There is a misconception out there that conducting surveillance is “seasonal” operation. Just because its cold, or rainy, or snowing… people’s lives don’t stop. Groceries still need to be bought, kids still need to get to school, people still need to go to work, and chores still need to be done. Every claim is unique, because every person is unique. Their schedule is theirs, and is built upon family, pets, work, and other responsibilities.
The real skill lies in determining these patterns of life. Whether through the use of various background checks, social media and internet profile investigations, or the use of stationary surveillance, there are a number of methods in learning and determining those patterns. Those background investigations can help you learn more about where a person has been, the people they have lived with, the vehicles they have owned, and get a well-developed picture of who this person is. In a lot of cases the background investigation is the backbone of how the surveillance is planned.
It’s amazing that so many people still put so much out there on social media. Whether that is regularly checking in at their favorite restaurant every Sunday morning, leaving their geotagging on when taking a selfie and uploading it from the gym locker room, just talking about when and where they are going to be next Saturday morning or talking about their child’s sport schedule and when/where the games are going to be. They’re not things people really take a second to even think about, but when the goal is to locate, observe, and document the daily activities of a given person, its certainly impressive what can be found when you know where to look.
One tool that is becoming increasingly more common, is the implementation of stationary surveillance. A camera can be placed in a give location that can records twenty-four hours consecutively for 2-3-4 or more days depending on the situation. If there is a question as to whether anyone lives at a home, or if the claimed care is even being conducted, that camera is a good method to learn what is actually happening there. It’s also reasonably successful at showing patterns and routines over a certain amount of time and can be super helpful to investigators in determining what day and time to be at a location to start conducting surveillance.
The biggest takeaway from these, is that none of them are seasonally dependent. It doesn’t matter if it’s a sunny summer day, a rainy spring afternoon, or winter morning where you may or may not have a driveway to shovel; lives don’t stop, and daily routines continue. If you have concerns regarding a claim or claimant, whether it be a person’s activity level or more related to the care they are receiving, don’t let the season dissuade you from investigating. We have all the resources necessary at our disposal to dig into things for you and help you get the answers you are looking for.