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Documenting Evidence That Your Ex Is Duping the CSA

Self-employment and the CSA are two very complex issues, which in too many cases leaves the single parent without a leg to stand on.

You see…

With self-employment, figures are reported annually and it’s the figures supplied by the self-employed that are used as the basis for the amount to be paid towards child maintenance.

Unfortunately, it’s all too easy for the figures to be duped. All sorts of accounting practices can be harnessed to increase expenditure on paper, lowering the total profits turned by the business the person is operating.

For couples who have split up, and cannot come to amicable agreements between them, it’s left to the CSA to be the middle agency determining the amounts to be paid and putting the steps in place for you to receive your payments.

However, any party with an agreement with the CSA can have their case reviewed. When your former partner does this, it can see your weekly maintenance slashed with little input from you. In order for you to appeal, you need to have evidence to support your claim that the figures presented by your former partner are indeed fabricated.

Short of you tailing them, digital camera in hand, snapping photos of them out dancing, going to the cinema, fine wining and dining… pretty much living the high life, while you’re left with all the financial burden, there’s little you can do to prove you’re right and legitimately entitled to be paid more than you’re currently being paid from your ex.

For that reason, it’s worth considering, if you can afford it, hiring someone to compile reports that the CSA will accept and use as concrete evidence that figures are being manipulated in order to lessen the amount of money paid towards your child.

It is frustrating to know that your former partner is working, especially when you’re privy to the income they had. There are instances where former partners know their ex was bringing in tens of thousands, but declare to the CSA lower income, often leading to single parents being paid less than £10 per week. They feel powerless as there’s little the CSA can do to challenge what they’ve been presented with – fabricated figures.

Well, here’s how you can make a start towards…

Proving your ex should be paying you more in child maintenance

Unfortunately, it’s up to you to prove your ex’s finances are inconsistent with their lifestyle. The CSA don’t go to the extent of investigating cases on an individual basis, other than assessing the figures they’re presented with.

Social media is where to turn

What you shouldn’t do is let him or her know you’re onto them. Keep things on the down low, don’t communicate that you’re unhappy with the amount being paid because they will keep their lifestyle as close to their chest as possible.

Keep an eye on their social media posts and those of their friends. Document when they’re out. Print the photos out, where they went out for lunch, a night on the town and holiday destinations they’ve visited, including the hotels they stayed at.

Research the going rates at the time they went abroad, or stayed at a hotel or caravan park here in the UK.

On Facebook, take advantage of the “check-in” feature as that will show when they’re out and about, where they are checking in at. If that’s a luxury spa resort, then keep that information documented as evidence for your appeal.

However, there’s another challenge you’re likely to be presented with. That you prove their lifestyle far exceeds the amount they claim to be earning and they counter it by saying their lifestyle is supported by what their new partner earns.

For you to counter that, it’s going to take you on an entirely new path to investigate the partner.

It can be an incapacitating nightmare when you’re in difficult circumstances with an ex and have a child in the middle. However, there’s no reason that your former partner should not be paying towards the cost of his/her child. They are legally obliged to pay for their upkeep and putting money into a savings account doesn’t cut it because the money is to pay for the child’s upkeep and living expenses now; not for what they may or may not need in the future. What they need now is for their other parent to be paying a fair amount.

It can take a while to get things into place and to be paid the amount you’re due but it certainly can be done. You need to build your own case that documents the lifestyle your ex is leading and be able to present your case in a way that proves his or her current finances is inconsistent with the lifestyle they are leading.

A few months of documentation can pay for a few years of additional maintenance.

Do you need help proving that your ex is working when he or she says that they’re not, or to prove that they are working more then they are telling you and the CSA? 

How Private Investigators Can Discover Digital Data You Thought You Had Lost.

Losing data isn’t good when you realise you need to access that on your computer. There’s also times when it’s a golden ticket for fraudsters to harness your confidential data, steal it right off the hard drive, and you’d be none the wiser.

Other times, there are deliberate actions that can be taken to ensure data is permanently gone, or tweak the technology slightly to ensure nothing is ever wiped clean automatically.

Lines of code are all that control every piece of digital data.

Know the code, you can know a lot of information you wouldn’t otherwise have.

This same type of knowledge is what enables detectives and private investigators to peek inside of devices thought to have been scrubbed.

However, it’s not always the case you’ll recover data. The trick to knowing if your data is recoverable rests with your knowledge.

In technology terms, it’s acronyms for everything. Here’s what those are:

• SSD – Solid State Drive
• HDD – Hard Disk Drive

HDD storage media is the problematic one because it uses magnetic media. Every time the processor is running, data is being written to the hard drive using binary code (1s and 0s). The only true way to be sure data is destroyed on a HDD is to install software specifically to write to the hard drive.

Since the data is recorded in binary code, software is available to install on devices specifically to rewrite over existing data and change the order of the binary numbers, which in essence corrupts the data files making it impossible to recover because the original binary code is no longer available. Not even in back up files, unless they’re backed up through cloud services such as Dropbox.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a mobile phone, tablet, laptop or tower. There’s one type of drive, and depending on the type and if it’s been customised, there could be more than one drive installed.

HDD is the problematic drive for data protection. The information is recoverable from the drive using data recovery software to find deleted files, or rewriting software to write directly to the hard drive, corrupting the binary codes to destroy data.

SDD isn’t always a fail-safe though because of the Windows TRIM command

Know the way you’re always hearing advice from tech experts about the importance of keeping software updated?

It couldn’t be truer than when you’re dealing with your Windows operating system.

The TRIM command is a feature used in Windows using Solid State Drives. When you delete a file, it automatically trims the file to free up memory space. Since that’s done as soon as you click delete on a file, that file is then corrupted and irrecoverable. The caveat is you need to be running Windows version 7, 8, 8.1 or 10.

The TRIM command is not supported in Vista.

For computers using the Vista operating system with SDD, data isn’t removed automatically so it may be recoverable. For all other operating systems, especially if you’ve bought a second-hand laptop or other device with a buyback arrangement when you want to upgrade. Don’t fall for that scam because the TRIM command can be disabled.

Here’s how to check your system is truly deleting data:

1. Ensure you are logged onto the system as an administrator as you do need Admin privileges to run this command.
2. Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 – open the Start Menu and type command in the search field.
3. Right click and select run as administrator
4. You may be prompted about changes to your computer setting. If the pop up activates, select yes to allow changes.
5. Copy the next line of text exactly as it is…

fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify

6. Paste that into the command prompt screen
7. Hit enter
8. If the TRIM feature is enabled (which you want it to be) it will display under your command prompt that you pasted in to show the text DisableDeleteNotify = 0.
9. If the zero value is replaced with a one, then when files are deleted, they aren’t entirely. If that’s the case, the command prompts to enable and disable the TRIM command are:

fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0 (enables TRIM)

fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 1 (disables it)

Realistically, there’s no reason to disable the feature, unless of course, you suspect something and want or need to know. As an example, if you want to keep a closer eye on your kids by finding photos or videos snapped by the webcam and then deleted from the system. By disabling TRIM, you’ll be able to use software such as Recuva, or other data recovery software.

Knowledge truly is a powerful thing.

An important disclaimer: X Three Surveillance is in no way advocating the use of Windows ^TM TRIM Command, or other snooping techniques for deception, fraudulent or other unsavoury purposes. There are legal considerations with respect to people’s privacy rights and data protection laws to protect data.

Do not tamper with computers in your workplace!

Should you really need to access digital data for peace of mind, or any other reason, consult with someone who knows the legal ins and outs of investigations. Otherwise, the information above is intended for your personal use, giving you more control over your confidential information – in particular when you’re getting rid of any equipment that has a hard drive installed.

Wipe them clean always before discarding them.

Ready To Catch A Cheating Spouse?

Got your suspicions and not quite sure if your supposedly better half is doing the dirty? Now is the time to get your serious cap on and dig right into a fact finding journey to get to the bottom of it.

Here’s why…

February is the nervous month for the guilty. It’s also the best time to catch the cheats out, and it’s why us private I’s make darn sure we’re at the top of our game.

It’s not because we want to destroy your relationship

… It’s because we know it’s destroying you.

If it is happening, you’d want to know and if it’s not, you’d definitely want to know; and preferably before Valentine’s Day, so you can get through it with your worries gone.

Now, for those of you with that little voice creeping in saying…

It’s only me, I’m clingy, he or she’s just busy and I’m over reacting.

We’ve heard it and will tell you this:

Everybody over reacts at times but it’s not all the time they are. Sometimes you’re right to be.

At X Three Surveillance, our Professional Investigator service primarily covers twelve areas:

1. Ashton-Under-Lyne
2. Bolton
3. Bury
4. Hale
5. Hazel Grove
6. Manchester
7. Oldham
8. Rochdale
9. Salford
10. Stockport
11. Wilmslow
12. Wythenshaw

We know them all well enough to tell you the real sobering statistics…

Of those twelve areas, five of them made it onto the Official Infidelity Index for last year. That’s 41% of our operational territory that has over three thousand affairs taking place right now.

Source: https://www.illicitencounters.com/map/standalone

What’s worse?

That’s only going by the statistics of one dating service. It’s not accounting for Ashley Madison, Undercover Lovers, Victoria Milan, Marital Affair or workplace affairs, and other incidental flings. It’s a mere 3% of what’s really going on.

There’s no doubt…

You could use a few good pointers to make sure you’re not the one being played.

You’re covered…

1. Read between the lines of the browser history

The first thing is to snoop around the computer. That’s usually where it starts and continues. Don’t think InPrivate browsing or going incognito means you can’t find out a thing or two.

Pull up the browser history and it’ll show the web pages visited but more importantly – the time and date.

You aren’t going to find Ashley Madison suddenly pop right out at you in the history, but you will be able to see the time and measure the gap.

This part’s missed when people go InPrivate.

Click the links in the history to see the web page. Time yourself reading the content or look at the length of time a video runs for. Then compare how long it took you to read or should’ve took to watch a video and see if it lines up with the time gap.

You could find there’s been ten minutes spent on WilliamHill.com looking at the football line-up to put a coupon on at the weekend. That’s followed by a Youtube video that you see lasts 3:47. That video has been opened at 23:44, and then there’s nothing after that. Yet you know they’ve been on the computer ‘til the early hours and certainly not hitting replay on a four minute video for hours.

Kind of like knowing they sneaked into a hotel room, stayed a few hours and then left. You can pretty much draw your own conclusions.

Don’t be too quick to judge though…

For all you know, they’re researching a surprise break away to Paris, or secretly looking for an engagement ring that’ll be perfect. Or secretly have an addiction to some fetish on a porn site and are too embarrassed to share.

Instead, dig more and…

2. Check the car odometer because that can tell you a lot

When you suspect there’s a reason for more gym trips with no visible signs of change, see if the care mileage matches up.

For example…

If there’s 25 miles been clocked up and the gym’s only a five minute drive, then it’s safe to say the car went further than the gym. If that happens regular, you might want to consider vehicle tracking to find out exactly where that trip is heading.

Now ask yourself this…

3. Has the finances taken a nosedive?

Dating doesn’t come cheap. There are usually frequent trips to the ATM or higher credit card bills. Since credit card statements and bank statements are itemised, cash is the preferred option when doing the dirty. It’s seen as untraceable spending.

Then there’s the credit card that’s usually used in the supermarket that suddenly becomes a worry.

All the extra hours put into work that should boost the next pay cheque, only to find your finances worse off.

There’s probably a reason.

It could be underperforming on the job or overperformance off the job.

One makes more income; the latter squanders it with nothing to show for it.

Contact us today to find out what’s really going on!

Private Investigator Tips to Snoop Around With Phones

With rumours of the government tracking us through the use of technology and subterfuge, it’s only fair that lay folk should learn a bit about snooping too. A good starting place is to learn the tricks and tools used by private investigators, who are experts at probing and unearthing information from areas that are best left a secret. These tips might help you in an increasingly cut-throat world.

One of the most valuable ways to gather information is the telephone. But how exactly do they do it? Here are some of the hottest tips:

1. Power Usage of Your Smartphone – Researchers have recently found out that Android phones release information about your location to all the apps that are installed on the device through the power consumption of the phone. Since the permission of the user is not required to know the power usage, any app can access this information. This is called the PowerSpy technique. Even less harmful apps that communicate over the network would be able to relay this information. It basically makes use of the fact that the transmissions of a cellphone utilise more power to get in touch with a given cell tower as the distance increases. They use machine learning techniques to study the phone’s average power consumption over a given period of time irrespective of variables like a phone conversation or an app that consumes a lot of power. The only disadvantage to this technique is that the feature needs to measure beforehand the behaviour of the power usage as it travels along a certain route. This means that you cannot track the person along a route they have never been to before.
2. Blocking the Caller ID – Detectives need to make anonymous calls under a false pretence or name. In UK, you can prefix the number with 141 before dialling the number. That would block your number. However, if the recipient of the call has a caller ID, it will appear as “Blocked Call”, “Unknown Caller”, or some other label. It’s only slightly less suspicious than a call from a detective service. As an alternative, you can call via voice-mail. Since the call will be routed through the voice-mail’s system, your number will be blocked. Other services like pre-paid phone cards, or a VoIP system like Skype filter use a third-party number to filter the call, thereby blocking the number.
3. Spoofing the Caller ID – This technique essentially involves getting a fake number to be displayed on the recipient’s Caller ID. It is called a “presentation number”. VoIP services are generally used for this purpose. There have been a number of spoofing services that have cropped up recently that allow you to make a number-spoofed call from a PC or smartphone.
4. Special Phone Line – Private investigators usually have an unpublished line in their office to receive or make calls under a pretext. A nondescript name, like “Business Office”, is usually used for this line.
5. Lie Detector – There are lie detector software that claim to do a live stress analysis on the voice of the speaker and tell you as to whether they are speaking the truth.

Apart from these nifty tips, you have the old barrage of tricks like Voice alteration and Call recording that are used to snoop around better.

Reasons for Hiring a Private Investigator

Private investigation can benefit people in their time of need as it is based on a strong knowledge base accompanied by seasoned expertise. There are several people who have already experienced the advantages of hiring a private investigator. When your federal, state or local legal enforcement is not able to or unwilling to provide help, a private investigator is the go-to-person. In this article, we discuss some of the common situations that might indicate the need for employing the services of a private investigator.

At work

It is not uncommon for companies and businesses to hire private investigators for looking into various work situations including workplace harassment, violence, misuse of official information, theft, drug abuse, and staff quality controls.

Dealing with these challenges is difficult for almost all businesses and it is best to involve a third-party, such as a private investigator to do the job and approach the situation from an impartial and objective perspective.

These investigators can offer a substantial amount of help and support as they are trained to interrogate and interview, collect evidence, use legal investigation techniques, and can easily manage confronting the truth when it comes to employee disputes and harassment claims. The necessary evidence produced by private investigators can be utilized by a company to make an informed decision. It also helps in avoiding expensive lawsuits.

Skilled and experienced private investigators are perfect for conducting due-diligence reviews (these are usually done for investors in a company). Private investigators can help in determining if the business owner looking for investors has been involved in any acts of fraud in the past.

Domestic environment

Private investigators have often been featured in films playing the role of the individual who gets hold of the cheating spouse. Even though it might appear unreal, private investigators actually play out these roles in home environments.

There have been instances where families have hired private investigators for investigating wrongful deaths, finding missing children or other family members, looking into child abuse or senior citizen harassment, property damage, and much more.

Mitigating risk

Private investigators have also been hired as experienced consultants who can assess business risks and the exposure to existing or impending fraud or theft. How do they manage risk? Strategies include transfer of risk to a third party, avoidance of risk, minimising the negative impact of risk or accepting all or some outcomes of a specific risk.

It might be difficult to decide whether to hire a private investigator in a particular situation or not, especially if somebody is concerned about the costs involved. But, in comparison to various other inexperienced fact collectors and professionals, a credible private investigator might actually be the most cost-effective and smart way of obtaining the required information.

Telephone Tips for Private Investigators

To understand the importance of a telephone in the lives of private investigators, all you have to do is watch some James Bond movies. In most of the Bond movies, you can see 007 sweeping for bugs in a phone, or planting one in a phone. If you want information, then listen to a phone conversation. Nowadays people are more careful when it comes to divulging important information over a telephone, but still it remains one of the favorite methods of private investigators to extract information. Below are seven telephone tips for private investigators.

1. Making and receiving calls anonymously

 It is better to setup two telephone lines in your office. One listed and published, and the other one unlisted and unpublished. When you are undercover, or under pretext, give out the unlisted and unpublished number to receive calls, or when you do not want to reveal your identity. To place a call without revealing caller id, punch in the code that blocks your caller id while making a call, or place the call via operator under some pretense.

2. Keep your phone lines secured

 There are devices in the market that can detect, and stop, bugs, or wiretaps, or hidden recorders placed on your telephone. Once such device is Safeline. It is simple to operate, and easy to setup. Always sweep your phones while you are undercover. If you are using a wireless phone, use a digital one. It transmits information from the headset to the base digitally, so its difficult to catch. Also, most of the digital ones has scramblers and descramblers.

3. Telephone lie-detector

A software called Truster will show you whether the person you are talking to on the phone is lying, or not. Install this software in your Laptop, or personal computer, and connect your telephone to the computer. During conversation you will be able to see on the screen whether the subject is lying to you, or trying to outsmart you.

4. Voice changer

 Sometimes it is necessary to change your voice, and speak to your subject, especially if the person you are talking to is someone you know. In such cases, use a voice changer. Different types of voice changers are available in the market today.

5. Answering your phone when you are not at your office

 Almost all the calls you receive while you are investigating a case are important, so you really cannot afford missing any. You can make use of the call forwarding option. Forward your calls to your cell phone while in the field, or at home.

6. Understanding the legality in recording a telephone conversation

 Most of the times it will be necessary to record a phone conversation, either for obtaining a clue by listening to the conversation again and again, or for submitting the piece as an evidence. So it is important to know the laws pertaining to recording phone conversation in your country. Refer to The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

7. Portable telephone scrambler

 If you want to impress your client, then give him a portable telephone scrambler, and tell him to use it whenever they communicate. The client will be impressed with the devices you have, and the precautions you are taking to honor the confidentiality agreement. This is a good device for you as well, as it keeps your conversations private. You can use it when your are traveling as well, when you have to use a pay phone.

A telephone is a powerful weapon for an investigator. Making use of it wisely can help to resolve a case successfully.

Where Can a Qualified and Licensed Private Investigator Work?

 If you have decided to become a private investigator, the first steps would be to understand the profession, take some courses, decide on your expertise and work on it, work as a trainee and apprentice with experienced investigators and finally becoming a full-fledged private investigator. Where all can you work once you become a private investigator?

Work options for a qualified private investigator

 Here are a few employment options you can consider once you become a qualified and licensed private investigator:

• Corporate employee background checks – You can work with small and large companies full time, part time or as a freelancer to conduct background checks on potential employees. Employees wishing to work for research organizations, employees being hired for important high level posts and such other people are usually checked out before they are hired, and you can conduct these investigations for the company. It mainly involves digging up records and surveillance.  
• Insurance investigations – If someone has claimed insurance for an accident, there is always an investigation conducted by the insurance company to ensure the claim is authentic. You can work with an insurance company and conduct these investigations for them. You will need some knowledge of finance and insurance for such work.  
• Software piracy investigations – If a software development company if facing piracy issues, they may hire your expertise in conducting in-house investigations for them to figure out the leak and ensure piracy is stopped or minimized as much as possible. You will need to have knowledge of computers, hacking and such other skills for this work.
• Criminal investigations – You might be called in as a consultant by law enforcement agencies to assist them in criminal investigations that demand specific expertise that you possess. You can assist them in various investigations and help solve cases faster. You will need a very specific expertise and lots of experience to be called in as a consultant by law enforcement.  
• Financial fraud investigations in charities – Charities have sketchy accountability, which means there is a lot of financial fraud committed, especially when there is a lot of money involved. You might be asked to work with them in finding fraudsters within the organization and ensure the money stays safe. You will have to understand how charities work, as well as a bit of finance and accounts for such work.

• Investigations with private investigative agencies – You can work with a private investigative agency and take up cases that come to the company. You can become one of their investigators and choose cases based on your expertise and experience.

If none of these options interest you, you can always start off on your own and be a self-employed private eye. That way, you can pick and choose individual cases, and work on a greater variety of cases.

Equipment that a Private Investigator Must Have

 Imagine that you want to be a professional photographer, but insist on using a very basic, low quality camera for your photography. You will never be considered a serious photographer, right? In many professions, the equipment you use is as important as your skills and knowledge. Private investigation is one such field, where you need to be technologically updated to be able to work well.

Equipment essential for every professional private investigator

• A GPS device or a device with detailed street maps help in knowing where you are exactly headed while trailing your subject. You get an idea of stores, intersections and dead ends beforehand, so you can prepare accordingly.
• A pair of good binoculars, preferably with night vision, so that you can track your subject without difficulty from a distance, be it day or night. Being able to maintain distance means you can be more discreet without missing out on any important information and details.
• A quality camera with tripod and monopod to be able to get steady, clear photos and videos of the subject and the surroundings when required. Monopods are good while on the move, while tripods are a better idea when you have to stay in one place for long and have the space to set up a tripod.
• Chargers and charging points for electronics in your car so that you can ensure important equipment does not die on you in the middle of an assignment or surveillance.
• Flashlight to help you find your way in unknown and dark areas, as well as to fix equipment or problems with your car, even at night. It will also help you see details in your surroundings more clearly in the dark so you do not miss out on something vital.
• Storage and backup for all video and audio files, as well as for photographs from the investigation is a must. You do not want to run out of space on your memory card in the middle of a surveillance, or lose footage because your card was corrupted.
• Window shades for your car are important if you plan to do a lot of surveillance and trailing work while sitting in your car. Having shades help you stay discreet while trailing your subject, and stops prying eyes on the road from peeking in and asking what you are doing.
• Electronic bug and spy cam detectors are essential to ensure that you and your clients are not being spied upon discreetly. Ideally, you should do a bug sweep in every new place you go to, even in the car you rent and every new client you meet for your safety and their security.

It is important to not skimp and buy low quality equipment for your investigative work. Most of the equipment are one time investments, so spending a bit more is justified and worthwhile.

What not to do as a Private Investigator

 Private investigators, or private eyes as they are popularly known, are investigators who work independent of law enforcement agencies. They may work on their own or with a private investigation company. If you work as a private investigator, or are thinking of becoming one, there are few things you need to know about the limitations and restrictions of the job.

6 things a private investigator should avoid

 Here are six things that you should avoid doing as a private investigator to obtain information or solve cases for a client.

• Arrest a civilian – As a private investigator, you may not arrest any civilian or other individual even if you find incriminating evidence against them for a crime that you are investigating. Instead, you are expected to take such evidence to law enforcement officials so they can act on it.

• Use surveillance in private spaces – You cannot record audio or visual data when someone is in their private space, like their home. You must also avoid installing spy cameras, listening devices and such other surveillance equipment in someone’s personal space.

• Trespass on private property – You cannot enter someone’s private property unauthorised. It is a crime by law and you can be arrested and tried for the same. If a property is marked as private, enter it only with the permission of the owner or with a legal document that gives you the right to enter the property.

• Impersonate police or other law enforcement officials – You should not falsely impersonate law enforcement officials, like police, to collect evidence for any cases you might be investigating. It is a crime and you can be punished for it.

• Obtain sensitive and protected personal information without a court order – Sensitive and protected information, like bank records or other personal information, should not be obtained without the permission of the person whose records you wish to access or without a legal document giving you the right to access such records.

• Act unethically to obtain information – You should not indulge in unethical and immoral activities to collect evidence for your investigations. You should ensure that you stay with legal, ethical and moral limits while you work.

Being a private investigator gives a lot of rights in terms of surveillance, evidence collection, access to records and such, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility. There may be clients who approach private eyes for information about people whom they wish to harm in some way, physically or otherwise. It is always expected that private investigators act morally, do not break laws and do not cause direct or indirect harm to anyone through their work.

Four Most Common Kinds of Cases for which Private Investigators are Approached

 Private investigators are sometimes also referred to as private eyes. They usually work individually or with private investigative companies, but are sometimes called for help by law enforcement officials to aid investigations of different kinds. The work that such investigators do is interesting, dynamic and requires a great amount of skill, training and experience.

Four most common kinds of cases that private investigators get

• General surveillance – Surveillance includes tracking people’s movements, watching out for robbers and other criminals, taking photographs and videos legally in public places. Basically following someone’s movements without being identified, tracked or recognised.

• Cheating spouses – These cases are some of the most common ones that private eyes get. It includes surveillance to find evidence of cheating, which may then be used to confront the spouse, or as material for negotiations during divorce settlements.

• Background checks on prospective employees – Many companies require very high standards for hiring employees. This is especially common when hiring for important posts where employees may get to know company secrets. Investigators perform background checks for such companies to dig out details of legal, medical and other records in the public domain of prospective employees. It may also include talking to former employers and other people close to the person to get more information about them.

• Missing persons and runaway, lost or stolen pets – Many missing person complaints are handled by private investigators on behalf of or in conjunction with law enforcement officials. Individuals may also approach investigators to find pets that have been lost, have run away from home, or have been stolen and taken away from them.

 Quick tips on being a good private eye

• Get certified by a recognised institute and get all the licenses required for practice.
• Work as an apprentice with an experienced private investigator to learn on the job and hone your investigative skills.
• Build a network of informants and useful acquaintances to help pry out difficult but legal information for cases.
• Market yourself well so that you are able to take up more cases, and showcase your abilities to solve them.
• Have a specialisation instead of dabbling in many different kinds of investigation. Specialization leads to expertise and greater respect for skills.
• Charge clients according to what you think your skills are worth and how much you have proven your abilities. Do not oversell or undersell your services.

To be a good and well recognized private investigator, it is important to not only have the right skills but to be able to sell them the right way. It also requires you to get the right kind of cases to prove your abilities. It takes efforts to become a good private investigator and earn well. However, if investigation is something that interests you and you are good at, it is very much possible to become a successful private investigator. You will also be highly respected for what you do.