Just a curious question... Are private detectives easy to spot? Or are they pretty tricky?
I've been on worker's comp for about 6 months now, and I have not seen any detectives at all. My physician prescribed exercise-walking to try to rehab my leg injuries, and he told me that detectives might take pictures of me but don't worry because walking is a part of my physical therapy. But, I am still very cautious on account of the fact that I just don't like people spying on me or watching me without my knowledge. Everyday, I look out my windows for about 5 minutes before I leave the house, but I have yet to see any suspicious cars or anything. I even drive in circles around my neighborhoods just to see if someone is following me. Well, I live in a gated community, so that might help, but I am still a little surprised that I haven't gotten any PIs. A ton of the guys at my physical therapy place claim that they have experienced PIs. Some say that they are REALLY easy to spot, and they just park outside of your house and try to follow you, but it is really easy to lose them by driving in and out of shopping centers. Others tell me that they are very tricky and skilled in "ninja-like" fashion. But, most all of the people I talk to claim that the PIs are usually women in their 40-50s, so I don't understand how they can have "ninja" abilities. I wonder if a lot of these PI stories are just paranoia and urban legends?
It depends on the skill level of the investigator. Usually, they will park around the corner with a zoom lens. The ones that get caught usually get caught because they get greedy and get too close.
They usually aren't female, nor do they have ninja abilities.
I'm not sure why you are surprised that you haven't seen one. At $1,500 a pop (roughly) they won't be contracted unless there's a really good reason.
(09-25-2011 02:31 AM)LornaMc Wrote: [ -> ]Just a curious question... Are private detectives easy to spot? Or are they pretty tricky?
I've been on worker's comp for about 6 months now, and I have not seen any detectives at all. My physician prescribed exercise-walking to try to rehab my leg injuries, and he told me that detectives might take pictures of me but don't worry because walking is a part of my physical therapy. But, I am still very cautious on account of the fact that I just don't like people spying on me or watching me without my knowledge. Everyday, I look out my windows for about 5 minutes before I leave the house, but I have yet to see any suspicious cars or anything. I even drive in circles around my neighborhoods just to see if someone is following me. Well, I live in a gated community, so that might help, but I am still a little surprised that I haven't gotten any PIs. A ton of the guys at my physical therapy place claim that they have experienced PIs. Some say that they are REALLY easy to spot, and they just park outside of your house and try to follow you, but it is really easy to lose them by driving in and out of shopping centers. Others tell me that they are very tricky and skilled in "ninja-like" fashion. But, most all of the people I talk to claim that the PIs are usually women in their 40-50s, so I don't understand how they can have "ninja" abilities. I wonder if a lot of these PI stories are just paranoia and urban legends?
i am from new york and i have been on workers comp for 2.5 years now for a low back and knee injury, 2 months into my claim pi's started sitting across the street from my house watching me, they did this about 6 times, so we approached the pi and asked him what he's doing he said he was waiting for his friend to come meet up with him, now this was at 6:00am so we knew he was lying, so i called the cops and they confirmed that he was a pi investigating my w/c case. once you let the pi know they are busted they will stop for a little while and try and get slick and change there routine, like a couple of months ago i had an ime and a few days before my ime a pi was sitting on the side of my house but i was following doctors orders so they could not film me doing anything wrong. basically you have to know your neighborhood and regular cars parked on the street, you have some pi's that are just stupid and will keep comming back out after they have been busted. my case is almost at the end my doctor is getting ready to classify me so i am expecting more pi's to start watching me, feel free to call the cops anytime you suspect someone is watching you or following you.
(09-25-2011 09:16 AM)Woodlawn Wrote: [ -> ]It depends on the skill level of the investigator. Usually, they will park around the corner with a zoom lens. The ones that get caught usually get caught because they get greedy and get too close.
They usually aren't female, nor do they have ninja abilities.
I'm not sure why you are surprised that you haven't seen one. At $1,500 a pop (roughly) they won't be contracted unless there's a really good reason.
i had a female pi and she wasn't to smart because she kept parking on the side, and when she first came out to find my house she kept riding up and down the street, all of the pi's that have watched me usually have a vehicle with tented black windows, i have gone as far as to get the plate number of the pi and have even followed the pi my self. see some pi's think that claimiants don't know there neighborhood, see everytime i come out my house i watch my back, i do countersurvalliance before i even come out of the house, i have nothing to hide and i do stick to my restrictions.
(09-25-2011 09:16 AM)Woodlawn Wrote: [ -> ]I'm not sure why you are surprised that you haven't seen one. At $1,500 a pop (roughly) they won't be contracted unless there's a really good reason.
Oh Okay. So I assume that the insurance companies only send out detectives if the case is really big money. Ever since I filed my workers comp, I have always been skeptical that my case will win big money because none of my injuries require immediate surgery. I guess that might be the reason I haven't seen any detectives.
(09-25-2011 02:51 PM)LornaMc Wrote: [ -> ] (09-25-2011 09:16 AM)Woodlawn Wrote: [ -> ]I'm not sure why you are surprised that you haven't seen one. At $1,500 a pop (roughly) they won't be contracted unless there's a really good reason.
Oh Okay. So I assume that the insurance companies only send out detectives if the case is really big money. Ever since I filed my workers comp, I have always been skeptical that my case will win big money because none of my injuries require immediate surgery. I guess that might be the reason I haven't seen any detectives.
from ny. my case isn't really big money, i am not expecting to have surgery but my attorney did ask for a settlement, my injuries are sprains and strains to the back. i do get tired of watching my back when i leave the house, i can't wait to settle to just get away from w/c. i had to deactivate my face book account, i didn't have anything bad on facebook, but i was scared the insurance company would use it against me to try and stop my payments
Listen, folks. The fact is probably less than 3% of all WC cases end up with a P.I. involved. It is not cheap to hire a P.I. to do surveillance or any other type of investigation. IC's aren't going to waste a whole lot of money on that, unless there is FIRST - a good deal of money potentially involved, and SECOND - legitimate reasons to suspect that the IW is involved in something that might prove fraud, no injury, or a lesser injury.
The percentage of WC claims that HAVE had a P.I. assigned to them is far lower than the percentage of people on this forum who claim they've been under surveillance. That really beats the odds.
Paranoia is a lot more normal than Psychiatrists would want us to believe. Everybody has a small hint of paranoid tendencies, so don't feel like you're tainted. Just relax. Most of what you think is a P.I. watching you is most likely totally unrelated to you at all.
Very easy to spot a PI. I live on a cul de sac and the PI sat parked in his car there for hours. If this happens to you, call the police and treat it like you are being stalked (Which you are!). If you think you are being followed in your car, drive to a police, fire station or hospital and ask for assistance. One way that you can tell if you are being followed in your car is this: If you are familiar enough with an area, make a series of 4 right turns on 4 streets, essentially driving a box. If someone follows you around the box, you are being followed!
(09-25-2011 05:15 PM)gba2011 Wrote: [ -> ]If this happens to you, call the police and treat it like you are being stalked (Which you are!).
NO, you are NOT being stalked and the police will do nothing more than respond and check the person as "suspicious". Once they determine why the P.I. is there, if they make contact, they'll go away and leave him/her to do his/her job. When you leave your home, you have no expectation of privacy to begin with. You can be filmed, photographed, listened to, and watched.
Any P.I., who is conducting his affairs with a legitimate reason (hired by the IC) is immune from any claims of stalking. Obviously, they cannot invade your protected privacy (i.e., your home) either directly, or by means of an assistance device (photo lens, listening device, etc), but when you leave the sanctity of your residence, you are fair game.
What they cant do "legally" is one thing, But what they actually do is another,
You can tell everybody your statistics are facts but your wrong and or misinformed, what " really " goes on in the “real world” is much much different than you portray.
I can say this, In todays day and age, technology is VERY far advanced and utilized, you dont have to worry about the P.I. sitting across from your house anymore costing the IC tones of money, Now you have to worry about your vehicle getting a GPS tracker and presto... Now they know everywhere you are at any time without the big cost of a P.I. camping in front of your house for days or weeks at a time. Every time I hear about someone that approaches a suspected P.I. and confronts them I cringe, because this is the worst thing you can do….. Because 1. You will force them into a more advanced method of keeping tabs on you “GPS”. 2 Now your defensiveness makes them think you have something to hide and will encourage even more surveillance.
I always see someone talking of their P.I. confrontation encounter…….. “ yeah I just went right up to them (P.I.) told them this and that and I never seen them again ! yeah I showed them ! “” Yeah your right , You never “ seen “ them again because you forced them to plan B…… Make some sense now ?
Rule #1 - Never let the P.I. know that You know they are there,
Rule #2 - Follow doctors restrictions at all times
And that cell phone you have ? well you can be tracked with that also, anyone can track anybody that has a cell phone that has GPS capabilities ( which is almost all of them )
Todays technologies change everything, Just be alert to where ever you go that you could be watched so always stay within your restrictions. I dont want to cause people to become paranoid and I didnt come on here to argue with or challenge anyone, I Just want people to be informed and know what” does” go on regardless of what the "law says" This would apply to anything in life these days and this would be no exception.
(09-25-2011 08:14 PM)Inpian Wrote: [ -> ]What they cant do "legally" is one thing, But what they actually do is another,
You can tell everybody your statistics are facts but your wrong and or misinformed, what " really " goes on in the “real world” is much much different than you portray.
I can say this, In todays day and age, technology is VERY far advanced and utilized, you dont have to worry about the P.I. sitting across from your house anymore costing the IC tones of money, Now you have to worry about your vehicle getting a GPS tracker and presto... Now they know everywhere you are at any time without the big cost of a P.I. camping in front of your house for days or weeks at a time. Every time I hear about someone that approaches a suspected P.I. and confronts them I cringe, because this is the worst thing you can do….. Because 1. You will force them into a more advanced method of keeping tabs on you “GPS”. 2 Now your defensiveness makes them think you have something to hide and will encourage even more surveillance.
I always see someone talking of their P.I. confrontation encounter…….. “ yeah I just went right up to them (P.I.) told them this and that and I never seen them again ! yeah I showed them ! “” Yeah your right , You never “ seen “ them again because you forced them to plan B…… Make some sense now ?
Rule #1 - Never let the P.I. know that You know they are there,
Rule #2 - Follow doctors restrictions at all times
And that cell phone you have ? well you can be tracked with that also, anyone can track anybody that has a cell phone that has GPS capabilities ( which is almost all of them )
Todays technologies change everything, Just be alert to where ever you go that you could be watched so always stay within your restrictions. I dont want to cause people to become paranoid and I didnt come on here to argue with or challenge anyone, I Just want people to be informed and know what” does” go on regardless of what the "law says" This would apply to anything in life these days and this would be no exception.
But, I heard from a lawyer that it is a misdemeanor to put a tracking system in someone's car without his/her consent.I live in CA, so it might be different elsewhere.