Not a lot of people are aware that a good chunk of useful information can be found using public records. Private investigators have been using OSINT, or open-source intelligence to obtain clues and other leads when investigating someone for decades. If your private investigator talks about using OSINT or public records for their investigations, below are the biggest advantages of this practice that you should know about.
OSINT is A Cost-Effective Source of Information
Although access to OSINT is not cheap, the amount of data that you can get for the fee involved offsets your payment. Valuable data can save you thousands or even millions of dollars when it comes to vetting new business partners or performing a background check before buying a property from someone. Your peace of mind is definitely worth the access fee.
Access to Public Records Can Point You to the Right Direction
Performing an investigation on someone or an organization can easily get confusing. It is easy to make mistakes and follow dead-end trails that lead to nowhere important. With access to public records, the private investigator can get clues on where to look next or which information can uncover other more useful data.
OSINT Access is Discreet
If you go around asking questions about someone, there is a huge chance that your person of interest will find out. When a private investigator uses OSINT, the public sources of information can turn up a lot of data without alerting the person being investigated.
Accessing Public Records is Reliable and Legitimate
Data is so important in today’s world more so for companies who are about to make life-changing executive hires or commit to multi-million-dollar-investments. Having access to data that can be independently validated such as information about a company’s profits and losses or someone’s credentials provides priceless value to someone who’s making important decisions. With OSINT, you can check if someone indeed graduated from a certain school or not, if they truly worked in a certain company, or were part of a specific organization. Public records can also show the history of company mergers and projects throughout the years as well as how successful these ventures were. All these highly valuable pieces of information can be legally obtained with OSINT.
Use of OSINT Alerts You to Biases
What is usually written in the news or other sources of information can be clouded by personal perception or agenda that may take decades of experience for someone to see through. The good news is that there are multiple sources of information these days and things can be easily validated after some research while comparing all the publicly accessible information.
Should You Use Public Records for Private Investigations?
The short answer is yes! OSINT is easily accessible, cheaper than other alternatives, usually verifiable by a third party, and is completely legal. They save private investigators time and save money for the client. Using private investigation services together with OSINT means a more thorough and cost-effective investigation that benefits everyone involved. Contact us if you’re interested to find out more about how using public records for private investigations can help you.
