Planning an Interview
Hello investigators!
Welcome back to our interview series! In our first post of this series, we explained two of the more common types of interviews - (1) information seeking; and (2) admission seeking. In this second post, we’ll touch on the process of planning the interview.
Why plan an interview?
As mentioned previously, interviews play a very important role in either gaining information about the case (information seeking), or getting a fraudster to admit to their crime (admission seeking). Each interview encompasses a very detailed process and is often crucial in investigating fraud cases. Sun Tzu once said, “If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle”. If you do not know the interviewee well enough, we will not be able to get any information out of him/her.
Consider the following scenario:
“John recently got involved in an on-going fraud case. Today is his first day with the team, and the team leader, David, gave him the task of interviewing the suspect. David passes John a list of interview questions and tells him to get an admission out of the suspect. John has 5 minutes before the interview is set to begin.”
In the above scenario, despite having a list of questions for the interview, John’s lack of knowledge on the suspect, case and planning, would unlikely be effective in reaching the admission. As investigators, we must always be sure about the case and suspect, and prepare for an interview beforehand so that we can get the most out of it.
Factors to consider when planning for an interview
As the style of interviewing differs among interviewers, there is no fixed rule or process to follow when planning for an interview. There are, however, 7 key factors that investigators should keep in mind during the planning phase.
1. Timing
Timing refers to the duration of the interview. Investigators must ensure that the interview is of sufficient duration to be able to obtain the necessary information from the suspect. It should also be noted that as much as possible, the interview should be concluded in one session, and not spread across more sessions.
2. Location
Location refers to the place of the interview. It should be in a business / formal environment that can be controlled (i.e. few distractions, no windows etc.). This will allow the interviewee to focus on the interviewer and not other distractions around the location.
3. Legal Issues
Legal issues should be considered very seriously, as depending on how the interview goes, it may affect the reputation of the company. Consider matters relating to confidentiality, and the intended use and potential recipient of the investigation report. It is important that regardless of the interview, the relevant stakeholders are kept safe and legally abiding.
4. Recording
Recording is a tricky one. Usually, one might think that recording is very useful as it can be used against the interviewee when he/she tries to change his/her story in the future. While this could be the case, investigators should also note that the recording may influence the interviewee to be more cautious about what they share and talk about, potentially restricting the amount of information that can be obtained.
5. Participants
The more the merrier saying doesn’t work here. In an ideal interview, there should be only two interviewers - one taking notes and asking the questions, and one to observe the body language of the interviewee. This also helps to alleviate stress in the interviewee, and make the interview more personal. Too many interviewers could evoke feelings of fear and nervousness, potentially making the interviewee less open to share.
6. Multiple Interview Subjects
One interviewee should only be interviewed at any one time. Multiple interviewees is strongly not recommended as the interviewees may attempt to exchange information with each other, or be influenced by others’ body language, placing the objective of the interview at risk.
7. Concurrent Interviewing
However, it is recommended that concurrent interviews should be conducted. Instead of having multiple interview subjects in one room, segregate them to be in a room individually to be interviewed at the same time, but by different interviewers. This would allow interviewers to pick out conflicts among the stories that the interviewees gave in their respective rooms, and more effectively sieve information and other suspects.
As you may find, conducting a successful interview is not an easy task, but with proper knowledge of the facts of the case, along with these factors to consider before the interview, you may just be setting yourself (and the interviewee) up for a more fruitful interview.
Food for Thought
Beyond the 7 key factors above, what other factors would you take into consideration when planning for an interview?
