If you've searched the Net for email and street addresses and phones, and come up "zero", then you may need assistance by an Investigation Agency. You're going to pay for this service, so think first about what you can afford. Something simple can cost $20 dollars. But nobody is going to be happy getting a bill for $400 dollars for services they didn't know they were ordering. Be careful to limit your potential losses from an unscrupulous company. There are a few scams out there. I haven't listed anybody in that category that I know of -- but I make no guarantees. Read carefully before you order or sign up.

A few indicators can keep you out of the most obvious kinds of trouble with an Investigative Agency. If you're going to do something more complex than a credit record address check for a social security number, then a little early homework can save you grief later.
 

• The best reference for any service is a satisfied customer. Don't be afraid to ask for business and personal references. Then *talk to* them.
• If you know where an Agency does business, then call the local office of the Better Business Bureau and check for outstanding complaints. Likewise, search the USENET at DejaNews and the Web at two or more search sites, for the Agency name and the name(s) of people who work there, if you know such names. If you don't turn up anything, that's not a guarantee. The Agency could be new, only recently come on-line, or renamed after having been run out of another state.
• If you live in the same town as an Agency office, then go to the Clerk of the County Court and ask to search court records for unsatisfied judgements or current court Docket cases involving them. You should be able to do this for the cost of duplicating any documents you take away. It can take time.
• Forservices above some threshold of potential cost,  reputable business should be willing to give you a letter or contract stating in advance what they are going to do for you and what sources they will use, for how much money. If they hesitate to do that, then walk. Alternately, you should understand the descriptions of Agency services on any Web page you order from. That page becomes your contract. Print out a copy of the service description and also a copy of the order form, before you submit it.

 

 

• A reputable PI will want to know who you are, before they go poking around in somebody else's business to satisfy your curiosity. You should expect to provide a verifiable email address or fax number if you do business over the Net. Some Agencies also insist on having your physical signature on record (via snail mail), before they work on your behalf. Consider that minor inconvenience to be a plus in your favor.
• Never give ANYBODY a credit card number to do work "by the hour" for you, unless you put a dollar limit on the authorized charges, in writing. This rule includes lawyers, by the way. Likewise, get a "not later than" date for service delivery.