We get requests from people all the time that they just don’t realize we can’t honor. Well…we can’t do them legally, anyway. And since we are a reputable private investigation firm (licensed, bonded and insured), we only perform services when we can do so legally. Potential clients see these things happening in movies and on TV and they think it’s real. So we want to set the record straight about some things Private Investigators CANNOT do for you:
Pull phone records. This request is common in divorce cases. This cannot be done without a subpoena, and a subpoena can only be obtained with the help of an attorney. However, if you’re on the same phone plan you’re perfectly within your rights to request your own records.
Provide driving records. In Pennsylvania, driving records are not available to anyone unless the driver has completed a DL-503 (Request for Driver Information) form. PennDOT will honor a subpoena as well, but that can take months to be returned. Even if you get an attorney involved (in PA), they’ll still need the signed form or a letter from the driver’s attorney granting permission to request the driver’s history. Many other states have similar rules; drivers’ histories are usually NOT available to the general public.
Put a GPS on your spouse’s/significant other’s car. You can only put a tracker on a car that you own or co-own. In other words, since we don’t own your wife’s car, we can’t legally place a GPS on it.
Run a license plate. Regardless of what state you’re in, we will only do this if you’re an attorney, insurance company representative or someone with a court order.
Find your mother (or father, sister, cousin, etc). Technically, we *can* find them. But we can’t give you their address without their express consent. In fact, unless you are an attorney or insurance company representative, the information you can be given is very limited. On the other hand, if you ARE an attorney we can find just about anyone with their basic information, often in 24 hours or less.
With all that being said, some of the things we CAN do for you include surveillance, service of process, background checks and more. Call us at (888) 484-9827 or email us today to discuss your case.
great info! Thanks 🙂
Can you find that lost family member – and give them a message/letter/my contact info instead of giving me their address or contact info?
Great question, Vincent! The answer is yes, we would be happy to pass along your contact information to that long lost family member when we find them. Of course, it’s totally up to them whether they use it!