10 Must Have Private Investigator Tools
A Private investigator often has to spy on someone.
Either physically spying on someone for for insurance or to catch a cheating spouse or investigating someone online for background checks or employment.
Whether you want to investigate for your own purposes or as a career offering your own private investigation services, you will need to use many tools. What ones will depend on the job you are doing but here are 10 tools you should consider.
1 - A subscription to one of the online investigation agencies like Complete Investigation Services (CSI) online. CSI is a premier online records information provider with multiple data sources for you to use to find the exact records you are searching for. From a single source you can get the information from thousands of sources, both public and private, quickly and easily delivered right to your computer screen.
You can find out almost anything, except for some sensitive personal information like financial and credit card data.
Once you are out of the office you will need some tools to investigate people at a distance
2 - Binoculars
Binoculars are a simple tool, often used for hunting or bird watching. They are an amazing tool for Private investigators. If this is your first time spying on someone, it is easy to get separated. Following a person in a large crowd can be difficult and so can following a car. You want to stay far enough back that you are not detected, but you may lose the person in the commotion. In that case, take a step back, find a safe and secure location, and use your binoculars to scout the scene. Binoculars enable you to look far away, meaning it will be easy to find your target again.
A simple pair of binoculars for sale that can be gotten at or . Styles like the nikon action binoculars or the super sophisticated digital camera binoculars which take digital stills and also video clips.
3 - Night Vision
Rarely does spying for the PI only occur only during the day. In fact, most people spy at night. Unfortunately, it can be too dark to make out figures. This is where night vision comes in handy. You can get night vision through special goggles or scopes. To raise less suspicion, opt for scopes or goggles that you can just hold in front of your head like the Bushnell Night Vision Monocular. If someone notices you spying, especially the target, you want to be able to pull the night vision away from your face and quickly.
Always read reviews online when buying night vision. Most products do allow you to see in the dark, but some only provide you with a basic outline. Others, you can see the person’s face or read what their shirt says like a Long-Range Wireless Night Vision Camera which gives you a range of 3000 feet line of sight and 12 channels which makes this set ideal for a multi camera wireless installation. As expected, night vision can be expensive. Compare prices, look for sales, or buy used to save money.
4 – Video Recorders
If you are trying to catch a cheating spouse or a neighbor who likes to break into your home, a digital video recorder is necessary. These video recorders come in a number of different formats. You can get a digital video recorder watch or even a pen digital video recorder if you are walking around and want to maintain secrecy. In selecting larger cameras opt for those that are hidden, to prevent detection. Hidden cameras sometimes called nanny cams are installed in a wide range of products, including clothes, clothing accessories, clocks, smoke detectors, pens, and more.
Always compare prices when buying hidden video recorders. They can be expensive, so save money whenever you can. Also, if operating on a budget, opt for a traditional camcorder. You can disguise it with clothing or another object to prevent detection. This option is ideal if you already own a camcorder, as there are no extra expenses.
5 – Digital Cameras
It is best if you have both a digital camera and a video recorder, but if you cannot afford both, opt for the digital camera. They are affordable and you have many buying options. Digital cameras allow you to catch someone doing something or being somewhere they shouldn’t be, like a cheating spouse, a neighbor illegally on your property, a worker’s compensation insurance fraud or for theft prevention.
When you compare digital cameras, checkout those designed for spying. They are compact and some are hidden in everyday items, such as baseball caps and pen cameras. You can use your own personal digital camera, but be cautious when using the flash. At night, activate the night vision feature.
There are all kind of cameras for every kind of mission; often called nanny cameras, these hidden surveillance camerascan be in everyday objects, others worn or tacked to your body and some others can be sent as gifts to unsuspecting targets.
7. Wireless Network Detector
The best way to get corporate secrets if are spying on a company or a person is to tap into their networks. If they are on wireless it might be pretty easy as well, depending on how secure it’s set to be - half of them are not at all secure.
But, before you can do that, you need to find out if they do have a wireless network. That’s where a Wireless network detectors like Marware keychain WiFi Spy,Wi-Fi Digital Hotspotter come handy.
8 - Cell phone
Although listening in on cell phone conversations is not legal, you can get a lot of information from a cell phone with a small sim card reader. The reader can find deleted text, transfer data from one sim card to another, back up phone numbers and sms messages, view last numbers dialed, edit sim card information and program your sim card to only make permitted calls.
9 - GPS Trackers
GPS loggers and GPS tracker are usually small devices that can be placed in cars, boats, briefcases or any other moving object to record the location, speed, direction and even altitude (if you keep it in a plane).
Once the mission is complete you can retrieve the logger to know exactly where the object has been. One such GPS logger you can get your hands on is the MiniTrakPRO - The Smallest GPS Vehicle Tracker available.
10 - A Good Disguise
Not everyone needs a disguise when spying. If you are trying to catch a neighbor illegally entering your home, you do not even need to be present. Set a video recorder to activate with motion. Moreover, it is your home, so even if you sit outside and lie in wait, you do not need a disguise. You have every right to be there. On the other hand, if you want to catch a cheating spouse, you need a good disguise. This can be as simple as a baseball cap and sunglasses, but you can opt for a wig and new clothes.
A good disguise is ideal for spying because it gives you the element of surprise. Even if your target is your live-in partner, they will not even know it is you behind them.
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