Freelance Private Investigator

However, when it comes to hiring a PI, it is crucial to find one that is trustworthy, honest and reliable, regardless of whether he is a freelancer or working for an agency. Here are some reasons why you may want to reconsider hiring a freelance PI as compared to a PI agency to complete the job for you.

1. Absence of background checks

Freelance PIs may or may not have gone through any background checks before they started freelancing and this brings about the risk of them having little to no prior professional experience in the field as well as having past criminal records. They might also have had past incidents of committing unethical acts during investigations but are not honest about it. These considerations cannot be fully determined since the client can only take the PI’s word for it. Most PI firms, on the other hand, would have vetted all their PIs’ backgrounds and criminal records before hiring them. Constant in-house and on-the-job training would also instill the values of honesty and integrity within them.

2. Absence of licence from the official authorities

All PIs, whether freelance or under an agency, have to be licensed by the official authorities in order to be able to carry out any investigative activities legally. While PI agencies often have an official licence, it is tough to know if the licence that freelancers have, if any, is even valid.

3. Ethical issues

For most freelancers, especially those who source their clients via online platforms, their reputation is dependent on the reviews that they receive from clients. The higher their ratings, the higher the chance of getting hired for their services. In this case, some freelance PIs may become desperate to obtain evidence and resort to committing unethical acts.

4. Lack of proper equipment and resources

When working by themselves, there is a limit to the type of equipment and resources that freelance PIs can have access to. They may not have a proper place or platform to store all the confidential client information securely, or the latest equipment to snap high quality photos and videos as evidence. This will not be a problem when engaging a licenced PI firm as the establishment would have the finances to constantly upgrade their equipment to suit the demand.

5. May take up more time

Lastly, since freelance PIs may lack the resources and are mostly working alone, this might imply that more time is needed to conclude the investigation. Since most PIs charge hourly, using up more time would mean a higher cost for clients.