People are the Best Sources for Private Investigators, Not Databases

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People are the best sources for Private Investigators

People are the Best Sources for Private Investigators, Not Databases

As a Private Investigator it is crucial to find the right people and ask them the right questions to assist in getting all the facts and insight that needed. Databases will give you plenty of information and necessary records but people give you the whole story and can answer your pressing questions. Remember that people are driven by emotion, so profiling “witnesses” and understanding their background before you make contact is vital.

Here are some tips:

  • The witness to the car accident can tell you how the accident really happened, which often contradicts what is found in the police report.
  • The business owner or employee can tell a private investigator all about a brand or trademark and if it’s truly being used in commerce. They can tell you how long has the trademark has been used, if it’s been abandoned, and any future plans for the trademark.
  • The former employee can tell you the dynamics of the managers and employees at the company and who you need to talk to. These are sources that no one else has uncovered or knows about.
  • The neighbor can tell you about the activity level of your subject and if they are working or not.  They can also tell you at what hours they come and go, who else lives with them and where they park their car. 
  • The friend, relative or spouse of your subject may be posting on social media about your subject. If you follow that trail you can glimpse into their behavior, location and lifestyle.
  • In some situations a cover story or pretext is required to get your sources to cooperate. In other situations you can go in straight.  As an investigator your job is to figure when to use a cover story and when to go in straight.
  • One strategy that works extremely well when you are looking for incriminating information on your subject is something that I call the ex-factor. This technique involves locating; ex-spouses, ex-bosses, ex-neighbors, ex-coworkers, ex-girlfriends/boyfriends. If you can track down “ex’s” they are likely to volunteer tons of information. 

Use your databases to find sources that will tell you the whole story. In today’s Information Age these skills are what separate you from the rest. This type of investigation shouldn’t be done paralegals and attorneys for ethical reasons.

  • Bonus Tip: When you make contact with witnesses on the phone or in-person you should remember to ask them if they have spoken with anyone else about the case.  This will help you and your client to better understand what you are up against.
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Business Development for Private Investigators: What Works & What Doesn’t

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Business Development for Private Investigators

The following article by Santoni President/CEO Tim Santoni was published in Pursuit Magazine  – October 24, 2019

At the low point of the last economic downturn, I was stuck in a terrible slump. I needed to bring in more clients, but I didn’t know where to begin. The thought of cold calling people sounded awful to me. I needed to get creative — fast.

Long story short, my investigative consulting and background screening company survived, and is now thriving, thanks to the time and effort I put into establishing my reputation and building a stronger client base. Below, I’ll outline some strategies that worked for me.

Networking

The quickest way to grow your network is to join a networking group. As a private investigator, you’ll want to meet attorneys, CPAs, insurance brokers, business brokers, and other service providers who work with businesses. This means you need to join a networking group that attracts people in these lines of work.

Before you join your local Chamber of Commerce or BNI group, ask to visit and get a list of members. Every networking group is different, and you need to assess each one individually. Joining a group that consists of chiropractors and jewelers won’t do you much good.

If you want to build relationships with professionals who might refer clients to you one day, you need to learn all about your networking group and get to know its members well. Once you understand what a person does, what their ideal client looks like, and what makes them tick, you can make solid referrals. Sending business to your new contacts is a great way to build trust; before you can expect to receive referrals, you first must make referrals to people in your network. That kind of trust-building does not happen fast, but it’s worth the investment.

Some professional networking groups to explore in your area might include:

Beyond these networking groups, you should also become active in your industry associations. For private investigators, process servers and security professionals, there are lots of these organizations to choose from. Another good strategy is to join an organization where you’re the only one of your kind in the room. For instance, if you join the Sheet Metal Fabricators Association, you’ll get a lot more attention because you are different. Businesses in a group like this could use you for internal/external theft, competitive intelligence, workers’ comp claims investigations, and background checks, just for starters.

Success Story

As I mentioned in the intro, the recession had sent my firm into a financial tailspin; I needed new clients and wasn’t sure how to find them. I reached out to other people in industries that sell services to law firms. I spoke to one provider in the computer forensics field, and he mentioned a networking group that he held in high regard.

I checked out this group and ended up joining. In the first year, I brought on several new clients. That new revenue paid for my membership within a couple of months. As I ramped up in this networking group, I asked people who were getting lots of referrals what the secret was.

What they told me seemed so simple: Attend meetings regularly, be active, and offer to participate in executive committees and panels. Connect with your best referral sources, and refer out as much as you can. In other words, engage.

I am now entering my eighth year with this group, and I continue to get extreme value from it.

LinkedIn

If you want to grow your professional network and you only want to pick one social media site, LinkedIn is where you should go. LinkedIn is one of the fastest-growing professional networking sites. To get started on LinkedIn, you just need to create your profile and start interacting.

Just as you would in a face-to-face networking event, you have to engage with professionals on the platform. The first step is to connect with your friends, clients and former colleagues. Then look for ways to make introductions, comment on member posts, and write and share articles. When I say engaged, I mean that you visit the site at least once a day, but eventually move to three to five visits per day. The LinkedIn app is very easy to use and lets you get a snapshot of what’s going on in just a few seconds. Look for requests to connect, direct messages, and activity by your network and/or groups.

Many people in my circles say that LinkedIn doesn’t work. When I hear this, I ask what they are doing on the platform and what they are looking for. Many times, I think the reason that LinkedIn doesn’t work for people is that they aren’t actually out there talking to people on the platform. It’s like joining a networking group but not attending the meetings, and then saying that you didn’t get any new business, so the group is no good.

LinkedIn is also a great account management tool for investigation companies that don’t have sales teams. If you’re connected with all of your clients, LinkedIn will alert you when they move firms or change jobs. This is a great opportunity to reach out and congratulate them on their new position and make sure they have your contact information ready for when they next need your services.

Success Story

It’ll take time to grow your connections and influence on LinkedIn. Don’t expect to be rewarded with new business in a week or a month. But by following the strategy I outlined above, I’ve grown my LinkedIn network to over 4,000 connections, and I’m in the top one percent of my industry. I’m recognized by people I don’t know at industry events, and I get lots of LinkedIn messages from people needing my services. But my biggest coup was when a trusted advisor of mine chimed in on a request made by a company in need of my services. The posting on that thread was social proof that I had the skills the potential client needed, and it was a signal to everyone else to keep my name and company top of mind.

Public Speaking

If speaking before large audiences doesn’t scare you, then go forth, create a few great presentations, and start reaching out. But even if you’re an introvert with stage fright, I promise that you’ll get better with practice.

Speaking is a great way to build your brand and grow your client base. Finding opportunities to speak demands a little strategizing. Develop a list of organizations that regularly need speakers, and start reaching out. Tell your friends, family, and clients that you’re looking for speaking engagements. Include your speaking offering in your monthly client email newsletter as well.

Success Story

A close family friend of mine is the managing partner at a large insurance defense law firm. I’ve reached out to him many times to set up a meeting and show him how my company can help him, his staff, and his clients. Time after time, he has rebuffed my overtures.

Recently, I spoke at a legal networking group about investigative techniques and social media investigations. I arrived at the event, and who did I bump into: that family friend who runs the insurance defense firm. After my presentation, I spoke with him again, and he agreed to give our firm a shot.

Email Marketing

As private investigators, the only real assets we have are our clients. You should be adding to and updating your client list on a daily basis. There are many free and inexpensive tools (CRM’s) that work well. Many of them integrate with email marketing providers.

While email open rates aren’t necessarily on the rise, your email list is the only reliable, direct way to send information to your clients. Start with a monthly newsletter. Don’t stuff it with your services and pricing. Offer information about the industry, highlight your clients, share case stories, and add value.

In your email marketing campaigns, use a professional service like MailChimp or Constant Contact. Don’t send mass email from your Outlook or Gmail. If your contact list is small, you can use these services for free; many of them offer a contact management system as well.

One bonus tip about email marketing: Look at the reports — especially the automatic return messages from the client’s former firm that say, “Mr. Attorney, Esquire is no longer with the firm…” This allows you to track down that client on LinkedIn or via the state bar site, connect with them at their new firm, and update their contact information.

In order to be perceived as an expert by your audience, you need to create content that illustrates your expertise. Keep telling stories that convey the types of work you handle and the success stories. Use social media channels, preferably LinkedIn, to distribute the content. Good content is king, and I would add that consistent content is equally important.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Every entrepreneur thinks they know something about SEO, but few actually do. When I ask people what they are doing as part of the SEO campaign, I get all sorts of answers.

Let’s begin with a definition: SEO is a combination of digital marketing practices that elevate your website so that people can easily find it by searching via Google & Bing. SEO is a highly technical form of virtual sorcery that requires lots of study and constant troubleshooting; the search algorithms and best practices are constantly changing, and it takes time and effort to keep up with these changes. That’s why it’s in your interest to outsource SEO to a professional.

I’ve worked with several SEO companies over the last 10-plus years, and I can tell you that that for me, it makes sense to work with a company that understands B2B sales. If you’re targeting consumers, almost any SEO company can assist, as they see things more in a B2C setting and understand how to sell products. B2B is more specialized and demands different strategies.

Pay Per Click (PPC)

Paid ads can be valuable if you’re looking to attract consumers, because you can craft ads with specific copy that drives people to a certain service. For example, if you offer infidelity surveillance to consumers in a certain county or zip code, you can show the ad to people in that area. The other benefit is that you can use a tracking phone number for these leads and also send them to a dedicated landing page. This is different than organic search traffic that you get through search and SEO, as those people will land on the home page or the page that Google serves up in search.

In order for paid ads to work, you need to have solid ads for services that you know make you money, and you need to manage the ad spend carefully. You can easily blow through $500 – $1000 in a month without getting a single targeted lead if you don’t have a solid strategy and tracking in place.

Conclusions

In short, I don’t know of any marketing strategies that definitively don’t work. What I can tell you from experience is that some strategies take more time, resources, and management to get results.

I would caution you to not listen to competitors or friends or mimic what they do; what works for one Private Investigator business most likely won’t work for another. Instead, I recommend that you invest in a solid website (I prefer a WordPress-based site) that you can update and edit easily as your business evolves. Then start sharing information in whatever form you prefer: blog posts, short videos, infographics, white papers, images.

Schedule your content regularly; do not stop producing content. Use the channels you have in place to distribute what you create (LinkedIn, YouTube, Medium, your blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). Once you’ve been doing it consistently for six months to a year, you’ll start to see results. And then you can begin to test other marketing strategies.

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Trace-X Press Release

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Trace-X Press Release

Santoni Acquires Trace-X 

Irvine, CA –  Santoni expands its suite of risk mitigation services with the acquisition of Trace-X.  Trace-X is a leading provider in online data removal of personal identifying information from people finder websites.  “With the addition of the Trace-X service we now have the ability to protect clients in a variety of industries who are concerned about their private information being available and accessible to fraudsters and criminals. 

“We can also give peace of mind to victims of identity theft,” said Tim Santoni, President at Santoni.  In today’s information age where your personal identifying information is being bought and sold it is important to regularly monitor and remove your name, address, phone number, and email addresses from people finder sites.  The increased number of threats and unwanted contacts makes it ever more important to control where and how your information is available. 

Santoni is a leader in background screening, investigations and risk mitigation for individuals, businesses, insurance companies and brand owners across the country. Santoni staffs a team of highly trained, licensed, professional investigators and certified background screening consultants who consistently produce timely and accurate information to help our clients make crucial business decisions. Santoni  is nationally known with a global reach. 

For more information please visit santoniservices.com or call 949-900-3400

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Trends 2019 – From Tim Santoni

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Trends 2019 From Tim Santoni

Trends 2019 – From Tim Santoni

In our business we work with businesses and their trusted advisors (Lawyers, CPA’s, Commercial Insurance Brokers, Business Brokers, Human Resources Consultants, Brand Managers, Marketing Teams & Consultants).  Our investigation and background checks are really just a tool to help mitigate risk in the hiring process or develop evidence and information to make an informed legal or business decision. As we enter the 4th quarter, I wanted to point out some trends that I have observed as a result of our work and interactions with our clients.

Investigations

In the information age that we live there are vast amount of data and information available online through free and paid providers.  The parsing through and verifying of this information is now the challenge.  Online research tools and Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) are becoming the standard to conduct background research on litigants and people injured at work and in automobile accidents.  The open source tools offering by OSINT and other providers have been maliciously hacked and were forced to be taken down. Many of the free tools available are now protected behind paid sites or software offerings.  As far as new searches go, the Vehicle Sighting Reports is an amazing tool to track down where someone is living, working and who they might be associating with.  If at all possible insurance carriers would forego the expense related with surveillance/subrosa and activity checks if they can get more cost effective information obtained through databases.

Background Screening Trends

Industries with forced compliance such as, Finance/Banking, Information/Technology (IT), Construction & Healthcare are consistently in need of custom background screening programs to meet the requirements of their contracts with state and government agencies.  Employers are also looking into continuous monitoring of criminal activity so they are alerted when current employees have runs in with the law.  Proper authorizations and disclosures are a key focus of plaintiff attorneys looking to files cases against employers and  background screening companies which are often referred to as CRA’s.  Electronic Authorizations and Disclosures are emerging as a great solution to decrease turnaround time on background checks while maintaining compliance.  

IP & Brand Protection

Trademark clearance and registration related investigations are on the rise with increased Trademark Applications being filed.  Trademark applications from Chinese based applicants have really spiked. There is an increasing need to identify rogue sellers of infringing and counterfeit products on sites like Amazon that often give counterfeiters an identity shield. We are seeing an increased need for evidentiary “undercover” buys from sellers that are not having their sales fulfilled by Amazon and other e-Commerce providers in an effort to identify and enforce. The removal of domain name ownership records, commonly referred to as “WHOIS” data is making it more and more difficult for brand owners and their attorneys to identify the operators of rogue sites that are selling counterfeit/infringing products.  The lack of WHOIS information is also impacting the ability for online brand protection providers to send automated C&D letters as the first step in the enforcement process.

Risk Mitigation

Open Workers’ Comp Claims are still an ongoing concern for many California employers.  Businesses are frustrated with the lingering claims that are costing them time and money.  They are also fighting back to show their employees that they do not pay out on exaggerated and fraudulent claims.  Trade Secret & IP theft is now a concern for all types of employers. We are seeing an overwhelming need to upgrade and update IT policies so that when internal theft of IP occurs it can be investigated and tied to the perpetrator.  If employers are hit with Trade Secret, IP Theft and Employment Practices lawsuits they need to look at having an on-demand computer forensics partner to forensically preserve the data in a timely manner to avoid spoliation and overwriting.

 

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“Process Server Daily” Podcast

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Process Server Daily Podcast Tim Santoni

 

 

Tim Santoni recently spoke with Michael Reid on his podcast “Process Server Daily” about life as a Private Investigator and President/CEO of Santoni Investigations.  Michael and Tim discussed many topics including IP/Brand Protection , Anti-Counterfeiting Investigations, Surveillance and Risk Mitigation  . Also covered were the many ins and outs of both the Private Investigation and Background Screening businesses. Our thanks to Michael for having Tim on his show.

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Friending Litigants on Facebook

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Friending Litigants on FacebookIn this video, Tim Santoni talks about why it is a bad idea on multiple levels to friend a litigant on Facebook or any other social media platform.  Making contact with a litigated party is not a smart move and whether you are an attorney, paralegal or an investigator working for an attorney on a litigated matter. You need to understand that the manner in which information and evidence is obtained is crucial. Evidence obtained through unlawful means can be deemed inadmissible and can open up the parties involved to sanctions, penalties, fines, etc.

If you believe there is valuable evidence and information buried in the Facebook profile of a litigant there are open source investigation techniques (OSINT) that can often uncover this information without making a “friend” request.

Before you engage an associate, paralegal or private investigator to conduct social media research make sure you understand their approach and know what you can be getting yourself into. Engage only with a trusted private investigator who has experience in litigated matters and is licensed.

Have a look at the related videos below;

4 Tools for Online Investigations (VIDEO)

Social Media Preservation (VIDEO)

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What to do when your employees are targeted by a stalker in the workplace

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What to do when your employees are targeted by a stalker in the workplace

 

 

Stalker in the workplace? How can you help employees when you find out they are being stalked by a customer/client or someone they know personally?  The natural instinct of most people is to contact law enforcement. Unfortunately, the Police typically won’t even take a report unless you can show at least 7 documented contacts by the alleged workplace stalker. Here are some tips if you have employees who are involved in stalking situations…

Gather as much identifying information on the stalker as possible:

  • Full Name
  • Physical Description
  • Age/DOB
  • License Plate Number
  • Vehicle Make & Model
  • Social Media Profiles
  • Cell Phone Number
  • Last known address

Document all interactions:

  • In person
  • Phone
  • Email
  • Text
  • Visual or physical contact with other employees
  • Social Media
  • Security Camera Footage

Conduct a Background Check:

A discreet background check conducted by a professional investigator can provide valuable information to assess the level of threat the stalker could pose.  If any criminal information (Arrests, Convictions, Watch List, Sex Offender Registry, Stalking) are found, this information should be presented to law enforcement as it will do two things.  First it will give more credibility to the threat and second it will force law enforcement to dig deeper because they have actual knowledge that they cannot ignore in fear of the threat escalating.

Recommendations/Accommodations:

  • Hire a security guard to be visible and present at your business
  • Escort employees to and from their vehicles before and after work
  • Install-Update Security Cameras
  • Advise employees to update privacy settings and/or remove personal identifiers (Phone, Email, Address) from their Social Media accounts

Impact on Stalking Victims:

  • 1 in 8 employed stalking victims lose time from work as a result of their victimization and more than half lose 5 days of work or more.
  • The most commonly reported stalker tactics by both female and male victims of stalking are approaching the victim or showing up in places where they do not belong, workplace, home, family gatherings. Making unwanted telephone calls to home and workplace, leaving the victim unwanted messages, watching or following the victim from a distance, and spying on the victim with a listening device, camera, or global positioning system.
  • 11{2f3748b5ca5ab0ef62f1154c571df9c56b0d52fa28ba96fa4f869e5919b9e929} of stalking victims have been stalked for 5 years or more.
  • 2/3 of stalkers pursue their victims at least once per week, many daily, using more than one method.
  • The majority of stalking victims are stalked by someone they know: 61{2f3748b5ca5ab0ef62f1154c571df9c56b0d52fa28ba96fa4f869e5919b9e929} of female victims and 44{2f3748b5ca5ab0ef62f1154c571df9c56b0d52fa28ba96fa4f869e5919b9e929} of male victims of stalking are stalked by a current or former intimate partner, 25{2f3748b5ca5ab0ef62f1154c571df9c56b0d52fa28ba96fa4f869e5919b9e929} of female victims and 32{2f3748b5ca5ab0ef62f1154c571df9c56b0d52fa28ba96fa4f869e5919b9e929} of male victims are stalked by an acquaintance.
  • 46{2f3748b5ca5ab0ef62f1154c571df9c56b0d52fa28ba96fa4f869e5919b9e929} of stalking victims experience at least one unwanted contact per week

Additional Reading:

http://victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/stalking-resource-center/stalking-information#what

http://victimsofcrime.org/docs/src/analyzing-stalking-statute.pdf?sfvrsn=2

 

 

 

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Locate Investigations / Skip Traces – By Jacqueline Macare

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Locate Investigations-Skip-Tracing

a Santoni Story Locate Investigations Skip Tracing with Jacqueline Macare

Locate Investigations (Skip Traces) can be challenging even if a client provides a name, date of birth, social security number, last known address, etc. When a client requests that we locate an individual with only a name and license plate number, it is very difficult. Late last week we were asked to locate an individual who was a suspect in a hit and run with a common name & a license plate number, likely living in San Francisco. Unfortunately, California leads the nation in fatal hit and run crashes so we are often called to locate individuals for this reason. A comprehensive search indexed to his name and San Francisco returned too many results to be productive. It was then decided that we run what’s called a Vehicle Sightings Report which utilizes a database of over two billion vehicle sightings, including current sightings (last 30 days), recent sightings (31-90 days) and historical sightings (older than 90 days). The database acquires these sightings from street and traffic cameras, including cameras in underground and public parking lots.

A search of the plate returned 23 sightings, with 20 of the sightings being “current.” Many times, a Vehicle Sighting Report does not yield results, or the results are too old.  The majority of sightings for this particular vehicle were in the cul-de-sac of a residential neighborhood.

Finally, we were able to narrow down our results to one person matching the subject’s name, by searching databases indexed to his name and street of possible residence. We confirmed his residence and provided our client with results in just one day.

Vehicle Sighting Reports are a powerful tool if results are found. We can use the information obtained by the report in a locate investigation of current residences, employers, and identify habits.

Please contact Santoni if you have any questions about Vehicle Sightings Reports and Locate Investigations / Skip Traces. – by Jacqueline Macare

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Domain Tools – by Mike Santoni

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Domain Tools by Mike SantoniI find that Domain Tools is a good resource to determine the registration information about a domain name (otherwise known as “Whois”).  The registration will supply information about the name of the registrant, their address, phone number and email address. It also lets you know who the registrar is for the domain name. If the registration is privacy protected (registrars supply this as a service to protect the identity of the registrant), in Domain Tools you can review the Whois History. Oftentimes, when someone creates the domain, they list their name, address, etc. and then later down the line, they decide to privatize it. But with the Whois History, you can review all the registrations and updates dating back to the creation of the domain.

If the domain is privatized, you can send an email through the registrar that hopefully will get to the true owner. However, if you know the name, etc. of the true owner, you can then do some background on that person to determine if they are “domainer” (someone who owns numerous domains and will often squat on them until they get the right offer to sell), a company with a legitimate business reason for having the domain, a private individual who only owns this domain (Whois will tell you how many domains are affiliated with the registrant’s email address), etc. Knowing this type of information supplies you with information on how to best negotiate buying the domain from the registrant.

To get the Whois History, you need to subscribe to the paid version of Domain Tools, but it’s invaluable.

– Mike Santoni

Connect with me on LinkedIn here

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Throwback Thursday – 40 Years, What I Have Learned – by Mike Santoni

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What I have learned in 40 Years Mike SantoniWhen I first got into the private investigation business in 1976, the landscape, technology, etc. was completely different than today. For public records such as voter’s registration records, court records, recorder’s office records, etc., it was necessary to take all your cases, get in your car and travel to all the various offices that housed those records and do an in person search. Even the criminal and civil records were in different court houses, depending on the county.

We had to rely on phone books (both white pages and yellow pages) and maintained a library of phone books for all of California and the rest of the U.S., not only for the current year, but for past years as well. And to research neighbors and their phone numbers so we could call them to get information, we relied on the Haines Criss Cross Directories that had phone listings by address. We would get updates on these Haines Directories every quarter or so, but the problem was they were out of date when we first got them. The only thing in our favor was back then, people seemed to move a lot less and landlines were the norm, not the exception.

Because our access to public information was not so readily accessible, it was very important to develop effective interview techniques.  This was absolutely necessary whether you were interviewing the subject of your investigation, a neighbor, an informant or whoever. Once you got that person on the phone, it was very necessary to obtain any and all of the information that you could at that time. This was important as people tend to give out more information about anything if they don’t have time to think about it. Once they have time to think, they begin to question everything, from who you are, why you’re calling, why you want the information, etc. The goal (and this applies to today also) is to get all the information you need and then have the person ask the questions to themselves once they hang up the phone.

Also, it’s very important to listen to what the person you are interviewing is saying (once again, this is just as important today as it was 40 years ago). For example, if you are interviewing a subject’s mother and trying to learn the subject’s whereabouts, and the mother tells you she has not seen or talked to her son/daughter for x number of months, has no contact information, no idea how to get hold of them, it’s almost always a good bet the subject is in jail or prison. It could also be that the mother and son/daughter had a falling out, but usually not. But always listen to the tone of what they are saying and how they are wording what they are saying.

Today, with the new technology and having most information at our fingertips, we can investigate more efficiently and more cost effectively. But we also have to recognize that not everything we read on the internet is true. People make up Facebook profiles, LinkedIn profiles, etc. And even if they’re not made up, a lot of people don’t update their profiles on a regular basis. So, if your subject lists on his Facebook page that he lives in Los Angeles, it may or may not be true. He could have lived there at one time and moved and not updated his profile. Or, he might have made up his city of residence all together.

It becomes very necessary to review ALL the information you are able to gather on an individual. This will give you somewhat of a story about the subject and then you can proceed from there. But just any one piece of information is not likely to tell you what you need to know. A database report (such as TLO) is great, but you need to read and review the report for clues on what may be true or untrue. A database report also gives leads to relatives (usually great sources of information because most of them are probably not hiding like your subject), prior addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, business affiliations, utility records, Consumer Public Filings (negative credit), etc.  If someone has a judgment for unlawful detainer that is indexed to their name and an address you know about, then that person is not going to be living there since he was sued by the property owner for nonpayment of rent.

I have several favorite tools for investigations, depending on what I’m looking for. For residence history, Consumer Public Filings, utilities, etc., I like to use TLO. For phone research, I find that Skip Smasher seems to have the best information. For trademark cases, I like to review the filings on the USPTO website. Going through all the documents filed (including application, specimen, etc.), you usually will find a lot of clues about what you are investigating.

The internet is a great thing, but there is no substitute for getting on the phone and calling someone to usually obtain the best information.

– Mike Santoni

Connect with me on LinkedIn here

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