How to hire a PI?

When it comes to hiring a painter or a lawn maintenance company, everyone has been there and done that. How many of you know How to Hire a PI? It just doesn’t come up as often but when you need one, it’s important. A private investigator is the person you call when the police can no longer help you. If your son has been missing for 5 hours, you may know something is wrong but the police will not call it a missing person. A Private Investigator represents your interests and can get to work tracking them down immediately. When you need evidence in a court case or background checks run, you need a Private Investigators Tools of the trade. The question is what do you look for when hiring a PI? Things like:

·     Are they insured? They will be representing you so if they are not insured for whatever happens during the investigation then you could be on the hook. That would be especially damaging if you needed absolute privacy.

·     Are they licensed to work in the states needed? Every Private Investigator is licensed by the state. If they cannot produce a card as proof then you should not hire them. An unlicensed PI could be a wannabe looking for kicks or just an information broker that does internet searches of public records to answer your questions. Neither is worth your time

·     Get a contract. Just like any other type of professional a Private Detective should have you sign a contract that spells out each persons duties. A verbal contract leaves too much open to interpretation. Also, the lack of a contract is the mark of an amateur.

·     What is their experience? Many private Investigators were once police or military personnel. You should find out what their prior experience is, in order to see what their specialty would be. A former law enforcement officer would be the perfect candidate to run background and criminal checks. If they were a former FBI agent then they may have more experience with kidnapping cases than a beat cop. Mainly you want to weed out the people with no prior law enforcement experience that have taken a two month internet course to become a PI. You have to be careful to pick the professionals out from the poseurs.

 Hiring a Private Detective is nothing to be intimidated by. They are just like any other profession and the same types of questions that you would ask your building contractor, should be asked of your Private Investigator. If you keep that in mind then you will be fine.  For more information about Silent Partner PI click on Atlanta Private Investigation.

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Cheating Spouses

Like many cities around the country, divorce rates in the Atlanta and Alpharetta Georgia area continue to climb. It is a fact that people can fall in and out of love but what happens if one party is at fault? It is embarrassing to go snooping around on your significant other. It is even worse to jump to conclusions and accuse them of something without the evidence to back up your claims. It is possible that you are misreading the signs and your loved one is innocent but how can you find out for sure? If you have a spouse that has been drinking, doing drugs or doing anything else that could harm your children, how do you prove it? You need to hire an Alpharetta Private Detective. It may sound like something that you only do on TV but rest assured that people do it everyday. Domestic cases are the most prevalent case type for an Alpharetta Private Investigator. When it comes time for a person to file for divorce, the other person will do everything in their power to hide any evidence of wrongdoing. They will want to make sure that they get as much out of the divorce proceedings as possible. In the case of infidelity the custody of the children is usually the most hotly contested topic.

No one wants to accuse their loved ones of cheating especially if the accusations are unfounded. A good Alpharetta PI  or Atlanta PI can find out if you are right or wrong, while protecting your privacy. Let’s say that you know that your spouse was cheating, you caught your wife in bed with another man. It is your word against hers or possibly against both of theirs. Many people have lost custody of their kids simply because of lack of evidence and the other side having better liars. An Alpharetta Private Investigator or Atlanta Private Investigator has all the skills that you need to gather the relevant evidence for you. They can track your spouse’s movements, provide photographic evidence and even use computer forensic skills to find incrementing data on a hard drive that was thought to be erased.

Sometimes the new people in your spouse’s life are the problem. You may think that they are dangerous or a bad influence and you do not want them around your children. An Alpharetta Private Investigator can provide you with complete background and criminal checks on those people. These reports can be used for your own education or used in court as evidence that your children were endangered. The bottom line is, if you think something is going on, an Atlanta private detective can help you to find out what.

 

 

 

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Alpharetta Private Detective

What Private Investigation Services can a PI provide?

A good Alpharetta Private Detective Firm will offer a wide array of services to their clients. There is some overlap between categories but they are usually dived into services for individuals, corporate services and technology based services.

When an individual hires a Georgia PI  they are often looking for help with very personal issues. The most popular reasons to hire a PI firm falls into this category. Some situations that you will need investigators help are:

  •  Missing persons – The police can not usually help you until a certain amount of time has elapsed, in case the person in question has gone on a trip or left of their own accord.  That persons loved ones may know that something is wrong much faster and then it’s best to hire a Georgia Private Investigations firm to start looking for them immediately.
  • Divorce – This is the most popular reason for hiring an Alpharetta Private Detective When you need proof of your spouses adultery then hiring a PI is often the only way to get it.
  • Child Support or custody – When people move or change their name the courts don’t have the resource to track them down. In this situation people find it best to have an Atlanta Private Detective dedicated to finding the deadbeat dad or mom. If one parent is awarded custody of a child that does not always mean that they will always be the best choice. If that parent’s circumstances change and begin to endanger the child an Alpharetta Private Detective can gather the evidence needed to have the child removed

 

When businesses find that they need help with Georgia Private Investigations it involves much less emotional subjects. A PI form can help companies with:

  • Background checks – generally companies use online services to find out about future or present employees. That information is sometimes unverified or has been keyed in error so they will hire a PI firm that does an in depth check of someone.
  • Loss prevention – Some stores cannot afford to hire a full time security person to protect their store from theft so a private investigator is an economical option.
  • Workers comp – While anyone injured on the job deserves compensation, some employees will lie about an incident to get benefits and not have to work anymore. Those claims hurt productivity and moral so store owners will hire an Atlanta PI to verify the claim.
  • Fraud – This is just like workers comp cases but the fraud is about anything in which the person intended to deceive.  The only way to find the truth about fraud is to hire a PI to watch them and gather evidence of the deception.

 

The last reason to hire a PI is for computer forensics and the need for it is growing every day. So much crime is done with computers that a PI needs to be trained in how to track security access and ways to recover information form a hard drive that was erased or formatted. Often times they will have to track perpetrators through data streams back to the point of origin.

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Georgia Private Detectives

What is a corporate PI?

When you hear the words Georgia Private Investigator to you immediately start thinking in terms of black and white? Do you picture a big tough looking guy in a trench coat that drags the ground whose internal monologue can be heard by anyone in a 100 yard radius? Many of the people that are looking for help with Georgia Private Investigations expect something similar. The Silent Partner PI firm breaks all of the expectations except the ones dealing with professionals, competency and results.

Silent Partner PI is a Georgia PI firm that is just as adept at helping large corporations as it is at tracking down delinquent husbands. Some of the services that they offer companies include:

  • Background Checks – Many companies already run background checks on their employees and sometimes their clients but how reliable is that data? If there was a mistake when it was being keyed in or if the data has not been verified on a regular basis then something could be missed. When you use an Alpharetta PI firm like Silent Partner, you know that the information is correct and was gathered recently. They will perform a criminal background search as well as interview neighbors and co workers. They are able to perform credit checks as well as drug screening. Plus, all the important information like date of birth, address, employment history and education will be verified by the PI’s personally.
  • Fraud Investigations – These are cases built upon someone using misrepresentation with the intent to deceive. So for instance, if a person walks into your restaurant and slips on a wet floor. They then sue the company because they are injured so badly that they are confined to a wheelchair. You may be 99% sure that they are lying and are not injured at all but how do you get proof? You hire the best Atlanta Private Detective available.
  • Loss Prevention – This is the polite term for your employees or customers stealing from you. They may be shoplifting clothes or grazing through the candy aisle on break but either way it starts to add up to significant lost revenue. If you do not have a full time security force on hand then it is a good idea to hire a PI to watch your merchandise. The savings from preventing the loss is usually more than enough to offset the price of a good PI
  • Workers Comp – These cases are very similar to fraud cases but it is limited to the employees of the company. Some employees will fake an injury in order to stop working and start receiving insurance money. This can hurt the company because of the lost manpower and it gives other people the idea that it may not be safe to work there. Plus the additional insurance payout to people that don’t deserve may make some that does deserve the money unable to get it. So, many people will want to hire a Georgia PI to separate the real from the fake.
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Hiring an Atlanta Private Investigator

How to hire a Private Investigator:

The first thing that you should know about, what a Georgia Private Investigations firm does. Many times they will handle the cases that need individual attention that the law enforcement agencies cannot provide. A few examples are:

  • You know that your wife has been cheating on you but you have no proof. Before you start the divorce preceding you want to make sure that you can proof your case. A Georgia PI can gather the evidence you need to take to court.
  • You are a store owner and either your employees or customers are stealing you blind but you can’t afford to hire security personnel full time. You can hire a Atlanta PI to watch over your merchandise and the cost of hiring them will be offset by the amount your save from a decrease in theft.
  • Some one has managed to steal funds from your corporation but the thief was computer savvy and covered his tracks by deleting files and crashing hard drives. An Alpharetta PI trained in computer forensics can still recover data from a crashed hard drive in most cases and once that it done they can trace file usage and network access back to the perpetrator.
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There are many other situations that you may need the help of an experienced PI but the above should give you a broad idea of how to apply their skills.

When looking for an experienced Georgia PI, try to find retired police or military police officers. They will have the training needed to testify in court, take clear notes and are usually fully licensed for the job at hand, including carrying a firearm when needed. Atlanta PI specialize in a specific service so you will want to find out what that is in the beginning.

When you interview the private investigator, there are a few questions that you should always ask:

  • How many cases like mine have you done and what was the outcome?
  • How long have you been a PI and what were you before?
  • Do you have a license for the state in which we will be working in?
  • Are you fully insured and bonded?
  • Will you be handling my case or will it be handed off to another investigator?
  • Will you be able to insure my confidentiality and how will you do that?
  • How much will this cost me?

 

Once you have found a Georgia Private Investigator  that you can trust be prepared to tell the PI everything about the situation. Do not hold anything back or it can make it impossible for them to do their jobs. If you are straight up with them then they will most likely bring you back the results that you are looking for.

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Atlanta Private Investigations

Do you need a PI?

There are some professions that people always hear about others using but cant think of when they would ever need one themselves. Mostly because when they get themselves into a situation where it doesn’t look like anyone can help them, those are the times they should be hiring those professionals.  Atlanta Private Investigations is a good example. A situation where you would need a good Atlanta PI firm often doesn’t pop out at you but will be right in front of you. Are you facing any of these situations?

  • Missing persons – Often times the police or other law enforcement agencies can not help you until a significant amount of time has elapsed, in case the person in question has left of their own volition on vacation or some other trip. Since you know the missing person so much better than the police, you may know that there is something wrong when you haven’t heard from them in a day or even hours depending on how often you interact. So, in that situation it is best to hire a Georgia Private Investigations firm to start looking for them immediately. They are able to give each case their personal scrutiny and work closely with the loved ones until a resolution can be found.
  • Divorce – This is by far the most popular reason for hiring the Silent partner PI firm and probably for other Georgia PI as well. Some studies show that 65% of couples have planned to have, have had or are currently having an adulterous affair. So, when it comes time for the divorce and you need proof of what has been going on, you need a good PI.
  • Child Support or custody – Some people go to great lengths to avoid paying child support. So when one moves or does something to slip off the courts radar they do not have the resource to track them down and enforce payment. In that situation clients find it best to have an Atlanta Private Detective dedicated to finding where they are hiding. Custody is a different matter though. Custody is judged on the situation of the guardian at the time of divorce but that can change after awhile. If they have taken up habits that endanger your children or are hanging around with an unsavory element, a PI can gather the evidence you need to get custody reviewed and hopefully the child removed.
  • Background check – Sometimes private individuals find the need to run background checks on people, so they turn to the online services for the information. If there was a mistake when it was being keyed in or if the data has not been verified on a regular basis then something could be missed. When you use an Alpharetta PI firm like Silent Partner, you know that the information is correct and has been gathered recently. They will perform a criminal background search as well as interview neighbors and co workers. They also help with credit checks drug screening. Plus, all the important information like date of birth, address, employment history and education will be personally verified by the investigator.

 

If you need help with any of these situations, call Silent Partner PI and get the help you need.

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Atlanta Private Detectives

Crime goes high tech

Criminals have made the leap to cyber crime years ago and thefts have been getting more complex ever since. It is not as easy as looking for fingerprints on a pedestal to see who stole a vase any more. Now you have to track data streams and network access to find who has been shifting around the little ones and zeros. Computer forensics is a difficult field and not many Georgia Private Investigations firms are adept in its use. Silent Partner PI is the exception.

They are trained to discover which files have been used in a computer crime and track changes in documents to see who may be the suspect. They are able to work with web pages, word processing files, spread sheets, email messages, software applications,  Databases, meta data, IM’s, PDA, and a myriad of other documents that can be used in criminal activity. A detailed network investigation or internet use investigation will often uncover the perpetrator fairly quickly.

In a cyber crime you need an Atlanta Private Detective that can deal with hard disk recovery as well. When done properly data recovery may take days to accomplish but it can recover files from a hard drive after it has been erased and reformatted repeatedly. To cover their tracks criminals will try to destroy files and they think quickest way to do that is crash a hard rive or erase it in some way. Hard drives are like having a person write really hard on a writing tablet and then tearing off the top piece. Often times the message can be retrieved from the underlying layer. So a good Alpharetta Private Detective can retrieve data that was thought to be lost entirely. If some important company documents were destroyed along with any evidence of criminal activity, it may be worth having an Alpharetta PI do the recovery just to regain your files for day to day operations.

PI firms are also great to have around before a crime has been committed. A well trained Atlanta PI can go over your computer systems and check for lax security. Some companies allow employees to use weak passwords, leave their work stations unlocked and unattended or even use common passwords that will allow entrance to sensitive files and servers. Some programs and hardware may be left at its default settings which can be looked up at the manufactures website at any time. These security practices are why even amateur thieves can sometimes get away with sensitive files and information.

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