25 Feb Can a Private Investigator Obtain Cell Phone Records?
Local to St. Petersburg, Keck investigation Service offers private investigation services so that you can get the answers you’re looking for. Before seeking out the professional services of a private investigator, it’s important to know exactly what they can and cannot do to get to the bottom of your issue. If you’re worried about your romantic partner, we’re a top cheater’s detective agency in St. Petersburg, and we’ll get you the information you need.
Accessing Another Persons Phone Records
If your name is already on the plan accessing records is easy. You can simply check your bill or take a quick look online. Things get a little more complicated, though when they’re someone else’s. Luckily though, a private investigator in St. Petersburg is more than willing to help out. Investigators can sometimes access call detail records with the help of local law enforcement. But If police are no help, that’s no issue. There is a vast database of information and connections that investigators have to help them gain information. Remember, the laws are complicated, and its best to leave the investigating to the professionals.
What a Private Investigator Can Do
Private investigators are a means to gather information. Information that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to do on your own. Investigators have the expertise, equipment, and specific resources needed to look into the background of someone within the realm of legality. Below are actions that you can realistically expect private investigators to do:
- Gather information on an individual, such as aliases, assets, birth and death information, and family history
- Gather information on a business, such as the number of employees, revenue, and business credit score
- Locate sensitive records, such as divorce, driving and criminal records
- Conduct surveillance within the parameters of the law
- Interview friends, family, and colleagues
Background checks
Private investigators may not have access to calls or text messages. However, they can still gather sensitive records, which can significantly impact the direction of an investigation. Anyone that’s lived long enough understands people are generally dishonest. Private investigators can perform background checks and reveal professional, personal, and criminal history. This is valuable information that can aid an array of processes such as,
- Hiring a new employee
- Searching for a roommate
- Renting to new tenants
- Verifying a significant other is who they say they are
Our history says a lot about us, and investigators ensure reliable and updated information about the person under investigation. Not to mention they have access to databases that aren’t generally available to the public.
This validation is specifically crucial in the case of hiring a nanny or babysitter. You want to ensure to your best ability that you can trust the person responsible for your children. Our background checks include any information regarding state sex offender registries and thorough criminal history reports.
What a Private Investigator Can’t Do
We’ve all seen a slinky private investigator in the movies. Someone is sneaking around for the information that they were hired to find—no matter the cost. That is not the case (well, not entirely). While private investigators can go to great lengths to find out crucial information, there are legal considerations around the private investigation.
Private investigators are held to the same legal standard as every other individual within the USA. Meaning that there are no exceptions to federal, state, and civil law. Below are some top actions that private investigators cannot do when on a mission to gather more information:
- Operate without a private investigators license
- Impersonate law enforcement
- Trespass on private property, including entering your home or business without your consent
- Place a GPS tracker on a vehicle without consent
- Film a subject through a window to a private home or record a conversation without the participant’s knowledge
- Tamper with mail
- Obtain protected information without permission or legal purpose, which includes phone records, financial records, and bank account information
Wiretapping Phones
One of the most common requests that private investigators get is to wiretap a phone without the consent of the individual on surveillance. Just like every other citizen, private investigators are prohibited from wiretapping or monitoring phone conversations without consent from at least one of the individuals. This federal law is present in all states of the USA. With some states requiring that all parties on the phone call give consent, rather than just one.
Interestingly enough, in some states, private investigators are legally able to eavesdrop on and record conversations that occur in public.
Can A Phone Detective Obtain Text messages?
Like wiretapping a phone to listen in on conversations, a private investigator can’t read text messages without the individual’s consent. Laws vary from place to place, but a private investigator more than likely won’t be able to obtain text messages.
This is information we are not apprehensive about sharing because, regardless, there is a plethora of other information that will adequately support your case. From interviews, background checks, legal surveillance to family history, an investigator can gather specific support information to build your case.
How Private Investigators Gather Legal Surveillance
There is a lot of gray area surrounding the legality of surveillance for private investigators. But generally, a PI is allowed to gather surveillance in public places. If the individual is under the assumption they’re in private, such as their home, it is not legal to surveil them.
An investigator can gather visual or audio surveillance for your case. A video of your spouse cheating or abusing drugs or alcohol is undeniable evidence. As long as it’s obtained legally, it is entirely admissible in court.
A private investigator does more than infidelity cases
We are the leading cheater’s detective agency in St. Petersburg, although that’s not all we can do. We also perform investigations surrounding,
- Auto accidents
- Cybercrimes
- Missing persons
So, if you’re dealing with an issue outside of infidelity cases but need reliable evidence to build your case, we have your back.
Contact Us!
Our investigative service in St. Petersburg is excited to help you get the answers you deserve. We make sure to inform clients about the legal ramifications of the private investigation so that you can rest assured your actions do not come with legal consequences. Call us for more information at 727-254-1994 or contact us online.