Types of Fraud and how much it is costing us:
Is there a difference between a Private Investigator and a Private Detective?
That depends on the state private investigator licensing laws for your state. In many states, the words ‘private investigator’ and ‘private detective’ are interchangeable, but in some states there actually is a difference in their accepted meaning. For example, in New Jersey those who want to become a private investigator must adhere to the licensing laws as detailed in the Private Detective Act of 1939. The person who has the prerequisite investigative experience is called the ‘qualifier’ and when the New Jersey State Police Private Detective Unit issues the license, the qualifier is actually classified as a Licensed Private Detective. The owner of a licensed detective agency may hire employees, who when properly registered with the state licensing authority, the investigative employees are classified as a Private Investigator.
Historically, the profession of non-law enforcement investigations started back with Pinkerton in the late 1800’s. At that time the term “private detective” was the formal name and the outfit they worked for was called a “detective agency.” There were many movies and books that began using the “private-eye” moniker more and more. It was television starting in the 1974 with James Garner in the Rockford Files that really brought the investigative profession into the limelight. The show also had a major influence on most people using the private investigator title. The P.I. title became famous with the Magnum, P.I. television show featuring Tom Selleck.
Starting around 1960, many states did not want the public to confuse a private detective with that of a police detective. There has been a trend amongst many state licensing authorities and state investigative associations to use the title ‘private investigator’ as compared to ‘private detective’. In fact, many have actually taken legal steps to stop using the “detective” title.
What are the skills needed to become a successful Private Investigator?
Successful private investigators have tremendous common sense and quick reasoning skills. These skills can make the difference between success and failure on a case as well as getting hurt or staying safe. I have found that a variety of skills are much better than a single specialty. Having journalist or business skills are actually more important than investigative skills. Even if you are a great at a particular specialty, unless you know how to market yourself and acquire clients, you will never financially succeed as a private investigator.
What are the traits of a successful Private Investigator?
The traits of a successful private investigator include patience, discipline, common sense, intuition, anticipation, focus, the ability to listen, to ability to always welcome constructive criticism, and to continuously seek to further your education in a variety of areas.
Do Private Investigators have police powers?
Even though the State Police, Department of Public Safety, or the Secretary of State licenses most private investigators, a PI has no more police powers than the average citizen. In most states a PI license only permits the private investigator the privilege to loiter.
Do Private Investigators have access to government records?
Having a private investigator’s license does allow you access to several proprietary databases that are not available to the general public. These include data aggregators such as:
Do you pursue criminal charges and civil recourse?
Always consult with your attorney about this. Just remember, if you receive a civil judgment and prevail, the party can still declare personal bankruptcy, and you are left holding the bag…sort of speaking. But, if you pursue criminal charges and receive court ordered restitution, this cannot be attached to a personal bankruptcy. So again, consult with your personal attorney regarding this and writ of attachments.
Will hiring a private investigator get the job done faster?
I have to honestly say yes it will. Many police departments are overwhelmed and understaffed. Many White Collar cases don’t get the necessary attention that is needed, just because of the overwhelming demand put on the police resources. So, hire yourself a private investigator, and he or she will get the case hand delivered to your local PD.
How long will a Fraud case take to get accomplished?
Depending on the complexity of the case, it can be anywhere from a few weeks, months, or even a year. It all depends how available the records are, where they are located, how much of accounting trail is available, etc.. My last $100k embezzlement case took approximately 9 weeks to hand over the police and consisted over 1000 pages of documents.
Why our Prices are so Low
Be Prepared Survival Supplies (dba: Be Prepared Investigative Services and Survival Supplies LLC) is a distributor who works with a wholesale manufacturer that assembles all emergency survival kits on site at the warehouse location in Los Angeles California and the State of Utah. The company works directly with the finest factories and manufacturers in the U.S. and throughout the world to supply top quality products at the lowest prices available. Be Prepared Survival Supplies works hard to maintain exclusive distribution rights on products to be able to sell these items for less than our competitors. The company specializes entirely in distributing large quantities of emergency survival kits and disaster preparedness supplies. By specializing in this area alone, manufacturing all kits on site, and selling in large quantities; Be Prepared Survival Supplies is able to provide your company, school, home, auto, and pet, or government agency with the highest quality products at the lowest prices. If you plan on reselling our products, your company school, or non-profit organization will be able to mark up our products to provide for yourselves a great profit while at the same time saving your customers money.
We are dedicated to helping you become successful with this fast growing market by providing great products at low prices. Thank you for choosing us as your supplier for emergency survival kits and items.
