Private investigators come face to face with all kinds of social deviations, strange and sometimes dark family secrets, unbelievable cases of infidelity, or absolutely horrid, unfathomable acts of evil, all of which thickens their skin and broadens their view of what constitutes professionalism. We will stick to examining the standard and common problems people endure, as they are almost always the reason why PIs are never out of a job. The regular old “seen-it-before” cases that most investigators take on are very common, and we took the liberty of filtering out 5 examples that are a simple chore for the seasoned veteran PI:

Gathering Info and Personal Background Investigations

It’s a well-known fact that on the gigantic list of the PI’s services, snooping around people almost always stays on top of the list. Even children have insight from cartoons and know that Private Eyes are practically trained for absolute professional spying on common folk, for a hefty price, of course.

Many private investigators call crucial info gathering a simple “background check” and it includes thoroughly researching the target’s history, legal papers, financial and credit card statistics, social background and more. The extent of the search depends on what the client wants.

Background checks are also used when the client wants to find out more about a company or business. For example, if the client is considering becoming an employee they may hire a PI to gather crucial info on the company’s requirements, history, what they search for, etc.

It’s a simple example, but some background checks go even deeper. Perchance a lover wants to find out more about their romantic partner, they may want to make sure their potential partner doesn’t have a criminal history and is in fact who they say they are. Identity theft and catfishing are surprisingly common and they can come as a nasty shock if not discovered on time. You can never know your better half enough when the time comes to tie the knot. PIs understand this so well.

Insurance Fraud Investigations

PIs have a knack for a lot of paperwork. They investigate a wide variety of cases which include a very colorful legal nature. These cases very much often include insurance companies’ fraud histories, and swindling clients. It goes either way.

Many car insurance companies, home insurance, workers’ compensation, and health insurance companies have problems with dishonest fraudsters who want to make some extra cash from faux injuries and most times the scale is tipped in their favor.

Additionally, some companies like to stamp out the competition and resort to blackmail by using dirt gathered on other companies (this may be one of the more expensive services the PI can offer).

PIs are more than able to find critical info on a lot of subjects and this is no joke. It often involves sniffing around and searching for the target’s usual locations, searching for scrutiny of business practices, questioning a company’s legal legitimacy. But it’s not always pretty.

Some cases are gathering information on workplace theft or abuse, blackmail, or taking photographs of shady meetings. It even goes so far as finding out if there are mutinous employees in the company. This can result in employees experiencing the luxury of surprise to find out that they are getting fired even though they were actually planning to quit, weeks before they consider it.

Family Law Investigations

While we are discussing law, one of the more surprisingly common reasons that people are hiring PIs is none other than family matters. This can go from a quarrelsome brothers’ land dispute to very serious child custody battles.

That being said, clients want to gather evidence and photographs that can be used in court. Private investigators are hired for the sole purpose of finding out about hidden financial assets that can be used in cases of child support or alimony disputes.

You’d be surprised at the number of hopeless romantic spouses that terminated spousal support after finding out their ex is living with a lover, unbeknownst to them. Divorce is no simple matter, especially when surprising proof is presented at the very last second in front of a stunned jury all thanks to a resourceful private investigator.

It’s a trend for the average person to hire skilled PIs to help them with very difficult family decisions which almost always involve the legal court. In contrast, the private investigator’s services are also required when an even greater issue emerges, such as finding a missing person or searching for long-lost relatives. Many cases which include finding missing or adopted family members are very easy to solve and it will only take a couple of Internet searches. Some cases are difficult to crack, and this is where PIs come in.

Surveillance and Monitoring

PIs have a lot of tools at their disposal for surveillance and monitoring people. By using special databases which are only accessed by law enforcement staff, they conduct their priority surveillance, while the target of the surveillance could be anyone: a stalker, a person of interest, an abusive ex, a violent neighbor or a cheating wife.

Surveillance and monitoring services are needed when insurance companies want to make sure their clients are telling the truth. Disability fraud is scarily common and a photograph of someone who is receiving compensation for allegedly broken legs walking upright with no issue can result in them serving jail time.

Infidelity Investigations

Speaking of monitoring cheating wives, PIs may be contacted by many who want to know if their “better halves” may be cheating on them or not. Reportedly, the majority of the clients always hope that it’s the latter.

The PI is obliged to conduct an objective surveillance and use methods through social media and befriending the target using fakes, constant double-team stalking, and patiently waiting in parked cars for hours on end.

Surprisingly, many people refuse to believe the photographs presented to them and they often require further proof to crack their cemented belief and view of their husband or wife. They financially burden themselves with ordering more surveillance due to this, and sometimes PIs are forced to cut their service short, much to the client’s dismay. They won’t believe it until they see it with their own eyes.

Private investigators are not vigilantes, nor secret police, but they are often branded as the “third arm” of the law. It’s not as long but its tight grip finds ways to solve those difficult problems which plague most people.