How well do you really know the person you’re marrying? Unfortunately, in today’s social media and app driven society, it’s easier to hide things from your partner than they would like to believe. Now, we’re not saying that every person in a relationship is hiding a sordid past, nor do they wish to harm their partner. However, before you marry someone, it’s in your best interest to make sure there aren’t any unwelcome surprises. Calling up a private investigator to help you with a background check will help you to determine the truth about your fiancé’s past. Once you know the truth, you can decide for yourself whether or not moving forward with a wedding is the right choice.
In the majority of background check cases, a private investigator doesn’t find anything that you won’t already know. There are however, situations where a fiancé lies about things like, having a criminal record. In many of these situations, the fiancé lies because they feel ashamed of their past. For example, maybe he or she stole a bike when they were fifteen because they didn’t know how to handle peer pressure. At the same time, what if your fiancé has a history of abuse or battery charges, wouldn’t you like to know?
Marriage Horror Stories
Every once and awhile the media gets ahold of a story that just seems too scary to be true. These stories typically involve a married couple where one of the two (usually the wife) has absolutely no idea what the other is up to—and it’s always horrifying.
Wife Knew About his Past . . .
In 2005, only one month after her wedding a police officer showed up at a woman’s hotel door (she was travelling for work). He informed her that her husband had kidnapped two women, brought them back to their family home where he raped one and sodomized the other. In this case, the woman knew about her husband’s previous history—he was arrested for murder many years prior. Yet, she still went ahead and married him.
Wife Kept in the Dark . . .
Everyone in Ontario will remember the case of Colonel Russell Williams (2010). He was a decorated military pilot who confessed to murdering two women. No one ever suspected he would ever commit such violent crimes. To top it all off, his dark secret obviously devastated his wife. She had only ever seen his loving side, and never once suspected her husband capable of murder.
Beneath her Feet . . .
In 2008, an Austrian man was arrested for keeping his daughter trapped in the basement of their home. He even fathered seven children with her, while his wife had no idea what was going on.
Please keep in mind that these stories are few and far between. In our experience, when it comes to background checks, the stakes are rarely this high. However, many of these women would have benefited from a pre-marriage background check. Had they hired a private investigator to look into their husband’s past, it might have saved them significant heartbreak and trauma.
What Exactly is a Background Check?
When a private investigator receives a request for a background check, it means that they need to look into the background of an individual. A private investigator will generally receive this request when a company is looking to hire a potential employee.
So, a pre-marital background check simply means that you request a background check from a private investigator before you get married.
A background check will reveal important information about an individual. As a result, you can find out if the person has a criminal record or a previous marriage. While most people don’t lie to their future husband or wife, a background check will certainly identify and hidden red flags before you walk down the aisle.
How a Private Investigator can Help Prevent Disaster
Hiring a private investigator or private investigation company to conduct a background check on your future spouse will potentially help to prevent you from making a big mistake.
A private investigator has access to many different databases. Some of these databases are not available to the public. Private investigators also have connections with different people who can provide even more information. Some of the places a private investigator will look for red flags include,
- Financial statements
- Criminal records
- Social media
Private investigators will also dig much deeper in an individual’s background check compared to other similar services. They can conduct interviews, and even perform surveillance options. By speaking with other people connected to your fiancé and checking up on their whereabouts, you better understand if he or she is lying to you.
Online Dating and Catfishing
In North America, more and more people turn to online sites and resources to find a potential date. While this method has successfully worked for hundreds of thousands of people, it’s not always foolproof. Do you really know the person you’re meeting online? Have you met in person? How do you know that everything they tell you is the truth?
Catfishing is a relatively new concept. However, because of how devastating it is for the person involved, it has become one of the most important things to look out for when meeting someone online. There are some people out there looking for a way out of their current situation. They will do and say anything to marry someone to gain access to a different country or even money. If you find yourself in this situation, be sure to hire a private investigator to look into the individual. If that person doesn’t exist, or even has a history of scamming people online, the private investigator will catch these issues before you officially tie the knot.
Pre-Marital Background Checks—Learn the Truth Today
Many people believe that hiring a private investigator to complete a background check on his or her fiancé is unethical. Other people get scared, that they’ll find something out about their partner after putting down a deposit on a caterer and event venue. They don’t want their money to go to waste, so it deters them from asking for a background check. Whatever the reason, if your fiancé is hiding something that will impact your marriage, you can be sure you’ll find out their true nature eventually.
Why not get the background check done before you get married? A private investigator will help you to answer a lot of questions and potential heartbreak down the line. After all, if your fiancé is lying to you, they’re probably not the marrying type.
About the Author
Whitney Joy Smith
Founder of The Smith Investigation Agency in 2014, Whitney Joy Smith’s extensive background as a private investigator is matched only by her passion for the role. A graduate of several respected institutions, including Northwest Florida State College and George Brown College, her early years in life were spent between Canada and the United States. This education, along with her formative years as a private investigator in various agencies, informed much of her knowledge of private investigative laws, regulations, and operating standards in both countries.
The recipient of numerous industry awards and accolades, including the Consumers Choice Award, Best in Ottawa, and many others, Whitney takes pride in working closely with her ever-growing agency to raise the bar, maintain compliance, and meet the investigative needs of clients. Whitney is active in various membership and supporting roles, including the CPIRC, CBN, CAPI, Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and many others. Her experience-driven, thought-provoking articles have been featured in everything from Readers Digest to Business News Daily, and she strives to continually redefine standards for those in the private investigative and security fields. Learn more about Whitney and the team at The Smith Investigation Agency today.
