Best Private Investigator | 4 Things a Private Detective Cannot Do

Thanks to Hollywood blockbusters and binge-worthy TV shows, there are a lot of myths about what ,private investigators can do embedded into our culture. However, some are simply not rooted in what private investigators ,actually do on a day-to-day basis. Here we demystify five common misconceptions so you understand what a private investigator can and cannot do ,before you hire one.

1) Private investigators can’t trespass

A private investigator is not allowed to ,unlawfully enter a property, house, or building. Private investigators cannot enter a residence or business without consent, and if they are asked to leave they must do so immediately. Logically, this also bars private investigators from using forced entry or lock picking to get inside.

2) Private investigators can’t hack, wiretap, or illegally monitor

Equally, private investigators are also unable to obtain information by hacking into someone’s phone, ,placing a tap on their phone line, or in any other way ,illegally monitoring their conversations. If there is a reason to believe ,it would be worthwhile, then it would be due to a suspected crime, and again they would turn to the ,police for support where appropriate.

3) Impersonate Law Enforcement

Private investigators are not permitted to wear a badge, uniform, or use any logo or phrasing that could suggest that the investigator is a police officer or government official. Ultimately, this helps to prevent private investigators from misleading individuals about their association with the law. Anyone attempting to properly impersonate a police officer is committing a crime – something which would seriously undermine their ,professional work.

4) Access Protected Information

Although private investigators are legally entitled to find the location of the information, which can be useful if a subpoena is required, private investigators cannot obtain federally or state-protected information without the consent of the individual or a subpoena. These restrictions apply to a variety of documents, including:

Financial Records: Account specific information like transaction history can’t be obtained without either a court order or permission from the card or account holder
Phone Records: Through legal investigative methods, an investigator can determine what carrier or person is associated with a given phone number, however, phone records are deemed to be private and protected by both federal and state statutes, so a private investigator cannot access these records without a court order or subpoena.
Bank Accounts: Again, a PI can identify the location of bank accounts associated with a specific person, but they cannot access the specific information regarding these accounts.

We hope this article has been informative so far. While the above mentioned are things a private investigator cannot do, there are still have plenty of legal, ,professional methods and tools to help you get the results you need. If you’re looking for an experienced PI that to help solve your case or if you need some advice on an ongoing case, you may contact Asia Top Investigation at vt@asiatopinvestigation.com or WhatsApp us at +65 9651 1969.

The Cost Of Hiring A Private Investigator in 2021 in Singapore

If you’d like to learn more on ,private investigation-related knowledge, feel free to check out our other articles ,here. If you’re interested, we’ve also written an article on how to ,hire a PI agency in Singapore ,here.