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Toronto Private Investigator Myths

The Toronto private investigation industry is highly specialized and very misunderstood. One of the biggest myths is that Private Investigators in Toronto mostly work on infidelity, matrimonial, domestic assignments or as the general public might refer to them "cheating spouse cases." This misconception could not be further from the truth. There are firms that specialize in these types of files, but these files represent about 1% of all investigative work.

Toronto PI in trench coat

Top Seven Toronto Private Investigator Myths

  1. Infidelity is all Toronto Private Investigators work on

  2. Being a Toronto PI is boring

  3. Being a Toronto PI is exiting

  4. Toronto Private Investigators have state-sanctioned special power

  5. It's easy to become a successful Private Investigator in Toronto

  6. Toronto Private Investigators are not good with technology

  7. Private Investigators only do surveillance in Toronto

Other frequent Toronto Private Investigator myths are that there is always a lot of excitement, there is no excitement, PIs are granted special power or rights by Ontario government, it is easy to become a Private Investigator, and PIs are not tech-savvy people, PIs only work surveillance.


Toronto Investigative Clients

The most common clients for Toronto Private Investigators are insurance companies, law firms, and private corporations. Investigations conducted for these clients frequently involve potential fraud. Others seek to obtain more detailed information in order to adjudicate or manage a claim.


Many of these cases are mitigated through the hiring of a Toronto Investigator. They can include both surveillance and non-surveillance efforts. Investigations often obtain more information faster than legal processes such as discovery (the pretrial disclosure of relevant evidence), thus providing the Toronto Investigator’s clients more information for decision-making.


Being a Toronto PI in Exiting and Boring

Two contrasting Toronto PI myths are that the work of a Toronto Private Investigator is exciting and, at the opposite extreme, boring. The truth is somewhere in the middle. There will certainly be exciting days; however, not to the degree television depicts. On the other hand, an Investigator will have days with no excitement and little activity, but this should not occur often. A day without activity is usually a day where the client’s budget was used ineffectively or incorrectly. Professional Investigators work to maximize the efficient use of the client’s budget.


Ontario Governmental Power for Toronto Investigators

Another Toronto PI myth is that Private Investigators are granted extra Ontario provincial legislative powers; however, this is not entirely accurate. An Ontario licensed Investigator has developed more tools than the general Toronto public and is more skilled and aware of how best to leverage those tools. Furthermore, Toronto surveillance operatives legally have the right to conduct surveillance in the city of Toronto. This means an Investigator cannot be accused of loitering by the OPP. Make no mistake, Investigators have legal means and methodologies that make them effective. In contrast, the OPP and RCMP have access to vastly more verifiable information, such as Canada wide data bases only accessible by law enforcement. Much of the time, for most investigations, is spent in establishing or verifying information.


Being Successful as a Toronto PI

"It is easy to become a successful Private Investigator in Toronto." This PI myth is fueled by television shows such as Republic of Doyle, as well as people’s overestimation of their own abilities and rudimentary grasp of social media. The best Toronto Private Investigators have years of experience that have honed their skills. An average Torontonian might be able to follow someone once or twice. They definitely could not follow someone all day every day without being detected. An average Torontonian might be able to find one key piece of information on an individual’s social media account. An accomplished Toronto Cyber Private Investigator will find 100% of all key information and be able to do this with many different social media accounts. Even the most intelligent Torontonian cannot enter this industry and expect to consistently deliver good results in the beginning.


Any Torontonian who wants to be successful as an Investigator must consider it to be a profession, not simply a job. In a profession, people continually increase their knowledge and skills, and this is especially true for dedicated Toronto Private Investigators.


Toronto Investigators and Technology

Finally, the idea that Toronto background check Investigators are not tech-savvy is a misconception that is totally out of date. The world of technology is changing daily. As an Investigator, you will need to adapt and keep up with the use and effects of technology. Social media has evolved and will continue to do so. Unlike in years past, hiring a new Toronto Private Investigator for non-surveillance work is becoming more common. While technological skill is important, it cannot replace learning to think like an Investigator.

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