5 Reasons Businesses Hire Private Investigators

Whenever people imagine private investigations, they often picture personal issues like infidelity or a missing person case. Those are legitimate reasons to hire investigators, but there are also many business cases. Businesses should consider hiring private investigators at these five times.

Due Diligence

Entering into business agreements is inherently risky. One way to reduce your risk is to perform due diligence. Good due diligence should go beyond checking out financials and verifying that a business exists. Private investigators can watch how another business conducts itself and report if there are any concerns.

Extended Surveillance

Most companies have some degree of surveillance. Private investigations are extended versions of the same process. 

Suppose you're concerned that an employee is stealing from your business. However, you haven't been able to quite nail down who it is or how it's happening. Private investigators can set up surveillance to see what they might catch. If the investigators believe someone is selling goods from the warehouse, for example, they may set up a buy once they've identified the at-fault employee.

Background Checks

Some positions call for more than a cursory background check. Hiring investigators is a good way to drill down into a person's current lifestyle and past conduct. If you're hiring a C-suite executive, for example, you might want investigators to perform independent interviews with friends and families. They also can track down past acquaintances and look into rumors so you can trust that you're hiring someone of integrity for the job.

Intellectual Property Theft

Catching third parties illegally using your intellectual property (IP) can be tough. Private investigations allow companies to look at how other businesses might be employing their IP. Investigators can gather evidence by photographing manufacturing and distribution facilities. They also can approach unlicensed parties about purchase agreements and collect product samples as evidence.

Business Litigation

Identifying and tracking down witnesses for lawsuits is a tough task even if everyone is cooperative. A PI firm can locate individuals so your lawyers can contact them for interviews or depositions.

If you need a third party to collect evidence for litigation, private investigators can handle that too. This may include checking out locations where other parties have items relevant to the case. Suppose you believe a defendant is hiding discoverable documents. A team of investigators can look for where the documents are.

Notably, you should loop your counsel into the investigation process. They can direct the investigators to ensure that their efforts support the case.

Contact a local PI firm, such as Gary Litton Investigators, to learn more.