What A Private Investigator Does

By Andreas Scott

Private investigators carry out investigations using different types of surveillance or search gadgets and methods. They verify information by searching and researching a person's place of employment or income. To do so, they make telephone calls to contacts and they go and visit their subject's home, hang out, work place and others. Interviewing is a big part of their jobs. Private investigators interview people to gather as much information as possible about the subject that they are tracking. In all cases, private investigators assist attorneys, businesses, and the public with a variety of legal, financial, and personal problems.

The range of services that a private investigator offers include executive, corporate, and celebrity protection; pre-employment verification; individual background profiles; assistance in civil liability and personal injury cases; insurance claims and fraud; child custody and protection cases; and sometimes they also do premarital screening.

Private investigators are trained heavily so they can do stealthy physical surveillance for very long periods of time in a hidden area or spot. Observation is key. They must be meticulous in observing the events happening in a specific place and time. They must also have endurance since surveillance continues for very long periods as they carry equipment such as video cameras, binoculars, and a cell phone.

Their duties and responsibilities depend on the needs of a client. If the case is for employers involving workers' fraudulent compensation claims, the private investigator carries out long-term covert observation of subjects.

Private investigators often specialize on the following fields: intellectual property theft, investigate and document acts of piracy, help clients stop the illegal activity, and provide intelligence for prosecution and civil action. There are others who specialize in developing financial profiles and asset searches. There are legal private investigators who specialize in cases involving the courts and are normally employed by law firms or lawyers.

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