If you think a private investigator is following you
A licensed investigator may watch you from public places, especially in a court or insurance case. You usually cannot force them to quit. You can refuse a scene, document threats, and call your lawyer.
By Flavia Diaz
Assume public space is public
Sitting in a parked car on a street, or filming a claimant lifting groceries in a parking lot, is often legal. Workers’ compensation and injury cases use this constantly. Performing a fake limp, or staging a scene because you spotted a camera, does not help you.
Do not confront, chase, or “lose them”
Walking up to a stranger’s window, blocking their car, or driving to shake a tail creates danger and can be used against you. Go about an ordinary day. If you have a lawyer, tell the lawyer, not the group chat.
Know the line they are not allowed to cross
Trespassing, threats, peeking into a place you have a right to keep private, impersonating police, or grabbing you are not “just investigation.” Write dates, plate numbers, and what happened. Then call the police about that conduct, and your lawyer about the case.
Live the restrictions you were given
If a doctor limited your lifting, lift within that limit whether or not a camera exists. The investigator is not the decision-maker. Your records and your consistency are.
Watch for this
- This page will not teach you to evade law enforcement or to hide evidence.
- If you are in danger from an abuser rather than a licensed investigator, call emergency services. Those are different problems.
When to get help
Your attorney if you have a claim. The police if someone trespasses or threatens you. A licensing board complaint later, with the notes you kept, if a PI broke the rules.