6 Things to Do Before You Hire a Personal Investigator

Planning to hire a Personal investigator (PI)? The yellow pages are probably full of contacts of personal investigators who will promise you the sun and the moon. Given the rate of crimes, many get drawn to this profession. Thankfully, it is not difficult to find a PI but it is, however, excruciatingly difficult to find one whom you can trust! So how should you go about looking for one to ensure that you are not putting your faith in the wrong hands?

Here are six things you can and should do before hiring a trustworthy PI:

1. Do a background check

When it comes to hiring a PI, trust is an important factor. There are just too many of those imposters out there who are willing to sell you short at the first opportunity that they can get. Just how should one protect oneself from such shams? The best way to go about is, definitely, referrals. Look within your trusted circle. Do you have a friend who has recently hired a private investigator for some reason? Do you know anyone who can lead you to one who you can benefit from? If no, set out on your own and invest your investigator before you let him or her investigate on your behalf.

2. Check his license

Sounds like the most obvious thing to do? You would be surprised how many clients get carried away in the witty ways of an imposter and then walk straight into trouble. No matter how smitten you are with your investigator, do not forget to check the license. This is an important stepping stone in finding a trustworthy personal investigator.

3. Look at his work experience

Now, work experience for a personal investigator is a rather discreet subject. He or she may not be willing to take you through the details of his clientele and that is understood. Having said that, he should at least be able to provide you with some relevant testimonial or another. Plus, take a look at the time period for which he has been in business. Depending on your requirement, you might be better off assigning someone with a relevant number of years in the trade. Also, check your investigator’s area of expertise. Is he or she tech savvy or capable enough to deal with cybercrimes? Also, do you require such a specialization?

4. Study your private investigator

What vibes does he give you? What is his approach to money? Is he clear about his fees? Do you think he has a profound understanding of human nature? How does he refer to his other clients when you poke him about it? Does he divulge information about them that you should not know only to impress you? He would probably do the same for you, behind your back. You should know better than to trust such a person. You should have a basic idea about how private investigators work.

5. Code of confidentiality

Is there a way of stressing this enough? While working with a personal investigator, his norms of ethics, privacy, discreetness, and confidentiality should come above all. Depending upon the nature of your requirement, it can be sensitively personal or discreetly professional. You should hire an investigator who has a reputation for privacy and confidentiality. Probe him or her about his or her clientele and the nature of the cases they have investigated. Study your investigator closely on how he or she approaches the topic of confidentiality. Does it impress you or raise your suspicion? Enquire about the techniques used? Is he or she being interestingly discreet or surprisingly clandestine? If you need more clarity on this, the experts at http://cuttyinvestigations.com will be able to advise you.

6. Where is his office?

What? Your personal investigator does not have a registered office or is not working with a PI firm? You may be courting some serious trouble by choosing to trust someone who operates solely through internet cafes and mailboxes. Be smarter than that. How can you trace someone like that after they have disappeared with your money and refuse to get back to your e-mails and phone calls after you have settled payment?

Everything said and done, it is always better to choose a PI firm over an individual. Not all the good ones are registered; some choose to do business on their own. But, if you opt for a reputed firm, there a couple of things you will never have to rack your brains over: their method, approach, expertise, and reputation. Also, it is easy to research a PI firm rather than an individual and it might be one of the safest ways to find a trustworthy PI.