Check important claims with care
Personal background enquiries
Focused checks when you need to understand someone's stated background before a significant personal, household or business decision.
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Private individuals & family offices
Discreet investigations for private individuals and family offices.
If you, your family or your family office need facts checked quietly before an important decision, Private Detectives Corporation (PDC) carries out background enquiries, investment and business due diligence, asset enquiries and technical privacy checks (bug sweeping). PDC’s London correspondence address is 43 Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London W1J 5AP, and we handle enquiries in the UK and internationally; tell us at the outset where the people, assets or organisations are, so we can confirm what can be done there. A family office or solicitor can instruct us on your behalf.
How we can help
Clear facts, handled with discretion.
PDC has provided investigative services since 2003. Private clients and the people who act for them usually come to us with a specific concern: a new associate or household role whose background needs checking, an investment approach or business partner that needs a closer look, a financial dispute where assets are in question, or a worry that conversations are being monitored.
Background enquiries. We check the claims that matter to your decision, for example a stated personal or professional history, or references supplied for a trusted household role, and we explain what remains uncertain. See personal background enquiries.
Investments, partners and assets. Business background enquiries help establish which parts of an opportunity can be verified, alongside your financial and legal advisers. Asset enquiries can support a solicitor dealing with a financial dispute or separation.
Privacy and security concerns. Our bug sweeping (TSCM) service combines electronic examination with physical inspection of agreed homes, business premises or vehicles. Where a phone or computer is involved, authorised digital examination may help.
Discretion is agreed in practical terms: who may instruct PDC, who receives updates, and which contact channels are suitable. See confidentiality & safer communication. Scope and cost are agreed in writing before work begins, and our registration details are on the company information & verification page.
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View every serviceServices that may help.
Know more before committing
Business background checks & due diligence
Independent background enquiries to help you assess a prospective partner, business or key relationship before making a significant commitment.
Explore the serviceUnderstand the financial picture
Asset tracing & financial enquiries
Establish what can be verified about property, business interests and other assets before deciding your next step in a dispute, recovery matter or private financial concern.
Explore the serviceTake a measured look at a privacy concern
Bug sweeping & technical privacy checks
Technical and physical inspections for homes, business premises and vehicles where there is a specific concern about unauthorised monitoring.
Explore the servicePreserve the device. Understand the evidence.
Digital forensics & data examination
Authorised examination of phones, computers and other digital media to assess what relevant information is available and what it can reliably establish.
Explore the serviceA thoughtful first conversation
Private client investigations
Discreet, practical help when a personal or family matter leaves you needing clearer facts before deciding what to do next.
Explore the serviceSpace to explain. Facts to consider.
Relationship & matrimonial concerns
A considerate conversation about relationship uncertainty, the factual questions that matter and whether an investigation would help you make a decision.
Explore the serviceFind a responsible way forward
People tracing
Help with locating someone for a legitimate purpose, from reconnecting with a former contact to finding a person relevant to a legal matter.
Explore the serviceTurn a concern into an organised account
Fraud & scam investigations
Understand what happened, preserve the material you already hold and assess the enquiries that could help clarify a suspected fraud or scam.
Explore the servicePlain answers
Questions you may have.
Can a family office or solicitor instruct PDC?
Yes. Tell us who is authorised to instruct and receive information, so responsibilities and communication can be agreed from the outset.
How does PDC keep a matter confidential?
We agree practical arrangements at the start: which email address or telephone number to use, whether voicemails may be left, and who may give instructions and receive reports. Discretion cannot be an absolute promise, because a solicitor, legal obligation or court process may affect who receives material. See confidentiality & safer communication.
Can you check someone before they join the household or business?
Yes, for an agreed purpose. Background enquiries focus on verifiable claims, such as a stated work history or references supplied for a trusted household role, rather than collecting everything about a person. Sensitive records are subject to restrictions, and private accounts are not open sources.
Can you check a home, office or vehicle for listening devices?
Yes. PDC offers bug sweeping, also called technical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM), for private and business clients. An inspection assesses the agreed areas at that time; it cannot promise permanent protection or prove that monitoring has never occurred.
Where is PDC based, and where do you work?
PDC’s London correspondence address is 43 Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London W1J 5AP. It is used for post and correspondence; the easiest first step is a call, an email to info@pdc.org.uk or the enquiry form. PDC handles enquiries in the UK and internationally. Tell us where the people, assets or interests are at the outset, because what can be done differs by place and by country.
How much does an investigation cost?
It depends on the objective, the starting information, the work needed and the locations involved. You receive a written quotation before work begins, and a staged instruction can help control the budget. See fees & payments.
Is PDC registered with the ICO?
Yes. Zookx Limited, which trades as Private Detectives Corporation, is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office for the data protection fee under reference Z9409141. The registration is current, with a renewal date of 16 March 2027. See our company information and verification page.
Useful reading
Make an informed start.
2 min read
Pause and verify an unexpected investment approach
Use independent checks to examine a financial approach before sharing documents, moving money or accepting a promise of recovery.
Read the guideDiscretion begins with the first conversation
Confidentiality & safer communication
Practical steps for discussing a sensitive matter, agreeing who receives updates and sharing documents through an appropriate channel.
Read more2 min read
Questions to ask before instructing an investigator
Use these questions to assess the proposed work, understand its limits and decide whether you are comfortable proceeding.
Read the guideTalk to PDC
A useful next step starts with a conversation.
Tell us what you need to establish and what you have already tried. We can discuss a basic pointer or the scope of professional support.