#1 Thing a
Private Investigator won’t tell you by
We utilize lots of public records, which
are easily accessible by you.
He says, “As you might imagine public records are accessible by anyone. However, just because they are accessible by just about anyone does not minimize their importance. Public records are an incredibly important resource, but understanding and navigating the maze of public records in the U.S. is skill that takes years of practice.”
I couldn’t agree more with Brian Willingham! In fact I have similar facts posted on my website, pi-speaker.com, (Tips) that reflect the same statement and I offer the public resources that Private Investigators use including information about public records.
Knowing how to navigate using the information you acquire is key to the success in the outcome of an investigation. Besides public record, building your resources, knowing how to obtain the information and what to ask for, and building relationships with your resources are extremely important in the success of a PI. Retrieving data from the internet and knowing what to use and where to get it are key elements.
There are only so many public records you can access easily and at your finger tips. Once you run out of those you must have backup resources and that is where a PI can become helpful. There are companies that have data that are only retrievable by law enforcement and Private Investigators. And, there are public websites that offer full reports that include addresses, aliases, and such and some may even offer identifying factors such as social security number and date of birth, however, this is very rare. The data you can retrieve on a public website differs than those accessible to law enforcement and PI's.
A social security number is the main ingredient in identity theft. From a SSN you are able to recover a person’s name, date of birth, current and former addresses, aliases, email addresses, social media information, relatives, neighbors, and much more. This is why it is so important to safeguard your SSN’s and your children’s SSN’s because it is very easy for an identity thief to get away with so much more with a child’s number. Children do not have credit and do not have a credit report or rating unless credit is obtained. Throughout my career I have witnessed parents who irresponsibly use their children’s SSN’s in order to gain credit and loans. And, this can ruin their credit as adults. I consider this a form of identity theft.
Due to the skill set that PI's have some are hired by law enforcement to work their cold cases. A third eye will catch things that were overlooked the first and second time and PI's may have resources and skills that law enforcement Detective's do not. And, there is a misconception between Police Officers and PI's. Police Officers enforce the law and upgrade to Detective status. A PI IS a Detective. PI's do not arrest people and enforce the law and do not have the rights that law enforcement officers do. In fact PI's must respect the laws more so than the average person. If caught breaking the law in any capacity they risk losing their PI license. But, in order for a PI license to be in jeopardy the case must be strong against them. People don't like PI's that put them under investigation and in fact will try to harm the PI by filing a false complaint against their license and sometimes an idiot will go as far as falsifying court documents in an effort to obtain a restraining order against the PI. Nice try, but it is a crime to falsify legal documents. The Federal False Claims Act and Crimes Act 1958 are only a few laws that can put a criminal right back where he/she belongs not to mention perjury.
Feel free to access the public resource provided on the TIPS page on my website that will help you start your own investigation when hiring a contractor and more. Check it out here.
If you have a question for a Private Investigator please feel free to post them here or you can email me. If you prefer your question not be posted on this blog please indicate so.
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He says, “As you might imagine public records are accessible by anyone. However, just because they are accessible by just about anyone does not minimize their importance. Public records are an incredibly important resource, but understanding and navigating the maze of public records in the U.S. is skill that takes years of practice.”
I couldn’t agree more with Brian Willingham! In fact I have similar facts posted on my website, pi-speaker.com, (Tips) that reflect the same statement and I offer the public resources that Private Investigators use including information about public records.
Knowing how to navigate using the information you acquire is key to the success in the outcome of an investigation. Besides public record, building your resources, knowing how to obtain the information and what to ask for, and building relationships with your resources are extremely important in the success of a PI. Retrieving data from the internet and knowing what to use and where to get it are key elements.
There are only so many public records you can access easily and at your finger tips. Once you run out of those you must have backup resources and that is where a PI can become helpful. There are companies that have data that are only retrievable by law enforcement and Private Investigators. And, there are public websites that offer full reports that include addresses, aliases, and such and some may even offer identifying factors such as social security number and date of birth, however, this is very rare. The data you can retrieve on a public website differs than those accessible to law enforcement and PI's.
A social security number is the main ingredient in identity theft. From a SSN you are able to recover a person’s name, date of birth, current and former addresses, aliases, email addresses, social media information, relatives, neighbors, and much more. This is why it is so important to safeguard your SSN’s and your children’s SSN’s because it is very easy for an identity thief to get away with so much more with a child’s number. Children do not have credit and do not have a credit report or rating unless credit is obtained. Throughout my career I have witnessed parents who irresponsibly use their children’s SSN’s in order to gain credit and loans. And, this can ruin their credit as adults. I consider this a form of identity theft.
Due to the skill set that PI's have some are hired by law enforcement to work their cold cases. A third eye will catch things that were overlooked the first and second time and PI's may have resources and skills that law enforcement Detective's do not. And, there is a misconception between Police Officers and PI's. Police Officers enforce the law and upgrade to Detective status. A PI IS a Detective. PI's do not arrest people and enforce the law and do not have the rights that law enforcement officers do. In fact PI's must respect the laws more so than the average person. If caught breaking the law in any capacity they risk losing their PI license. But, in order for a PI license to be in jeopardy the case must be strong against them. People don't like PI's that put them under investigation and in fact will try to harm the PI by filing a false complaint against their license and sometimes an idiot will go as far as falsifying court documents in an effort to obtain a restraining order against the PI. Nice try, but it is a crime to falsify legal documents. The Federal False Claims Act and Crimes Act 1958 are only a few laws that can put a criminal right back where he/she belongs not to mention perjury.
Feel free to access the public resource provided on the TIPS page on my website that will help you start your own investigation when hiring a contractor and more. Check it out here.
If you have a question for a Private Investigator please feel free to post them here or you can email me. If you prefer your question not be posted on this blog please indicate so.
