If you need to investigate a current employee’s background, chances are there is something suspicious going on that creates this need. Perhaps you suspect them of stealing or embezzling cash, merchandise or other property. Or you may suspect they are involved in workers compensation, disability or unemployment fraud. In rare cases you may suspect they are stealing intellectual property, trade secrets and selling them to your competition.Whatever the reason you need background research done on your current employee, hiring a private investigator is the best source for such an investigation. Since these background checks fall under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA,) hopefully you obtained their permission to run their credit report when they were hired. In cases where this is not available, it may be the case that if the credit report is not run, other types of background research can still be conducted. (State laws vary on this and prior advice from legal counsel is strongly recommended.)

Private investigators are experienced in tracking down fraud and other forms of employee misconduct. Get them involved early on so they can advise you as the best tactics. Also be sure to keep the circle of people that are aware of the investigation to a minimum to make sure the employee is not tipped off.

If you suspect that your partner, CFO or other key senior executive is stealing or embezzling funds, the first thing to do is limit the number of people who are aware of the suspicion. Secondly don’t try to go it alone and start asking a lot of questions that will alert the suspected person. As soon as you become aware there is a problem, hire a private investigator with experience in fraud to organize the investigation.The best way to prove stealing or embezzling funds is to catch the person red-handed and get solid evidence that is admissible in court. If you have a good idea of how it is happening, your investigator may create a strategy of setting up a sting or predictable situation where the crime can be documented either by covert video or a traceable paper trail.

If the crime has already transpired and the suspected person is not in a position to continue the fraud or theft, this is a slightly more challenging situation in which the investigator will work on solving the crime and finding ways to confirm the suspect did it. Lastly the private investigator can advise on counter-measures to prevent the criminal activity from happening again.

If you need to investigate someone you are thinking of going into business with start by getting as much information on them as you can. This would include things like a resume or a LinkedIn profile. Getting their correct full name, date of birth and home address is also key.You can start by doing some online research on your own such as “Googling” them. Also ask for references and take the time thoroughly to check them out, a phone call is preferable. You should also get a list of any prior investments or business partnerships they have had and have conversations with those people as well.

The next step is to hire a private investigator to verify the information that has been supplied to you by the person. The investigator will conduct research as to what past business affiliations they have had and whether they have been involved in lawsuits. In addition the private eye will find out about their financial past, including bankruptcies, judgments, liens against their properties and IRS levies. A modest investigation investment before going into business with someone can save you from loosing thousands of dollars in the future!

If you need to find out about a fiancé’s background there are a few things you can do yourself and there are others that require the services of a private investigator. To do your own sleuthing, start with the obvious like websites Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. You can also sometimes find more information on other sites such as Instagram and Pinterest.The next step is an in depth Google search. It helps to put the person’s name in quotes since this will filter out matches on just the first or last name. If they have a common name, include additional search terms like the city they live in and perhaps the name of a former employer or relative. Keep on clicking hits several pages into the Google results, you never know what you may come up with, such as revealing comments they have left on blogs or other sites.

The next step is to hire a private investigator to do a real background investigation that includes things like name verification, prior addresses, driving record, civil court cases, bankruptcies and criminal records. There are low cost websites that advertise these services; however they are often inaccurate and unreliable. A professional investigator can also conduct further research such as prior marriages and business affiliations.

If you think your husband is lying to you about his past, you need to do a background investigation on him. There are a few things you can try on your own such as “Googling” him, but in most cases the services of a professional investigator are needed to dig deep enough to get to the truth.Before hiring a private eye to do the background investigation, you can help by gathering all the data you have on him. This would include his full name, any aliases or nick names he might have used, his date of birth and Social Security number. Other important information would include the names of ex-spouses, the names and addresses of relatives and a list of places he has lived before. Lastly provide the investigator with whatever facts you think he is lying about.

The private investigator will then go about tracing back the history of the subject and figuring out what is fact and what is fiction. These investigations can reveal an accurate address history and any other names or alternate Social Security numbers they may have used. Depending on the type of background research you have requested, such vital information as prior marriages and any criminal past will be revealed.

If you meet someone online and you are not sure if they are real or who they say they are, you need to identify them and research their background. First of all if they are from a foreign country, there is a very good change that they are scamming you. The quickest way to check that out is to insist that they give you a phone number to call and have a conversation with them in which you ask questions that can validate their story.Even if the person is in the same country, the same test applies; you need to have a phone conversation to verify their story. If they pass that test, then you need to confirm their identity. One way to approach this is to ask for an address so you can send them a card. Once you have a name and address you can then hire a private investigator to verify that this person exists and that they are the person they claim to be.

If the person refuses to give you a full name and physical address, you have reason to be suspicious. In most cases it is reason enough to assume they are lying to you and end the communication. If you still want to pursue the relationship, then contact a private eye to have them research the identity and background of the person.

If you think you boyfriend is married or has a criminal past you need to conduct a background investigation. First you need to gather all the information you have about them. One good place to start would be to get a copy of their driver’s license. If you don’t have access to a copier, then take a snapshot of it with your phone, store it in a safe place and delete the photo from your phone.Next gather any other data you can on who they are, such as date of birth, pervious addresses and names of family members. The next step is to hire a private investigator to verify the information and conduct background research. For criminal research it is important to have an accurate full name, correct date of birth and an idea of the pervious places they have lived. If you don’t have this a private eye can get it for you.

For research on previous marriages, the investigator needs a list of pervious places they have lived. Marriage records are usually kept at the county recorder’s office. If the person has lived in several counties or states, then marriage research has to be conducted at all of these locations. Again if you do not have the address history, a private investigator can find it for you.

Many times an attorney will need to check out his or her client’s background either because they have some suspicion there may be trouble or simply preemptively to be sure the opposing party does not bring an unpleasant surprise to court. If there is one thing you don’t want to happen in a court room it is to be ambushed with bad news about your client’s past.The best place to start is by asking your client to give you information on their past which can help you target the background investigation. Explain that the opposing side may do background research so it is necessary for you have all the facts, good or bad. Assure them that the information will be kept confidential since it will be covered by the attorney-client privilege.

After you have interviewed your client the next step is to hire a private investigator to conduct a thorough background investigation on your client. Supply the investigator with the data provided by your client, but also tell them to not rely solely on this data. The investigator will then perform the search and get back to you with the hopefully the good news that there is nothing in their background that can undermine your client’s credibility.

When you are going to trial it is often advantageous to investigate the background of any witness/doctor/expert who the defense or plaintiff may be calling to the stand. Valuable information gleaned from these investigations can range from criminal cases and civil cases to unknown business or personal relationships with parties involved in the litigation.Of course the mother lode of damaging background details is finding out the party has been convicted on criminal charges in the past. The key to making sure a comprehensive criminal background search is conducted is to make certain that you have good identifying data on the witness/doctor/expert, etc.

Many times you will only have a name and other minimal information supplied on these witnesses by the opposing party. This is where the services of a private investigator are needed to take whatever information you have and develop it into first a confirmed match for the name and home address of the person and subsequently a detailed criminal background investigation, including searching all the jurisdictions that the subject has previously lived in.