Private investigators are professionals who are hired by individuals, businesses, or legal entities to conduct investigative tasks on a private basis. They offer services that are similar to those of law enforcement agencies but operate independently and outside the scope of the government. Private investigators are typically hired to gather information, uncover facts, and provide their clients with detailed reports or evidence related to specific cases. Some of the tasks that private investigators typically do include:

• Interviewing people: Private investigators interview people to gather information.
• Searching records: Private investigators search online, public, and court records to gather information.
• Surveillance: Private investigators conduct surveillance to gather information and evidence.
• Tracking down people and assets: Private investigators track down people, valuable assets, and evidence.
• Conducting investigations: Private investigators conduct thorough investigations to gather information and uncover facts relevant to a specific case. This may involve analyzing evidence, interviewing witnesses, conducting surveillance, and researching public records or databases.
• Financial investigations: Private investigators may specialize in financial investigations, where they delve into matters like fraud, embezzlement, or asset tracing. They analyze financial records, conduct audits, interview involved parties, and follow the money trail to uncover discrepancies or fraudulent activities.

Private investigators must act within the confines of the law to gather the information needed, but they can help with a variety of tasks. This can include looking for birth parents, checking the security of a business for the owner, looking for a missing person, or finding out if a spouse is cheating. Private investigators are licensed to practice in the state in which they work and may either work full time as employees or be contracted to work with private detective firms, police departments, private businesses, and organizations, as well as individual clients.