Private Detectives Thrive in Debt Collection Business Amid Financial Crisis
Debt collection business has increased by 10% and the debt recovery cycle has shortened from one month to half a month.
" Don't think that turning off your phone makes you untraceable."
"Huh?" The debtor looked surprised.
"I'm not here to trouble you, just give us the money you owe," Wang Dong said calmly.
The debtor's frown slightly eased.
"Please return our payment, buddy, we're about to lose our jobs!"
Faced with such pleading, the debtor began to reflect...
This was a showdown between private detective Wang Dong and a debtor.
The global financial crisis that started last year has severely impacted multiple industries such as finance, foreign trade, and manufacturing, but it has also brought significant changes to the private detective industry.
Rising Demand for Debt Recovery Services
Wang Dong is a private detective in Beijing with four years of experience, specializing in extramarital affair investigations.
However, since November last year, he has been receiving numerous inquiries about debt collection services: "What are the fees? Is there a time limit? What happens if the collection is unsuccessful?"
Although debt collection is not his main business, every time someone asks, Wang Dong patiently explains: "The fee is calculated based on a commission, usually 20% to 30% of the debt amount. The duration is typically one month. If the collection is unsuccessful, the costs incurred during this period must be borne by the client."
Preliminarily estimated, Wang Dong's debt collection business has increased by 10%. For this reason, Wang Dong and his partners have been very busy, "Mostly some foreign trade factories suddenly went bankrupt, and the bosses absconded with the funds. The suppliers then come to us to help them recover their debts."
"Increased by 10% is still considered low. In the south, private detectives' debt collection business is skyrocketing, and many colleagues no longer focus primarily on extramarital affair investigations," Wang Dong learned within the industry. According to reports, due to the financial crisis, the international debt collection alliance's business volume in China has also increased by 20% this year.
What Wang Dong feels most clearly is that debt collection is now much more urgent, "We offer a deadline of one month, but the clients often require half a month, even if the commission is higher, everyone wants the funds back as soon as possible."
On March 10th, Wang Dong successfully completed a debt collection case. It involved a Shanghai company supplying raw materials to a Beijing chemical export company. One day, the Shanghai side discovered that the previously punctual payment had not arrived. Upon contacting them, they found out that the chemical export company had closed down due to the economic downturn, and the representative responsible for receiving the goods in Beijing had turned off their phone.
Wang Dong took on this case, with the debt amounting to 270,000 yuan, "Getting a few ten thousand yuan isn't a problem." Finding the legal representative who had turned off their phone was absolutely effortless for a private detective, although Wang Dong was unwilling to reveal the special methods used to find them. However, according to some publicity, private detectives are skilled in various techniques and possess advanced investigative equipment.
Wang Dong appeared before the legal representative as an external investigator from the Shanghai company. "He thought that turning off the phone would make him untraceable, so he was already intimidated," Wang Dong explained. Not only was he intimidated, but the legal representative was also helpless against Wang Dong's two tactics - tearful pleas: "Please return the payment quickly, otherwise, our company will starve," and relentless pursuit: "Wherever he goes, we follow, even into the restroom until he gets annoyed."
"Many people might think we use violent means to collect payments, but that's not true. We absolutely do not engage in illegal activities," Wang Dong said proudly.
Despite his aversion to being called a "second-wife killer," over the past four years, Wang Dong's primary business has been investigating extramarital affairs.
Four years ago, at 1.74 meters tall, Wang Dong was not initially favored during his interview. "People in this line of work should ideally be under 1.7 meters tall, preferably with a common face that blends into a crowd." Nevertheless, with his resourcefulness honed from years of working in advertising, Wang Dong managed to break into this field.
His first assignment was assisting his mentor on an extramarital investigation. Faced with a sobbing client, Wang Dong felt a sense of righteous duty at the time, "It's my responsibility to get rid of the mistress."
After a week of learning from his mentor, Wang Dong started working independently. During this week, he understood the ins and outs of the business - generally charging between 5,000 to 6,000 yuan, providing a detailed account of the subject's whereabouts for a week; any special expenses, such as dining at upscale restaurants, required prior approval from the client or would be self-funded.
Now, as a seasoned private detective, Wang Dong has summarized some patterns in infidelity cases - previously almost all female clients investigated male partners, but now males also investigate female partners; the majority of investigated men are aged between 28 and 37, seemingly a high-risk period for infidelity.
In his car trunk, there are some clothes which serve as Wang Dong's disguises. Usually, Wang Dong impersonates roles such as meter readers, telecom workers, or gas company employees. Sometimes, he even has to stick a fake beard on his face.
"It's already 11 PM, aren't you done yet?" After tracking someone all day, Wang Dong received a call from his wife. He replied, "I'll be done once this man returns home, you go to sleep first." Witnessing too many extramarital affairs, Wang Dong says he intends to stay committed to his wife.
"If I could find a stable job with decent income tomorrow, I wouldn't do this anymore today." Wang Dong isn't tired of the work, but he feels it's not entirely legitimate. His parents in Shandong don't know what he does, and he doesn't plan to tell his daughter either.
Wang Dong is cautious. He agreed to the journalist's interview after considering it for two days, maintaining only single-line contact and adjusting the interview location frequently. Before the interview, he asked the journalist to ensure: "Don't have any prejudice against private detectives, otherwise, we won't talk."
Wang Dong repeatedly expressed his confusion to the journalist: "Can the country recognize us? You say we're not recognized, yet so many people need us."
This confusion and awkwardness are not limited to Wang Dong alone. In 1993, the Ministry of Public Security issued a notice prohibiting the establishment of private detective agencies. Additionally, currently, there is no public law in China explicitly banning or allowing the existence of private detectives. It is in this gray area that private detectives manage to survive and develop.
Their lives are like walking on a tightrope, one misstep and they could land in a dangerous zone. This danger arises because their investigative methods and tracking activities inevitably infringe upon citizens' personal privacy, objectively harming citizens' rights. However, Wang Dong holds this opinion: "If you display affection in public places, we can take pictures, we're not following you into your house."
Song Shaofu, the head lawyer of Tiantan Law Firm, said that the definition of civilian investigative rights is currently unclear, making it difficult to determine what private detectives can and cannot do. However, he hopes that civilians should have certain investigative rights and hopes for legislation soon.
Source: Beijing Evening News