An offer I can't refuse...?

I've recently had an enquiry that starts out innocently enough: locate the current whereabouts of a woman who is believed to have entered the country with her child, in contravention of a Court Order from her country of origin in favour of her ex-husband's custody of the child.

I say "starts out innocently enough" because I was contacted by a Russian Tractor Factory on behalf of the father as he is a major client of theirs.

Call me uncharitable, but while this Tractor Factory is most likely entirely legitimate and above-board, the very first thing that comes to mind is the Rossiyskaya Mafiya (Рoссийская мафия).

Harsh!

Now, this serves as a perfect example for one of the areas which has recently come under some scrutiny over here: ethics and end-use of information.

You see, in the past there have been some instances where local investigators had been hired, under false pretences, to locate certain individuals who then later died. Gruesomely.

It seems that the Powers-That-Be believe that investigators are ethically bound to determine a number of things prior to undertaking an investigation:
 

• Identity of the Client
• Purpose for which any information gained will be used

Of course, this presumes that a Client ever tells us everything, which is seldom the case.

Now some investigators have a clause whereby they will not divulge the whereabouts of a traced person unless that person, when located, agrees. However, if that person is a debtor or has run afoul of some law, they are unlikely to consent, are they?

So how do you other investigators tackle this issue? Is it even a concern or do you just take the money and shrug your shoulders?

And if my Client turns out to be the Russian Mafia, how much should I charge them for the info?