Every day, individuals, families, businesses, and even governments across Australia turn to private investigators for help navigating situations they simply can’t resolve alone. Here are six situations where a private investigator can offer the exact kind of help that you might not have even known you needed.
1. You’re Facing a Personal Crisis and Don’t Know Where to Turn
Personal crises can come in many forms and it can be difficult to know who to turn to for help if the situation seems out of the ordinary. Fortunately, investigators deal with personal crises on a daily basis, and the range of situations they handle is broader than most people expect.
Need to track down someone who owes you money and has gone quiet? A private investigator can perform a locate search. Suspect someone in your life is lying to you or has a hidden criminal history? A background check may reveal that information and more. Feel like you’re being watched or followed? A security professional or investigator can assess that too.
In truth, there is a very broad range of circumstances in which investigators help people get proof, information or security. If you’ve never faced a situation like yours before, the chances are an experienced investigator has, and can either help directly or point you toward the right legal or professional support person.
2. Your Business Has a Problem That Can’t Wait
In business, some situations require evidence or intelligence before any action can be taken, whether that’s some form of disciplinary action against a person or an escalation of a matter to a suitable authority. Unfortunately, police won’t necessarily act without evidence. Professional private investigators are regularly engaged by Aussie businesses when dealing with a range of issues including fraud, theft, breach of intellectual property, cybercrime, hacking, franchise fraud and breaches of contracts. Professional private investigators are skilled at gathering proof without tipping off the subject or without exposing the business to unnecessary liability.
Workplace investigations involving employees are especially common as well. This can involve, for example, engaging an investigator to covertly confirm whether an employee is doing what they claim while working offsite, or identifying who is behind a leak of confidential information. The goal is to get clear, objective evidence as quickly as possible so the business can act decisively and with confidence. Investigators also help in matters where a proactive approach is required, such as in the collection of competitor intelligence, penetration testing, or conducting security risk assessments at a workplace.
3. There’s a Difficult Situation Within Your Family
It can often be a good idea to seek the assistance of an impartial investigator in difficult family matters as these situations can turn messy very quickly if approached incorrectly. Some examples of services they provide include:
- Surveillance to better understand a family member’s behaviour or whereabouts
- Cheating partner, family member addiction or teenager investigations
- Locating a family member who has fallen out of contact
- Background checks on a new partner — whether yours, your child’s, or a parent’s
- Evidence gathering in child custody matters
Situations like these are among the most sensitive cases an investigator handles. These are deeply personal matters which require a level of discretion and care only an experienced professional can provide.
4. There’s a Dispute Over a Deceased Estate
Disputes over wills are surprisingly common, and they too can turn ugly fast. The main concerns people may have in these situations are whether the signature or handwriting on a testamentary document is genuine and whether a person making a family provision claim is being honest about his or her circumstances. Sometimes, beneficiaries need to be located. When a family member dies and the validity of a will or claim comes into question, the matter quickly becomes one that can require professional evidence gathering.
Forensic document examiners can analyse handwriting and signatures to determine authenticity. Investigators can investigate behaviour, trace assets, verify what a beneficiary is claiming, and locate parties who cannot be found. In more complex estate matters, investigators and forensic experts work alongside solicitors to build a picture of what actually occurred and produce evidence that can withstand scrutiny at the court level (if it comes to that).
5. You’re Being Targeted Online
Cybercrime and digital harassment are problems that will continue to grow both in terms of frequency and severity in Australia. Stalking, blackmail, targeted malware attacks and online harassment campaigns can be life-ruining to their victims, often exacerbated by the fact that the perpetrators can hide behind a veil of online anonymity.
Investigators may recommend digital forensics services as a first step in these cases. An experienced technician may be able to:
- Uncover malware on your device
- Identify the source of a data leak
- Gather evidence or uncover the source of online harassment or cyberbullying
- Examine online accounts, social media profiles, and webpages
- Help you find legal counsel to obtain court orders where required
These digital forensics services can also complement other investigative methods, such as background checks, surveillance investigations, and even handwriting analysis forensics if the situation calls for it.
6. You Need Evidence for a Legal Matter Involving an Individual or Business
Legal entities, government bodies and private litigants frequently engage investigators when they need evidence that standard legal discovery can’t easily reveal.
Locating an individual who is evading service of documents. Identifying and tracing assets that a judgment debtor claims don’t exist. Capturing evidence of unauthorised property use, or breaches of development consent. Documenting conduct that constitutes a breach of a licence or regulatory obligation. In each case the investigator’s job is to uncover or capture usable evidence through lawful means, and the methods available to gather this kind of evidence are varied. Surveillance, database searches, digital forensics, controlled purchases, other targeted inquiries – a good investigator will recommend the right approach based on the objectives and circumstances of the matter.
Talk to a Professional
If any of the situations above sound familiar, contact us today. Lyonswood Investigations has been operating for over 40 years assisting individuals, businesses and governments across Australia navigate exactly these kinds of situations.
