Private investigators today are increasingly using the internet to do their work. The days of dropping into a seedy bar to get information or paying for surveillance footage from an employee at the airport are over. Today, private investigators can conduct interviews and gather evidence with just a laptop and an internet connection. Read this article to find out how private investigators are using the internet to their advantage.
1) What Is The Job Of A Private Investigator?
A private investigator is a person who collects information, normally done by asking people questions. This can include interviews with suspects or witnesses, research on public records for relevant evidence, or looking at surveillance footage to find who was in an area at a given time. As seen at Cutty Investigations, private investigation can help you with divorce, infidelity, child custody, missing persons, malpractice, fraud, anti-stalking, and many more things. Whatever your need is, there is most likely a private investigator who can help you.
2) Why Are Private Investigators Moving Online?
Traditionally, these jobs were done face-to-face and required a paper trail because the evidence was easier to transport, store, and present. However, today’s private investigators can conduct many of their interviews and gather evidence with just a laptop and an internet connection. This is because the internet provides so much information that used to require someone to go out into the field to find. Here are some things that private investigators can do online.
Read Messages and Emails
Many private investigators start their investigations by reading messages and emails. When a spouse is cheating, for example, it can be very helpful to search through old messages and emails to find proof. These messages will not only show that the person is having an affair – but they can also provide names of contacts and even hotel bookings. This information helps a private investigator follow the cheater’s trail and win a case more easily.
Video Chat Interviews
Video chat interviews are another modern tool that private investigators use today to conduct investigations. In the past, a personal interview would have been necessary for certain cases – such as interviewing someone about their whereabouts on a specific day. However, more and more private investigators are now relying on video chat interviews with programs like Skype because they can be done easily from a laptop anywhere.
Surveillance Video Footage
Traditional surveillance is expensive because it requires boots on the ground to do the work. However, internet-based platforms have helped many private investigators take advantage of this method online with email and video chats. An investigator can easily send an email or file-sharing link that contains surveillance footage to the business conducting the investigation.
Location Tracking
Tracking someone’s location is another thing that used to be difficult for a private investigator. Before, investigators would have had to hire an expensive team of people to follow the target person from place to place. However, today a private investigator can just send a virtual GPS signal to a smartphone through email or file sharing links and find out exactly where someone is.
Spyware
Many private investigators choose to monitor their targets by disguising spyware as other files – such as photos, documents, or spreadsheets. They then send the file through email or even on a USB drive. Once it is on the target’s computer, the device can start spying on all of that person’s activity. This allows an investigator to see the target’s entire computer history and what they are doing online.
Special Databases
Special databases exist that an investigator can access to gain information on people. These databases contain records of marriages, divorces, property titles, bankruptcy filings, foreign assets, litigation history, and even criminal cases. All of this information can be accessed using a computer – saving both money and time in tracking down the right person or piece of evidence.
3) What This Means For The Future Of Private Investigation
With all of this information available, the future is looking bright for private investigators. The internet gives investigators an opportunity to expand their work beyond what was possible before with face-to-face interviews and paper trails. The internet makes the whole process a lot faster, cheaper, and easier.
Private investigating has been around for decades, and the industry itself continues to evolve as technology advances. Today’s investigators are able to conduct more work online with email, video chats, location tracking, and digital surveillance footage. These advances have made the job easier, faster, and more efficient than ever before. Whether you’re in a process of divorce or trying to find out who stole something from your house, these are the people to call. With increased technology comes increased productivity – which is why many investigators are optimistic about their chances in this field for years to come.
