Why You Need an Investigative Team, Not Just an Investigator

You Need an Investigative Team, Not Just An Investigator

I get calls from clients all the time, asking me,“Do you have any female investigators? Do you have a Hispanic Investigator? Do you have an Asian Investigator? Do you have an Investigator in San Francisco…” And so on.
Investigation Team

One of the key characteristics a professional investigation company is having resources where the clients need them when then need them.  This mean being able to adapt to the specific needs of the case and the clients requests.  In short adaptability is a must.

You have to be flexible. Whether you need to switch from one case to another as developments arise, balance between multiple clients, and especially in order to take on a multitude of diverse cases all over the country.

An investigation company could lose on an opportunity to handle case because there’s something they can’t change; like the way they look, their age, gender or location.

There are times when a client needs an investigator who is of a specific ethnicity, gender, age, or background. They might even need a group of these diverse investigators to take on an assignment.

The reason I bring this up is because we recently had a case where the client wanted to hire us for an undercover investigation project that involved purchasing some items that they felt would be best completed by a younger (21-30 year old male or female) investigator.

The investigation started by making contact with the subject via email.  Our director of investigations, who is over 50 years old, followed up with the subject via phone. This enabled us to coordinate with our male field investigator who was out of the area to setup the meeting to acquire the goods.

The subject then insisted on the person making the purchase show their identification. Needless to say, this complicated things. Instead of being able to use a pseudonym, we had to find a way to use someone with an identity that could be revealed and not compromise the case.  In this time of social media and total transparency, not many people have a minimal online footprint. A trained investigator, however, knows to keep their online presence on the down low.

Then, at the last minute, there was a change of plans.

The subject decided that instead of doing the “deal” at the original meet up place where our female investigator was ready to deploy, now they wanted to meet in the greater Los Angeles area.  On the fly, we had to deploy a male investigator to pickup the “goods”, since our female investigator was too far away.

When all was said and done, our team of investigators succeeded in completing this undercover project for the client.

Here is the team that was needed to get the job done…

1) Male Investigator (Caucasian- 30-40 years old)- 40 plus years of experience

2) Male Investigator (Caucasian- 50 years plus)- Ex-Law Enforcement– 30 plus years of experience

3) Male Investigator (Caucasian- 40-50 years old)- 15 plus years of experience

4) Female Investigator (40-50 years old)

5) Male Investigator (Hispanic- 40-50 years old)- 20 plus years of experience

In addition to the people involved, our team also utilized several commercial databases to run name searches, reverse cell phone searches and advanced Internet searches.

At the close of the case, the client was happy with the results and probably didn’t even realize how many people were involved to get them what they were looking for.

Before you hire a single investigator based on their age, ethnicity or location think about this example. Most of the time, it’s better to work with a team of investigators that can adapt to the case as things change and they will very quickly.

When to use a Private Investigator in Collection Matters

When to use a Private Investigator in Collection Matters

When to use a Private Investigator in Collection Matters

Obtaining a judgment can be easier than collecting on a judgment.  Debtors will often use tactics to evade collection and hide assets.  When you need to find evidence that leads to assets you can use a private investigator in your collection matters.

If the debtor is being evasive, it could be time to bring in an investigator.

Here are three ways a PI can get you better leverage on your debtor.

1. Conduct an asset and background investigation

This will be the most basic starting point to getting the money that’s owed to you. An asset investigation will allow you to determine where the debtor stands financially. You can get the full picture about whether they’re lying about not being able to pay or simply being stingy.

Next, a background investigation will help you determine the debtor’s litigation history. It’s possible that you’re not the only person waiting to get paid. Finding out where your collection stands will let you know when you can expect to get your dues.

Through these two investigations will also reveal if the debtor owns property, vehicles, planes or boats, and any other type of high-ticket item they might have funds tied up in. Knowing what they own can present an opportunity to have the court mandate selling some of these purchases in order to pay off the debt owed to you.

2. Find out where they really live

While you may already have their address, it is still important to see precisely where they live. Is their residence easily accessible from the street? Is it in a gated community?

This information is important for the next stage of an investigation: evidence collection.

One of the best ways to get information on a person is to go through their trash. Once that dumpster bin is out and on the street, waiting to be collected, it technically becomes public property.

In a trash can, you can find receipts, bank statements, offer letters, and a multitude of documents that can link the debtor to people, places, hidden assets, other ownership, and possibly other collections they’re involved in.

3. Lifestyle surveillance

Conducting surveillance over several days to document and track behavior of the the debtor can give you the story of their lifestyle, business dealings and standard of living.

Being able to track their day-to-day activities enables you to discover spending behaviors, relationships and interactions with businesses.

If they spend their money frequently, you’ll know where they went. The type of place will determine if the money they spent on retail should actually be going to your bottom line instead.

Intelligence gathering becomes crucial when you’re determining setting a judgment debtor examination, levying on a bank account or subpoenaing records is the best move. If you have the full picture your odds of effectively collecting on your judgment vastly increase.

Why should an attorney have a reputable investigator by their side?

In a game where evidence is king, every attorney needs a reputable private investigator to help them get the information needed to win.

Whether that information is obtained before a trial, during, or after, an investigator can be a key element to wining a case.

Investigators can document activities of the opposing party, dig up public records, or even interview witnesses whose testimonial can be crucial to a case.

Also, most attorneys don’t always know where their next case or referral will come from. They may be brought into a matter they do not specialize in.

However, by using an investigator to gather information, it will be easier to evaluate the case. That way, the attorney can determine if they can assist or if they should bring in an expert to help.

It is important to find the facts as soon as possible before time and money are invested into a case that someone else might be better off handling.

At the end of the day, if an attorney can expand their practice and their reach by hiring an investigator, they can drive more revenue to their bottom line.