Oftentimes business owners – especially small business owners – have situations that may arise that leave them scratching their heads on how to proceed. Sometimes it has to do with potential business partners, sometimes employees, and sometimes clients. There are many scenarios that will come up (usually very suddenly) and you are now left scrambling for some way to handle it. That is because you did not take the time to find a good Private Investigator to help you if and when the need came up. The best advice I can give you, if you take nothing else away from reading this article, is to find a good PI firm when you DON’T need it, so you are ready when you do.
There are many different examples of situations that we may be able to help with if given the opportunity. Here are just a few:
- Employee Verifications
- Employee Background Searches
- Worker’s Compensation Surveillance
- Long-Term Disability Surveillance
- Undercover Employee Surveillance
- Potential Business Partners Background Search
- Business Searches and License Verification Searches
- Mobile Notary Services (currently in Connecticut. New York coming soon)
Now allow me to give you some scenarios where these would come into play. This will hopefully help you with a potential issue in the future.
Employee Verification – You have a potential employee that seems to be perfect for the open position in your company. However, you were told by a co-worker that the applicant claimed to have worked at various companies (which got him the interview with your company) when in fact, they lied. We would find out if the employee did in fact work for those companies and if they were actually hired for the position they claimed to have been in on their application. This will avoid any future issues down the road. We had a case not too long ago where the client had hired someone to do his bookkeeping based on their claimed experience in a business in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. It turned out that the person did work for that company, however, they were not the bookkeeper. They worked in the mailroom and had no bookkeeping training whatsoever. This caused a serious issue for the client as his accounts were now not entered correctly and the bills were not being paid on time. We gave him the information so that he was able to terminate the employment of the person and find the right fit going forward. This time, the client had us verify the credentials of the applicant prior to hiring them.
Employee Background Searches – Say that you have a construction company and you have a bid for a renovation in a school. You most likely will be expected to confirm that your employees are “safe to be around children”. We had an assignment years ago where this scenario actually happened. We were contacted by a contractor in the Windsor Locks, CT area. He had just been awarded the bid for a large repair in a school district. He was required to do a background screening for the people that would be conducting the repair. He came to us and found out that of the 20 employees that he had planned to assign to the work, there were three convicted of felonies and one sex offender. He now knew not to include those three individuals in the assignment to avoid any issues that could be potentially brought up by the district. Had he not done the background search, they would have been held liable for any issues.
Worker’s Compensation Surveillance – We had a big client in Douglaston Park, Queens hire us a while back. She had an employee that had been injured on the job a year ago. He claimed that he still could not return to work due to the extent of his injury. He was a member of the custodial staff and his extended absence had caused the client to have to pay a temp to cover the employee while still paying his compensation. The insurance company only went by the doctor’s notes claiming that the employee could not perform the job until cleared by the physical therapist. It had now been over a year since the employee was injured. One day the client heard from another employee that they had seen the person in question working at another company in East Elmhurst while still receiving worker’s compensation from the client. The client hired us and we followed the employee in question for several weeks. We were able to confirm that they were in fact working at another location in the same capacity as they did for the client. They also appeared to be doing so without any physical issues. The client was able to turn our report over to the insurance company which handled the situation immediately, saving the client a lot of money in the future.
Long-Term Disability Surveillance – Long Term Disability and Worker’s Compensation are very similar, however, this means that the injury that caused the disability did not occur at work. But if the employee in question was paying for Long Term Disability Insurance, it could still have a financial effect on the Employer. Maybe not directly, but they still have to cover that position until the person returns. This was the case in an assignment we had a year ago. The person claimed to have a leg injury from a slip and fall case on ice in their driveway during the winter. She was a hostess at a restaurant. Her position required her to walk the patrons to their tables and to attend to them as needed during their time at the restaurant. The employee had a badly sprained ankle from the fall and was still getting ongoing treatment for it. That was eight months prior. Eventually, the client called us to simply confirm that the employee was still injured. We followed the employee from her home in Hollis Hills to a very upscale restaurant in Manhattan where she was the hostess. That evening she escorted us to our table and we observed her moving about without any obvious issues with the ankle in question. We then continued to observe her over the next couple of weeks where she went to the gym for an exercise class three nights a week and also jogged every morning. We reported our findings to the client and she was very happy to hire the replacement that was filling in and terminate the employee that was no longer disabled.
Undercover Employee Surveillance – While we, as business owners, would like to think that everyone loves their job (and boss), not everyone fits that category. Some may even plan to leave and start their own business. This was the case for a client in Garden City, Long Island. The client had a large specialty shop and business was booming. However, he had overheard one employee trying to convince another to go into business with him and leave. The client was concerned and asked the employees separately about it and of course, both denied anything. Still, the client was concerned about not only losing two employees as they headed into the holiday season but also some of his biggest clients, which both of these individuals worked closely with. So he reached out to us to figure out what to do. We went undercover as a newly hired employee that was “seasonal help”. In a matter of weeks, we had gained their trust and they approached us about working for them after the holidays. We continued on with the charade for a month at the request of the client. As soon as the holidays were over, the client confronted both employees and reminded them that they both signed a non-compete contract which continued for two years after their employment with the store. They then had their employment terminated. Two other excellent employees that were originally signed on for seasonal help were then hired full-time. We visited recently and the new help is still there and doing a great job according to the client.
Potential Business Partner Background Search – Just like potential employees should be checked, so should potential business partners or big clients. We were able to help a client that we had in Simsbury, CT with just such a search and helped them considerably. Our client was the CEO of a company that was based out of Connecticut but had also branched into New York City. He was approached by a potential business partner that wanted to open up another location on Long Island. The offer was exceptional, however, he was also skeptical. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, hire a Private Investigator first – trust, but verify. He hired us to look into the person in question and found that they had filed for bankruptcy on three different occasions. We also discovered two former businesses that had been dissolved. So the client decided to pass on the opportunity in order to preserve the credibility of his business and not take any unnecessary risks.
Business Searches and License Verification Searches – When dealing with another company/business to do work for you or your company, it is always a good idea to have a quick check done to make sure that the business or individual has all the necessary licensing or that their business is up to date at the state level. We are happy to help with that. We have had several clients reach out to us about work they hired someone to do for their personal residence and/or their business properties. It never hurts to have another set of eyes look over their qualifications prior to doing business with them. We were hired just prior to COVID to check on a person that was going to begin some updating on a business location in Glastonbury, Connecticut. When we met with the client, he had all the paperwork with him that the contractor had provided. Within just a few hours of searching, we discovered that the contractor’s license had expired and that the state did not have any listing of the business name that the contractor was working under. After further investigation, we also discovered several complaints to the Better Business Bureau about the work that was done and one complaint was about how the contractor left midway through the job and could not be reached. We provided our findings to the client and they opted to work with another contractor.
Mobile Notary Services – while you may not always need a Notary on standby when you do, it is usually not a situation where it would be convenient to travel to one in order to have your documents notarized. Sometimes you need one to come to you – it may be during an important meeting or for someone that is not mobile at that time, such as a former board member that cannot travel to you. We will come to your business or home and notarize the documents in question. We will travel anywhere in Connecticut by appointment. New York availability is coming soon.
So my point here is that a Private Investigator does more than follow cheating spouses. And even though you may not require any of the above services right now from a licensed Private Investigator, you may find yourself needing one in the future. You do not want to have to scramble at that point to find just anyone to help you. You should have someone that you have already met and know so that when you do proceed, you are able to do so with confidence. Good things come to those who wait, so we will be happy to wait until you need our help. Just keep us in mind so that when the moment does arise, you can confidently move forward. In the meantime, we will be off following cheating spouses, searching for lost love, and doing accident scene inspections. Just some of the “other” things we do while waiting for your call.
Investigreat, LLC is a recognized full service Private Investigation Agency that is fully licensed, insured and bonded, handling cases all over Connecticut as well as Queens NY, Brooklyn NY, Bronx NY, New York City, Staten Island and Long Island NY. Terri, along with her husband Adam, have been working cases for Legal Teams, Insurance Companies, Private Businesses, Municipalities, School Systems and general investigation services for the public since 1992.
Investigreat, LLC | Private Investigators serving Connecticut, Long Island City, Jamaica NY, Brooklyn NY and Queens NY | Office Numbers: 860-899-1710 or 718-412-1845 | Text: 718-309-1269
*Please note – This blog is our opinion and not meant to be construed as legal advice or insurance advice. Always consult an Attorney for legal advice and consult an insurance professional for insurance information. Please note that the stories are based on cases, but never the exact information in order to maintain confidentiality for our clients.