PI News Round-up - February 19, 2009

PInow.com Weekly News Round-up

February 19, 2009

If you have contributions for News or Events, please contact us at (888) 997-4669 or email us here.

This week, the PInow.com staff was intrigued by these industry news stories:

Did Your Infidelity Inquiries Increase Around Valentine’s Day?
UNITED STATES - USA Today interviewed infidelity investigation experts Ruth Houston and Jimmie Mesis, also editor of PI Magazine. Both made it clear that Valentine's Day is one of the best days to catch a cheating spouse as it is a day for lovers. The article mentioned spyware devices that often are used to catch cheaters, including GPS trackers, hidden cameras, light scanners and email monitoring devices. Another investigator, David Hill, said he received many inquiries in recent weeks, but most of his callers could not afford his retainer. The PInow.com team marketed an online infidelity quiz before Valentine's Day to drive even more traffic to our advertisers. In the time it was posted, more than 1,000 potential clients took the quiz! Share your Valentine's Day experience in the PInow.com Yahoo! Group.
	Read full article and comment	Source: USA Today, February 12, 2009

Product of the Week

Spy Pen Camera

This excellent Spy Pen Camera allows you to record anything - with its tiny lens inside the pen. It comes with a CD of directions for an easy download, and has been tested for quality. The pen is average size, which makes it incredibly discrete.

Learn More! | Buy Now!

Anonymous Caller No More?
TRENTON, NJ - A new service promises to reveal the phone numbers and even the names and numbers of blocked incoming callers on cell phones. The service is called TrapCall and the basic version is free. In addition to revealing the numbers of incoming callers - even those who block their numbers - the service will allow users to block unwanted callers and will even allow phone users to check their voice messages online. PIs worry that the feature will be used by abusive spouses and will undermine legitimate reasons for blocking calls, such as investigative work being performed by professional PIs.
	Read full article and comment	Source: Wired, February 16, 2009

PI Utilizes Technology For the Court
FORT PIERCE, FL - Bill Pakonis, a private investigator and owner of Quiet Investigation & Consulting, and Pam Cummings, owner of Creative Mechanical Concepts, were featured in the Treasure Coast Palm. The team is creating computer-generated, three-dimensional graphics for court and client presentations, 3D solid models, engineering and patent drawings and they are involved in design and documentation of patent-pending medical devices. Based on their work, they were placed into a category of start-ups that are making good use of technology to fill niche markets at the Business and Technology Incubator at Indian River State College.
	Read full article and comment	Source: Treasure Coast Palm, February 15, 2009

Former FBI Agent and PI Still Missing in Iran
WASHINGTON, DC - The wife of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent and PI, is hopeful that the new Obama administration will help her get answers. Levinson went missing in Iran nearly two years ago while working on a case involving cigarette smuggling for a private client. His wife has lobbied to get answers about her husband's disappearance, and she has traveled to Iran, but has not been able to learn what happened to him. She hopes that the Obama administration will repair relations with Iran so that a more open dialogue about her husband's whereabouts can take place.
	Read full article and comment	Source: TampaBay.com, February 18, 2009

PIs Running Small Businesses Look to the Future
ATTLEBORO, MA - Throughout the past year, 2.5 million layoffs have occurred and bankruptcies have increased by a third. Many PIs run their own businesses or work as independent consultants, and bad news about small businesses means bad news for them. Many small businesses - including PI businesses - are folding while others are trying to make changes to stay afloat. PI Joel Picchi, who runs his own firm in Attleboro, plans to reach more customers during this downturn with online marketing.
	Read full article and comment	Source: The Sun Chronicle, February 14, 2009

Thomas Ruskin: From NYPD to PI

Meet PInow.com Advertiser Thomas Ruskin

Ruskin was previously part of the New York Police Department and was responsible for New York City's crisis management and emergency management. For the last 10 years he has owned CMP Protective and Investigative Group, Inc. His team routinely tackles high profile cases, such as the current case with Dr. Richard Batista - the doctor who either wants $1.5 million in compensation or his kidney back from his estranged wife. Ruskin has appeared on television networks, like Fox News and NBC, with Dr. Batista.

To read the full article, click here.