This is not an easily answered question. Hiring an investigator can be based on hourly rates, flat rates, contingency fees, and related case expenses like databases and travel time, if required. 

Hourly Rate

Hiring a private investigator is similar to hiring an attorney, accountant, or other professional consultants. PROSource Professional Services prefers to bill on an hourly basis, and payment is due on invoice submission. We are upfront in our estimates and will work within your budget or case limits. 

Flat Rate

Some of our offerings, like driver’s license or motor vehicle records, are billed at a flat rate.

As of this writing, 45 states and the District of Columbia require a private investigator to have a license to perform investigative duties. You should always ensure your investigator is licensed and carries liability insurance.

Only five states do not require a private investigator license to conduct business: Alaska*, Idaho**, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Wyoming. 

*Although there is no licensing requirement in the state of Alaska, certain cities such as Anchorage and Fairbanks do have their own private investigator licensing requirements.
** Some Idaho cities have their licensing criteria, but Idaho has no statewide licensing requirement for private investigators.

Although we do have a phenomenal success rate, we cannot guarantee results. With too many associated events out of our control, it is impossible to guarantee favorable results in your case. Our reputation is based on providing our clients with results, not giving false promises, and we will do all we can within legal and ethical boundaries to provide satisfactory results.

We offer a free consultation to determine if your case is within our capabilities or if favorable results can be obtained. We are realistic about our possibilities and do not want to waste your time or ours.

Private investigators worked locally for years. The work revolved around surveilling people abusing insurance benefits, conducting in-person interviews,  visiting the scene of an accident, etc. While large, corporate investigative companies try to dominate the market, being local counts.

Many of these corporations bill more for the same services as local investigators, and don’t form a personal connection with clients. In truth, in almost every instance, they simply use local licensed investigators but pay them less and prefer they not contact clients directly. They also tend to place a “warm body” in a vehicle and hope a subject is active. Why go through a third party to simply take a “finder’s fee” to use the same investigators? Working directly with local investigators gives you personal accountability, ethical work, and someone who looks out for your best interests!

An investigation can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands, depending on the requirements. Some work, like a quick address search or vehicle list, is billed in half-hour increments plus the cost of database information. Others, like an extensive pre-employment background check, or insurance fraud investigation and surveillance, can take many hours.

We offer a free consultation to determine if your case is within our capabilities and give you an estimate of the time involved and cost.

Yes, PROSource Professional Services is licensed, bonded, and insured in every state where we work. We can provide documentation when requested.

Both the client and investigator have a responsibility to be aware of the laws in the state where an investigation is to be performed. This ensures the client isn’t requesting someone illegal or against local regulations, and the investigator isn’t violating these laws and regulations.

Licensed investigators rely on a range of professional tools and methods to locate and verify information. These include access to proprietary databases that compile public records, court filings, address histories, vehicle data, and social media profiles. Resources like LexisNexis, government archives, and DMV records provide accurate and timely insights into individuals or businesses.

We also apply human intelligence techniques, such as conducting discreet interviews or reaching out to known contacts, when appropriate and lawful. It’s important to note that many of the resources we use are restricted to licensed professionals and governed by strict legal and ethical standards. Our findings are always obtained within the bounds of state and federal law.

We can provide references and examples of past work. Keep in mind, these examples are kept confidential, and any personal or revealing information is obscured or removed.

Client confidentiality requires that important or personal information must be redacted or the facts of the case changed to protect a subject’s identity.

Obtaining personal, non-public records like phone call activity or medical records under false pretenses is illegal. That’s not to say an investigator cannot locate publicly listed phone numbers or those published in commercially available databases that gather such information by legal means.

An investigator can only obtain financial account information under the following conditions:

• The subject’s consent
• A court order
• A subpoena
• A court-issued search warrant

The District of Columbia and 39 states have One-Party Consent, and 11 states have two-party consent. A One-Party Consent state allows individuals to record conversations to which they are a party without informing the other parties that they are doing so. Such states allow the recording of phone calls with the consent of only one of the parties to the conversation, and disclosure to other parties is not required. Always check your local and state regulations before recording.

Although the term most often used is “Two-Party Notification,” many state laws require that all parties to a conversation must provide consent. Always check your local and state regulations before recording.

Absolutely not! PROSOurce Professional Services, its employees, and any contract services, such as database information, do not operate outside legal and ethical boundaries.

Both you and your investigator should never “wander” astray from regulations, local, state, and federal laws, and outside of ethical boundaries.

A private investigator is not a law enforcement officer and does not have access to private, nonpublic information such as FBI files, medical records, or your internet and email history. Our superpowers lie in our experience and knowledge of what and who we know. We also differ from law enforcement in that we are not limited in resources and availability. 

Licensed investigators have access to databases that are not available to the public. These databases have millions of data points, including address history and individual identifiers such as dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and a variety of public information, including criminal records and civil lawsuits.

Investigators have experience locating and organizing information from thousands of data points. We understand the laws, regulations, ethics, and limitations of what can and cannot be done in an investigation.