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Don Davis & Associates field investigators have years of surveillance experience in both rural and urban settings. Whether the assignment is in open country or a congested inner city community, we have the experience and stealth to get results. In potential fraud cases, “successfully”documenting the strenuous physical activities of a claimant can mean the difference between the insurance company saving or losing tens of thousands of dollars. If you're paying the hourly rate of a "licensed" investigator, insist that a "licensed" investigator will be working your file.
Unlicensed Brokers
A recent, troubling trend within the private detective industry has been for investigators outside the state of Minnesota to solicit investigative work here without the proper license. They do so under the guise of being a "national,"* "global,"* or "international"* detective agency with "agents world wide" (or descriptors to that effect). Although these agencies may ultimately use licensed investigators in the states which they cover, without having a private detective license in Minnesota themselves, they are breaking the law in this state by soliciting work here. In other words, such solicitation and assignment of cases can be illegal even if a Minnesota licensed private detective is hired to do the actual work.
Client Risks for Hiring Unlicensed Investigators:
1) Dismissal of Evidence:
If you intend to use evidence in court which has been obtained
through an investigation, it may be dismissed should it have
been acquired illegally.
2) Worthless Evidence:
If the evidence provided proves legally worthless to you, your chances of getting a refund
from your detective agency, which may be several states away, is problematic at best.
3) Potential for Lawsuit:
If an investigation is conducted illegally, the customer may be exposed
to a civil lawsuit under Minnesota's anti-stalking laws. An improperly
conducted investigation is subject to anti-stalking restrictions.
4) Unreliable Evidence:
If you want to be assured of the validity of your information, be aware
that work quality is not a great concern to many of these agencies who
are merely out-of-state vendors. These brokers are frequently little
more than middle men who subcontract your case to the lowest bidding Pi in the area.
Unfortunately many national brokers mislead insurance companies. When attempting to sell their business model they leave out one important fact. Success rates in detecting insurance fraud decrease when using their investigators. If you've had a bad experience with a national broker, we would welcome your business and the opportunity to provide you with honest claims investigations.
For your own legal and financial safety, directly hire only investigative firms who are located within the state of Minnesota, or those who can prove licensure in Minnesota.
Make sure you've been getting a 30% discount on hourly rates when non-licensed investigators have worked your files.
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