What doesn’t Hollywood get right? the answer is, “just about everything”. You will usually find that a television Private Investigator is able to get all sorts of information in any way possible and nothing could be further from the truth. Professional Private Investigators are not only bound by higher ethical standards, they are bound by the law which is there to protect all of us from all sorts of seen and unseen dangers.
One great example of what people think a private investigator can attain under less than legal means is “Credit Reports”. I often get call from people asking to know someones credit standing for any particular reason and the simple answer is that unless expressed permission has been granted there is no way of attaining this information. Another example of something Private Investigators cannot obtain is text and telephone records. Unless there is a court order there is no way anyone can supersede the rights you have to privacy as an individual. There is a pesky little law called the 4th Amendment that is there in place just to make sure that abuses of this nature either don’t occur or are highly curtailed. With that said there are many more examples and a short understanding of the aforementioned law can go a long way to clearing any misguided ideas one may have when attempting to investigate an individual. Clients need to know the limitations a Private Investigator has in this way there will be no dumbfounded expectations and furthermore.
An investigator can be a vital tool in the resolution of any legal matter you may have but you want to make sure that the information being gathered is done in a safe, and most importantly, legal manner. You may want to take your information to court and even the least experienced lawyer can see when something has been obtained through less than legal means.
Please call WB Investigations for any questions or comments. We are the premier investigative agency in Charlotte and one of the top Private Investigators in our industry.