FAQ's - Frequently Asked Questions
1. Spousal Surveillance FAQ's
2. Personal Background Checks
3. Asset Search
4. Business Services
5. Additional Services
1. Spousal Surveillance FAQ's
What is Spousal Surveillance also referred to as Domestic Surveillance?
Sposal/Domestic surveillance is the method used to discover if spouses are cheating on each other. It can involve husbands, wives, boyfriends or girlfriends. It is the technique of putting an investigator out in the field who follows the suspected cheater to document their activities without their knowledge. This is accomplished by recording their activities and capturing film and video footage.
I feel embarrassed about talking to someone about this?
We get calls every day from people in relationships who suspect their spouse or significant others of cheating. It is nothing to be embarrassed about. What you are seeking is peace of mind about something you are not sure of. It is natural to seek answers and to determine if your suspicions are real or imagined. We invest a tremendous part of ourselves in relationships. It is natural to want to determine the strength and integrity of that relationship.
What if I am wrong?
If there is no evidence the subject is cheating, you will have gained peace of mind about your relationship. Since our investigations are 100% confidential, you will not have risked sacrificing the relationship if you are wrong.
Is domestic surveillance legal?
Surveillance is the process of documenting what is going on in the world of an individual. No laws are broken. It is 100% legal.
I have never hired a private investigator, how do I start?
Contact us via phone or email for an obligation free 1 hour consultation.
What are the fees charged for domestic surveillance?
Surveillance is billed on an hourly basis plus km travelled. Before the project is started, a strategy is established depending on the circumstances and your needs. Once this plan is in place a budget can be established. Investigation services are payable in advance of the work being conducted.
How is the surveillance plan established?
You will need to let the investigator know at which times you think the suspected activity is taking place. Will we need to follow the person from home or work? Does the person have a fixed schedule? Do you know anything about the suspected other party. All these questions and more go into creating an effective surveillance plan. The investigator will work with you to come up with the best strategy.
What will I need to tell the investigator?
The following are some of the things that help us get the investigation started. You may not have all the information, however the more you have the better. The investigator will need a photograph of the person being investigated. If the subject is being followed from home, it can also be helpful to have photographs of other members of the household. We will need a complete description of the subject, weight, height, hair color, etc. If you think you know the other party they are cheating with, give us whatever information you know about them.
We will need to know the make, model and color of the subject's vehicle, with license plate if possible. If we are following them from work, we will need to know the type of parking and where they park their vehicle.
If they use public transport to get to and from work we need to know by what means and times they travel.
We will also need to know the driving habits of the subject and the addresses of places you think they may visit.
How many agents are used on a domestic surveillance case?
The number of agents used depends on a number of factors. Basic surveillance on an individual being followed from home or an uncomplicated work situation can be conducted by one agent. More complicated scenarios, may require an additional agent. Other factors in which we may recommend a second agent include fast and aggressive drivers and extra alert drivers who always watch the rear view mirror. Of course an additional agent increases the cost of surveillance, and this factor is also taken into consideration in arriving at your budget.
How will you contact me without tipping off my spouse?
First we will ask if the phone number you give is secure. Saying it is secure means that only you or someone you trust answers the phone and that we can safely leave a voice mail message if no one answers. If the number is not secure, we will discuss other strategies. When we contact you the first thing we will say is "is this a good time to talk". If the subject or someone else is present and you can't talk, you can say "no" or you can say "you have the wrong number" or anything else. We will hang up and you can call us back when it is safe to do so.
What do I do once the surveillance is set up?
Once the surveillance plan is in place it is important that you do not do anything to tip off the subject to the investigation. Do not change your habits and do not ask too many questions about their activities unless it is normal for you to do so.
How do you follow someone?
The techniques of tailing someone are an acquired skill. When following someone we are constantly weighing two factors against each other. First we want to stay close enough to make sure we do not loose the subject at a traffic light or in heavy traffic. However we are constantly balancing this against staying so close that we run the risk of being observed by the subject. The art of balancing these two factors in a variety of situations can only be executed well by having an experienced investigator working the case. In some cases a second agent is preferable or required which allows us to keep safer distances while not minimizing the chance of loosing the subject
Will the suspected cheater find out that they are being watched?
Our surveillance investigations are 100% confidential. We do everything necessary to insure the covert nature of the investigation. If we ever perceive that the security of the investigation is threatened, we pull back and with your input reconsider the tactics being deployed.
What evidence will I receive at the conclusion?
The evidence collected in domestic surveillance consists of film and or videotape of the activities and a surveillance report which details all the activity in writing. Both are submitted to you, or if you wish we can hold them on file for you.
What sets WanderingEye Investigations apart from other investigation, detective agencies?
At WanderingEye Investigations we deliver a quality investigation backed-up by years of experience.
Every organization is only as good as their staff. At WanderingEye we have a team of seasoned professionals in the field working for you.
Service to your specific needs dominates our agenda. We know every situation is different and we are flexible enough to create a win for your situation, no matter how difficult.
2. Personal Background Checks
Personal Background Checks uncover information about a person's character and past. Often used in dating and prenuptial situations, a background investigation tells you if someone is being honest about their past or if they are lying about it. They are also used for domestic help screening such as nannies, housekeepers, and personal assistants.
Personal Background Checks offer you piece of mind when making decisions about the future. All background checks are confidential, the person being investigated does not find out about the investigation.
What can be learned from Personal Background Checks?
The starting point includes information such as their age, marital status, address histories, criminal prosecutions and convictions. You can also find out if there have been debt problems in the past, including bankruptcies, tax fraud, judgments and notices of defaults. We find out if they are using aliases or AKA's ("also known as"). We can also identify past lawsuits, whether they are suing others or if they have been sued in the past.
The deeper levels of background investigations include contact with neighbors and associates to find out about personal habits, dating history, alcohol or drug use, personal lifestyle, social status and civic and community affiliations. All this is conducted using pretexts, so no one knows the investigation is being conducted.
Who initiates these searches?
Boyfriends, girlfriends, concerned relatives, and anyone else entering into a personal or other type of relationship, personal or otherwise.
3. Asset Search
Asset Searches are used to reveal the financial profile an individual or business. Asset Searches can be useful in personal matters and in business affairs. There are several level of asset searches, from a basic search of public records to very thorough "deep" asset investigations, which can reveal hidden assets such as offshore accounts.
In personal matters asset searches are used when divorce is eminent or in process. There are other times when one needs to know about the assets of another party, such as in prenuptial (premarital) situations, where they are used to confirm that a potential spouse has the financial means that they claim to have. Asset searches are also useful in estate and probate matters where the assets of the deceased are not fully determined.
In business matters asset searches are used to determine the financial worthiness of a potential partner, also known as due diligence investigations. In matters where there is a potential for legal action, they can be used to determine the ability of a party to pay if the lawsuit is successful. In instances where one party owes money to the other, they are used to collect a debt or judgment. This includes the collection of small claims judgments. In some cases an individual may have declared bankruptcy, yet there is a possibility that assets may have been sequestered.
We often tell clients that discovering assets is an art not a science. This is especially true of the more thorough investigations in cases where assets are deliberately being shielded and hidden. In these instances you need the skills of seasoned professionals whose knowledge of the ways such assets are hidden enable them to produce positive results on your project.
WanderingEye Investigations offers a wide variety of Asset Searches. Call or email us now for an obligation free 1 hour consultation.
4. Business Services
WanderingEye Investigations has a history of serving the needs of its business clients. Whether you need market research, loss prevention investigation, intellectual property investigation, due diligence background research, or any other of the many business related investigation services we offer, WanderingEye will serve you with a first class investigation that creates wins for your company.
Every business faces situations where intelligence is needed to make good decisions, whether it is decisions about internal matters or decisions relating to the competition. You need an intelligence partner with the experience to get the job done and to deliver the product to you in a format that is user friendly and useful.
When it comes to employee theft investigations, Our private detectives have decades of experience you can rely on to have the case handled successfully. Employee theft investigations require skilled, experienced fraud investigators. At WanderingEye we have successfully solved numerous employee theft investigations during our time in business.
There are a number of tactics we can employ in dealing with employee theft investigations including covert surveillance, undercover investigators, and employee interviews. In some cases we uncover a conspiracy that involves many employees. In a recent case for a Telco company we obtained covert video that documented collusion by several employees in a theft ring.
If you are looking for a loss prevention investigator, WanderingEye has the experience. We have seen it all before, from isolated single employee “crimes of opportunity” to sophisticated theft rings. We cover all of Australia, so whether you need a loss prevention investigator in Melbourne, Perth, or anywhere throughout the country, we are ready to serve your loss prevention investigation needs.
Contact us now for a free consultation regarding your loss prevention needs.
5. Additional Services
WanderingEye Investigations offers a complete range of investigative services. This includes research in areas of telephone numbers, pager, cell phone, voice-mail and e-mail. We also conduct research in real estate, executive protection, stalker protection, bug sweeps and phone tap detection. We also provide services in the areas of child custody disputes, parental kidnapping, embezzlement, employee dishonesty and workplace drug use.
If you do not see the investigative service you are looking for listed on our web site, contact us to inquire about our wide range of investigation services.