What Do Private Investigators Do?
Private Eye – Do visions of Bruce Willis in Moonlighting or Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I. come to mind? If so, forget the glitz and glory of those Hollywood stories. The lifestyle and work habits of a typical P.I. are much less glamorous than portrayed on TV. However, the services they provide are invaluable when they are needed.
A private eye (P.I.) is a private personal detective or personal private investigator who is employed to gather information about a person or company. These people spend more time on their computers and telephones than having car chases to locate information or various people.
A good P.I. is able to locate just about anyone you are looking to find. This could be someone from your childhood as well as a current business partner who “left town.” Along with people, private investigators can also find lost or stolen objects.
In our Internet-based society where relationships are formed and companies come together via computer channels, knowledge is key. Part of this knowledge is knowing who you are connecting with in business or social environments. A local private investigator can assist in this area by performing background checks on persons or companies. Some may call this snooping, but it is doing your due diligence before “signing on the bottom line,” whatever that bottom line may be.
While these may be the services most people think of when private investigation is mentioned, there are numerous areas where private eyes become involved.
Many department stores use a private investigator service for store security during business hours. After hours the security reverts to a private security agency. The P.I. is looked at as the first line of defense for not only the business but also for the employees and customers. This security can protect business owners from unscrupulous employees as well as shoplifting customers. Employees and customers can be protected from aggressive people coming into the business.
Although the regulations pertaining to serving legal papers vary from area to area, generally private investigators can be used to serve such papers as complaints, judgments, affidavits, and writs. The server must follow all regulations including stating how, when, where, and whom was served. Be sure to check all local regulations before having a private eye serve any type legal papers.
A large area of work for private eyes is insurance fraud. Some estimates show insurance fraud costs companies upwards of 80 billion dollars per year. This lost money is passed onto consumers mainly in insurance premiums as high as $1,000 additional per year. The attorneys, medical profession, and insurance companies must all work together to give fair compensation to justified claims. Private investigations can help to determine whether or not a claim is legitimate, entitling compensation to be paid out. This would include things such as proving that an injured person is truly unable to work or handle daily activities.
With computers being used in almost every business, a new form of private investigation is now offered – Computer Forensic Investigations. These investigators know computers and their infrastructure and can aid with all types of computer issues. Some of the areas these P.I.’s can assist with are email tracing, hacking, security, identity theft via computer, employee issues such as theft and many other areas. Some of the everyday services would be data backup or recovery, optimizing performance, and virus/spyware protection. This area of private investigation takes years of specialized training in the computer fields. The P.I. has knowledge of all aspects of computers – hardware, software, and operating systems. This may not be the “normal” private eye, yet this area of concern will continue to grow. The need for computer security will also continue to expand as the computer industry grows.
Another area of private eye work is protection. This includes both personal protection as well as locale protection. When working in personal protection, the P.I. is considered a bodyguard. They must be well trained in both self-defense as well as non-confrontational maneuvers. These are not the typical hulk-sized body guards one may associate with personal security, but instead are well spoken, and well trained individuals who not only protect but can also be personal assistants.
Private eye services are diverse with many areas of work. Today’s private eye is not the Hollywood type nor the thug. They are specialized, well trained, and knowledgeable and are capable of carrying out their work in a professional manner.
A private eye (P.I.) is a private personal detective or personal private investigator who is employed to gather information about a person or company. These people spend more time on their computers and telephones than having car chases to locate information or various people.
A good P.I. is able to locate just about anyone you are looking to find. This could be someone from your childhood as well as a current business partner who “left town.” Along with people, private investigators can also find lost or stolen objects.
In our Internet-based society where relationships are formed and companies come together via computer channels, knowledge is key. Part of this knowledge is knowing who you are connecting with in business or social environments. A local private investigator can assist in this area by performing background checks on persons or companies. Some may call this snooping, but it is doing your due diligence before “signing on the bottom line,” whatever that bottom line may be.
While these may be the services most people think of when private investigation is mentioned, there are numerous areas where private eyes become involved.
Many department stores use a private investigator service for store security during business hours. After hours the security reverts to a private security agency. The P.I. is looked at as the first line of defense for not only the business but also for the employees and customers. This security can protect business owners from unscrupulous employees as well as shoplifting customers. Employees and customers can be protected from aggressive people coming into the business.
Although the regulations pertaining to serving legal papers vary from area to area, generally private investigators can be used to serve such papers as complaints, judgments, affidavits, and writs. The server must follow all regulations including stating how, when, where, and whom was served. Be sure to check all local regulations before having a private eye serve any type legal papers.
A large area of work for private eyes is insurance fraud. Some estimates show insurance fraud costs companies upwards of 80 billion dollars per year. This lost money is passed onto consumers mainly in insurance premiums as high as $1,000 additional per year. The attorneys, medical profession, and insurance companies must all work together to give fair compensation to justified claims. Private investigations can help to determine whether or not a claim is legitimate, entitling compensation to be paid out. This would include things such as proving that an injured person is truly unable to work or handle daily activities.
With computers being used in almost every business, a new form of private investigation is now offered – Computer Forensic Investigations. These investigators know computers and their infrastructure and can aid with all types of computer issues. Some of the areas these P.I.’s can assist with are email tracing, hacking, security, identity theft via computer, employee issues such as theft and many other areas. Some of the everyday services would be data backup or recovery, optimizing performance, and virus/spyware protection. This area of private investigation takes years of specialized training in the computer fields. The P.I. has knowledge of all aspects of computers – hardware, software, and operating systems. This may not be the “normal” private eye, yet this area of concern will continue to grow. The need for computer security will also continue to expand as the computer industry grows.
Another area of private eye work is protection. This includes both personal protection as well as locale protection. When working in personal protection, the P.I. is considered a bodyguard. They must be well trained in both self-defense as well as non-confrontational maneuvers. These are not the typical hulk-sized body guards one may associate with personal security, but instead are well spoken, and well trained individuals who not only protect but can also be personal assistants.
Private eye services are diverse with many areas of work. Today’s private eye is not the Hollywood type nor the thug. They are specialized, well trained, and knowledgeable and are capable of carrying out their work in a professional manner.