A private investigator in a suit and tie examines photographs and documents under a desk lamp.

Understanding Private Investigations: Types and Roles

We hope that at the end of this essay, you will have a better understanding of what a private investigation is and the many kinds of investigations that private detectives carry out.

This information will be helpful in identifying potential situations that need a private investigation, as well as determining when you will require the services of a private detective.

Definition of private investigation

Activity consisting of conducting inquiries aimed at obtaining information and evidence on crimes prosecutable at the request of a party and, in general, private conduct and events relating to personal, family, or social life, which does not take place in private homes or places.

Who are the people in charge of private investigations?

For the performance of such activities, the Law mandates the availability of an Official Private Detective License, which is issued by a Government Authority to those individuals who meet the requirements of the Law, which include a degree from an institution of higher education that is at least three years in length.

If a person, whether they are a citizen of the country or not, engages in the work of a private investigator without first obtaining a license from a Government Authority, they have committed a very serious offense that is punishable with a hefty monetary fine. This is the case regardless of whether or not the subject of the infraction is brought to justice in a criminal proceeding.

In a similar vein, anybody who solicits the assistance of individuals who do not possess the necessary credentials to work as private investigators while being aware of the situation is guilty of breaking the law.

Types of investigations carried out by private detectives

We have compiled a list of the many situations or tasks that fall within the purview of private investigators, and it is as follows:

  • Controls and checks to ensure that workers do not break the regulations governing their sick leave,
  • Conducting research on a job applicant’s past career to ensure they have not lied about their experience on their resumes.
  • Conduct research on the financial health of both your customers and your vendors.
  • Violence against women, addiction to drugs or gambling, etc.
  • Researching possible infidelity or looking into a problem involving a close relative or the children in the family.
  • Conducting investigations into allegations of asset stripping and filing complaints of fraud
  • Conduct market research, track down debtors and defaulters, and examine allegations of unfair business practices.
  • Investigating juvenile delinquent cases.
  • Researching cases of absence due to sickness or injury, as well as probing cases of fraud involving Social Security.
  • Conduct research on claims, as well as research instances of product counterfeiting.
  • Examine the signatures on private or public papers to establish whether or not they are genuine.
  • Conduct investigations into instances of improper subleasing.
  • Conduct investigations into instances when leasing agreements have been broken.

Common cases in private investigation

There has been a rise in the number of requests for private investigations in various fields over the course of the last year, including those dealing with families, labor, and information technology. There are certain scenarios, whether they are personal or professional in nature, that call for the services of a professional investigator. This may be due to the delicate nature of the case or the need to collect reliable evidence in preparation for a potential legal proceeding.

We are able to compile a list of the most common instances in the private investigation by drawing on the expertise of private investigation firms (like GrayCat PI in Mexico), which enables us to do so.

Computer crimes

Everyone is aware of the rise in the number of instances involving cybercrime, which makes our work highly helpful in this area. The perpetrators of cyberattacks against companies are looking to make a financial benefit in return for private business information. The most prevalent types of cybercrime include collecting classified information, leaking information from inside the firm, and manipulating photographs.

The prevalence of all of these illegal activities has increased dramatically over the course of the last year. They went from 59,719 to 63,725 in the span of a single year, as shown by statistics provided by the Ministry of the Interior in 2021.

The so-called field of computer forensics comes into its own as an important area of expertise when placed in this setting.

Non-payment of alimony

The question of alimony or maintenance arises in a significant number of situations that pertain to the realm of the family. These are instances in which there has been a violation of the regulatory agreement that, in addition to other responsibilities, regulates the presence and amount of alimony to support the upkeep (a general term used in the legal system) of the children who were raised in a common-law relationship.

For this reason, for instance, it is common practice to examine parents who report economic incapacity for being jobless in order to avoid facing the payment, even if in reality they work without being registered. This is done in order to circumvent the payment.

Corporate crime

In the past few years, the state of the economy has had an effect on companies internally, which has led to an increase in the number of private investigations in this context due to events such as phony sick leave, investigations into solvency, and debtor location, or even fraud committed against insurance companies.

School bullying

Unfortunately, the term “bullying” or “school bullying” does not ring particularly unfamiliar bells to most people. These days, it is one of the most significant problems that society faces. The number of parent consultations with bullying that take place when a parent has reason to believe that their kid may be a victim of acts of this kind has grown as a direct result of our ability to verify the private detective firms.

Cyberbullying is a relatively new kind of bullying that has emerged in recent years as a direct result of the proliferation of online social networking sites.

In these kinds of situations, the character of the detective acts not just as a counselor to the parents but also as someone who gathers evidence to verify the circumstance.

Conclusión

Now you know what a private investigation is, the types of investigations that exist, and who are the people in charge of carrying them out.

If you are looking for detectives for any of the investigations we have listed, you can contact us for advice. The price varies according to the type of investigation and the case of each client.

We recommend you to read our article on “how much does a private detective cost”.


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