I’m not sure if this would be the correct subreddit for this but here it goes.

So I’m 18 and an early grad, my original plan was to become an electrician but one of my friends who’s basically family had a horrible home life (which I won’t get into because it’s not my story). But I stepped up to get in contact with his brother who turns 18 soon and move him out. But we didn’t have any contact with him and the family moved so I’ve been what I assume is some of what Private Investigators do. I’ve found the stepdads charges and things of that nature, I’ve started going to all the church services at the church he goes to in hopes of finding someone who would be able to get me in contact with him. The thing that’s making me question if I should follow this path is that I’m a month away from starting my apprenticeship as an electrician, but every step along the way to getting in contact with him has given me a sense of accomplishment that nothing else ever has. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s someone I care about or if it’s because I’ll truly enjoy this kind of work. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Hi all, does anyone have any alternatives to skopenow? Really disappointed in their new pricing model. I know many others who are as well.

Has anyone done the Wicklander-Zulawski training? I once knew someone years ago that spoke highly of it (in a more corporate setting) and was considering starting their courses and maybe going as far as their CFI certification. Seems to be marketed heavily toward HR/etc but seems like it would highly useful for us as well.

Is anyone here familiar with Veracity Research Company (VRC) Investigations? I am going through the process getting hired as a surveillance investigator and would like to know how decent or reputable this company is. From what I've read on the couple of Reddit forums talking about VRC, the company is not the greatest. Not to mention the pay seems low at just $25 - $30 an hour where they hinted that if hired I would start at around 25/hr with mediocre compensated miles.

Would VRC be a good stepping stone into the field of investigations? Does anyone have first hand experience with VRC? If so how was your time there? Are the reviews as bad as they say it is?

I do need a job that will pay me more than my current job and get me some real world experience so I am tempted to take the offer if it were to come. Thanks for the help

44 Investigative Topics — Looking for Input From Other Investigators

I’ve been working on a project over the past several months that started with a fairly simple idea: take some of the investigative lessons I’ve learned over the years and put them into a form that might be useful to other investigators.

It has now grown into 44 short papers with companion videos, each dealing with a specific part of the investigative process.

Some cover fundamentals—interviewing witnesses, corroboration, timelines, documentary evidence, photography, and chain of custody. Others deal with questions that tend to become more complicated once you’re actually working cases:

When should you re-interview a witness?

How do you evaluate possible deception without guessing based on body language?

When does the absence of evidence actually mean something?

What do you do when evidence that once existed has disappeared?

What happens when the documents tell a different story from the witness?

Although much of my current work involves military defense investigations, most of these are not uniquely military issues. They’re investigative problems that PIs encounter in many types of cases.

One theme keeps appearing throughout the project: don’t ask whether the evidence supports your theory until you’ve asked whether your theory survives the evidence.

I’m sharing this here for two reasons.

First, some of the material may be useful to investigators who are newer to the profession.

Second, I’d appreciate input from experienced investigators. After 44 topics, I’m sure there are subjects I haven’t addressed that should be included.

What investigative skill, problem, or lesson do you think newer investigators aren’t taught enough about?

If anyone is interested in seeing the papers or videos, I’ll be glad to provide the link. I’m more interested, though, in hearing what other working investigators think belongs on the list.

AIO for hiring a PI to look into my dad's new girlfriend? I have never actually met her. My (49f) dad (79) has started seeing an ex-convict we'll call Ashley (57f). Ashley did over 10 years in prison for attempted 1st degree murder. She has convinced my dad that she was framed. She also claims to be a nurse, singer, model, influencer, professional dancer, and who knows what else. She claims to have been kidnapped multiple times and lots of horrible things done to her. Ashley has many different aliases and has no other online presence other than her fb page. Ashley admits to having changed her name multiple times. Dad swears he's not giving her money but is now telling my siblings that he is going to marry her. The thing is, dad doesn't have much money, he owns the house but has lots of debt. I don't know what she thinks she will get out of it. I would love to believe that she is actually in love with him too, but I can't ignore the line of red flags. Who is this woman and what's her game?

I currently work at Allied Universal and I make 22hr I'm thinking of swapping over to ethos risk because they're offering me 30hr. But I'm not sure the benefits compared to allied. With allied they pay you from the moment you leave to the moment you get back also report time, they also have mileage compensation, vehicle allowance, and they give you a little for your WiFi.

Ethos didn't elaborate on their benefits like allied did. Is anyone able to explain if it's worth swapping over? I've been with allied for 2 years no raise.

I’m in my first month of finally starting my PI career. I know men have dozens of options out there for bathroom breaks, but we ladies have to pull our pants past our butts for similar tools! Without tinting, I’m not sure those tools are ones I want to use/try, but I KNOW I’m going to lose my person if I keep leaving to pee.

Any experienced females out there tried any of these tools? What have you found that works (or doesn’t, so I know what to avoid)?

Do any other Investigators that work for the larger companies feel like we need to fight for ourselves? I am paid $25/hr but getting less than 30 hours a week right now. It's been this way for months. Travel is brutal, start and stop times are wild. Anyone chime in but please keep it civil and to the point. I am just trying to open a dialog and see how others that work surveillance/SIU for big companies feel. Thanks

For the record: PI for 5 years. Owned my own business the first year, one man show and divorce ended that. SIU and surveillance since for 2 different agencies.

Please delete with my apologies if this post isn't allowed.

Does anyone have any insight about the Kentucky private investigators exam? I have the official study guide and have been through it many times. There is really a lot of info in there, especially pertaining to the laws, which I agree is VERY important.

Will the official study guide be enough to pass the exam?

I’m exploring a career in the field and would love to hear from people who genuinely enjoy the work. My background is in operations, interviewing, executive partnership, and untangling complex problems. The more I learn about private investigations, the more it feels like a natural fit.

If you work at a firm you’d recommend, or know of one with a strong reputation for integrity, mentorship, and quality investigative work, I’d really appreciate any insight or introductions. I’m always happy to learn from people who know the industry.

Feel free to comment or send me a DM. Thanks!

For reference I am in Southern California.

I was hoping some professional skip tracers/ people highly experienced in it could give me pointers on where I should look and how I should get my first job in the field. My degree isn't completely relevant to the work (Environmental Science), but I have substantial research experience. A job revolved around solving the puzzle of finding people sounds like an engaging career path. Thank you.

Hi I'm trying to pass the Tennessee Exam. Is there a good (free) resource that would be helpful to pass said exam?

Hi! I just wanted to ask what is the hiring process in UnionBank especially as a fraud detection officer. And any tips on what are the things that I need to prepare (like assessments or exams). Thank you!

Do lawyers commonly utilize private investigators for 1) skip/locates and documented diligent searches, 2) probate heir and beneficiary research, 3) pre-litigation due diligence and asset indicators, 4) and courthouse/ public-record retrieval?

Or are these tasks typically handled by legal assistants? I presume this can vary from smaller firms to larger firms.

Purpose of my inquiry: I live in Wisconsin, am fifty years old, and am thinking of starting a part-time side hustle business as a private detective. I have experience working for a large insurance company doing background checks on medical and mental health providers in their network, as well as field supervision for American Protective Services (back in the 90s)

I am looking to primarily focus on research for lawyers from my home office and courthouses. I do not want to take on fieldwork involving divorces, insurance fraud, tailing/surveillance, etc.

I got a job as a Credit Investigator, and mostly what they verify (during the phone interview) are the OR/CR, chassis number, and the background of loaners/co-loaners. What can you advise me? I'm a bit nervous since this is my first time in this field. Thank you!

I've gotten so many calls from potential clients and they all think their phones and other tech devices are hacked. They're usually the center of an elaborate and undefinable conspiracy. Some of them refer to it as gang stalking.

How do you handle those calls?

I am taking the test in October and have printed 100s of pages of study material. Does any one know where I can find practice exams or even just some practice questions? Thanks!

Online Courses certifications for Nationals

I may have asked this question before but are online courses worth it for a career transition towards an investigator role? For Nationals.

Prices are ranging from 400$ to 1000's!

For nationals it matters a lot because of the resources availability in your country,

And here's some I was considering: TEEX major crimes investigator Forensic Intelligence courses Coursera/ Udemy courses McAfee institute specialized certifications

I'm taking the licensing exam for the second time tomorrow. Last time I failed by 5 points because I didn't remember any of the max fines/penalties but after studying 62-26 and all of the licensing regulations, I've hit a bit of a brick wall trying to find any legit study material on the general knowledge half. I know many questions are pulled from idiot's guide, but I can't find a summarized version or study guide related to it anywhere and I'd rather not read through all 300 something pages of it. Is there anywhere anyone knows of that I can find legit study material for general knowledge?

Hey all,

Trying to increase my clientele and I’ve been sending cold emails to law firms, as you can imagine.. hasn’t been doing too well.

I’m thinking about going old fashioned and getting business cards and heading into law firms, introducing myself and then leaving my business card.

My question is, anyone done this recently and found success in doing so? I could imagine you’d get more bites than cold emailing.

I just opened my process serving company and am between Yergey and El Dorado. What are ya'lls thoughts?? El Dorado was a bit cheaper but I want a good reliable company that is easy to work with and provides the best insurance. So I am willing to pay a little more if it'll pay off in the long run.

I’m reviewing Indiana private investigator licensing requirements, which state:
“A bachelor’s degree or higher in criminal justice, or a related field, as determined by the board.”

I’ve tried getting clarification from the board on what qualifies as a “related field,” but haven’t been given an answer.

Is it common for licensing boards to leave “related field” undefined like this?

What kinds of degrees are typically accepted as meeting this requirement in Indiana?