Our method
How a Full Circle investigation is run, stage by stage
Most people have never hired an investigator and have no idea what is normal. This page sets out exactly what happens from your first call to the final report, what you will be asked for, and what you should expect to be told at each point.
The five stages
No stage is skipped, and you are told where the case stands at the end of each.
Scoping conversation
Free, 15–20 minutes, by phone or WhatsApp. You describe the decision in front of you. We work out which questions would actually change that decision — often not the ones clients arrive with — and which of them can be properly verified. If the honest answer is that your question cannot be settled, you hear it here.
Written scope and fixed quote
You receive the objectives in plain language, the methods that will be used, the cities involved, a realistic timeline, what the deliverable will be, and a fixed fee. Nothing starts until you approve it. If the case later needs to expand, we come back and ask.
Fieldwork and verification
Depending on scope: field observation with dated notes, public-record checks, discreet source interviews, document verification at the issuing institution, and photographic or video material where it is appropriate to obtain it.
Interim updates
At the intervals agreed in the scope, through the channel you chose. If something emerges early that changes the picture — including something that makes further work pointless — you are told immediately rather than at the end.
Findings review and report
A conversation first, then a dated written report with supporting material. The report separates direct observation from corroborated information and from what could not be established, and states the limitations of each finding.
Information handling
What you will be asked for — and what you should never send
Good identifiers shorten a case dramatically. Oversharing creates risk without helping.
Helpful to have ready
- Full name, approximate age and any known spelling variants
- Current city, locality or a workplace address
- What has been claimed — employer, designation, qualification, family details
- A recent photograph, if you have one
- Vehicle details, if relevant to observation
- The decision you need to make and your deadline
- Any time or contact constraints on your side
How we protect your information
- Only what the case actually needs is collected
- Your identity is never disclosed to anyone
- Case material is never shared, sold or reused
- Contact happens only on your chosen number and hours
- Files are securely destroyed once the case is closed
- Nothing is stored on this website at any point
Deliverable
What the final report contains
Format varies with the case, but the structure is consistent.
Scope and method
What was asked, what was done, which cities and dates were covered, and which methods were used. This is what makes the rest of the report readable by a lawyer or a third party.
Dated chronology
Observations and findings in time order, with dates and locations, so a pattern is visible rather than asserted.
Verification status per claim
Each claim you asked about marked as verified, contradicted, partially established or not obtainable — with the basis stated for each.
Supporting material
Photographs, video stills, record copies and interview notes where these were properly documented, referenced to the chronology.
Contradictions and gaps
Where the information does not agree with itself, and where a gap remains. We do not smooth these over to make a tidier document.
Limitations
What the evidence does and does not establish. The most common reason a report fails a client later is that someone overstated what it proved.
How long it takes
Realistic timelines
Ranges, not promises. The written scope gives you a specific estimate for your case.
| Type of enquiry | Typical duration | What drives the variation |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-matrimonial verification, single city | 5–10 working days | Record access, how much the family has already disclosed |
| Pre-matrimonial, multi-city or NRI | 10–18 working days | Coordination across cities, overseas document checks |
| Background / employment verification | 4–8 working days | Institution response times |
| Surveillance | 2 days – 4 weeks | Whether you need a single event or an established pattern |
| Post-matrimonial investigation | 2–5 weeks | Observation windows, subject's routine |
| Corporate due diligence | 1–3 weeks | Entity complexity, number of parties |
| Asset verification | 7–15 working days | Record digitisation in the relevant district |
| Missing person tracing | Highly variable | Age of the trail, quality of last-known details |
Start with the scoping call
It is free, it takes about twenty minutes, and it will tell you more about your situation than another week of searching online.