Undercover Operations and Covert Methods Flashcards
7 cards from real PILB practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Undercover Operations and Covert Methods flashcards as text
In private investigation, what is a 'pretext' call?
Answer: A call made under a false identity or false reason to elicit information from a subject
A pretext call involves a PI calling a subject under a fabricated identity or false pretense to gather information the subject would not otherwise reveal.
If a PI's cover identity is compromised during an undercover operation, the BEST immediate action is to:
Answer: Safely disengage from the situation and report the compromise to the client
When a cover is blown, the PI's safety and the investigation's integrity are at risk; the safest course is to withdraw and inform the client so next steps can be reassessed.
Which undercover technique involves a PI assuming a false professional identity to access a restricted environment?
Answer: Deep cover infiltration
Deep cover infiltration means the investigator assumes a sustained false identity—often a professional one—to gain long-term access to a restricted or closed group.
Under Nevada law, a private investigator conducting an undercover operation commits fraud if they:
Answer: Induce a subject to enter into a contract under a false pretense to harm the subject financially
Nevada law prohibits PIs from using deception to induce a person into a contract or transaction that causes the subject financial harm, which crosses from lawful pretext into criminal fraud.
What is 'elicitation' as used in undercover investigative methods?
Answer: Drawing out information from a subject through casual, seemingly innocent conversation
Elicitation is the covert technique of guiding a subject into revealing information through natural-seeming conversation without alerting them that they are being questioned.
Which of the following scenarios MOST closely resembles entrapment in a private investigator context?
Answer: A PI persuades a reluctant subject to commit an act the subject had no prior intention of committing
Entrapment-like conduct occurs when a PI instigates or pressures a subject into committing an act they were not predisposed to commit, manufacturing evidence rather than discovering it.
When a PI uses a fictitious business name during an undercover operation, Nevada PILB regulations require that:
Answer: The fictitious name be registered and the PI still hold a valid PI license
Nevada requires fictitious business names to be properly registered, and the PI must maintain a valid PILB license regardless of what business name is used during operations.