Be Your Own Private Eye

Training is not only an advantage for private investigators these days. As more and more states are requiring licensing for private investigators, training is eventually turning into a necessity if you want to get paid the rates you deserve.

No Formal Requirements
A 2006 survey showed that more than a third of private detectives possessed a bachelor’s degree in their names. A slightly smaller population at 26% had received tertiary education but weren’t able to complete their degrees. Almost a fifth of private detectives at 18%, on the other hand, were high school graduates. 13% had a master’s degree, 8% had an associate’s degree while only three percent had a PhD.

In general, having a degree in police science or criminal justice would be extremely helpful to private investigators. Other degrees, however, may also be of help if a private investigator wishes to specialize in a certain field. Corporate private investigators, for instance, would do better if they had a degree in a commerce-related field. For those offering computer forensics services, a degree in accounting or computer science would be especially advantageous.

In any case, many colleges and universities these days offer certificate programs for individuals interested in pursuing a career as private investigators. Many, however, basically get their training on the job.

How to Obtain a License
Licensing is something that more and more private investigators are investing to acquire. Unfortunately for them, a license to operate in one state may not be applicable in other areas.

If you live in South Dakota, Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho, Colorado, Alaska, or Alabama, you’re in luck because licensing is not required for private investigators to operate. Other states have few requirements before a license is granted but some tend to have strict regulations as to who can rightfully operate as private investigator.

In California, for instance, the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services has posted explicit qualifications before a private investigator may obtain a license to operate. Firstly, he must be at least eighteen years old or of legal age. He must also possess a degree in either criminal justice or police science and three years or six thousand hours worth of experience. He must also pass a two-hour written examination as well as a criminal history background check conducted by the FBI and the California Department of Justice. He must also comply with additional requirements if he wishes to obtain a permit to carry firearms as well.

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A magnifying glass may not be enough to help out private investigators in finding clues. These days, more sophisticated tools may be necessary and especially when computer forensics is concerned.

Digital Evidence
Computer or digital forensics is actually a branch of forensic science. It is mainly concerned with the current state of digital evidence. Computer forensics may be involved when one wishes to know, for instance, the nature of information provided or the sequence of events accountable for its current state. Computer forensics can be divided into sub-fields such as mobile device forensics and database forensics.

Why You Need It
Private investigators use computer forensics to accomplish various tasks. This includes but aren’t limited to gathering evidence against a certain party, analyzing a computer system that has been hacked, and recovering lost or missing data.

It’s Not Always Permissible
Evidence resulting from computer forensics will not always be accepted in a court of law. All actions of private investigators must be made to ensure the validity of the evidence. Information should be gathered accurately. There must also be a clear chain of custody starting from the very crime scene right to the time the evidence reaches the court.

A Five-Step Process
There are mainly five steps making up the process of computer forensics. The first step is preparation; only private investigators who had received special and proper training are qualified to work using computer forensics. Tools and techniques used must also be validated.

Collecting digital data is the second step. Private investigators must determine which of the many sources of digital data we have today can yield the kind of information they need. Special care must also be taken as to how data is collected. The data must be carefully handled to preserve its original condition. Chain of custody must be established and every step taken concerning the data must be documented.

Examination is the third step in the process of computer forensics. Private investigators must examine whether the data collected is still valid. Next is analysis; this is when investigators determine the nature of data through manual and digital procedures. Analysis includes extracting images and text for review, searching critical keywords, cracking passwords, and using tools such as Brian Carrier’s Sleuth Kit and Guidance Software’s EnCase.

Once the evidence has all been analyzed, private investigators will wrap things up with a report. This may be an oral or written summary, depending on the client’s preferences.

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If you want to become a private investigator, the first thing you need to do is update your knowledge about the “spy look”.

The Common Misassumption
True enough, disguises are still occasionally called for when a private investigator works undercover, but the type of disguise you should don is extremely different from what you see is commonly used in movies. Veteran private investigators understand that the best disguises are not ones that make them look completely different but ones that make them blend the most with the crowd.

How to Blend
Now that you know that the best spy looks are dependent on how well you’re able to blend in with the crowd, here are a few tips to help you create the perfect disguise.

Observe the mix of people. Every area has its own set of frequent inhabitants or visitors. You need to determine the type of person who’s most likely to be present in your target destination and imitate his way of dressing.

Colors are important. The color of your clothes must not only blend with those being worn by other people but with the scenery as well. The right choice of colors will not only make you look just like any other person in the area, it can also make you easily unnoticeable as you almost seem like a part of the scenery.

Accessories are critical but vastly underestimated. People with keen skills in observation can easily discern who’s in a disguise just by the look or lack of accessories. If done properly, they can add just the right touch of authenticity to your disguise. If done improperly, you can just as easily look like you’re trying too hard or too little to blend in, both of which can be a cause for suspicion.

How You Act
Lastly, the effectiveness of your spy look is largely dependent on how you act. The best disguises are those you can don like second skin; in wearing different clothes and putting a wig, you not just assume a different identity but live a whole new life as well.

Everything that sums up your acting will boil down to how well you know the type of person you’re imitating. It’s therefore important to take as much time as you can in observation before donning a disguise.
Last but not the least, act with confidence! The perfect spy look can only be achieved when you can completely convince a person of who you say you are.

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Honey traps are one of the most commonly used techniques, not to mention one of the most commonly requested as well, for assessing a person’s fidelity to his or her partner. If you wish to find out whether the person you have a relationship with is faithful to you, a private investigator can help you out with a carefully orchestrated honey trap.

Honey Trap
A honey trap is a contrived incident involving a private investigator and the target. Honey traps are requested by clients who wish to verify the faithfulness of a certain person or, more often than not, their partners. In a honey trap, the private investigator will assume a certain identity before approaching the target. He or she will then use the subsequent events to prove or disprove a person’s fidelity, making sure to provide ample evidence to support the results of the honey trap.

How Do Honey Traps Take Place
When you approach a private investigation firm for a honey trap for your partner, you will be asked several questions to help the firm determine the best agent to use for the investigation. When the right agent is selected and the ideal set-up has been created, the agent will then approach the target. In most cases, the agent will be equipped with a microphone and body camera, and you may then see and listen to what takes place in the ensuing moments.

It will then depend on your agreement whether you wish the agent to merely certain information from the target or have the agent angle directly for a date or assignation. All resulting exchanges of communication, from actual live conversation to phone calls to text messages and Internet chats will be recorded or transcribed for your perusal.

How to Choose the Right Private Investigator for Honey Traps
Honey traps have monumental consequences and that’s why it’s important for you to choose the best person for the job. One thing you should look for experience: just imagine what trouble it could lead to if the investigator you hired end up falling in love with your partner.

Experienced investigators are also able to conduct the entire operation with requisite discretion; your partner shall never know that you doubted him or her to the extent of putting your partner’s fidelity to test.

Last but not the least, the ideal private investigator for honey traps is one who understands the emotional risks that come with such a decision and will thus consult you every step of the way, ready to put a halt to procedures at any time you desire.

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Many people today have double jobs by moonlighting as private investigators during their free time. If you’re looking for an interesting, challenging, and nice-paying job on the sides, you should seriously consider working as a private investigator.

Getting Ready for Private Investigation
Working as a private investigator may seem glamorous and mysterious at first glance, but most of the time, it often involves lots of paperwork and routine surveillance activities. If you wish to be a private investigator, you need to be resourceful, perspicacious, and used to speaking with all kinds of people. Most importantly of all, you need to be at least able to protect yourself when your cover’s blown and you get into a spot of trouble.

Information is the Answer
In contrast to what you mostly see in movies, information gathering is not always an exciting routine. In many cases, it only involves going through documents and collecting data. A private investigator must be knowledgeable and skilled in all kinds of information gathering techniques, some of which are described below.

Research is the most common method used to finding information. You need to know your way around libraries and other places where public documents are kept. The right contacts can also help you in your research as they can give you access to documents that aren’t disclosed to the public.

Interviewing skills are also critical, and you need to know how to interview people both as a private investigator and as someone working undercover. It’s important as well to know the right questions to ask at the right time and with the right tone if you’re interviewing someone in person, over the phone, online, or in another method of communication.

In some areas of private investigation, forensic knowledge is also critical. This, however, is something that you just can’t learn by yourself. You’ll need to enroll in a special course for this, but rest assured that it will come handy in your job, especially when you’re working as a criminal private investigator.

Finally, surveillance is another excellent way of gathering information and commonly used by private investigators. When doing surveillance work, it’s important to remember that maintaining your cover is more dependent on how you act the part rather than just how you look the part.

As you can see, most of the skills you need as a private investigator are something you can develop on your own. There is, however, one other thing besides forensics that you can only excel through practice and learning from a professional, and that’s self-defense. Learn how to protect yourself because you can’t solve a case if you’re hurt.

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Big money is often involved whenever insurance policies are claimed, and that’s why insurance companies often hire private investigators to determine whether the claimant is indeed asking for the right amount and for the right reason.

It All Starts with a Claim
Insurance private investigators are usually on call for insurance companies, but their services are only requested when a questionable claim has been submitted. It is important for insurance private investigators to know how the insurance claiming process works because it lets them know which areas have been thoroughly investigated and which aspects could have been overlooked.

Insurance claims are first forwarded to insurance adjusters. These people are tasked to conduct the necessary interviews, obtain photographic evidence of the basis of the claim and whatever else that’s involved, and consult with professionals if they deem it essential.

If the insurance adjuster is satisfied with the data he has gathered, he will then compile a report together with a suggested amount for the company to pay to the claimant. But if he’s not satisfied with his results then the case is forwarded to an insurance examiner. If, however, the insurance adjuster believes that there’s foul play involved, he will usually go directly to an insurance private investigator and have the latter continue with the case.

When Insurance Private Investigators Are Necessary
There are various reasons why an insurance company believes in the need for hiring a private investigator, but most of them boil down to suspected foul play.

In suspicious fire incidents, insurance private investigators may be called in to determine if the accident is actually a case of arson. Investigators may also be asked to gather data and verify whether claims for disability are indeed genuine. Some accidents may appear contrived or staged to an insurance company, and this would again make it necessary for them to call in investigators. Some claimants, on the other hand, deliberately overcharge and investigators will then be hired to determine the actual amount the company owes to the claimant.

An insurance private investigator does not work normal office hours. His time may also be equally divided between paperwork and field assignments if he has to go through a copious amount of documents and interview a good number of people to verify every action taken by the claimant. Insurance private investigators may also have to confront the suspected individuals themselves from time to time and this could be a dangerous situation in certain cases.

The job of an insurance private investigator is not easy but it’s rewarding, personally and financially speaking. If you believe you can handle the challenges of discovering the truth without breaking any rules yourself then it may just be the job for you.

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Contrary to popular opinion, it’s not only corrupt businessmen and troubled spouses that make use of the services of private investigators. These people are hired to discover truth and as we all know, deception can find its way in any situation, regardless of the nature of your business or the industry you’re in. If you think truth is hindering your profits, you definitely need to hire an industrial private investigator.

Surveillance
If you have reason to suspect any of your employees for being involved in an activity that could be detrimental to the health of your company, an industrial private investigator can be hired to work undercover and have suspected individuals under surveillance.

Inquiries
Information gathering is both a skill and an art, and industrial private investigators excel in both aspects. The right information can give you the best position in the negotiation table. It can also be your way out of a legal mess and it can help you discover the truth when foul play is involved. Information gathering, however, requires tact, finesse, and resourcefulness, especially when you don’t wish anyone else to be aware of your intentions. In such cases, an industrial private investigator is definitely called for.

Skip Tracing
An individual’s presence – or absence – can be critical in various cases. A stockholder missing, for instance, could jeopardize a merger when that stockholder owns a major percentage of the company’s stocks. If you have reason to believe that a person’s absence could not be due to natural and easily explainable causes, an industrial private investigator can find out the truth for you.

Test Purchasing
Industrial private investigators can also help you determine how faithful your staff is in following your directives. Again, they can work undercover and observe how employees act when they believe they aren’t in the presence of their superiors. Such scenarios usually help in discovering internal fraud and pilfering.

Anything Else Is Your Call
An industrial private investigator can, of course, accomplish other things beside what’s already mentioned here, but that would largely depend on your wishes. Be sure, however, that you take into account the ethical considerations of your goals.

Industrial private investigations are, as their name suggests, conducted in private, but if and when they do come into light, the authorities can hold you liable if your investigator had utilized questionable tactics in the course of his investigation, especially when he has done so with your consent.

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There are simply times when reporting to the police just won’t do. It may be because you don’t wish others to know of your situation or you believe that the authorities wouldn’t treat your case with the speedy efficiency you require. In such cases, your next best option would be to hire a domestic private investigator.

Infidelity
Cheating in a relationship is one of the most common reasons for a person to hire a domestic private investigator. One great thing about hiring private investigators is how they do their job. They’ll normally ask you your reasons for asking an investigation, but even if you have little means of proving your suspicions true, they’ll still proceed with their investigation.

If the investigation produces the results you expect, albeit undesirable, you can also ask the domestic private investigator to continue on with his work and provide you with a comprehensive report on your partner’s illicit activities. Such evidence can later on be used to support your case in the event that you choose to file for divorce or custody.

Lastly, domestic private investigators don’t offer their services exclusively to doubting partners. They can also be hired to help concerned parents, relatives, or friends in finding out the truth.

Protection
You can’t always expect the police to be at your beck and call, and you certainly can’t have them act as your personal bodyguard without justification. If you have a great need for protection, a domestic private investigator can be your answer.

Contrary to popular belief, private investigators are not only good for finding clues and solving mysteries. They are more often than not trained in physical combat and can provide clients with ample protection whenever necessary.

Domestic private investigators can also work undercover if you wish, revealing their presence only when you require protection. They can be hired to solve your problems with stalkers. They can be tasked to protect you from stalkers and gather enough evidence at the same time against the stalker, enough at least to make it possible for you to file a temporary restraining order (TRO).

Missing People
Last but not the least, domestic private investigators can be relied on to help you find missing loved ones. Police requires sufficient evidence before they consider a person missing and perform search operations. If you can’t afford to wait, you can hire a domestic private investigator to get on the job right away.

All in all, domestic private investigators can be your source of salvation, and better yet, they’re able to provide you with help in discreet fashion if that’s how you want it to be.

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If you are embarking on a career of private investigation, do be aware that you could succeed more easily if you find yourself a field of expertise. Just as lawyers can specialize in corporate law, criminal law, or environmental law, private investigators have also various career options to choose from.

Legal Private Investigator
Private investigators working for law firms are commonly referred to as legal private investigators, and they are usually required to accomplish tasks that would facilitate legal procedures for their employers.

Among other things, they may be asked to gather and review requested evidence, interview key individuals, serve legal documents, and locate witnesses. In some cases, legal private investigators may be asked to take a more active role in the legal process if they were asked to take photographic evidence as well as provide reports or a testimonial for the court.

Corporate Private Investigator
Corporate private investigators are basically hired to determine the presence of criminal activities inside the client company. An internal investigation would involve only people working for and are directly involved with the company. It could be conducted if the management wishes to find out if there are employees willing to sell or have already sold trade secrets. Internal investigations can also be conducted to ascertain that expense accounts aren’t abused and that drug use or any other illegal activity is not taking place within the company’s premises.

Corporate private investigators may also conduct external investigations. These may be performed if, for instance, suppliers are suspected of fraudulent billing or company assets are being stolen or manipulated by an outside source.

Financial Private Investigator
The job of a financial private investigator is more comprehensive and intricate compared to other types of private investigation activities. It is a financial private investigator’s job, for instance, to compile a comprehensive and detailed report on individuals or companies that are under consideration for a significant role. A financial private investigator, on the other hand, can also be hired to recover stolen assets that could be used as part of the reward in cases of theft and fraud.

Loss Prevention Agents
Unlike other types of private investigators, loss prevention agents can usually work normal office hours and assigned only to one area. They may or may not be working undercover, and their main job is to prevent anyone from stealing or destroying company assets by conducting routine inspections and doing surveillance. Loss prevention agents are hired by retail outlets and hotels. While their job description is certainly easier, they also have to make do with lower rates.

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The private investigation field continues to evolve over the years. As new techniques and procedures in committing a crime or proving a violation emerge, it becomes more important for private investigators to improve themselves through continuous training. Here are just some of the most important private investigation seminars that professionals in this industry should attend:

Documenting
Proper documentation of evidence is critical to every investigation. Very often, the results of a case rely heavily on the reliability of the evidence. In seminars that teach private investigators how to document events and proof, they will learn which methods and processes are considered legal and admissible. That way, they can avoid taking actions that may be considered unlawful.

Marketing
Private investigation is not just a service, it’s also a business. As such, it would pay for private investigators to attend seminars that can help them improve their marketing skills. They will learn how to handle clients, manage business and administrative tasks efficiently, close sales and promote their services.

Internet Investigations and electronic tracing
Seminars that offer topics on conducting investigations online and handling electronic data are also valuable for private investigators. Since many of the activities and tasks that P.I.s perform these days are done online or with the use of a computer, they can improve their skills considerably by learning techniques that allow them to handle and analyze electronic data.

Some of the topics seminars such as these offer that P.I.s will find useful include: e-mail and instant messaging tracing, data encryption and masking and tracing IP addresses, among others.

Fraud prevention
Many private investigators are hired to work in cases involving fraud. Seminars that teach skills and offer information regarding the detection and prevention of fraud and similar crimes are very valuable to the private investigation practice.

Topics often include common processes and procedures used in fraud and theft, common terminologies, preventive measures, procedures used for assessing technology systems and data safeguarding. These seminars also offer courses in computer and electronic-assisted fraud, which will be very useful in helping a detective improve his skills.

Annual meetings and conventions
Most private investigators are members of their local P.I. club or association. These groups often meet yearly, offering a means with which members can build their network, improve the services within their associations and also take advantage of seminars that the group often sponsors. Attending seminars such as these can be very helpful for P.I.s to re-connect with fellow members and learn more about new procedures and technologies in their field.

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