Hiring a Private Investigator: The Questions to Ask Before You Pay Anyone

Most people hire an investigator once in their lives, usually during a difficult period, and often with no idea what a fair arrangement looks like. That combination attracts bad operators. Here is what to establish before money changes hands.

1. Licensing

Private investigation is licensed in most US states and regulated in the UK. Ask for the licence number and verify it with the issuing authority yourself — it takes two minutes online. An investigator who is evasive about this is telling you everything you need to know.

2. Insurance

Ask for proof of general liability and, ideally, professional liability coverage. Surveillance involves vehicles, public spaces and other people's property. If something goes wrong, you do not want to discover the coverage question afterwards.

3. Who Actually Does the Work

You may be sold by a principal and served by a subcontractor. Ask directly who will be in the field, what their experience is, and whether they are employed or contracted. There is nothing wrong with a team — there is something wrong with not being told.

4. Scope and Cost, in Writing

You should receive a written scope of work, an hourly or project rate, an estimate of hours, a statement of what expenses are billed, and what happens if the estimate is exceeded. Surveillance in particular is unpredictable; a good firm tells you that up front rather than presenting a surprise invoice.

5. The Deliverable

Ask exactly what you receive at the end: a written report, timestamped video, still images, a database summary. Ask whether the report is written to a standard suitable for court, and whether the investigator will testify if required. If you may end up in litigation, this matters enormously.

6. Legality

Any investigator who offers to obtain phone records, bank records, or account access is describing a crime. So is anyone offering to place a tracker on a vehicle you do not own or record a conversation you are not party to in a two-party consent jurisdiction. Illegally obtained evidence is not just inadmissible — it can turn you from the complainant into the defendant.

Red Flags

• Guaranteed results — nobody can guarantee what does not exist
• Cash only, no written agreement
• No verifiable licence or physical office
• Pressure to commit on the first call
• Offers to obtain protected records
• An open-ended retainer with no reporting schedule

The First Call

A good consultation is diagnostic. Expect to be asked what you already know, what you need to prove and what you intend to do with the answer. Expect to occasionally be told that you do not need an investigator at all. That answer costs the firm a fee and earns it a reputation.

About the author

Dan Ribacoff is a licensed private investigator and the founder of International Investigative Group, a certified polygraph examiner, certified firearms instructor, GIA Graduate Gemologist and the author of I, Spy: How to Be Your Own Private Investigator. He works from offices in New York, Boca Raton and London, and has appeared as a polygraph expert on American and British television.