Asset Traces

            Asset traces are a useful tool in the investigator's toolbox. They are used to locate the assets of an individual or organization, track stolen goods, identify stolen or misused intellectual property and many other handy bits. They are also used to help identify the location of individuals and items through association when they cannot be tracked directly.

            What types of things are typically tracked? Well, just about anything, but it is usually only things of value such as major assets which can be tracked as there does not tend to be an accumulation of data on small and low value items that may be owned by an individual or organization.

            The most basic types of these searches are generally for property and cash. While property searches can be easy on a local level, the farther afield a PI must go, the more difficult, and potentially costly these types of searches can get. Cash and electronic funds, tend to be very difficult to trace, particularly in Europe and North America, however in some foreign jurisdictions, the restrictions be navigated, depending n local laws and the specific nature of the holdings.

            While these searches are of great importance to a PI in the course of trying to get to the bottom of an investigation, they can also be of significant interest to a client. Asset searches are used directly by many clients, including lawyers and domestic clientele, to locate assets for litigation, verify assets for divorce and family court proceedings, identify assets before mergers and identify fraud channels.

            In all, asset search investigations are excellent tools fro both PIs and prospective clients. There are many ways individual investigators go about running an asset search investigation, so you should be prepared to ask your PI about how they intend on going about the search. This can help you talk out the process and see if there is any other specific information you can provide to your PI at the outset which may assist in the search.

Blog post is courtesy Elemental Investigations: Private Investigator Edmonton, an Edmonton, Canada based private investigator agency. They can be found online at www.elementalpi.ca