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Investigation Processes: How to Fully Understand Them


— September 3, 2024

Once a private investigator’s investigation has concluded, they will report back to their client and give them all of the evidence they have obtained.


Private investigators are more in demand than ever before. Social media has created a culture where cheating is the norm. While it’s not accepted, almost everybody knows somebody who’s been unfaithful to their partner. However, a private investigator’s job is not just to collect evidence on cheaters. They are hired for a number of different things, ranging from tracking down missing people to proving crimes have been committed. This post’s intention is to explore the topic of private investigators by explaining how they operate, what their investigations entail, and what you need to know about hiring one.

Hiring an Investigator

If you have found this page because you are trying to figure out how to hire a private investigator, you’re in luck. The process is very simple. All you need to do is reach out to your chosen agency and ask them to take you on as a client. What you should be thinking about instead of how to hire an investigator is the costs of investigative methods PIs employ, so you know how much you are going to have to pay. Get in touch with your chosen agency and they will provide a quote.

Gathering Information

In terms of what a private investigator does, after being hired, they typically begin gathering information. Private investigators employ many different strategies to obtain information, including interviews, surveillance, and searching the internet for evidence of wrongdoing. The first stage in the investigation process is typically sitting down with the person who has hired them and taking their side of the story. Then, they begin investigating the people made known to them by their clients. This could be their spouse, an employee, or a missing relative. The type of investigation performed depends on the case.

Conducting Surveillance

Image by Lukas Blazek, Unsplash.com.
Image by Lukas Blazek, Unsplash.com.

Surveillance is typically conducted if a client wants a person investigated as opposed to somebody found. An example of a case a private investigator might take on is a cheating husband. In terms of surveillance, they would then track and follow the husband. They would watch them and record who they interact with, taking photographs if necessary. Another case example would be an employee suspected of stealing data. A private investigator might use the internet to find evidence of that person’s wrongdoing and see if they have been trying to sell information on the dark web.

Reporting Back to Clients

Once a private investigator’s investigation has concluded, they will report back to their client and give them all of the evidence they have obtained. Sometimes they will take their evidence to the police, too. For example, if evidence was found suggesting an employee was stealing data from their boss, that person would have committed theft, and could be prosecuted. More often than not though, a PI’s clients will report evidence of wrongdoing to the police themselves, or they will choose to punish the person in-house (if they run a business).

Private investigators can help you with a number of different things and prove whether people have acted criminally or dishonestly towards you. If you want to hire one, find the most experienced one you can. You can do that by reading reviews. The more positive a PI’s reviews are, the better.

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