Private investigators are people who work for themselves or a company in the private sector (as opposed to government investigators) to investigate or find evidence for a variety of cases. Many people are curious about the kinds of cases and work that private investigators are hired to work on, and why they are still needed now that there are so many different investigative government agencies. While in the past the lifestyle of a private investigator has been glamourized in novels and television, the real day-to-day cases that most investigators work on are much less exciting and dangerous. People and companies often hire private investigators for the following types of cases:

Criminal Investigations

Private investigators can assist in the investigation of crimes such as theft, fraud, and embezzlement. Lawyers and legal teams can hire investigators to help find evidence either for the prosecution or for the defense side of criminal investigations. While many people are surprised to hear that private investigators can sometimes work on criminal cases, the fact is that outsourcing the job of gathering needed evidence and proof to support a case can allow the legal team to spend their time doing tasks more suited to their experience and education.

Civil Investigations

Private investigators often help gather evidence in civil cases, such as divorce, custody battles, and personal injury claims. The evidence gathered in these cases can help the client win the civil case in their favor. In situations such as family matters, the private investigator is likely to be looking for evidence of misplaced money, inappropriate behavior, or abusive parenting.

In personal injury cases, the investigator might be looking for evidence that the defendant was intentionally negligent or broke a law that resulted in the injury. On the other hand, they might have been hired by the defendant to look for evidence of fraud or intentional injury on the plaintiff’s part.

Corporate Investigations

Private investigators can be hired to investigate employee misconduct, theft, or fraud in a business setting. In these cases, they might go undercover as a coworker in an office or work building, to look for evidence of illegal or unethical behavior. Sometimes, private investigators are hired to look for evidence of embezzlement or corporate theft, such as happens when one member of a partnership is suspicious of another member. Finally, private investigators may be hired by upper management to observe individual store or factory managers and franchise owners to make sure the corporation’s policies and missions are being upheld and to check for fraud.

Infidelity Investigations

When one partner is suspicious of unfaithful or unscrupulous behavior, they sometimes hire a private investigator to gather evidence in a personal relationship. The investigator will watch the other partner to see where they go, what activities they engage in, and who they spend time with. They will monitor the person’s activities to see if they are being honest with their spouse about their whereabouts. The information gathered by the investigator can be used as evidence against the unfaithful partner during an ensuing legal separation or divorce.

Missing Person Cases

Private investigators are often hired to locate missing individuals, either for personal or legal reasons. In some cases, the person isn’t truly missing, but they are being sought for some reason and the investigator is hired to find them. This can be the case in situations of creditors looking for people who owe them money.

In other cases, a private investigator is hired by concerned family or friends to help look for a missing person. In some of these cases, such as when an adult is missing but there is no reason to suspect criminal circumstances, law enforcement can’t always dedicate time and resources to the case.

Finally, private investigators are sometimes brought in by the family to help in cases where kidnapping or endangerment is suspected. In many such cases, family members don’t feel like law enforcement has dedicated sufficient time and effort to finding their missing loved one and they hire an investigator to help.

Background Checks

A private investigator can conduct background checks on individuals for employment, personal, or security purposes. They can go beyond the normal state or federal background check and research the person’s history by talking to family members, neighbors, and past employers. Private investigators also can look into local arrest records, public records, and old news reports.

Insurance Investigations

Insurance companies may hire private investigators to investigate possible cases of insurance fraud. Insurance fraud is becoming a big problem, and some insurance companies are being more careful about the payouts they make. In some cases, the person who owns the insurance policy may hire an investigator to research their claim for fraud. This may happen in cases of suspicious personal injury claims.

Conclusion

While most investigators are employed by government law enforcement agencies or similar roles in the public sector, private investigators can be hired by individuals and companies to research things government agencies won’t look into. They can also be hired to find additional evidence, help corporations become more secure, and provide additional information for lawsuits.