Hiring a Private Investigator

The following are some tips to aid you in evaluating which private investigator to work with.

Make sure they have a license! The vast majority of states require that anyone engaging the practice of investigations be licensed. A Private investigator should be able to produce a copy of such a license immediately for you. Note: there are many companies offering services on the internet which do not qualify as “investigations” but really should be regulated. Most of these companies are “information brokers” who have access to records, like telephone numbers, address directories, “background checks” that are simply public record searches. Please be sure that you understand who and what you are dealing with and what they are going to give you, before you hire anyone working in this sector.
Do you need to meet with the P.I.? No, not unless you want to. Much of what we do can be done quickly and with a minimal amount of inconvenience and the formality of a meeting is usually not necessary.
Always get a contract. Like any other service, you should get a contract that indicates what you are hiring the P.I. for and what you will get in return. If they cannot or will not present you with a contract, hang up the phone.
Experience. Some private investigators have little or no investigative background. There are those who have retired from a law enforcement or military career and decide that being a “private investigator” would be action packed and exciting. They enroll in some Private Detective school and after two months, they become a P.I. Does that mean that they are qualified to investigate your case? Not necessarily! It is important that you know the qualifications and experience of the investigator that will be working on your case. In our opinion, the more experienced the investigator, the greater the likelihood that your desired results will be achieved. You don’t want a 19 year old kid with a video camera conducting surveillance for you.
Licensed and Bonded. Being bonded is a requirement in most states to get a license. If you see a P.I. advertising that they are “bonded” that does not mean that they are a better investigator or that they have some special status.
Are they insured? Bear in mind that the private investigator who you hire is working for you, as your agent. If he or she is working on you case and damages someone’s property, gets in a car accident, presents false information, etc., etc., etc., they should have ample insurance to cover any loses. If they don’t, you are exposed. This is just good common sense. It should be no problem for a reputable investigator to present a certificate of insurance coverage for you to review and verify.
You get what you pay for. Nothing further needed.

Signs of Spousal Infidelity

Statistics say that 85% of women who feel their lover is cheating are correct and 50% of men who feel their lover is cheating are right. If you have suspicious, consider some of the following and be as impartial as possible.

Have you noticed a:

Sudden increase in time away from home
Decreased sexual interest with you
Cheating spouse is often distracted and day dreaming
Cheating husband or wife is often “unavailable” while at work
Cheating spouse attends new functions outside of work or not wants to go alone
Cell phone calls from you are not returned in timely fashion
Cheating spouse leaves house or goes to other rooms to talk on the telephone
Cheating spouse uses computer alone and secretly
Cheating spouse asks about your schedule more often than usual
Mileage on car is high yet he / she reports only short distance errands
Clothes smell of perfume or cologne
Cheating spouse gets his / her laundry done independently
Unexplained payments on bank statements
Cheating spouse has more cash on hand without accountability
Cell phone bills contain calls with long duration
Cheating spouse now has a phone card but never used one before
Cheating wife or husband has unexplained receipts in wallet or purse
Cheating spouse has suspicious phone voice-mail messages
Cheating spouse has suspicious cell phone numbers stored or dialed
Internet web browser history list (this is a record of web sites visited) contains unusual sites
Cheating spouse begins to use new or free e-mail account
Cheating spouse is suddenly deleting e-mail messages

You may also want to consider reviewing your spouse’s credit card bills.