Becoming your own private eye has a lot of perks. For example, if you go solo you are free to either accept or reject any given assignment from anyone, not to mention the potential to earn big bucks on an hourly basis doing even just some online sleuthing. However, being a private eye is not without ethical standards to follow.

It’s best for private eyes to become members of PI associations. Becoming a member of associations and other organizations binds your profession in a regulating body, making you a more credible choice for clients. Certain associations have their own code of ethics such as the one being upheld by the World Association of Professional Investigators (WAPI). Their code of ethics involve:

• Upholding integrity in all investigations, without crossing legal, professional, and moral boundaries.
• Making sure that clients understand that the information they provide should be used for legal purposes only.
• Requiring everyone involved in investigations to abide by the company’s own code of ethics.
• Having an agent or employee work on a task that are qualified to do.
• Consulting WAPI’s governing body should any matter of conflict arise in any investigation.
• Taking their positions as agent highly. Misrepresentation and exaggeration of their duties and activities are not tolerated.
• Protecting all the members, clients, and WAPI itself at all times.
• Employing discretion, courtesy, and confidentiality in all their professional undertakings.
• Accepting a client regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, handicap, sexual preference, or national origin.
• Following regulatory and legal requirements that come with the job.

A private investigator’s ultimate aim in serving is the interest of clients, not his own. However, there are certain things that a private investigator cannot do, even if it’s the client’s wish, such as putting a person’s safety on the line, intruding a person’s privacy and hacking a person’s credit card which are all a contravention of the Data Protection Act (in the case of the UK).

So hold your horses, ladies and gentlemen. Though the prospect of becoming a private eye is tantalizing, some of the ethical standards should be carefully considered or you won’t last a moment if do your own thing outside the private eye’s professional standards.

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I’m pretty certain that everyone has seen the movie The Net and most of you have heard the less popular sequel The Net 2.0. Both films convey a powerfully hair-raising message about identity theft and the incredible potential of modern day technology. The internet has spawned a new way for people’s identities to be taken away and used by online thieves. This makes becoming your own private eye more pressing than ever to gain an upper hand in the battle against identity theft.

Continue reading "Avoid Identity Theft – Watch What You Give Out"

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When you decide to become your own private eye, it’s perfectly normal to be overwhelmed at the outset by the tons of ways this marvelous prospect can be practiced. You may wish to practice everything from background check to online database search or perhaps you may wish to specialize in only one expertise. Let’s take a look at one which you might find more exciting than just sitting on your desk, people-searching in front of your computer all day. I’m talking about surveillance.

Continue reading "Conducting Surveillance"

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You suspect your husband or wife of cheating on you, but don’t know how to prove it. Any possibilities of resolving the sensitive matter privately have gone out the window. Maybe it’s time to bring in the big guns and ask for help from a professional. There are lots of private investigators out there to choose from. But which one is right for you?

Before heading out to find a private eye on your own, consider asking for a referral from someone you trust. You don’t want the whole town getting wind of you hiring a private detective do you? If nobody close to you has hired a PI in the past, there’s always the Yellow Pages and the Internet. Hiring a detective that is located in the same area where the search and investigating will occur will be smart. This is one way to cut down on private investigator costs.

Detective Shopping ‘To-Do’ List

Here’s a list from AskMen.com of what you need to do when searching for a reliable private investigator:

•    Status of license – All US states save for Alaska, Idaho, Alabama, South Dakota and Colorado require PIs to have government-issued licenses. It’s not easy to obtain a PI license. The requirements are pretty stringent, demanding that the applicant have no criminal record. There are also state-specific exams for gauging individual qualifications and level of experience.

Once you find a PI to your liking, ask to see their license and take down the number. It’s illegal to hire someone who’s not licensed. It’s likewise against the law to act as a private eye without any license. Verify the number by checking the public records. Contact your state’s licensing office for this info. Make sure the license is current and the name matches the private investigator’s. Inquire about any complaints lodged against the investigator.

•    Insurance coverage – Look for bonding and liability insurance coverage. Most states insist that licensees be covered by insurance policies specifying a monetary amount for client protection. Insurance (its presence or absence) is one way to separate the amateurs from the pros. PIs serious about their business have coverage upwards of a million dollars. Insurance coverage is a matter of public record so it’s easy to verify their existence.

•    Interviews – Once you’ve determined the investigator to be legit, making sure he’s competent is next. Spend a few minutes talking to him. Your aim here is to find out how solid his reputation is. Check on the Internet and the newspapers if he has been in the news lately and received good press. Inquire about the investigator’s specific experience and see if it’s suited to what you need. Ask about additional certifications if the PI has any besides the license. Don’t forget to ask whether the investigator provides and stands by confidentiality agreements.

•    Hiring – You’ve made your choice, now it’s time to hire the investigator. Here is where you discuss payment. An hourly rate of $45 to $60 is the accepted billing method for this business. This is on top of job-related expenses like long distance phone calls, hotel fees and airfare. Some PIs are okay with working for a flat rate, but you have to provide a deposit. Ask for an estimate of total costs upfront so you don’t wind up paying an exorbitant amount.

A real-life private eye does not resemble the one you see in the movies or on TV. His days are seldom filled with action-packed adventure, shooting thugs in side streets or fighting international crime. However, if you’re looking for people to do some stakeouts, surveillance and general snooping, a private detective is just the person to do it.

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There are quite a number of reasons to conduct a background check…

• You want to know if you’re hiring the right person be it a business employee, nanny, driver, or other.
• You want to know if you’re dealing with the right business person (e.g., if you’re thinking of investing, entering a joint venture, etc.)
• You want to check out a suspicious acting neighbor.
• If you’re in the legal business, you want to check out the credibility of your sources, witnesses, etc.
• And more!

… however, remember that in the world of private investigation, the key to success is not how much you know, but where and from whom you can find the information that you need.

So if you are ‘too involved’ in the situation that you feel you may ‘twist’ the data you gather into what you want it to be, do consider hiring someone else to do the background investigation for you. Just ensure you do your homework and hire a PI that is reputable.

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Who wouldn’t recognize the maxim “With great power comes greater responsibility”? Those were the immortal words of fictional character Uncle Ben, Peter Parker’s uncle. Those words were powerful and true, not just out of some fancy movie. In the world of private eyes, this translates to abiding by a code of ethics above everything else. The same maxim can also be said about becoming your own private eye when you can live and act like your own superhero.

Becoming a private eye does entail acquiring some power. Some of the private eye’s powers include stealth techniques when penetrating any bureaucratic system when trying to access relevant and useful information. Access to information that are not readily available to an average person is power in today’s society where one who knows everything has the upper hand.

But of course, these powers are to be exercised by any responsible private eye within limits. Thus, some private investigation associations have formulated and promulgated their own code of ethics for their members to live by. The Association of British Investigators’ code of ethics can be accessed here.

There are also other codes that you can search for. Even though the words they use may be different, the bottomline is, private eyes should keep within the moral and legal boundaries of their job. They shouldn’t compromise their lives, or anyone else’s for the sake of a case.

Even Spidey lived by his Uncle Ben’s words. Every professional private eye should also live up to the ethical standards that were laid out if he wishes to succeed in his career.

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With the entire positive (and even negative things) told about becoming your own private eye, I’m certain that somehow you’ve already developed that inner interest to pursue this rather promising and adventurous career. Here are another set of tips for all you folks out there who wish to become a private eye. A reminder, though, by merely following all that you are going to read or have already read does not guarantee you any private investigation job. However, all these tips from experts in the field will certainly beef up your chances of getting hired by private eye agencies or becoming an independent private eye.

The Internet will provide you with a lot of resources for becoming your own private eye. All these resources provide uniform information on how to become a successful private investigator such as the following:

•     Get the necessary gadgets and other machines that you need to become a private eye. A car will be useful for meeting clients and for surveillance. Get a mobile phone so you can be contacted more conveniently by potential clients. A camera with a telephoto lens will be perfect for taking incriminating photos.
•     Try to get employed by a Federal Agency that conducts investigations. You can learn a lot by working with experts on the field.

There you have it, folks. Try sleuthing for other resources on your own and see if this career is perfect for you.

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The increase in the number of private eyes employed over the years proves that becoming a private eye is indeed a lucrative prospect. Increased litigation, fear caused by the increasing crime rate, and online child safety all fueled the need for a private investigator’s service. But spouse infidelity still remains to be the main “market” of private eyes.

Continue reading "Leave It to the Pros"

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Did you know that last year, half of all the divorce cases filed in the UK involved hiring a private eye? It’s true. Although we don’t have figures for the same cases from other countries, still, this says a lot about faith in our dear sleuths these days. So, if you suspect your spouse of cheating, you can always hire a reliable sleuth or you can try becoming your own private eye and do your own investigation.

Continue reading "Become a Spouse Sleuth"

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Ever wonder why a lot of people today are considering becoming private eyes? Apart from the excitement, the prospect of becoming your own private eye brings, it also has a lot of benefits. One can enjoy substantial income and flexible working conditions. You can work around your own schedule without having to answer to anyone else but yourself. Yes, when you become an independent contractor as a private eye for corporate or individual entities, you become your own boss, choosing to accept or reject an assignment.

Continue reading "Be Your Company’s Own Private Eye"

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