Though they might seem a bit shady and some might think that they belong in the movies rather than communities, private detectives actually play more of a role than you might think. While most private investigative services are found by individuals who need to get more information about any one of a number of different subjects, they are also used by legal teams. In fact, they are often employed by sheriff’s departments an municipalities of all sizes to make sure that the facts of every situation are accurate and people are not able to get away with fraud or other illegal acts.

In the movies and on TV, private investigative services might be used to spy on a spouse whose partner suspects of having an affair or digging up dirt on a mobster that a protagonist wants to take down. But in reality, one of the most common reasons to hire a private investigator is to determine whether or not fraud took place. Crimes related to fraud are almost always motivated by financial gain, and the most popular type of insurance fraud is exaggeration of loss. While insurance companies might not send an investigator if you said you’re broken window cost $100 to fix, when it really only required $90, major settlements might be of more interest to them.

For better or worse, fraud prevention is actually a major challenge for many companies, and they are often willing to pay private investigator firms to make sure that they do not get ripped off. In fact, roughly half of all investigators are employed by financial institutions, credit collection services, and other businesses, like insurance companies, to make sure that they are paying and getting paid properly. Though private investigative services might require a bit of an investment, it can prove to be quite worthwhile in the long run.

Today, investigations include a lot more than just simply following someone around and monitoring their every move. For the most part, advanced computer programs and technologies are used to try to dig up the most accurate facts of a situation. Plus, private investigators have access to databases that can look up multiple record sources at once, which the public does not. As a result, they are privy to more data that allows them to uncover the truth of all kinds of scenarios.

Of course, unless you run a business and want to make sure you aren’t being duped, you will want to be careful when thinking about hiring private investigative services. Though they can be helpful, they can also be expensive. Plus, they might uncover something that you really don’t want to know. So thinking long and hard about working with investigators is an important process before doing so. Research more here.