Types of Private Investigations You Ought to Know About

Unlike what many believe, private investigators (PIs) do not only conduct infidelity or fraud investigations. Due to the vast nature of the investigations industry, various investigative specializations exist. Also, for many PIs having a diverse background is crucial to attracting a wider client pool. Are you curious about the types of private investigations that exist?

What Is a Private Investigator?

A private investigator, also referred to as a private detective, is a professional hired by people or firms to investigate civil or criminal issues.

How a PI Conducts Private Investigations

A PI’s role is to find information, and the process typically entails background investigations, skip traces, and digging into public records. Based on their findings, PIs may also serve legal documents to inform the person under investigation about legal proceedings.

Experienced investigators rely on various sources of information, with the most common types being background checks and surveillance. The former entails a person’s address and criminal history, credit, social and professional networks. Surveillance, on the other hand, involves watching and following people to gather evidence of wrongdoing. Some situations that would prompt a surveillance operation are dealing with a stalker or an employee who claims to have suffered a work injury.

Types of Private Investigations

1. Accident investigations

This type of private investigation examines the cause and nature of an accident. Accident investigations involve reconstructing the accident. Additionally, the private investigator will look into those involved by investigating their criminal history, interviewing witnesses, and examining photos of the site where the accident occurred to help solve the case.

2. Child custody investigation

A child custody investigation looks into a child’s treatment, typically when the parents are going through a divorce or separation. Here, the investigator will carry out surveillance to document any abuse or neglect. They will undoubtedly look for things like DUIs, addictions, and any other behavior that could harm the child.

3. Civil investigations

A civil investigation aims to gather information required in a civil trial. Both parties involved in the dispute can hire a private investigator. The accused often hopes to find evidence that will free them from performing a specific task or paying for the harm inflicted.

4. Cybercrime investigations

Cybercrime refers to illegal activities conducted via the internet. These crimes include data breaches, scams, and electronic fraud. This type of investigation often falls under computer forensics or cell phone forensics.

Should cybercrime worry you? Today, most businesses depend on internet connectivity to run their operations. For this reason, any form of cyberattack could lead to data loss, loss of consumer trust, and eventually business failure. Therefore, hiring a private investigator is crucial to quickly determining the suspects, the damage caused, and all evidence associated with the cybercrime.

5. Corporate investigations

These private investigations look into businesses, their employees, and partners to reveal fraud, corruption, and other incidents of wrongdoing. Depending on your needs, the private investigator could either perform an undercover investigation, a research one, an E-discovery, or a corruption investigation.

6. Criminal investigations

Here, the criminal investigator will gather evidence to establish whether a crime has occurred. Additionally, they will investigate the accused and report them to law enforcement officials once they have collected sufficient evidence.

7. Fraud investigation

A fraud investigator looks for evidence to prove that their client is a victim of deceit. For instance, if a person orchestrates a slip and fall, then files a claim. Like other types of investigators mentioned above, a fraud investigator will rely on surveillance, background checks, and interviews to gather evidence. The common types of fraud investigations include:

• Financial fraud. Examples include tax evasion, terrorist financing, and public corruption
• Identity theft. Identity theft investigations involve uncovering the person who has stolen the client’s information such as credit cards and bank account information to commit a crime or assume their identity.
• Insurance fraud. This investigation looks into people filing false claims or examines an insurance company refusing to pay for a legitimate insurance claim.
• Workers’ compensation fraud. This investigation type aims to reveal that an employee is lying about an injury to receive compensation.

8. Infidelity investigations

Infidelity investigations are delicate. Hence best handled by an infidelity investigator. Such professionals are unbiased because of their emotional detachment. As a result, any evidence they uncover will stand up in court.

9. Social media investigations

Social media investigations examine a person’s online posts, pictures, and conversations. Such analyses are common for custody cases or standard background checks. A PI’s understanding of ethics ensures all evidence gathered is admissible.

Are you looking for a licensed private investigator in Tampa? Look no further. Sig 14, Inc. is here to address your concerns and answer any questions you might have concerning private investigator services. For more information on the types of private investigations we offer, contact us at (813) 261-1192 for a free, no-obligation consultation.