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Sometimes we get asked if we can get someone’s credit report. No, even though we are private investigators, we cannot get someone’s credit report without a written authorization from that person. If someone, be it a private investigator or not, tells you that they will do this for you without anyone knowing, run away as fast as you can! Obtaining someone’s credit report without their knowledge or consent is illegal, and if you are paying someone to do so, you are also breaking the law. That’s the best advice we can give you about it. If you wish to obtain information about someone, your best option would be to do a background check… but leave the credit reports out of it.

 

As a licensed private investigator, we are sometimes able to get access to motor vehicle records that the public cannot or we have much quicker access to those records where public, BUT not all states allow running license plates. Please understand, we do not have any control over who lets us have access and who restricts it. Hollywood shows us that all P.I.s have a secret source to get restricted information like this so it’s just a matter of finding the right PI for the job. Well, if it can be done legally, we will do it, but we will not break the law. if you need access to restricted records, hire a crook, not a private investigator.

We had another case of the client hiring us to watch a cheating spouse who is away on business. We start watching the husband and he is immediately scanning the lobby of his hotel looking for us. We swithced investigators and the game continued. A short time later, he stopped and just went about his day. We filmed him for two days straight and he only spoke with the suspected other woman briefly in a business conference. After some discussion with the client, she concluded that we are simply not very good at private investigative work. We convinced her to install Spy Sweeper on her computer and low and behold, there it was… a spyware program copying every key stroke she made and forwarding it to him via e-mail. He knew EVERYTHING she told us and played it out. Makes it a little harder when our clients fail to tell us the whole story and to cover their tracks in the process.

If you think that your spouse is cheating inside your home and you feel that it would be better to install hidden cameras in place of hiring a private investigator, we recommend that you consider the following: Hidden cameras can be a problem, and we mean “legal problem” for the person who installs them. In most states, a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, basically meaning that there are some places, like a bathroom, bedroom, etc. in a house where a person may go and expect to have total privacy. Although this is NOT legal advise, be aware that many courts have found these rooms to be protected and use of hidden cameras in them to be invasive and sometimes illegal. (Keep in mind that perverts and creeps like to hide cameras in these rooms) If you elect to go this route, confine your surveillance to those common areas of the house, like rooms where everyone inthe household go all the time.

We had a client who hired us, gave us all the information we needed, paid the retainer and did everything exactly as a sound client should do. We then started the surveillance and found that the subject was heated up and spent 45 minutes driving around aimlessly, stopping every few miles, cutting through shopping malls, etc. etc. Ultimately, we had no choice but to let him go. When the private investigator conducting the surveillance called the client, she was suprised and then told the PI that he had caught the last private investigator she hired four days before. This little detail would have been very helpful for us to know. Had we known, we could have done the job with a second investigator (or even a third), rather than one, and we would have had a fair chance of staying with him undetected. Remember, tell your private investigator EVERYTHING. Be honest and detailed. It will be the best insurance that your money is well spent.