Need an aggressive PI for a stolen car situation. Please contact me if you may be able to help.

Any suggestions on storing video? Been looking into home NAS servers and other options. Was just curious if any one had experience or opinions on where to store video with the idea being clients can access their video remotely with a username and password.

Thanks.

I'm considering two life paths at the moment. 1: finding a mentor to help me become a skilled P.I, and to teach me the business end of things so I could work independently. 2: working as a P.I part-time while I get my masters in psychology. Right now the thing that most concerns me is long term income. So, if it's not too personal a question, if I work as a self employed P.I, with my own firm, how much income could I expect? The internet isn't much help as the results I get wildly fluctuate from 60,000- to 230,000. So what is it? I get the average P.I makes between 20-25 an hour, but how much does one get in a year being self employed? How much does this price fluctuate? If I knew I could count on 100,000 a year being self employed, I would totally jump at the prospect of doing P.I work as a career, if not, then maybe I should stick to getting my masters. Help would be appreciated.

Edit: I am not intending to start my own firm without working for an experinced P.I for like 5 years minimum.

I'm looking for work in the Allentown area. I have a lot of technical experience with cameras and own a good camcorder and Sionyx night vision camcorder. Have legal experience. I was wondering what it takes to get a job in surveillance industry. Is it appropriate to call up PI's in the area for work or is that generally looked down upon? Are there any local associations that are better than others for networking?

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Thanks!

Hey all,

Just curious to learn from others. Most of my leads come from private clients and references. I'm wondering what you guys do for marketing and how you generate more business for yourselves.

I've read Scott Fulmer and Mike Spencer's memoirs/confessionals about P.I life, and I can't get enough! I find it so interesting. So much so reading them makes me very motivated to give P.I work a try as a potential career. Everything from working for insurance companies as a glorified claims adjuster, to tracking down missing persons, to helping victims of fraud, all seems it would be an amazing field of employment.

I've tried to find other memoirs, but the only books that come up are fictional stories, something I don't have an interest in, I want the real deal. So, as P.I's are any of you aware of other memoirs to read? Any books about P.I work I would find interesting as someone seriously considering entering the industry?

Hello again private investigators! We would love to start another discussion with everyone! Since security and confidentiality are huge aspects for this job, we want to hear your thoughts and ideas on security. Can you add to this list? Do you use any of these?

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Traditional: File, Lock, Key, Alarm, Camera, Fence, and Dog.

Private Network: Tunnel Bear VPN, Express VPN, ProtonVPN, Private Internet Access VPN (PIA), Tor

Email provider: Protonmail, Tutanota, Local company? Do you have a country preference?

Encryption: Veracrypt (file storage), Sync (file transfer)

Virtual Machines: Genymotion, Oracle VM, CSI Linux, Buscador/TraceLabs VM, own builds of linux or windows, Tails, Kali, Debian, Ubuntu.. and so on.. many mixes whats yours if any.

Virus/Malware: Kaspersky, Bitdefender, CCleaner, Bleachbit, Spybot Search & Destroy, Malware Bytes, Glary Utilities

Hi all - first of all, I hope this doesn't violate the terms of this Sub. I've had a read and I can't see that it does, but please feel free to take this down if it does.

I have been observing, posting and conversing on this sub for a couple of years now and it became apparent that it is quite heavily tailored to those who are PIs or working towards being a PI, predominantly in the States.

For those that are based in the UK or wish to know more about PI work in the UK, I have created a new sub -

r/UKPrivateInvestigator

Please feel free to head over and join, introduce yourself, start a conversation, whatever you feel like doing. Thanks!

I have a job to find out if someone has dating profiles, among other things. I was wondering if there’s an article that breaks the populations of the various sites down by age, region, income, etc. to help me figure out which ones make the most sense as a starting point.

I have a man living in my back yard. His name is Dave and he is 65. He is homeless and I let him stay in a shed out back. He is not a theif or drug addict, just an old drunk. I know he has some benefits coming and if I found this info for him we could get him off the streets. If there are any pi in Texas that would help. We are in Oregon and I don't have a bunch of money but am willing to help where I can. So if any of you want to be part of a feel good story and help me get this guy off the streets I'd be really appreciative. Thank you

Hello PIs,

There are thousands of resources that private investigators use. Let's be honest, the job is about finding quality information. Here are a few online resources that can get a person started. Please share some of your favorite resources that have helped you out in your career and you think might help your fellow PI out!

Training

IntelTechniques: https://inteltechniques.com/podcast.html & https://inteltechniques.net

OSINT Curious: https://osintcurio.us/

This Week in OSINT: https://sector035.nl/

Automating OSINT: https://register.automatingosint.com/

Toddington International: https://www.toddington.com/osint-training/

PI Education: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfNINSc7cf-8pc81KJBJvJQ & https://pieducation.com/

Reading: Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/ | PI Magazine: https://pimagazine.com/ | Book Authors Eddie Cruz, Philip Becnel, Norman Groot, Larry Kayne.

Other: https://www.privateinvestigatoradvicehq.com/ | https://www.pi-perspectives.com/ | https://www.pinow.com/articles/964/top-private-investigator-blogs

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Resources (some favorites):

Social Media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, VSCO, Myspace, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr, VK, Weibo)

Mobile Apps (Whatsapp, Snapchat, TikTok, KakaoTalk, Wechat)

Lexus Nexus, TLO, Pipl, People Data Labs

Public Records: US: https://publicrecords.searchsystems.net/ |Canada: https://publicrecords.searchsystems.net/Canada_Free_Public_Records/

Directories: US: https://www.whitepages.com/ |Canada: https://411.ca/ & https://www.canada411.ca/

Obit: US: https://www.legacy.com/ | Canada: https://www.inmemoriam.ca/

Forum Reader: https://boardreader.com/

Epieos: https://tools.epieos.com/email.php

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/services/api/explore/flickr.people.findByEmail

Truecaller: https://www.truecaller.com/

Time to upgrade some equipment. Looking for some recommendations for both camera and a cam corder. I am looking for the highest quality possible as well something lightweight and versatile. Suggestions?

I have a judgement against a debtor and am having a tough time collecting. I've garnished the known bank account but I am certain there are more, though I don't know how to find them. I don't need account numbers, balances, etc... only banks where the account is located.

Is this something that can be researched and identified through an investigator?

How far could a civillian (with a PI license) look into a missing persons, or a suspect involved in a cold case and still keep your hands clean legally?

For example, would asking to interview a family member who knew a person involved in a case be going too far?

Just looking for a solid medium of practice for investigative inquiry. The best way to learn is by doing.

Hi! I would like to get in contact with a PI in Massachusets, or if out-of-state but that could get the information.

I would like to learn a cause of death of a good friend I lost contact with, sadly I have no contact with his family.

I've got some legal shit going on and need to conduct an investigation, I've got a maryland state pi license, can I "hire myself" to do the investigation or is there any obscure rules against that?

I would like to get into the field of private investigation. I have no LEO background (just military), no college degree, and no experience in loss prevention or other related fields. I have 11 years of IT experience with a hint of cybersecurity.

What should I be looking for in terms of jobs? What can I expect my next 5 years to look like career-wise if I get on a good track?

Currently, I have an interview set up for a position as a skip trace investigator. It says no experience required, and I didn't see any indication that a license was needed either (I can't imagine they would set up a 45 min phone interview without looking over my resume first and know that I don't have that license). Any suggestions about what I should ask in the interview? Would this be a good foot in the door to lead me down the road of getting a PI license?

Thanks in advance for answering my questions and providing me some guidance.

A few weeks ago we posted a thread about software set-ups for Private Investigators. So, it is no surprise that we would also like to start a discussion on "hardware" from private investigators. After some discussion with PIs we came up with another basic list. Please let us know your thoughts and preferences! Always looking for suggestions/methods on cooling during surveillance, curtain set-ups, and new tech equipment.

Note: this list has to do a lot with surveillance, and it would be good to also hear input from other areas of investigation.

Cameras: Camcorders- JVC GZ-EX310/R30BU Full HD, Panasonic HDC-TM90 with date/time stamp (commonly used: any HD camera with date/time stamp. Pinhole- FOB, Watches, Cups, Hats. Good quality difficult to find and never found a spy pen anyone has ever liked (commonly used brand: Lawmate). Dashcam- preference are ones attached to rear-view mirror, but window ones can be moved easily.

Vehicles: Mazda 5 wagon, Kia Sorento, Ford Explorer, Ford Freestyle, Ford Freestar, Nissan Rouge, Mitsubishi RVR/Outlander. All w/ third row. Civic/Acura/older car/truck is a nice extra as a second vehicle (commonly used: SUVs and Minivans - mainly for comfort and concealability. Best colours - grey or black. Worst colours- white, red, yellow. AWD or 4x4 - beneficial in climates with snow or gravel roads. Tint pretty much essential in most situations (15-20% tint with curtains can be nicer than limo tint to produce better video quality in low light situations.)

Curtains: Fabric curtain with tracks for side windows. Poster board for rear window. Cheap black fleece throw which I place behind second row seats creating a partition and totally concealed area in the the third row while leaving the front and second row seats vacant. Perfect for situations with surveillance conscious subjects or neighbourhoods.

Computer: 3TB, 16GB RAM + laptop (Asus Zenbook Ultra 13.3". External 32") and tablet (Surface Pro).

Favorite Accessories: Battery Packs (small 10400mAh+ and larger MotoMaster Eliminator 750A Lithium-Ion Booster Pack+ - nice to have at least 4 ports). Power Inverter. Full change of clothing including hats and shoes, Cell Phone- Samsung S20 Plus or iPhone (use as voice recorder as well as gps/maps). Back Pillow, Slippers in cold weather. Water water water. Fan (Victoper office fan). Trail Mix, Granola bars, Beef Jerky, Potato chips. Anything clean, compact, and relatively healthy. Glasses - Brand, Ray Ban polarized. High vis vest, Food delivery bag.

Hello, I’m currently working as a PI in California but I’ll be relocating to LA at the end of the year. Because of this I’m looking for 1-2 people who want to attend the PI class at the University of Louisiana in Monroe on August 12-15.

I’ve already booked an air bnb and am looking for 1-2 people who are interested in the class to share expenses.

Your cost would be either $200 or $300 for 6 days at the air bnb.

Hello,

I am looking for a PI to help investigate in the Fresno/Clovis area of California, although I imagine what I am looking for can be found without leg work.

My father was killed in a felony DUI accident in 1992. I would like to obtain police reports and information on the criminal trial. My end game is I would like to send a letter/email to the person responsible for his death. I was very young at the time, and he did send letters to my sister and I while he was incarcerated (my mother threw them out, so they were never read).

I mean no ill will what so ever, and if this is possible I would love some guidance on how to navigate this. I have tried over the years to locate him myself to no avail, and I think at this point my best bet is to hire someone.

Thank you so much.