economically. Growth in working from home triggers more international hiring, as companies focus more on finding the right talent regardless of their location or country. In these circumstances, international employment background checks will be essential for the companies’ risk management plans.

International due diligence role in economic restraint

Economic crisis usually affects specific countries or regions at a time. Even the greatest crisis of our times, like 2008, have had a limited effect in other regions. But this is not the current case. Slowing down and nearly stopping the economy in so many countries at the same time will have deep effects. Many companies will go bankrupt, many more will have to replace their investments and find new business partners, including suppliers and distributors. Companies will merge and rearrange in order to procure survival. This is a good business opportunity for international investigation firms. As companies are bought, sold and creating new networks, international due diligence will become indispensable. We know fraudsters take advantage of all this confusion, but that is why private investigations is so relevant these days.

Physical distancing boosting online social interactions

People might not feel the same about regular dating anymore for a long time. The usage of dating apps and social networks increased significantly during the pandemic, and this behavior may last for a long time afterwards. Private investigators worldwide have an increased opportunity in dating background checks for all the new internet match-making.  Fraud and scam risk are much higher for online relationships, and this risk needs to be mitigated.

Despite the pandemic, life and work continues

As international private investigators who have worked with clients around the globe, we know well the value of our services. It is now time to rethink how to communicate this importance and help keep global clients safe during the changing and uncertain time.