ASSETS SEARCHES
You’ve seen it on TV and in the movies: a woman suspects her husband is hiding something from her. She hires a private investigator to uncover what’s really going on. The private investigator tracks the husband only to discover that he has been stashing art, jewelry and money in offshore accounts. In a lot of cases, this type of thing isn’t just fiction. For many, it’s a cold hard reality. However, it helps to explain why uncovering hidden assets is one of the most common requests of a private investigator or private investigation company. The term, “asset search” might bring up a few questions like, what exactly is an asset search? When do you need to hire a private investigator to perform an asset search? How exactly does a private investigator conduct an asset search? And most importantly, why is an asset search so important? Want to know the answer to these questions? You’re in luck! We’ve got everything you need to know about asset searches right here in this post. One of the major reasons why a client requests an asset search is if they are going through a divorce. Unfortunately, in many cases, one spouse attempts to hide monetary assets to lower their net worth. For example, if the courts require a husband to give his wife half of all his possessions, but he hides $100K in a private bank account, that amount isn’t included in his total net worth. This is illegal, as his spouse will not receive the total amount she is legally owed. Another situation when a private investigator might be called in to help in finding assets, is if an individual owes the client money. A private investigator can uncover the truth: does the individual actually have the money? Or is that person lying to avoid making the payment? Property is another asset that people typically try to hide. Many people will buy up several different properties and then rent them out or flip them, and sell them to someone else. Trying to hide these assets during a divorce case, or not claiming the income makes owning these properties illegal and is classified as a hidden asset. Many different companies will often do business with other companies. In these situations, before contracts are signed, the company will contact a private investigator to dig into that other company to learn more about their assets. Asset searches are an important business tool because it can uncover details like, whether or not a company can support itself financially or is even trustworthy. Uncovering banking information is tricky. There is a fine line between what is legal and what is illegal. In general, a private investigator cannot (and should not) get their hands on private bank statements. However, there are many other resources a private investigator can turn to, in order to find out whether or not an individual is hiding monetary assets. These resources include: Debt Collection Agencies, Judgments Collection, Authorized Estate Investigation, and Child Support Collection. Many of the techniques private investigators use to complete a background check on an individual or company also applies to asset searches. There are many public databases out there that provide information that a private investigator can use to uncover hidden assets. In some cases, the individual goes missing or leaves town. Database searches also help to find the individual and in some cases lead the private investigator straight to the hidden asset. Private investigators at times will also use surveillance techniques to learn more about their subject during an asset search. As some individuals will go to great lengths to hide assets. At times surveillance is necessary to see where the person goes, who they spend time with and where they may have assets stored. Conducting surveillance helps to reveal information we may not find during the asset search, including other properties, storage units, banks etc. We want to provide your case with as much evidence as possible. What is it?
Divorce
Money Owed
Unclaimed Income
Business to Business
Banking
Database Searches
Surveillance
What are Asset Searches?