Paragon NZ - Private Investigators New Zealand

July 14, 2016

Now Employees can Provide their Own Criminal Check to Employers

Here is a link to our latest newsletter that has some interesting information on how technology has changed the PI’s landscape in regards to surveillance, recent developments in getting speedy criminal history checks and some current scams.

Immediately on sending this out we received a reply from a reader who provides websites for small businesses. Our reader thought they had secured a new client to build them a website, but then they got this – Please do not fall victim to this type of scam.

Thank for the response, i will give you my credit card details to make the payment for $2,750.00. for the web design. however i will need a little favor from you, as the content and the logo are with my consultant and i need to pay him up and he do not accept credit card payment, so i will need you to add an extra $3,500.00 to the money and i will pay it up, when the money is available in your account you will be helping me send it to my consultant so that he can send the logo and the content to complete my project. i will like you to send the invoice from the quote. I will need you to send the invoice of half payment for the web design, also i will love to compensate with $350 for your effort and i will be giving you my credit card to put through a total amount of $6,600.00. Presently am at the hospital for the surgery for my hearing disability, that’s why i won’t be able to go the bank. i hope you would be able to understand my present predicament and help me out.

May 22, 2016

Beware Unlicensed Investigators

Private Investigators have been required to be licensed in New Zealand since 1974. You would have thought that by now there would be a proper enforcement regime in place. Yet, it seems that some people will do anything to avoid meeting their obligations whilst touting for business and remarkably being instructed by leading insurance companies. The case in point can be read here.

Insurance is based on the premise of “the utmost good faith” which goes both ways. When you lodge a claim you might expect that the insurer would have a look at the bona fides of what you are claiming and that will often involve an investigation. What you don’t expect is that their appointed investigator in a country that has had licensing laws for 42 years will be breaking the law by being unlicensed. Further, you would expect in a fire claim that the investigator would have proven skills, experience gained over years either by way of qualifications and/or accepted work history. You would not expect the investigator to have attended a 1 week fire course, as mentioned in this next article – read here.

The investigator says that he was of the opinion he did not need to be licensed because he was a “specialist”, the sad fact is that if you cannot work out you are breaking the law, you need to think long and hard about your ability to investigate at all.

Why does this case stick in our craw, well Licensed investigators in New Zealand have to jump through hoops to operate for fear of prosecution and at considerable cost. We also are required by larger clients to hold indemnity insurance policies in the $millions. How then was this unlicensed investigator able to pick up work from insurers is a question that baffles even seasoned investigators. It seems they came unstuck but it is unbelievable to think that such a situation could occur in such a long time regulated profession.

Our understanding of the Privacy Act is that when you lodge a claim you agree pursuant to the Privacy Act to assist the insurer, but any offending by an agent of the insurer is, by default, offending by the insurer. It’s kind of like the Police getting a bad warrant; evidence obtained by acting on that warrant might not be admissible. We accept privacy matters relating to insurance law is in the civil jurisdiction and not criminal but insurers do refer insurance fraud to the Police so the same rules of conduct relating to investigating claims remain.

The point here is that if you are looking to engage an investigator, make sure you have evidence they are licensed. This case suggests you might go so far as sighting the licence which is a simple scan and email compliance. Any client instructing an unlicensed investigator is taking a big punt and the few dollars per hour less in charges might in turn result in a higher cost spent on lawyers.

May 11, 2016

Paragon Vetting – Priority Service

Paragon are pleased to advise that we have a priority checking service available through NZ Ministry of Justice. This means that we can provide clients with Criminal history checks in a speedy timeframe as opposed to waiting weeks.

Paragon is voted No.1 on New Zealand’s Background Checker Website

To assist, we have included a sample package pricing structure, although every client might have a different need and we will customise all packages to suit you Paragon Pre-Employment and Vetting Standard Services and Fee Structure

March 17, 2016

Beware Netflix Payment Scam

Scammers have no concern for anything other than money. Even New Zealand’s leading PI firm receives emails like this below.

If you are savvy you will note from the address that the email is not from Netflix, but how many won’t.

Clicking on the sign in page takes you another page that is identical to Netflix and if you put in any email and password you are in turn taken to a page for you to enter your card details. I put in as my password “pissoffscammers” and it still worked !!

For the un-educated or trusting, this is a very slick and easy way to lose your $$$ – Beware

March 14, 2016

Can you hide in NZ

How easy is it to disappear?

It’s been a year since 65 year old John Beckenridge and his 12 year old step-son went missing. His car was found having gone off an 88 metre remote cliff in treacherous waters and it took Police weeks to recover the vehicle. Forensic testing failed to find evidence of any occupants having been inside the car at the time it went into the water.

John Beckenridge was known to have multiple passports and use various aliases – who does that?

From an investigative perspective this can only be classed as a missing person’s case, why ? because there is not even one piece of evidence the two have come to any harm. In fact the opposite. Simply put, investigators categorise evidence into the following; (a) limited circumstantial, (b) compelling circumstantial, (c) hearsay or (d) direct evidence. Typically compelling circumstantial evidence is the least required to put the case to a coroner, because a Coroner’s task is to determine the cause of death, meaning the Police should be certain of death.

But as mentioned, there is not one shred of even limited circumstantial evidence in any of the reports to date. All we have is the fact that a man picked up his step-son from school, they have disappeared, his car was found in the water having gone off a cliff and a comprehensive police forensic enquiry has found no trace of occupants in the car at the time it went into the water.

Certainly, there are reported cases where a person has gone into the sea off cliffs and the body never recovered, the vast majority are recovered. But two people “perhaps” inside the car – yet no forensic trace at all, in an area exactly where the car would take a while to recover, having been used by a man with several aliases including having false passports, and all against a domestic background that suggests he has run off.

With a lack of any circumstantial evidence of loss of life, the investigation must remain on the likelihood the couple have deliberately disappeared and either they managed to skip the country without the authorities knowing or they have gone bush. Is this possible, to disappear for a year, with or without help, I believe it is.

The one thing that is certain is that time will out them if they have run off.

Ron McQuilter was approached for comment by Stuff.co.nz and Radio Live, due to his expertise in dealing with previous Missing Persons cases.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/77360652/a-year-since-mike-zhaobeckenridge-and-john-beckenridge-disappeared

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/298727/what-happened-to-the-beckenridges