COVER
STORY:
Investigating the “Suspicious” Auto Accident Claim
By Robert Weltz
A step-by-step look at the critical elements involved in developing a successful
investigation plan for auto accident claims.
FEATURES:
Marketing to Insurance Companies:
Understanding Lines of Insurance is Often the Key to Success
By Daniel W. Draz, MS, CFE
The key to generating business from insurance companies lies in understanding
the two main insurance categories and the varying types of coverage within
each.
Password Management: Easy-to-Follow Guidelines to
Protect Against Theft
By Bill Carey
Passwords protect information; here some tips are offered to protect those
passwords.
Help! Where is 13640 WCR 64?
Locating Those Hard to Find Addresses
By Jane Cracraft
Innovations in technology and accessibility to databases help eliminate some
of the guess work in address locates.
DEPARTMENTS:
“Good Employees are Good for Business” ...and
bad employees cost you money
By Lynn H. Levy
Your employees represent you and your company; some do’s and don’ts
when hiring.
Excerpt: We often start our businesses as sole practitioners.
We market ourselves and build a good client base. We get busy. Then we get
too busy and decide to hire.
At this point we must decide what our first employee, and then subsequent employee
No Mistaking It
By Clay Renick
Stories of common mistakes made by investigators, and how those mistakes prove
to be a valuable opportunity to learn.
Excerpt: Webster defines mistake as an “incorrect” judgment.
But seasoned professionals see it differently. Mistakes in their eyes
are something to value, not hide. Any pot-hole in that sense is an
education on the road to insight.
The investigators below acknowledge some early mistakes in their careers. By
learning from their mistakes, they prevented future losses in time and business.
Find It Fast
New technologies for locating and identifying stolen, missing or looted valuables
Excerpt: Looking for something? Private investigators
often face the challenge to help clients — whether they are
private clients or insurance companies — locate lost or stolen
valuables. The valuables usually turn up for sale somewhere legitimate
such as an online auction site, a pawnbroker shop, an auction house
or a second hand dealer. That point of sale is your best opportunity
to locate and eventually recover the item.
Top Ten Mistakes Made By Business Owners and Executives
When Traveling
By Michael McCann
Common sense travel tips that will keep security in mind when traveling.
Excerpt: Professional investigators often find themselves
advising clients or even being among the thousands of American business travelers
fighting the hustle and bustle of airports. No matter the destination or purpose
of the trip, security should always be on our minds when traveling. There are
10 simple common sense travel tips you can learn from. They are:
The Price of Privacy
By Robert Scott
The contention between freedom of information and the right to privacy threatens
to compromise how investigators do their work.
Excerpt: Imagine being a private investigator in
1926. There are no computers to help locate missing persons, con artists,
and crooked businessmen. You’ve just got some shoe leather, the
phone book, court records and your car. With the looming death of information
on behalf of “privacy,” we’re all but headed back
to where we were 80 years ago. Soon, the only thing private investigators
will be able to legally do is sit in a car parked down the block, turn
the radio on
and watch.
Merlin and IRBsearch to Merge
By Jimmie Mesis, PI Magazine Editor-In-Cheif
What the intended merger of two of the largest Internet
data providers means for professional investigators.
Excerpt: Earlier this year Merlin Information Services launched its newest service,
an online training seminar titled “Effective Use of Public Record for
Skiptracing.”
A Day in the Life of an Identity Thief
By Bruno Pavlicek
An in-depth look at a former identity thief that explores the mindset of the
criminal as well as the activities associated with this type of fraud.
Excerpt: Much has been written on the topic of identity
theft. But what do we really know about the identity thieves themselves?
Who are they? How do they operate? What motivates them? In the October
2005 issue of PI Magazine, I discussed in depth the street level identity
theft gangs (“SLIT Rings”) and their role in the organized
crime circles. In this article, I will explore the pathology of the
individual ID thief.
PI Buzz (www.pibuzz.com)
By Tamara Thompson
Topics Incude:
PI related issues from the top investigative blog on the web.
Secret
Trial Courts - Private Judges - Hhidden Public Records
Privacy
Concerns Press Congress to Legislate Vehicle Black Box Data Recorders
10
Must Have Desert Island Web sites for Private Investigators
Find
People in the U.S. Military
Seven Rules for the Care and Feeding of Attorneys
By Jane Cracraft
Guidelines to assist professional investigators in building a good working
relationship with their attorney clients.
Excerpt: Every trial lawyer has a healthy — or
overgrown — ego. Anyone who is willing to perform his or her
role in a courtroom drama in front of a demanding judge, a skeptical
jury and paying client must have the ego of a television anchorman.
Keeping that ego in mind, here are some guidelines to assist professional investigators
in building a good working relationship with their attorney clients.
Gadgets Gimmicks and Tricks of the Trade
By Julius “Buddy” Bombet, Associate Editor
New technology, equipment and advice that every PI
should know.
Have any contributions for this section?
Send them to me at Buddy@Bombet.com or
by fax 225-272-3631.
www.pigear.com
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