How Private Investigators Track Down People Using Internet
The internet has revolutionized private investigator work in a number of ways. Private investigators use the internet like nobody’s business. This powerful tool can be used for various purposes, from finding a missing person to recovering stolen property.
To track down someone, a private investigator will leverage several search engines and social media platforms. For example, they may search for a missing person on Google, use Facebook to see if anyone has posted updates about the person, or check out online private investigator directories.
By using the internet as their investigative tool, private investigators can often solve cases faster than traditional methods. With the right information and tools, private investigators are able to do whatever it takes to bring a fugitive to justice!
How Private Investigators Find People Using The Internet
- Social Media
Social media is an incredibly powerful tool for private investigators, mainly because 82% of the US population is on social media, which makes it easier for them to investigate their targets. For starters, social media platforms are typically used by PIs as a source of information and research about people of interest (PIs call this “screening”).
Simply entering the first and last name of someone they’re looking into will give them a good idea of what kind of content they’ve shared on social media – whether it’s photos or posts related to work or personal hobbies.
If the person has locked their profile, however, PIs can still obtain relevant information from friends who have public profiles without them even knowing. They can track POI (person of interest’s) activity by the photos their friends/family shared and tagged them in them or comments or likes made by the POI on friend/family’s posts.
They also use various filters like location (home or work), workplace (if they’re employed), schooling (if they have kids going to school), etc. This helps narrow down their search quickly and easily.
- Search Engines
When Private Investigators need to track down someone, they use a number of search engines. These include Google, Yahoo!, DuckDuckGo, and Bing.
They type in the person’s name and look for any related websites or news articles that have been published online. This information is then compiled into a detailed report on the target person.
- Data Fusion
Private investigators have access to various databases online that can be quite helpful in their work. For example, public records such as voter registration and criminal histories can provide valuable information that is often not available from other sources.
Some databases require a fee to gain access, but once inside, private investigators may find information like the person’s phone number, address, driver’s license numbers and voting data.
This data is then compiled into a report which may be used by the investigator in court or for investigative purposes. Extracting this kind of data typically requires a lot of experience and expertise.
Is Social Media Evidence Usable in Court?
Private investigators use social media to track down people all the time. This information can be incredibly useful in court, depending on the circumstances.
For example, if a private investigator has information proving a person is in a certain location, social media can be used as evidence.
