By ServeNow Staff Background checks are an important tool in any private investigator’s arsenal. Individuals, businesses, and employers use background checks for a variety of reasons, but the core cause often lies with the need to uncover any incriminating evidence. However, personal data protection is taking precedent in laws across the globe, as evident in…
Investigation Lessons: 6 Months and 192 Telephone Interviews Later
By Brian Willingham Since May, I have done about 192 (give or take) telephone interviews for various investigation matters. The interviews that I have done have ranged from being for massive product liability cases to in-depth vetting of a possible CEO. In every single one of these cases, the names of these individuals were developed…
Factors in Traffic Accident Investigations
By Michael Miranda (excerpt from “Accident Investigations for Private Investigators and Attorneys”) Why is it important to investigate a traffic accident? It was just an accident, right? In a 2014 study completed by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), the economic cost of traffic accidents in the United States (based on 2010 data) was…
25 Takeaways, Quotes and Tools from the 2018 OSMOSIS Conference
By Brian Willingham Last week, I attended the OSMOSIS Conference, held in Las Vegas and put on by Cynthia Hetherington of the Hetherington Group. After years of going to conferences of a large national organization (that will go unnamed) and coming back less than fulfilled, I found it fantastic to attend a conference that was…
My Favorite Detective Stories
By John A. Hoda Debuting in June 2018 with a tripleheader, My Favorite Detectives Stories is a podcast for investigators with investigators (and investigative journalists) hosted by, you guessed it, an investigator. When starting to think seriously about my encore career and what resonated most, I wanted to leave a legacy of helping other investigators…
Private Investigations on Indian Reservations
By Stephanie Irvine Private investigators’ work can span a wide range of services, from surveillance to skip tracing and researching information. For surveillance specifically, private investigators may surveil targets at their place of work, homes, and social events. While all of this is standard protocol, extra steps must be taken when handling jobs that occur…
What Is the One Quality That Every Investigator Should Have?
By Brian Willingham A few weeks back, I was on a radio show (~18:50 mark) with Los Angeles private investigator Scott Ross, where he asked me about the one quality I looked for in a private investigator. The question came up again in a PI Education webinar with Hal Humphreys titled “The Business of Investigations,”…
Cameras Fit for Private Investigator Surveillance
By William Wilson Before technology became accessible to the general public and private investigators, following your subject was the primary way to complete surveillance. Surveillance has come a long way since then with the rise in portable and hidden cameras. The advent of camera technology has made surveillance more powerful and effective for investigators since…
8 Things This Private Investigator Wish He Had (Legal) Access to (but Doesn’t)
By Brian Willingham In every investigator’s most pleasant dreams, we have access to loads of information that would, quite simply, make our lives so much easier. But what would be the fun in that? There are a number of things that make a private investigator’s job interesting. For one, every case and every day are…
13 Signs That Your Client May Be Bugged
By Matthew D. Seifer In the last decade, bug sweeps are now one of our most requested services. With the rise in technology becoming more affordable, compact, and adaptable, it is more accessible for those with nefarious intents to eavesdrop on a victim to steal valuable intelligence. Common situations that increase susceptibility to being bugged:…