What is a Private Investigator?

Based in Stoughton, MA, Brendan McCabe’s background as an analyst to the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General affords him the expertise in dealing with both governmental and public interests. Brendan McCabe also worked in the private field as a due diligence investigator with Fidelity Investments, where he assisted in analyzing current and future business relationships by supplying pertinent information.

Private investigators (PI) fulfill multiple roles in society for both private citizens and corporations. They can help provide information in civil and criminal litigation such as accident investigations or surveillance. On the corporate side, they can help with the screening of potential employees, and investigating theft and fraud. Each PI, whether self-employed or employed by an agency, must be able to discover and disseminate information about each case.

Being a PI is not only about the discovering of information, but also about the navigation of various sectors of society. Some jobs may require accessing public records from a government office while others may involve tracking down and interviewing people. This may be in service of a company looking to do background checks or investigating an accident for a client.

Basics Involved in a Comprehensive Background Check

Having taken over the business from his father in 2017, Brendan McCabe leads McCabe & Associates in Stoughton, MA, and provides coordinated solutions. One of the areas in which Brendan McCabe and his Stoughton, MA, team have extensive knowledge is corporate investigations such as comprehensive background checks.

A Harris Poll survey found that nearly 60 percent of hiring managers had discovered false information on candidate resumes. The most common lies involve inflated job responsibilities and skills sets. Other frequent embellishments involve job title, academic degrees, and awards. People may also misrepresent dates of employment and companies worked for, either to hide something or make it appear that they have more experience than they do.

Background checks begin with the basics, such as verifying that the person is who she or he claims. A search regarding the applicant’s full name, date of birth, and Social Security number is typically able to retrieve addresses from the past 15 years, which can be cross-checked for accuracy. The background check process can also invole an examination of criminal history-related directories, including criminal and court records, global terrorist databases, and the sex offender registry.

Depending on the level of the position and the clearances and responsibilities required, a more intensive background check can be arranged that incorporates interviews with acquaintances, family members, and former employers.