What Can A Private Investigator Do And Not Do?

What Can A Private Investigator Do And Not Do? There are many reasons why a person can find themselves looking to hire a private investigator. It’s not that uncommon actually. Maybe the police don’t have the resources to help you, or whatever you need investigating doesn’t fall into their jurisdiction.

However, don’t expect your PI to be your hero. There are a few things that private investigators can and cannot do.

1) Employee Surveilance

If you get a strange feeling that your employee is acting suspicious, or if you’ve noticed some of your inventory or assets go missing – a PI can find out the truth.

PI’s can surveil the employee in question, whether they work for your business or even if they are a maid that works inside your home. They can take pictures in the event they catch a crime in action, and they can even gather evidence of where the stolen assets were kept.

2) Children Surveilance

If you’re worried about what your child is up to, you can hire a PI and find out. This might be another level of “helicopter parenting”, but it may put a parent’s worries at ease. Just keep in mind that you are asking an adult to follow your child, maybe even take pictures.

3) Spousal Surveilance

Spousal infidelity is nothing new and it’s not going away anytime soon. If you suspect your husband or wife is having an affair, a PI can follow them and find out for sure.

Cheating spouses can lead to the other spouse experiencing mental issues like depression, paranoia, anxiety, etc. In some cases, infidelity can result in a breach of a prenuptial agreement and the cheating spouse would have to pay a handsome sum to their husband/wife.

PI’s can gather the evidence you need to put your mind at ease, or for the divorce to go in your favor.

4) Missing People

When a friend or loved one goes missing, the task of looking for them should fall on the police. However, there are circumstances where the police no longer have any leads to follow and they give up. If you’re not ready to give up, a private investigator can keep looking.

5) Gathering Evidence For Civil Or Criminal Investigations

When a police investigation leads to an arrest which leads to a trial, it is possible that there is not enough evidence to get a conviction. A PI can be hired to gather further evidence, as they can sometimes go and do what the police can’t. Keep in mind that their evidence still needs to be gathered legally, and the PI has to be licensed in order for the evidence to be admissable.

6) Matters Of Stolen Intellectual Property

If you suspect that someone has committed trademark, copyright, patent, or trade secret infringements – a PI can confirm or deny it. They can go undercover as a non-suspicious buyer, trader, employee, etc., and find out whether a competitor is secretly using or selling your intellectual property.

They can also gather the necessary evidence so that you can build a case against the perpetrators.

WHAT CAN’T A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR DO?

1) Breaking And Entering

If a private investigator is hired to surveil someone, they are not allowed to break in and enter into their target’s home or any other private property. These actions constitute criminal actions and the PI can go to jail.

2) Illegal Spycams

Spy cameras, or spycams, are a common tool in a PI’s investigation, especially when it involves surveilling and tethering evidence of their target. There might not be a set law in Singapore regarding privacy.

However, if a spycam is found without the target’s knowledge of it, criminal charges can be made against the PI, and maybe even the client. For this reason, spycam should usually only be pointed or used at public places or on the property of the client.

3) Hacking

Many PI’s have excellent computer skills as it is a part of their job. However, PI’s have access to an incredibly detailed database. If they can’t find the information there, and they can’t get it from a willing participant, they might try to hack a computer for information or evidence. This is illegal and they can be imprisoned for it.

What Can A Private Investigator Do And Not Do? – Conclusion

Private investigators are often times the last remaining hope that people have. We want them to go above and beyond. Unfortunately, even they have their limits, and it’s important to know those limits so that we don’t ask them to do something they can’t and shouldn’t do.