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The Private Investigator: Fiction v. Fact

A lot of myth and romance about private investigators has built up over the years, from Sherlock Holmes to the Ferrari driving Thomas Magnum. Your private investigator in the real world really only shares one thing with the myth—getting results. Just think about the fictional investigator archetypes. We all know them. The hard drinking gumshoe […]

Nicholas Cosmo Sentenced to 25 Years – History Repeats Itself

Nicholas Cosmo, dubbed “Mini-Madoff” by the media because of his arrest weeks after Bernie Madoff, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $179 million in restitution.  Cosmo was arrested in January 2009 and pled guilty to wire and mail fraud in 2010. What’s tragic about this fraud in particular is that Cosmo’s 4,000 victims […]

FINRA BrokerCheck or BrokenCheck?

Is FINRA’s BrokerCheck Broken? Regulators have made it easier for investors to dig into financial advisors’ backgrounds, but even with the new disclosure rules, FINRA BrokerCheck doesn’t supply investors with all of the information that, in our humble opinion, they should be able to access. Furthermore, the multiple sources that investors or interested parties need […]

How Much are Private Investigator Fees?

If you are looking for investigative services, one of the burning questions is “How much are private investigator fees?” The answer is not so simple. In general, private investigators typically charge fees at an hourly rate. While some firms may offer flat-fee packages for a background check or surveillance matter, for the most part every […]

5 Examples of a Bad Background Check

Unfortunately, we see examples of a bad background check almost every day.  Below are a few unfortunate examples of an individual or business who opted to take the “short road” in terms of their background check provider and failed to uncover critical information.  For each example, you see where the “red flags” were not seen […]

The Moneyball Approach to Due Diligence Investigations

This weekend, many moviegoers and avid baseball fans around the country will be taking some time away from the grind of daily life to see Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill star in the film “Moneyball,” based on the 2003 Michael Lewis best seller that catapulted the Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane into the most […]