Some people think that conducting an asset search is something that is done in order to track down lost funds from a bank account that they forgot that they had. Others, however, may have been told that they should conduct an asset search for other reasons. What is an asset search and what you might learn in one with the aid of the right investigator with the right equipment at your service?
To start, why might someone need to conduct an asset search?
Here are a few reasons:
- If you work within collections and are unable to secure payment because the individual seems to have no means to pay, an asset search can find properties and more that have been suspiciously transferred – as if to hide them from creditors.
- If you have reason to suspect that you might be the victim of a scam, you can use an asset search to determine whether the individual in question has used different Social Security numbers in the past or to determine if other individuals are using the same social security number.
- If you are thinking about going into business with someone, you can use an asset search to verify the names, social security number, past addresses and more of the individual – identifying not only the individual’s assets but also to verify his or her identity.
- If you are involved in a legal dispute and want to determine whether or not the individual has other accounts that have not been acknowledged.
A private investigator can conduct an asset search that will allow you to determine a number of things about an individual. More important, however, than identifying whether or not a person is who he or she says, an asset search will help to identify whether or not the individual is hiding something.
With an asset search, you’ll be able to learn more about an individual’s tangible properties: his or her home, car, other vehicles, bank accounts, stocks, bonds, and insurance policies. An asset search will also identify the person’s intangible properties – things like income from rental properties or patents, contracts, royalties and wages.
The information that can be found by a private investigator during an asset search can be used in a number of ways. It can help you when you are going into a legal case such as filing for divorce or attempting to collect child support. It can be used if a will is being contested. The information can also be used when you are entering into a legal agreement with someone.
While you could conduct an asset search on a smaller scale on your own, a private investigator who has experience with finding information can conduct a search far more efficiently. Someone with experience conducting an asset search will be in a better position to ask the right questions of employers and know which public records indexes should be searched for more information; hiring someone with experience conducting an asset search can help to save you time and money while still providing you with the information that you need.
Just as using the right person will help ensure you get at the information you need/are searching for, so also is it important to ensure your investigator has the best equipment. Talk to your investigator or agency about how they obtain the information they do, to what extent they utilize digital audio and video recording equipment and systems and how shareable that information is.
iRecord’s equipment is built by investigators for investigators and time over time has proven reliable, easy-to-use and of the highest quality.
Contact us today to learn more about the equipment we provide.