Social Media

One of the most important tools for private investigators in the digital age is the presence of easily accessible public records. Although not much has changed regarding what information is available publicly, what has changed is that what used to require countless hours of sifting through paper a few decades ago can now be accessed with just a few clicks, as almost everything is available digitally.

I often get asked, “With the amount of information found using open-source techniques, are traditional investigative methods becoming obsolete?” The answer will always be a resounding “No.” While the amount of information found online can often rival that stored on police and government databases the two are very different.

It takes a lot of work to find information about a person of interest. Below are the top 10 places that private investigators usually use to find information about a person.

Privacy is becoming increasingly precious these days. It is now often too easy to look up someone and have access to their important data just by using certain websites. Some companies even claim that they?ve got access to your income, address, family, phone number and more for a fee. Though it is true that not everyone who wants your details are bad guys, is that something you?d want to risk?

Any investigator worth his salt these days knows that harnessing the power of the social web is a must. With so much information being shared by people via their social media accounts, the amount of data you can harness just by knowing what tools to use is impossible to ignore ? and you shouldn?t be oblivious to it!