Private investigators do a variety of work for a wide array of clients. P.I.s are best known for their work finding missing people, but that’s a very small slice of what they do. Investigators routinely help businesses with internal investigations and support human resources departments during the hiring process. It’s common for attorneys to call private investigators to assist in research and help identifying witnesses and assets to strengthen their cases.
1. Everyday Citizens
Shelia Wysocki’s roommate was raped and murdered in 1984. Two decades later the case was unsolved and had gone cold. Wysocki hadn’t given up on though and spent four years making more than 700 phone calls and was able to provide detectives with enough evidence that they reopened the case. In 2010, after all of Wysocki’s work, a jury convicted her roommate’s killer in under an hour. A dedicated investigator can shine new light on old cases and help reinvigorate an investigation.
Have you had a family member go missing? Whether it was a runaway, kidnapping, or a family member moving, private investigators can help. P.I.s have a long history of finding missing people and it’s one of the skills they’re most known for. Don’t sit around wondering what happened to them, hire a P.I. to find out and give yourself peace of mind.
If your car or home is broken into and valuable items are stolen, the odds that police will recover your belongings are low. Resource constraints mean the police are likely to push your case to the bottom of the pile. Private investigators are available even when the police aren’t and can help prevent family heirlooms from being lost forever.
2. Attorneys
Every attorney should have a private investigator’s business card in their pocket. Private investigators are keen researchers and can help make sure every lawyer has all of the relevant information for every one of their cases. Contracting a third party to handle research can also lower costs for clients since the hours won’t be billed to the attorney, increasing the value client’s receive.
Private investigators can strengthen cases by identifying more witnesses and evaluating the witnesses you already have. Are you having trouble contacting someone you need to interview or depose? Private investigators can help you make the contacts you need and ensure they’re up for the tasks ahead.
3. Business Owners
Businesses and corporations stand to gain a ton by employing the skills of a private investigator. Save time and money by having a P.I. handle background checks and vetting of potential new hires. Bring the right people onto your team the first time and dedicate resources to other ventures.
Need to do an internal investigation, but worried about intraoffice relationships making it difficult? Do you suspect there may be drug use or theft happening on your property? P.I.s can conduct discreet internal investigations that will produce objective results quickly.
4. Insurance Agents
Every insurance agency should have a strong working relationship with private investigators and the reasons why will strike most people as obvious. When someone files a claim for injuries or disability, how can you be sure it’s not fraudulent? Estimates say insurance payouts are between $80 and $120 billion a year. 10% or $8 to $12 billion of those claims are projected to be fraudulent.
Pretending to be hurt during an interview is easy, but how many people can stick to their act 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Take the case of a young man who, after losing the tip of his finger, claimed he couldn’t lift his right hand and that touching it caused excruciating pain. A private investigation firm was able to disprove these claims and save millions of dollars by scouring the man’s social media and finding pictures of him playing instruments and going down water slides. Protect yourself from fraud by hiring a private investigator.
For Private Investigation Inquiry contact Thomas Lauth, Lauth Investigations 317-951-1100
David Schroeder, Blog Writer, Lauth Investigations International
Divorce is difficult. Even more so when children are involved. Figuring out custodial agreements is challenging and presents opportunities for disagreement that can span years. It’s important that parents understand all of the resources available to them and how private investigators can be valuable assets in the fight to protect their children and secure custody.
Is your child coming home with signs of abuse?
If you suspect your child is being abused, you need to begin documenting all of the evidence immediately. Bruises or marks, no matter how small or faint, must be photographed as soon as they are noticed. Photographic evidence is some of the strongest evidence you can produce.
It can be difficult to prove child abuse has taken place. Depending on the age of the child they may not be able to articulate exactly what happened. If the abuse was traumatic enough it could cause confusion when the child tries to explain what occured. The importance of adequately documenting potential abuse cannot be overstated.
Private investigators have the equipment and insight to properly record suspected instances of abuse. Dealing with the court system is a private investigator’s forte and they understand what the courts need to see and how it must be presented to prompt the courts to take action. When it comes to your child’s safety, you cannot afford to delay seeking help.
I’m concerned my ex is using drugs around our children.
Across America a heroin epidemic is breaking out. Drug abuse is impacting people of all social and economic backgrounds. Recently a picture circulated news and social media of two adults passed out from a heroin overdose in their SUV while a four-year-old boy sat helplessly in the back seat.
The female in the passenger seat is the boy’s grandmother. She lost consciousness after shooting-up while her boyfriend drove. Upon being stopped by police for driving erratically, the boyfriend passed out too. The grandmother had only had custody of the boy for 5 weeks when this occurred.
No one knew the grandmother’s heroin abuse was so bad or she never would’ve been granted custody in the first place. But this raises the question of how anyone could have known her addiction was this in strong? What red flags were missed that could’ve kept this boy out of danger? Was this the first time the couple used drugs with the child present?
Private investigators are trained to pay attention to and take note of people’s abnormal behavior. Surveillance by a P.I. may have led to the discovery of the grandmother’s drug abuse before the child was put in this potentially fatal scenario.Thankfully the police were able to intervene and get the boy to safety.
My ex isn’t spending their visitation time with our kids. What can I do?
When the courts determine visitation time they do so expecting the parents to spend that time with their child. This isn’t always the case though. Sometimes the parent will take the child for visitation time, but drop them off with a family member or baby sitter.
One parent passing their child off to someone else during visitation time not only deprives the child of time quality time, but it prevents the other parent from seeing their child as well. Depending on your state and custodial agreement, it’s possible it’s a violation of the law as well.
The Right of First Refusal stipulates that when one parent plans to have a third party babysit their child during visitation time, they must first give the other parent a chance to say they will or won’t watch the child instead. Private Investigators can provide records and documentation that demonstrates when visitation isn’t being properly utilized to make sure the parents who want time with their child are getting it.
I’m worried about the new people my ex is bringing around our kids.
One of the scarier parts of a divorce is knowing sooner or later your child is going to be introduced to new people you won’t get the chance to know beforehand. No one wants their child around strangers, but it’s an inevitable reality of separate parenting. It’s possible the new people in your ex’s life are wonderful, but why take any chances?
Private investigators can help alleviate these concerns. Investigators routinely perform background checks that can help you to better know who’s around your child. Concerned about where your children are being taken when they’re not with you? Surveillance can keep you informed about your children’s condition and whereabouts when you can’t be there.
For Private Investigation Inquiry contact Thomas Lauth, Lauth Investigations 317-951-1100
David Schroeder, Blog Writer, Lauth Investigations International
Private investigators do a variety of work for individuals and businesses. The majority of P.I.s are honest and work diligently to satisfy their customers and close cases quickly, but like any other industry, there are bad apples in the bunch. Here are some ways private investigators get bad reputations.
Dishonest pricing
Sometimes people come to private investigators in a tight situation and needing help quickly. Individuals can feel pressure to get assistance as fast as possible, especially if it’s a scenario involving their children. Some P.I.s may sense the stress a potential client is facing and exploit it for their own gain. Bad investigators might overcharge these clients who are in a rush to get the work done or aren’t familiar with the industry.
In order to drum up business P.I.’s may give clients below market rates to secure their business. Investigators may offer lower prices for the first job only to raise prices for follow-up work. It’s a classic bait-and-switch.
In both instances the best way to protect yourself from unfair pricing is to shop around and do your own research to compare prices. Don’t accept the first estimate you hear. Request estimates from other private investigators and consult with individuals who have worked with P.I.s before you finalize a deal.
Creating false expectations
Whether it’s a missing item, missing child, or background check on someone you don’t know, you wouldn’t be considering hiring a private investigator if it wasn’t important. A mistake some P.I.s make is promising too much and creating false expectations in the minds of their clients.
The odds of a successful investigation varies from case to case. Investigators need to be accurate and honest when assessing a client’s request. Descent investigators will be upfront with clients about the chances of successfully fulfilling their needs. Private investigators you should avoid will promise results they know they’re unlikely to deliver just to get a paycheck.
It benefits both the client and investigator to understand the challenges they’ll face. Adequately communicating the chances of solving a case prevents the client from unrealistic expectations and potentially heart breaking disappointment. It will also enable the client to better understand the steps and methods the investigator takes. Honesty and integrity are vital to a healthy client-investigator relationship.
Failing to get results
No one wants to spend money on a service that doesn’t get results, especially when it comes to the kind of sensitive matters one employs a private investigator for. It’s frustrating to feel like you’re throwing money down the drain and wasting time on the wrong resources.
Investigations are a difficult line of work, but a quality investigator consistently closes their cases. When you’re looking for a P.I. to assist you, make sure you check online for reviews through services like Google, Yelp, and Angie’s List. Investigative firms should be able to offer references or previous client testimony to help you know you’re making the right choice. You wouldn’t try a new restaurant without checking reviews so why treat your investigate needs any different?
For Private Investigation Inquiry contact Thomas Lauth, Lauth Investigations 317-951-1100
David Schroeder, Blog Writer, Lauth Investigations International
The internet age has made it easier than ever to save time and find the right private investigator to suit your needs. Websites that aggregate reviews make it simple to check multiple firm’s reputations at once. Utilizing email means investigators can respond to your inquiries lightning quick. With that in mind, here’s a few tips to help you find the right private investigator.
Find customer reviews and ask for references
Every business aims to satisfy it’s customers and private investigation firms are no different. One of the biggest benefits of the internet is the ability to quickly find reviews of just about anything. The Better Business Bureau, Yelp and Angie’s list are examples websites dedicated to keeping customers informed by aggregating reviews.
You can go to any of those sites and read hundreds of reviews from customers to help you figure out where to do business. Sometimes customers will give bad reviews for reasons outside of the business’s control. Luckily most review centric sites show the average of all reviews to help you determine if that bad review was an isolated incident or not.
Another way to determine where to spend your money is by asking the firm directly for references. Quality firms will be able to present references on request and if they can’t then it should set of alarm bells for potential clients. Always ask for references and reach out to as many past clients as you can.
You shouldn’t have to wait for a response to your inquiries
When you inquire with an investigation firm about doing business with them you should expect a quick response. With the advent of email it doesn’t make any sense that you would have to wait days to find out if you’re going to do business with a company or not. You may not get a fleshed out response right away, but it’s reasonable to expect acknowledgment of your request as soon as possible.
It benefits the client and the firm to respond expeditiously. Fast correspondence helps lay the groundwork for the level of service a client can expect and reflects the attention and importance with which a firm will serve them. Firms responding slowly or sporadically to your inquiries could be indicative of how they’ll handle your case. Do you want to wait for information about your case or do you want to know everything as soon as your investigators do?
Can they offer you a written cost estimate?
Ask anyone what the three most important considerations for where they do business are and you’re guaranteed to hear “price” listed early and often. Everyone is working within the constraints of their budget. Knowing what you’re going to spend ahead of time can help you maximize available funds and prevent unneeded stress.
Veteran investigators should be able to provide you with an estimate of the costs of your case, but it’s important that you get it in writing. Getting a written estimate will minimize the chances of miscommunication and confusion when the final bill arrives. Clients shouldn’t be caught off guard by the costs of the investigators work and veteran P.I.s understand this.
For Private Investigation Inquiry contact Thomas Lauth, Lauth Investigations 317-951-1100
David Schroeder, Blog Writer, Lauth Investigations International
When one conjures up images of a private investigator or “PI”, what are some commonalities? Perhaps a long tan coat, a notebook, mustache, and of course your handy dandy – magnifying glass?
Somehow this is the universal image for a profession where you use facts and reasoning to find information. Most people use magnifiers to look at ants.
Detective stories have long altered the perception of what private investigators do so here now lies some basic PI 101 information.
Private investigators are hired by individuals, business, and organizations to seek out the truth. This can take many forms, which is why you have various kinds of PI’s like those who specialize in forensics, lost assets, surveillance, or background checks.
Though certain fictional representations may focus on a PI’s eccentric personality, the job itself is more grounded and based in logic, details, and deductions. Some other private investigator myths are as follows:
1. Private investigators basically have carte blanche when is comes to solving a case.
Couldn’t be farther from the truth. One of several distinctions of a PI from a Craigslist ad offering similar services is their vast knowledge of legal and ethic implications. They work within the system, often with backgrounds in law or law enforcement. Which means several examples you’d see on television aren’t relevant. Pretexting to gain access to phone records, breaking and entering, and important documents (like certain financial information) wouldn’t be accessible to private investigators due to legality and regulations such as the The Gramm-Leach Bliley Act.
2. Private Investigators are the same as police detectives right?
A surprisingly common question, with a simple answer. Police work for the government, while private investigators are hired by people or groups. Because of this, the kinds of work differs, as the police work on more crime matters while PI’s find answers without prosecution.
3. PI’s are just former disgruntled police detectives.
With the multiple kinds of private investigators, their backgrounds come from all sorts. From forensic accounting to computer science, the plethora of backgrounds give PI skills for their particular type of investigation. Depending on the state you may require formal license, or need to pass exams. With each state differing in requirements, sometimes reciprocity agreements are issued to work in several states. LII is licensed in Iowa, Florida, Indiana, and Arizona.
4. Their client base is 1940’s blondes.
Kinds of client depend on the area of investigation, but companies and organizations make up a significant part of PI’s business, often for reasons you wouldn’t expect. For instance, a larger company may hire a private eye to look into corruption from within the organization. By doing their due diligence, it allows for handling of smaller scenarios now in order to avoid a PR/stock price disaster later on.
Private investigation is a detailed process, and though not as heavily based on intuition or donning the look of an action movie star, private investigators can be a great asset in your corner.
Media’s representation of Private Investigators (Source: PInow)
