PInow.com Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a private investigator?
2. Who hires private investigators?
3. What is PInow.com?
4. What does Verified & Approved mean?
5. How can I find a local investigator on PInow.com?
6. How can I find an international investigator on PInow.com?
7. What if I have a problem or dispute with an investigator listed on PInow.com?
8. What should I do before hiring an investigator?
9. Do private investigators have to be licensed?
10. How do I verify that someone is a licensed investigator?
11. How do private investigators charge?
12. How should I contact an investigator?
13. What types of things are professional private investigators NOT allowed to do?
14. What types of services do professional private investigators provide?

What is a private investigator?

A private investigator—also known as a PI, Private Detective or Private Eye—is someone that is hired to undertake an investigation. Most states require PIs to be trained and licensed. Investigators often have a law enforcement and/or a military background.

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Who hires private investigators?

Law firms, corporations, insurance companies, private parties and entities not involved with the government or police all have reasons to procure the services of a private investigator.

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What is PInow.com?

PInow.com is directory of local, professional pre-screened private investigators. PInow.com gives you the ability to search for a local investigator by location and by type of investigation. It is the goal of PInow.com to help you find the investigative help you need, wherever you need it. If need assistance, you may call us at (888) 997-4669 or you can email us.

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What does Verified & Approved mean?

When you see this logo next to an investigation company on PInow.com, it means they are "Verified & Approved" by PInow.com. All investigators with this icon have gone through a thorough application process including - license verification, letters of recommendation, a phone interview and they must meet our minimum experience requirements.

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How can I find a local investigator on PInow.com?

Finding a local investigator on PInow.com is simple and fast. Use the search utility on the home page of PInow.com - select the investigation type in the drop down on the left and choose the location where you need an investigator. You may enter a city name (e.g. Los Angeles), city and state (e.g. Los Angeles, CA or Los Angeles, California) or you may enter in the corresponding zip code for the city then click the find button. If you are unable to locate an investigator to help you on PInow.com, you may call us at (888) 997-4669.

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How can I find an international investigator on PInow.com?

From the "Home" page or "Search" page click on the link that says "International." You will find a list of countries where we have investigation companies listed on PInow.com. From there, click on the country where you need an investigator. If you are unable to locate an investigator to help you, please call us at (888) 997-4669.

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What if I have a problem or dispute with an investigator listed on PInow.com?

At PInow.com, we strive to be the most trusted resource on the web to locate qualified professional investigators. If you have a bad experience with an advertiser on PInow.com we want to be notified of it. In many cases we can help resolve your dispute. Please click here then select "Complaint" as your message subject to notify us of your issue.

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What should I do before hiring an investigator?

Even though the investigators listed on PInow.com are pre-screened, it is important you perform your due diligence before hiring a company. You should do the following: ask for and check references, obtain their license number and check with the state licensing board to make sure they are current and have no complaints. It may also be a good idea to check for complaints with the local Better Business Bureau.

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Do private investigators have to be licensed?

Most states require a private investigator to be licensed. Some states have very strict requirements to obtain an investigative license while others have no requirements. The following states do not have licensing requirements:

• Alabama
• Alaska (the city of Fairbanks requires a license)
• Colorado
• Idaho
• Mississippi
• Missouri (no state license, but cities of Kansas City, St Louis, Joplin, St Joseph and Springfield require licensing)
• South Dakota

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How do I verify that someone is a licensed investigator?

Many states have online public databases you can use to verify an agency's or individual's investigation license. Additionally, many of these databases will allow you to search for valid private investigator licenses for agencies and/or individuals. Please see a partial list of publicly searchable investigator license databases below:

• California
• Connecticut (PDF)
• Florida (individual licenses)
• Georgia (individual licenses)
• Hawaii (use code PD for individuals, PDA for firms)
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Montana
• New Mexico
• New York
• Oregon (PDF)
• Texas
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia

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How do private investigators charge?

In the majority of cases, private investigators will charge an hourly rate. Hourly rates can vary. Nearly all investigators will ask for a retainer fee before taking a case. It is unlikely you will find an investigator willing to do just one or two hours of investigative work.

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How should I contact an investigator?

On PInow.com you can contact private investigators in one of two ways - you can email them or you can call them. When contacting an investigator, if discretion is important, you should make sure that you are not using an email or a phone number that you share with others. Additionally, if you are emailing or leaving a voice-mail you should give explicit instructions as to when you would like your message returned.

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What types of things are professional private investigators NOT allowed to do?

Although PIs have access to information the general public can not obtain, they must obey the same basic laws as ordinary citizens. Three big things they can't do:

• Pose as law enforcement officers
• Wire tapping
• Obtain cell phone records via pre-texting

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What types of services do professional private investigators provide?

Private investigators offer many types of investigations. Investigators often work for law firms to gather information on civil or defense cases. Insurance companies commonly hire investigators to look into suspicious claims. Private individuals hire investigators to locate missing people, to do surveillance on spouses and for many other reasons.

A large majority of detective work is spent in the field conducting interviews or doing surveillance. Many investigators do computer searches, background checks and make phone calls to gather data. Investigators are often asked to provide detailed reports on their findings and testify in court on behalf of their clients.

If you are looking for someone or something, chances are a private investigator can help you. Below is a list of some services that PI's perform:

Accident / Reconstruction	Arson / Fire	Asset Search	Background Checks
Bounty Hunter	Bug Sweep / TSCM	Child Support / Custody	Civil
Computer Forensics / Crime	Corporate	Crime Scene	Criminal
Domestic	Due Diligence	Electronic Data Discovery	Electronic Surveillance
Executive Protection	Financial	Forensic	Fraud
General	Identity Theft	Infidelity / Cheating Spouse	Insurance
Judgment Recovery	Missing Persons	Mystery Shopper	People Locate / Skip Trace
Polygraph / Lie Detector	Process Service	Public Records	Repossession
Surveillance	Trial Preparation	Video / Photo Surveillance	Workers Compensation
Wrongful Death

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