ABLE Investigations 770-789-9250
Domestic Investigations
Is My Spouse Cheating? Red Flags to Look For
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Working earlier or later all of a sudden |
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Working weekends when it hasn't been done before |
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Taking more out-of-town trips than is usual |
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Intercepts the phone bills before you can see them |
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Immediately deletes calls and/or text messages from the phone(s) |
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Intercepts the credit card statements before you can see them |
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Coming home later than normal |
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Finding out about a second "residence" |
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Avoiding family functions or get-togethers |
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Picking "fights" where the subject is money |
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Spends more time in chat rooms or instant messaging on the computer |
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Frequent or unexplained ATM withdrawals |
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Many "wrong number" or "hang up" phone calls at the residence |
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Harder than usual to contact via cell phone and/or text messages |
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Dressing better without being promoted at work, etc. |
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Takes overall better care of their physical appearance |
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Unusual increase or decrease in sexual desire |
What Should I Look For in an Investigator?
Finding a good private investigator is
more difficult when you are trying to be discreet. If you have an
attorney, ask for a referral. Many attorneys have one private investigator
they have come to trust. Check with the state-regulating agency,
state associations or your local Better Business Bureau for recommendations.
The cost of an infidelity investigation can vary greatly depending on the state,
investigator, circumstances, and especially the subject. You should
interview several investigators asking each about prices and estimated costs;
you will soon see an average range. One important point - don't be tempted to take to
lowest bid for the sake of expenses. There are varying degrees of competence and the old adage of "you get what you
pay for" usually applies. As with professionals in any area, the most expensive investigator may
not produce any more evidence than the less expensive investigator.
It is extremely unwise to have a non-professional (friend, family member, etc.) to follow your spouse. They can usually be detected very easily and any information they gather will be useless in a court of law.
While all investigators accept all information available from the client, the investigator that focuses only on
that information is liable to miss other important facts. The client, is paying for expertise and
knowledge. Let the investigator do his or her job as he or she sees
fit. If the client is too specific in their instructions they may miss
on opportunities, experience, instincts, and creativity by the investigator.
After the investigation has begun you may want to keep notes in a journal.
Do not write any information about the investigator or investigation in
your journal. If the subject discovers it, accidentally or on purpose, it
will be easier to explain without compromising an on-going investigation.
Private investigators are taught to never admit their purpose to the subject of
investigation, even if the subject confronts the investigator and accuses him of
"following" or "spying" on them. Keep in mind that you
should never admit you have an investigator checking them out.
Even if reconciliation occurs, it would be wise to deny that any investigation was ever taking place.
Evidence produced from the investigation will depend upon the facts, the
subject, and even the timing of when the investigation takes place.
Evidence can be a video of the two talking to one another, the spouse visiting
the person's home, public displays of affection, or an overnight visit.
Private investigators are not granted any special legal privileges that citizens do not have. Keep in mind that it is illegal for an private investigator to:
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Photographing/videotaping at a window of a private residence unless it in plain view site |
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Audio taping of private conversations unless the client is a party to the conversation |
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Entering on to private property that is not jointly owned by the client |
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Putting a "tap" on a telephone line |
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Installing a GPS (Global Positioning System) on a vehicle other than the spouse's or the spouse's company vehicle |
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"Setting up your spouse" using a decoy (that's entrapment) |
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The investigator is not exempt from traffic laws and may receive traffic citations during a mobile surveillance (the client is usually billed for any fines the investigator incurs) |
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The investigator does not have police powers and can only arrest as a private citizen and then only for felonies (citizens arrest) |
The duration of the investigation will be
determined by the course of action the client plans to take. If you plan
on a civil action consult an attorney as to how much evidence is needed. The attorney is the one that will
have to take the evidence to the judge. Do not depend on the investigator
to tell you when enough evidence is gathered. In reality, only the
attorney
can only determine when "enough" is enough.
When the investigation concludes, the client should receive a written report of
the investigation, a copy of any surveillance video or photographs, and a
detailed invoice showing billable hours and expenses. The client should request the attorney to contact the
private investigator to discuss the investigation rather than having to hear it
second hand from the client. It usually best if the attorney takes
possession of the physical evidence if the client is still attempting to be discreet. If
the attorney has any questions they can be asked of the investigator rather than
the client. Keep in mind that if your investigator has to testify in court,
this is considered "billable hours" and must be compensated.
The most common question is “How much does it cost?” While there are many
aspects of an infidelity investigation that are similar, every investigation is
different. The cost is actually depends on uncontrollable aspects, such
as, the subject, facts, timing, circumstances, experience, and, yes, even luck.
Ask the private investigator what the charges for all aspects are. Most
investigators charge an hourly rate, plus mileage and other expenses.
The hourly rate varies from agency to agency. Most private investigators require a retainer. It has been the experience of ABLE Investigations that most infidelity investigations run between $2,000.00 and $4,000.00. There have been cases that have been completed for under $2,000.00, and some cases have been in excess of $4,000.00. ABLE Investigations will keep you apprised of the status of your retainer as the case progresses and will not let you exceed your retainer without your approval.
ABLE Investigations
specializes in domestic investigations of all kinds. Our success rate on these types of investigations is above 80%. We work around the clock if necessary to bring the investigation to a successful conclusion.
