Private investigator services vary widely based on a client’s needs. Some private investigators specialize in a single area, or a few areas, while others provide a full breadth of services. Most private investigation agencies hire private investigators with diverse backgrounds in order to provide a wider range of services to their clients.
When hiring a PI, be sure to inquire about the types of services they provide and ask to see examples of supporting case materials or references to contact.
List of Private Investigator Services
Following is a list of different types of investigations:
- Accident Investigation
- Arson / Fire Investigation
- Background Investigation
- Child custody cases
- Civil Investigation
- Corporate / Business
- Crime scene investigations
- Criminal
- Fraud Investigation
- Insurance / Insurance Fraud
- Missing Person locates
Following is a list of the different types of services that a private investigator may provide:
- Adoption Inquiries, research, and locates
- Address History and Address Verification
- Adult / Child Abduction (see Missing Persons)
- Asset search and recovery
- Automobile Recovery and repossession
- Bail enforcement (see Bounty Hunter)
- Bankruptcy verification
- Bug sweeping to identify surveillance technology
- Business Credit Checks
- Civil Litigation Support
- Civil Court Records research and retrieval
- Court records search and retrieval
- Credit History Check
- Criminal defense investigation
- Criminal investigation
- Debtor Locates
- Delivery of Subpoenas, also known as process service
- Digital Video Surveillance
- DNA Lab Testing Services – For determining paternity, infidelity, testing ancestry, kinship, blood/alcohol, personal identification
- DUI or License Suspensions
- Cheating Spouse surveillance
- Collection of Debts
- Computer Forensics and data analysis
- Court Records Search
- Covert Surveillance Operations
- Divorce investigations
- Death Investigation
- Document retrieval
- DMV / Motor Vehicle records search and retrieval
- Employment History
- Executive Protection
- Expert Witness
- Federal records search
- Fugitive recovery (see Bounty Hunter)
- Federal Criminal Record Search
- Fictitious Name Filings
- Fingerprinting
- Forensic Investigation
- GPS tracking
- Hidden camera surveillance
- Home security
- Homicide investigations
- Identity Theft
- Infidelity Investigations
- Internal theft investigations/loss prevention
- Invasion of Privacy
- Investigate police abuse
- Legal Experts
- Legal Testimony
- Locate missing persons
- Loss Prevention
- Malpractice investigation
- Marriage records
- Missing Person Locates
- Motor Vehicle Report Retrieval
- MVR (Motor Vehicle) Reports
- Mystery Shopper / Secret Shopper
- Night Time Surveillance
- Official Statements / Interviews
- Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)
- Parental kidnapping
- Patent and trademark infringement
- Personal Injury
- Personal Protection
- Phone Records
- Police Reports
- Polygraph
- Public document retrieval
- Public records search
- Pre-Employee Screening
- Pre-Marital Inquiries
- Property Records Retrieval
- Process Service
- Records Retrieval
- Recovery of Stolen Property
- Research prison records
- Sex Offender Registration
- Sex offender search – locate or investigate
- Sexual Harassment
- Service of Process
- Skip Trace
- Social Media Investigations
- Subpoena Service / Process Service
- Subrogation
- Stalking / Anti-Stalking
- State records search
- Surveillance
- Tenant Screening
- Testify in Court
- Trade Secret Violations
- Theft
- UCC Filings
- Unclaimed Property Research
- Undercover
- Vehicle Tracking Systems
- Vendor assessment
- Vessel / Aircraft
- Video Surveillance
- Wiretap detection
- Witness Location and Evidence Preparation
- Witness Interviews and Statements
- Workers Compensation Claims
- Wrongful or Suspicious Death
For a directory of private investigators who provide services of this nature in your area, please visit our Private Investigator Directory. In addition, helpful information is available on How to Become a Private Investigator, training courses, and a list of jobs and careers.
Also, if you’re interested in pursuing a career in the field, check out the eBook The Private Investigator’s Licensing Handbook: How to Get a Private Investigator License in any State available at Amazon.com.
I need to hire an investigator to obtain drivers ID, address and insurance company information. I only have the drivers license plate, model and make of the vehicle. I would have to wait two weeks for the police report in the meantime my car needs to be repaired. I need to know the course for your services if this is something that you do, and how long would it take for that information to be attained.
Hello, and thanks for the comment. eInvestigator.com doesn’t provide those services. We are only an information provider. However, you can visit our investigator directory at https://directory.einvestigator.com/ to find an investigator in your local area. If you have any questions about that process, you can contact us via our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/EInvestigator/.
I am age 83, trying to track down the love of my life from 40 years ago. If she’s still alive and unattached, maybe we can spend our declining years together.
I need a professional to contact me immediately. I would prefer meeting at a private location if that is at all possible for trust issues. I’m from the GTA and I’m willing to meet u anywhere. This is a serious issue so I’d appreciate a reply asap.
I wish to hire a low cost investigator to write a report on illegal actions for a mental anguish lawsuits case.