Private Investigator Exam Interview & Skip Tracing 3

Question 1

What is the purpose of conducting a 'background investigation' on a potential client?

Accepted Answer

To ensure the PI is not being hired to facilitate illegal activity or harassment

Answer

A background check on a client helps ensure the PI is not unwittingly being used to stalk, harass, or harm the investigation subject.

Question 2

When a witness recants a previous statement, a PI should:

Accepted Answer

Document both statements and the circumstances of the recantation for the attorney

Answer

Both statements and the context of the recantation must be documented so the attorney can assess credibility and determine how to proceed.

Question 3

What is 'social engineering' as it applies to PI investigations?

Accepted Answer

Manipulating people into disclosing information through deceptive conversation or pretexting

Answer

Social engineering involves psychologically manipulating individuals—often through pretexting or pretext calls—to obtain information they would otherwise not share.

Question 4

Which public record can reveal whether a subject owns real estate and at what address?

Accepted Answer

County assessor or property tax records

Answer

County assessor and property tax records are public and show property ownership, assessed value, and the owner's mailing address.

Question 5

In skip tracing, a 'cold address' refers to:

Accepted Answer

An address that was previously associated with the subject but is no longer current

Answer

A cold address is one that was historically associated with the subject but has not been recently confirmed as their current location.

Private Investigator Exam Practice Test

Private Investigator Exam Practice Test

Private Investigator Exam Interview & Skip Tracing 3