What do private investigators do?
Grant • 3 December 2019
What do private investigators do?
Private Investigators do a variety of different work, to see the different types of work we do see our blog post on it here. What we actually do can be broken down into 3 types of work: online work, physical work and networking work.
- Online work is checking online databases, cross referencing online sources of information such as social media.
- Physical work is outside the office such as surveillance
- Networking work is gaining information from others such as phone calls and interviews utilising human intelligence.
We then record all this information into case files and present it in a readable logical way for our clients. We usually include a summary and conclusion to the investigation in the report with our professional opinion.
When we begin an investigation our work involves taking all the details the client has and then using that information to discover more details about the person, business and/or item we are investigating. The usual problems when initiating a investigation is differentiating the person the clients wants investigated with others who use the same or a similar name, we need to establish who the correct person is and any identifiable character tics that would in the public record.
Once we have done that we can begin to dig deeper using their personal information as a springboard to unlocking other information available to us in databases.
It is important to cross reference and check your as you go to ensure everything you gather is congruent and of a good standard of proof.
Once you have a reached a certain point you may start collecting data that is important to your client, this is the goal at all times. It is highly dependant on the type of investigation being conducted from this point and so highly varied.
List of services
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Unusual requests for a PI Write a description for this list item and include information that will interest site visitors. For example, you may want to describe a team member's experience, what makes a product special or a unique service that you offer.
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Can they access TikTok? Write a description for this list item and include information that will interest site visitors. For example, you may want to describe a team member's experience, what makes a product special or a unique service that you offer.
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Network data Write a description for this list item and include information that will interest site visitors. For example, you may want to describe a team member's experience, what makes a product special, or a unique service that you offer.
A trained Private Investigator with years of experience reveals the 3 things you must know about Open Source Intelligence in the context of Private Investigations.
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A common problem all agents encounter, especially so in cities is the problem of parking. A good parking location for a vehicle is essential in ensuring line of sight (LOS) and gathering recordings behind tint or disguised. Now you may be thinking, you would solve this problem through foot surveillance. This isn't always helpful, residential areas may not have many people on foot nearby, there may be nowhere to sit or bled in and a host of other reasons may want your bottom firmly planted in a car seat for this one. So you arrive or even better, as part of a recce (reconnaissance) or planning, you notice a parking problem. I find it helpful to break up the different problems into categories, I will list the types of scenarios. 2 Primary types of areas Urban - City or Town Rural - Villages, farms, greenery or forests Primary types of problems No LOS - Cannot observe the property or points of egress LOS but too distant - Cannot record of observe with any accuracy or with the level of responsiveness needed LOS but blocked - Your vision is obstructed temporarily Too close - The risk of exposure is too high and no places further away are available Primary causes of problems Temporary blockage by vehicle - A behemoth has just parked in your LOS Double yellow lines - No parking here Single yellow lines - Restricted at certain times, they will always be the times you need to be their All spaces are in use - The most frequent issue Moved too many times already - You've been moving around frequently and are reaching a point where further movement between spaces will compromise the surveillance A mixture - A mix of the above It is incredibly frustrating when your turn up to perform your surveillance and have nowhere to park. You know the client will not be happy and your stuck in a tough spot. Parking for private investigators is an essential part of the work and for some cases is strictly required to ensure good results.
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Many people ask: "What do private investigators get hired for?" So, we've compiled a list: What do private investigators get hired for? 1. Surveillance. 2. Finding addresses. 3. Finding someone. 4. Verifying information. 5. Gathering intelligence for further action. However, this is not an exhaustive list of what a private investigator can do. There are many different applications and benefits of hiring a private investigator. Here are some of the benefits of hiring a private investigator: 1. Save money - Instead of dedicating an in-house employee to do the job, a quick and easy way would be to hire a PI short term to get the job done properly. 2. Save time - Time is money; private investigators investigate for a living, they can do the job quickly, professionally, and accurately getting the best results. The term 'Private Investigator is not that specific', but rather an umbrella term for people that act in the area of investigation - each with varying skill-sets and specialisations. Here are some of he common skill-sets a private investigator may specialise in. 1. Financial & Cryptocurrency investigations. 2. Business intelligence. 3. Surveillance. 4. Social engineering. 5. Tracing. 6. Fraud. 7. Background checks. 8. Employee absenteeism. 9. Property. 10. Company checks. Sometimes private investigators are picking up the pieces of a previous investigation, and can include many of these above listed investigations in one case.
The penal code review in France which made Private Investigator use in civil proceedings legal.