asset investigation Archives - Page 2 of 5

Finding Hidden Bank Accounts in Divorce

Tom and Carrie had been married for 18 years, had two children, lived in the “White Picket Fence” house and joined their neighborhood “Revolving Wine Parties” for the last four years. Tom traveled a lot and Carrie was a part time stay-at-home mom and part time sales clerk at a friend’s landscaping business. Carrie was content with her marriage, her children and her life until one day she received the following text: “Don’t be an ostrich”. Carrie didn’t recognize the number, so she fluffed it off as an accidental message meant for someone else. That Friday, Tom returned home from one of his trips early as he and Carrie were hosting the Wine Party at their house. Tom was in a rather foul mood on [...]

Is it Employee Embezzlement?

A very depressed-looking business owner came in for an appointment at . We are accustomed to clients or prospective clients arriving emotionally charged, either very angry or hurt, but they don’t usually act like this gentleman. Once talking, he explained that he was “darn near just ready to chuck it all in.” He said he was just confounded by what he knew was going on in his company. He just needed proof of it and confirmation of how deep the damage went. Whew. He explained that because his company dealt with many clients coming in for training from out of town, he maintained an apartment for their use doing their stay. It was fully furnished and maintained. What he had discovered was that it had [...]

Be ‘In the Know” in the Beginning Because Breaking Up is Hard Enough

Have you ever heard the nursery rhyme about the little girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead? There’s a line that says: When she was good, she was very, very good, when she was bad, she was awful! Aren’t most things like that? People are happy and excited and get married, or go into business together and everything is roses, giggles and rainbows. Then, when things get tough, it gets, well, awful. And much of the “awful” stems from one side of the differences being more aware or in control than the other. Let me explain. Take a divorce situation first. For some spouses, it doesn’t matter what is in the bank account or what assets are where or whether there is [...]

on the Case for Large and Small Clients

Since 1960, has proudly served as a professional helpmate to all types of cases. We have worked on numerous cases involving government agencies, municipalities, insurance companies, investors, business owners, bankers and bail bondsmen. More often than not, we can track down the guy guilty of employee embezzlement for thousands of dollars. We can even find offshore bank accounts, hidden assets and even missing assets. We can prove insurance fraud in many cases involving false claims made to insurance companies. But some private citizens might assume that our fact-finding service is set aside only for those with deep pockets. That assumption could not possibly be farther from the truth. Our firm is filled with a unique mix of investigators with all kinds of backgrounds. Some are [...]

Virtual Currency and Bad Guys

Private investigators like consider staying on top of technology one of the requirements of the job. So when the bad guys start a trend of using a new technology, we are ready with investigative strategies to stay in step with them. We do a lot of computer investigation, forensic computer analysis and mobile phone forensics. In our experience, bad guys are trying to move money through services like Bitcoin. Many believe that transactions through these services are undetectable. While tracing the transactions takes extra skill and perseverance, they are not completely hidden. One example is that in order to get funds into the systems, the virtual currency has to actually be purchased. And purchases leave a paper trail. Computer forensics specialists, especially those who are [...]

Investigator’s Surveillance Protects Children in Divorce

When Melanie's husband left the marriage last year, she tried to voice her concerns in court. She tried to tell the judge that, while her soon-to-be ex husband might be a high-profile athlete, he had a long history of erratic behavior. She reminded the judge that the father of her kids had two prior arrests for driving while intoxicated. He was known to use cocaine. She feared for the safety of their young children. But the judge waved Melanie away as if she was just another frustrated spouse who didn't get the settlement she expected. The expression on the judge's face told Melanie that he suspected that she was only trying to use the kids as pawns, one last-ditch effort to get her way. For [...]

Get Answers to Your Questions and Resolve Your Suspicions with a Private Investigator

Sadly, it seems the general public is still uninformed about the many ways can assist them with answering questions and resolving conflict. Because of this, they face hardships and consequences that might have been avoided had they known more about exactly what we do. Private investigators today work with private individuals, attorneys, business owners, corporations and companies. The truth is that we do utilize surveillance equipment when one spouse suspects the other of marital infidelity. When our clients request it, we do use cameras and video recorders with zoom lenses and date and time stamps to provide proof of cheating spouses. But our careers have drastically changed with the times. Our methods of gathering information have evolved with technology. Although we still utilize the investigative [...]

Has the Resources to Follow Every Lead – Whichever Direction It Takes

When a property owner contacts the police to report that their boat has been stolen, most police departments follow procedure by sending an officer to investigate. The officer does his job, interviewing the victim, gathering information about the stolen property and filing a report. Unfortunately, many police departments are understaffed. Officers are already so busy with trying to control violent criminal activities that the report about a stolen boat usually won't be at the top of the priority list. But when the boat happens to be worth anywhere from $200,000 to $1 million, the insurance company covering the stolen boat will likely want more attention than the police department offers, especially if red flags signal potential insurance fraud. In that situation, insurance companies often seek [...]

Hidden Asset Investigation and Computer Forensics Examination Reveals Many Truths

For the last year, Jennifer feared that her marriage was ending. In some ways, it was not a surprise. She was American and Laszlo, her husband of seven years, was Hungarian. Sometimes Jennifer tried to decipher whether the culture clash was the primary problem. Other times, she wondered if she and Laszlo had simply drifted apart since the birth of Szusza, their four-year-old daughter. Jennifer worried that Laszlo was hiding money in Eastern European banks. She had not worked outside the home since Szusza was born and she knew it would be difficult to re-enter the job market and immediately earn a reasonable salary. When they argued, Laszlo threatened to leave her with nothing. Then he threatened to return to his home country and take [...]

Investigators have to Follow the Path Where the Leads Take Them

Long before the attorney called to officially secure services with , his client had decided to part ways with his business partner. From the ground floor, their business had been built with good intentions. But as the business flourished and became more lucrative, his client began to see that his partner no longer offered 50% of the elbow grease. Though he could not prove it, the client also began to suspect that his partner might be stealing from the business, both in cash and assets. So when the attorney’s client announced his intention to part ways immediately, he only voiced his wish to buy out his partner's share. Unfortunately, the partner's attitude was anything but understanding. As the months wore on, the client began to [...]