Apparently oblivious to the irony, polygrapher
Guy Heseltine, one of a handful of polygraph operators active in the United Kingdom, has circulated a press release titled
"Lie Detector Tests - Beware of Bogus Polygraph tests." In his press release, Mr. Heseltine somberly warns of the dangers of hiring the services of his competitors, Mssrs. Steve Ogilvie and Paul Shepherd of
Polygraph UK Ltd:
Quote:Lie Detector Tests - Beware of Bogus Polygraph tests (2005-01-10)
Guy Heseltine UK Clients looking for Polygraph/ Lie detector test services in the UK have been urged to take care when selecting an examiner to undertake a test following the discovery of a bogus company operating in Wakefield. UK Clients looking for Polygraph/ Lie detector test services in the UK have been urged to take care when selecting an examiner to undertake a test following the discovery of a bogus company operating in Wakefield.
Qualified examiner at Distress Services
www.polygraphs.co.uk (professional lie detector testing service) Bruce Burgess comments "It is very important to check out a polygraph examiners qualifications, do not accept their word, ask to see proof of certification and membership to the American Polygraph Association at the very least".
The warning comes after individuals operating a polygraph company under the name of Polygraph UK Ltd were discovered to be offering tests by "trained examiners". In reality the company has never received any formal training and the Directors Steve Ogilvie and Paul Shepherd has posted false information with the intention of misleading potential clients on their website.
Upon investigation it became clear that the company does not employ any trained examiners, and worse the only training they have received is from reading the instruction manual of the polygraph! "Taking a test with these people could be very dangerous, I urge anyone who has done so to contact us on
www.polygraps.co.uk as soon as possible", Burgess went on to say.
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Company Name Distress Services
Company Address
Contact Details: polygraphsuk@aol.com
Mr. Heseltine fails to note that taking a polygraph "test" from him or his partner, Bruce Burgess, can also be "very dangerous."
All lie detector testing is bogus, and there is no reason to believe that a polygraph operator certified by the American Polygraph Association detects lies any more accurately than one who has not.
And while Mr. Heseltine complains that his competitors have "posted false information with the intention of misleading potential clients on their website," he and Mr. Burgess have done the same thing. The home page of their company,
Distress Services, prominently features the following lie by Mr. Burgess: "The
only way to pass a polygraph is to tell the truth!" (original emphasis). It is well documented that liars can pass the polygraph using simple countermeasures.
One final irony is Distress Services' chosen e-mail address: polygraphsuk@aol.com. Hmmm.