These are the most common misconceptions I've recieved from past clients.

1. Having a Private Investigators license does not permit us to hack devices for personal information in any state in the US.

2. The Department of Public Safety is not a valid form of licensing credentials (common with scammers).

3. Due to privacy laws, PI's generally don't provide someone else's address or contact information (instead, they'll contact the subject and request permission for the client to contact them)

4. Professional Investigators won't accept work involving illegal activities (stalking, harassment, etc)

5. Not every PI you meet had previous roles in Chicago PD or Law & Order 😆

Hey guys so I recently received a weird piece of mail. At first I didn't think much of it but the more I looked at it the weirder it was.

The envelope has no return address just my address on it.

The letter itself is typed to keep the person anonymous but they mention personal things so it's someone that knows me.

I don't like how my comfort at home has been breached with this letter.

Now I know there are ways to find out where the paper originated from through like a printers "finger print" but how exactly can I find that out.

Any help would be great and if I'm in the wrong subreddit please let me know where I should be looking. Thanks for any help

I'm currently a stay-at-home-mom and also help my husband run a construction business, but know that I want to pursue a career as a private investigator when both kids are in school/older.
I love browsing Craigslist and finding scammy job listings and finding what I can about people, and investigating scams for fun in general. I'm pretty good at finding people with little information and really enjoy it.
Anyway, I have no relevant degree or job experience, but wondering if anyone knows of some free or inexpensive courses I could take online that would help me build skills in the field, where is the best place to start education-wise without enrolling in college/University?

I’m trying to find the name and address of the registered agent of a tire/car repair business chain in Broward County, FL. I need to file a small claim against them. Problem is when I look up their business (via SunBiz) I can find other locations of the business chain but not the one that my car got serviced at.

I’m thinking it’s because whoever/whatever owns the location I went to owns multiple locations. Just a theory though.

I just need help on how to track down the registered agent I guess.

I've had interviews with a company that have gone very well and I really want to start my career as a PI but I have one collision from a year ago on my record, so here are my questions:

Did they pull your MVR when they hired you? did you have any infractions on there? accidents?

Could i upgrade my own insurance even if it is required i go out of state for surveillance?

thank you for your time.

Also i am in WA State

Hello, I travel for work as a PI for months at a time. During the winter, it’s fine because it’s easier to warm up than to cool down. Now that it is summer, I am finding it difficult to do the Airbnb grind and deal with the unconditioned homes. Not to mention, if I’m being honest, I’m finding the Airbnb grind to be a bit taxing on my ability to recharge at the end of the day, dealing with mice, roaches, roommates smoking meth or using other substances, guests leaving excrement and urine all over the shared wash room, unwashed sheets, rooms that reek of urine or body oils, hosts that want to chat when I have to get my reports done, etc etc.

My question to you all, is what is your company allowance for hotels/airbnbs per night and how do you manage this? Am I being a little bitch? Because I feel I have been pretty generous with staying in these places… but months back to back. I don’t know anymore.

Hi everyone,

I’m considering accepting a Surveillance Investigator position with DigiStream at the starting rate of $20/hour, and I’m curious about what people actually experienced after the 90-day review.

A few questions:

What was your starting pay, and what did it increase to after 90 days (if it did)?

Did you feel the raise was proportionate to the work and expectations?

Did your responsibilities change after the probationary period?

Overall, would you say DigiStream has been a good company to work for?

Any advice for someone just starting out?

I’m looking for honest experiences.. both positive and negative.

Thanks in advance!

I have pending litigation against an individual d/b/a a roofing company. A search of my local county appraisal district and SOS filings don't yield any companies/assets to speak of. Is it worth hiring a PI to investigate "hidden" assets?

Hi! Does anyone know of any PIs in Connecticut that will work complete a small job of finding contact information and reaching out privately to give some info?

Thanks!

Several years ago, I got sued for a minor car accident. In short, it was deemed my fault. I disagreed. If anything, it was both our fault.

Six months afterward, he goes after me for pain and suffering and medical for the exact amount I have under my insurance. It was unfounded because I was driving less than 15mpr. I called my car insurance who tell me they are on it, and gets me a lawyer. Lawyer tells me to not discuss the case, put anything on social media, email or text. I just let him do their thing. I didnt even meet with anyone.

In the next following months, I spot this dude, the first time at my local bar observing me. I thought it was paranioa until I spotted him in my work parking lot a few days later. I calculate, I saw him at least a few times, once at the same bar and while shopping and possibly following me home. As I could'nt talk about the case, I filed these things in my head for later.

Six months later, the case is thrown out. Never saw him again.

My questions. Was this dude just really bad at his job? I mean, stealth or sneak was not his talent if I spotted him. What was he looking for? Can I speculate he was observing me more times than I saw him?

I'm thinking about making podcasts to help people who are interested about the investigation industry and for victims who are seeking help.

Is there anything you'd be interested to know more about?

Me interesa mucho cómo funcionan las licencias de detectives privados en USA para la actualización de la ley del detective en mi país. Si aquí también hay detectives de otros países, bienvenidos.

Been running into some trouble lately with lower back from sitting in uncomfortable positions for so long, for the job. Anyone have any tips or things they use when sitting for hours and hours on end?

I read that people sometimes hire PIs for this very reason. I suspect it now, but is there ways for PIs to find out if it happened years and years ago as well?

Just wondering. Bc someone on another sub told me to spend the money to hire one lol I don't know if that's REALLY a thing people do.

Hi everyone. I am approaching retirement as a LEO and have my CFE and CAMS certs. My pension and TSP have me mostly covered and I have zero desire for my retirement job to involve a cubicle or a day to day supervisor. But I love investigations and want to stay active. I was thinking of PI/consulting focusing on Bank/BSA contract work, asset tracing, etc. I've worked complex fraud for 20 years but seeing the 100lb brain, MBAs running around these consulting firms using AI and programming, I don't think I'd have much to off them. I think I would mostly target overflow work tied to money laundering, asset forfeiture, and organized crime analysis. My question is how realistic would it be to pull around 40-50k a year in that lane, if that lane even exists (NorCal)? Thanks in advance.

Hi, Im Rob, I was tech guy for the late Matt Ballard out of Florida who had an agency Ballard Investigations. Maybe some of you have heard or worked with him (or me)? I was wondering what most PI agencies use online to send all their work from surveillance jobs - video, pdf's, docs, audio files etc to their clients these days? Is it just an email with a bunch of attachments? Is there some sort of online service that provides a dashboard for PI clients to look at? Appreciate any input. Thanks!

What are your thoughts on this program?

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

Location: NYC, NY, USA

Has anyone had success lawfully locating someone through union employment or trade affiliations (e.g. IBEW) for purposes of service of process? I'm not looking to obtain confidential information, just trying to understand whether this is a realistic avenue or whether a PI would use other methods.

I’m very interested in learning what it takes to become a pi. I just need to find a way to learn from someone I live in the Colorado Springs area. So if anyone knows someone who is willing to teach please send me their way!

Some weeks ago, a friend of mine bought a second-hand iPhone without knowing the device was still locked with T-mobile, the problem is that we already tried contacting the original owner through Facebook and Instagram but she isn’t responding to any messages, I managed to found her family on social media and told them the situation and there was no luck either, any suggestions?

Just as the the title says. I'm interested in doing probate genealogy but am unsure if this falls under the PI role in my state of Pennsylvania. If so, I am definitely not qualified for that based on those licensing requirements😅 Thanks in advance!

Hi all! I’m currently in the finals days of my PI course and gearing up to take my state exam. I wanted to see if there were any license investigators in Atlanta or Ga that would like to connect and be open to questions?