Many people don’t realize there are many services a private investigator can provide. The industry today far surpasses the “Colombo” days. The industry today is full of professional, ethical and moral individuals. Some private investigators only specialize in certain areas while others are a full service agency. Many of the services provided, that the general public is not aware of, include the following:

Education/Experience/Resources
Most private investigators, but not all, come from Law Enforcement backgrounds or criminal justice degrees and/or careers. Their training and experience alone can expose them to resources and tools that the average person does not. Furthermore, most individuals don’t have the time, education, legal liability knowledge, skills or training to perform an investigation on their own. Many individuals do not want their own privacy compromised. There are many risks involved in performing an investigation and it is best to let the professionals, who have the knowledge, perform the task.

Benefits for Business Owners/Employers/Individuals
In today’s society, performing a background check on your potential employee is critical. This could be a staff member, business partner, household employee, nanny, etc. These are all individuals that should be checked thoroughly. Private Investigators have access to databases unavailable to the general public. A private investigator will also have the skills to dig deeper into a person’s history. You may also be checking on a potential relationship partner. With the increase of internet dating it has become imperative that you perform safe dating checks to avoid entering into a potentially dangerous or volatile situation.

Domestic and Criminal Investigations
Many attorneys, as well as individuals going through a civil or criminal law suit, need the assistance of a Private Investigator. Most attorneys don’t have time to do the digging in their client’s case. Many cases are won in court with the assistance of a Private Investigator and the evidence they collected. Licensed Private Investigators are considered Expert Witnesses. Private Investigators can interview subjects, perform surveillance and prove the facts they provide. Anything they personally observe is considered credible testimony in court.

Bringing families together
In cases of runaways, missing persons, or long lost friends and relatives, Private Investigators can work in the courts, along with other resources, in order to find these missing or lost individuals. Sometimes a Private Investigator is the only answer. Once the information is obtained, you will know it was collected in a legal and professional manner.

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When you’re parenting teenagers, September might seem like the most wonderful time of the year: your children are back in school, so you know where they are at all times, right? But as any mom or dad will tell you, the academic year doesn’t give you a break from parenting. Teenagers are surrounded by their friends all day and may be connected online all night. As a parent, you need to be ever vigilant to ensure that your kids are safe.

That’s why we’ve collected this list of back to school tips for parents. Here you’ll find concrete advice and recommendations for keeping your kids safe – even when they’re out of your sight.

Staying Safe: Back to School Tips for Parents

For many teenagers, the best part of school is social. But when your children are making new friends – online or in person – it may introduce them to realities that you weren’t quite prepared for. In order to keep your kids safe, we recommend the following steps.

• Meet the friends. Make sure to learn their full names, cell phone numbers and addresses of any new school friends. If you think you’ll feel safer, invite the new friends to your home for the initial meet and greet. Don’t allow your children to take trips or car rides with the new friends until you’ve met them.
• Meet the parents. Ask your children for their friends’ parents’ telephone numbers. Your children may grumble – nobody said parenting teenagers would be easy – but two sets of parents keeping an eye out is safer than one. You should also consider exchanging information about what kinds of cars you drive, so that you (and the other parents) will know what to look for if your children go out together.
• Meet the teachers. Your teen will spend more time in school than awake at home. One of the best back to school tips for parents is to get involved with your children’s education. Teachers may pick up on problems that you miss, and children whose parents are involved with their schooling tend to fare better while there.
• Meet the bus driver. Parents tend to forget about school bus drivers, but you trust them to take your children safely to school and back home again. Plus, your children are making new friends on those buses who you may not know. It helps to know who the driver – and those new friends – are when you put your kids on the bus.

In the Cloud: Internet Safety Tips for Parents

Because schools are making the shift to web-based learning, your children will spend more time online doing school work than you may expect. To help you keep more children protected while online, we suggest the following internet safety tips for parents:

• Use parental controls on all computers – even those belonging to your teens
• Limit time spent on social media sites
• Ask teachers about online homework assignments ahead of time
• Stay with your children while they do their homework
• Eliminate internet access on your child’s cell phone
• Help your children with their online homework assignments
• Remind your kids that anything they put online is public knowledge

Remember that there’s nothing wrong with asking for help when it comes to parenting. Teenagers are undergoing incredible hormonal changes, and their personalities may appear to change without warning. Teachers and school administrators have years of schooling and skills, and they may be able to offer some valuable advice about keeping your kids safe and sound, in school and out of it.

The post Important Safety Information for Parenting Teenagers appeared first on She Spies Private Eye.

• Shop during daylight hours. Try to avoid shopping later at night, when it’s dark.  If you must go out at night, choose shopping centers with well-lit parking lots or garages, and keep your keys out while you walk.
• Don’t open car doors from far away. The remote that activates your car locks might seem like a useful tool — especially when you have lots of packages or bags — but if you open your doors too soon before you get to the car, you’re allowing potential predators to jump into your car.
• Report “lurkers.” One of the most useful safe shopping tips comes from your gut: if it looks “wrong,” or if you feel uncomfortable, let a security guard or law enforcement officer know. Runaway teenagers may consider turning to theft if they’re hungry or cold during the holiday season, so report anyone who makes you feel unsafe, regardless of their age.
• Avoid carrying a purse/wallet in your back pocket. Keep your driver’s license, cash and credit cards in your front pocket, for easy access and easy reach. It’s more difficult for someone to pick your front pocket, and purses and pocketbooks can attract thieves. Identity theft protection tips such as this may help you keep more than just your belongings safe, too.

Identity Theft Protection Tips that Work

For people who shop both in stores and online, we offer identity theft protection tips to keep your holidays from turning into your nightmares. Being alert may help you avoid losing your identity to hackers or thieves this year.

• Don’t save your information online. It’s so much simpler to save your banking information on the sites you use often — but it makes it much easier for internet predators to steal that information.  Take the few extra moments to fill in your credit card information every time you shop — and only use sites designated as “safe” by your online protection services.
• Don’t carry unnecessary information with you. One of the best identity theft protection tips law enforcement or investigators can offer involves keeping your identification papers at home, where they belong. Carry only what you need, such as a driver’s license, and leave what you don’t, such as passports.
• Get credit cards with your picture on them. If your bank card has your picture on it, it’ll be harder to use it in person for a thief who looks nothing like you.  There are pro’s and con’s to this idea, so discuss with your credit card company as to what is the best option is for you.
• Changes your passwords. Our safe shopping tips for online shoppers involve changing passwords and security questions and answers. If you use the same passwords for all of your social media and online shopping accounts, create new passwords for each site.

Prevent Kidnapping and Runaway Teenagers this Year

Tensions run high at the holidays. People are distracted, and sometimes we lose sight of what’s important. But by talking to your teens and children, you can keep your loved ones safe and prevent kidnapping attempts. As soon as possible, do the following:

• Leave kids at home with a trusted babysitter during shopping trips, which can help you prevent kidnapping from a crowded place.
• Don’t allow children to shop in the store without you.
• Teach your children their full name and address, as well as their phone number, in case they become separated.
• Teach children to wait for you at a register in the store. Store clerks and security officers can page you over the intercom.
• Talk to your kids. Runaway teenagers are often under a lot of pressure, from themselves or someone else. Encourage them to discuss their problems with you in a stress-free environment, and really listen to their concerns.

The post Keep the Holidays Merry with Our Safe Shopping Tips appeared first on She Spies Private Eye.

• Travel in a pack. The best travel safety tips you can follow remind you not to go it alone. Make trips to the ATM with all of the people in your group, and double-check your surroundings for suspicious looking characters.  If you must leave your hotel alone, make sure to inform your group about exactly where you’re going — and keep your phone handy.
• Keep your eyes on your drinks. Whether you’re in a bar or drinking an orange juice at breakfast, keep your drink with you at all times.  It’s easy for dangerous people to slip something into your drink if you leave it unattended.
• Stick to day time sight-seeing. Unless you and your group are planning a tour, it’s best to keep your sight-seeing experiences confined to daylight hours.  By traveling in groups during the day, you’re less likely to become a victim of an abduction or identity theft. It’s also easier to scan your surroundings for people who seem out of place or dangerous.
• Wear sunscreen. What list of travel safety tips for spring break would be complete without mentioning sunscreen?  Sunburns are painful, yes, but they’re also dangerous — especially if you’ve been drinking.  You can dehydrate quickly, or suffer severe burns that require medical attention.
• Trust your gut. If you feel uncomfortable, unsafe or anxious, get out — fast.  Make it a point to find the local police station.  For those traveling abroad, any list of safety tips — for spring break, for vacations, for holidays — worth its salt will recommend that you find the American Embassy in the country you’re visiting.

Travel Safety Tips That Keep You Secure While Traveling

Not everyone who goes on spring break is in college, of course — and some spring break travelers include children traveling alone for the first time. Below you’ll find some travel safety tips for people of all ages.  They’re effective whether you’re sight-seeing in another state or hopping a plane for another country, and everywhere in between.

• Photocopy your documents. Your driver’s license, your passport, any form of photo ID that you carry: make copies of all of them. Make sure to give a copy to a friend or neighbor, and pack an additional copy in your bags. This applies to children traveling alone or with a group, too.  A common form of identity theft involves stealing the Social Security numbers of kids.  You can protect their futures in the long-run by making copies now.
• Keep your wallets in your front pockets. It’s easier for pick-pockets to get to your back pockets, and you’re less likely to feel it.  The same goes for men’s jacket pockets.  To keep your wallet safe, place it in your front pocket.  You may also consider keeping your money in one pocket and your wallet in the other.
• Get your shots. Of all the travel safety tips we offer, this is among the most important.  Other places carry other forms of germs and bacteria.  (This is especially important for children traveling alone to visit relatives or friends around the country — or the world.) Being sick at home is bad: being violently ill in another country is dangerous.  Make sure to get you and your family vaccinated before you travel.

Spring break is supposed to be fun. But “fun” and “safe” don’t need to be mutually exclusive.  By following these basic travel safety tips, you can ensure that you have an exciting vacation while protecting yourself and your loved ones.

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