PI Specialized Investigation Services 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A private investigator conducting an insurance fraud investigation notices the claimant performing heavy yard work despite claiming total disability. What is the best immediate action?
- Confront the claimant directly to obtain a statement
- Document the activity with video from a public vantage point (Correct answer)
- Contact the claimant's physician to discuss the observations
- File a police report for insurance fraud immediately
Correct answer: Document the activity with video from a public vantage point
Video documentation from a public location is legal, non-confrontational, and provides objective evidence for the insurance company.
Question 2: Which technique is most commonly used in a skip trace investigation to locate a subject who has deliberately moved without leaving a forwarding address?
- Reviewing the subject's social media posts and tagged locations
- Interviewing neighbors at the last known address
- Sending mail to the old address marked 'Address Service Requested'
- All of the above are commonly used skip trace techniques (Correct answer)
Correct answer: All of the above are commonly used skip trace techniques
Effective skip tracing combines multiple methods including social media analysis, interviews, and mail forwarding requests to build a complete picture.
Question 3: In a workers' compensation investigation, which scenario would most strongly suggest malingering?
- The claimant visits a physical therapist twice per week
- The claimant was observed participating in a competitive marathon after claiming knee immobility (Correct answer)
- The claimant takes prescribed pain medication daily
- The claimant filed the claim within 24 hours of the incident
Correct answer: The claimant was observed participating in a competitive marathon after claiming knee immobility
Participating in a competitive marathon directly contradicts a claim of knee immobility, making it strong evidence of malingering.
Question 4: A PI is hired to conduct a child custody investigation. What is the primary legal consideration when photographing a minor?
- Minors have no privacy rights in public spaces
- Photography of minors must always be done with parental consent
- Photos taken in public spaces are generally permissible, but context and intent matter (Correct answer)
- Video recording of minors is prohibited in all US states
Correct answer: Photos taken in public spaces are generally permissible, but context and intent matter
While photographing in public is generally legal, investigators must be aware of state laws, context, and that images must be used only for legitimate investigative purposes.
Question 5: When conducting a corporate espionage investigation, a PI discovers that a former employee may have stolen trade secrets. What should the PI do FIRST?
- Conduct a covert search of the former employee's home
- Advise the client to immediately contact law enforcement and legal counsel (Correct answer)
- Hack into the former employee's email to gather evidence
- Publicly announce the investigation to deter further theft
Correct answer: Advise the client to immediately contact law enforcement and legal counsel
Trade secret theft is a criminal and civil matter requiring immediate involvement of law enforcement and attorneys to preserve evidence and legal remedies.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of conducting a pre-employment background investigation for a licensed PI firm?
- To satisfy curiosity about applicants' personal lives
- To verify credentials, criminal history, and fitness for the position (Correct answer)
- To collect information that can be used as leverage over employees
- To replace the need for drug testing programs
Correct answer: To verify credentials, criminal history, and fitness for the position
Pre-employment investigations verify that applicants have the claimed qualifications, no disqualifying criminal history, and are suitable for the role.
Question 7: During an asset search investigation, a PI discovers the subject owns real property under an LLC name. What is the best method to link the LLC to the individual?
- Access the subject's personal bank records directly
- Search state corporation records to identify the LLC's registered agent and members (Correct answer)
- Assume the LLC is unrelated and move on
- Contact the subject directly and ask about their real estate holdings
Correct answer: Search state corporation records to identify the LLC's registered agent and members
State corporation or Secretary of State records are public documents that reveal LLC ownership, registered agents, and member information.
PI Specialized Investigation Services 2
A private investigator conducting an insurance fraud investigation notices the claimant performing heavy yard work despite claiming total disability.
What is the best immediate action?