Business Marketing Magazine Summer 2017 Summer2017 | Page 8

It’ s amazing what snippets of information people will post on social media. As an investigator, I’ ve been able to serve a subpoena when a man announced the address of a hot tub party he would be attending that night, find witnesses and birth parents, discredit false witness statements, etc. If an individual announces he / she was just released from jail or prison, you’ ll be armed with enough information to take a pass or dig a little deeper.
If you aren’ t Internet savvy, or don’ t want to take the task on yourself, investigators are a great resource; they are skilled at research, can give you a new perspective and hit the ground running. Background searches are high on the list of tasks we do regularly. Investing time or money into a background search before hiring someone can save you multiple future problems and stress.
As licensed investigators, we’ re able to access information that the general pubic cannot. Depending on the nature of your business, you may want a complete background search, including former addresses, court searches, businesses, debt, etc.
Several years ago my office conducted a background search and discovered the man we were investigating had gone on a multi-state crime spree, and there weren’ t many states he hadn’ t been charged in. His scam was to target lonely women with money, which he then quickly disposed of, and then he’ d leave town, often before they knew what had happened. He left a lot of misery and angry women in his wake. He may have continued on that path if his past hadn’ t caught up with him.
are banking on employers being too lazy or busy to call. It’ s amazing what people will tell you if you are friendly and ask nicely. Find your inner investigator or ask an investigator to make the calls for you.
I started my investigative business in 2000, after working as a subcontract paralegal and investigator for lawyers and other investigative firms. My intention had been to go to law school, but the investigative work I did while in college was fun and fulfilling, so I changed course and have never regretted it. I get to meet interesting people, tell their stories and put pieces of puzzles together on a daily basis. I’ m lucky to have a job I love and never take it or the people I work with for granted.
By Kelly Madsen www. madseninvestigations. com https:// www. facebook. com / madseninvestigations / Twitter: @ KellyMadsenPI
Madsen Investigations specializes in the investigation of criminal cases of all kinds, as well as civil and domestic litigation. We provided a broad range of services, including witness interviews and locates, skip tracing, asset searches, public records and database searches, courts searches, pre-employment and rental backgrounds, and searches of businesses and licensing databases.
In addition to online searches, pick up your phone and make calls to the references potential employees have listed. Sometimes people

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