In general, private investigators provide locate services to help find missing people. It might interest you to learn that a private investigator can also locate things like stolen property.
According to CNBC, American businesses have approximately $50 billion per year stolen from them by their own sticky-fingered employees. This is particularly devastating for small businesses. It is especially devastating if the employee decides to leave town with large sums of your money or even product.
If you don’t own a business, don’t count yourself out. You might loan a so-called friend some money to help them out, only for them to suddenly disappear. The same story goes if you invite an acquaintance over to your house and your expensive diamond necklace goes missing.
Going to the police to report the theft is always important. The police will try to catch the culprit before they have a chance to leave town. However, despite their best efforts, the guilty party might be several steps ahead and well across the border. The guilty party might also quickly sell your product or jewelry.
In this situation, hiring a private investigator to help you locate your stolen property is a great option. A good private investigator or private investigation company will do everything they can to solve the case. This includes their dedicating time and other resources as needed.
Pick the Right Private Eye
Unfortunately, sometimes what you pay for isn’t exactly what you get. The first thing you need to do is research. You don’t want to hire the first private investigator you find. There are plenty examples of private investigators across Canada and the United States who lie to their clients. They drag out an investigation only to ask for more money. There are also private investigators that don’t work with the latest in technology. This can really slow the investigation down.
The first thing you need to do is to seek out a licensed private investigator. This is someone who has successfully completed their training and the private investigator exam. In Ontario, this means that he or she needs to complete 50 hours of in-class or online training.
You will also want to check to see if the private investigator or private investigation company has any reviews online. Reviews from previous clients really help to identify the good private investigators from the bad. Requesting references is also a great idea.
Pass Along Everything You Know
In order for a private investigator to locate your property, you need to tell them everything you know. When did the property get stolen? When was the last time you saw the thief? Do you know if they have family or friends in another city? Do you have video surveillance of the theft . . . and so on.
A good private investigator will take this information and start building a case. The best part is, since you’re hiring them for a specific job, a private investigator will dedicate time and energy to locating your property. They will call you with updates and other details so that you don’t need to wonder or wait.
Let the Private Eye Locate Your Property
While you’ll get information from a private investigator much faster, you do need to take a step back. Letting a private eye do their job will certainly help them to locate your product, etc.
A private investigator will use a variety of techniques to locate your property. The techniques they use will depend on the case and situation.
Background Check
If you have information on the person who stole your property, a private investigator can run a background check. In some cases, this will reveal that the individual is actually someone else—or at least who they’ve been in the past.
Background checks reveal all sorts of information that will help in a locate case. If the person has a criminal record, the private investigator can look for potential patterns. Perhaps the individual has property in several different cities across Canada. The private investigator then has a place to start their search.
Social Media
Facebook, Instagram, Snap Chat and more, social media can tell a private investigator a lot about a suspect. In a locate case, social media makes it even easier for a private investigator to find property. In many situations, the thief will post about their accomplishment. This kind of bragging makes it very simple to track them down.
Private investigators can also create a fake account and pretend to want to buy the stolen property. If the thief responds, it makes it that much easier for the private investigator to catch them, and locate the property.
Interviews
Speaking to people is a major part of a private investigator’s job. When it comes to property locates, finding people the thief is in regular contact with really helps. The private investigator can ask questions that will narrow down where the person might have hidden or sold the property.
Interviewing people can be tricky, especially if those people don’t want to share information. A good private investigator knows the right questions to ask and has perfected an interview style that will help them to solve your locate case.
Surveillance
Watching someone go about his or her day-to-day business can reveal a lot of information—at least to a private eye. Once a private investigator locates the thief, they might conduct surveillance. This will potentially give them information about where to locate your property. This might also uncover additional activity or proof the private investigator can add to the case.
Leave it to the Professionals
No matter what you decide, the one thing you absolutely need to do is leave the location search to the professionals. Unless you’re trained in the different areas of private investigation, you might hinder instead of assisting the case. If the thief thinks someone is on their tail, they’re more likely to get rid of your property as quickly as possible.
Do you need to locate missing property? Don’t wait! Contact us today for more information and help.
Phone: 647-479-8474
Email: Info@SmithInvestigationAgeny.com
About the Author
Whitney Joy Smith
Founder of The Smith Investigation Agency in 2014, Whitney Joy Smith’s extensive background as a private investigator is matched only by her passion for the role. A graduate of several respected institutions, including Northwest Florida State College and George Brown College, her early years in life were spent between Canada and the United States. This education, along with her formative years as a private investigator in various agencies, informed much of her knowledge of private investigative laws, regulations, and operating standards in both countries.
The recipient of numerous industry awards and accolades, including the Consumers Choice Award, Best in Ottawa, and many others, Whitney takes pride in working closely with her ever-growing agency to raise the bar, maintain compliance, and meet the investigative needs of clients. Whitney is active in various membership and supporting roles, including the CPIRC, CBN, CAPI, Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and many others. Her experience-driven, thought-provoking articles have been featured in everything from Readers Digest to Business News Daily, and she strives to continually redefine standards for those in the private investigative and security fields. Learn more about Whitney and the team at The Smith Investigation Agency today.
