# Re searching for people do Private Investigators have access to databases the public does not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2016, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-searching-for-people-do-private-investigators-have-access-to-databases-the-public-does-not/748096 "2016-03-06T06:07:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-searching-for-people-do-private-investigators-have-access-to-databases-the-public-does-not/748096/21 "2016-03-08T01:56:05Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Remember that many times when people go on programs like workers comp they sign waivers that allow for sharing of activity with the insurance company. An investigator becomes an agent of the insurance company by proxy. > > I’ve had direct conversations with the treating physicians & nurses who told me pretty much everything. > > ETA: I haven’t done any of this type of work since 2011. But I did it occasionally for over 20 years to supplement my LEO salary. Ok, so it’s only medical attention that is also the subject of a worker’s comp claim or other type of injury claim that ends up in this database? So if I, say, broke my wrist at home and went to the ER to have it treated and they charged my medical insurance provider there would be no trace, but if it happened on the job, or at a neighbor’s house and I filed a worker’s comp claim, or a claim payable by the neighbor’s homeowners insurance, respectively, it would be there. Am I understanding this correctly? Sorry, I know this is a bit of a hijack. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-searching-for-people-do-private-investigators-have-access-to-databases-the-public-does-not/748096/22 "2016-03-08T06:00:50Z")
Can any person get a copy of someones divorce settlement? ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-searching-for-people-do-private-investigators-have-access-to-databases-the-public-does-not/748096/23 "2016-03-08T06:42:19Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Can any person get a copy of someones divorce settlement? Depends on state laws; when and where did the divorce take place? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-searching-for-people-do-private-investigators-have-access-to-databases-the-public-does-not/748096/24 "2016-03-08T08:03:03Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Can any person get a copy of someones divorce settlement? Yes and no. In some cases the records are sealed. [http://www.granberglaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/protecting\_client\_privacy\_divorce.pdf](http://www.granberglaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/protecting_client_privacy_divorce.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-searching-for-people-do-private-investigators-have-access-to-databases-the-public-does-not/748096/25 "2016-03-08T08:22:24Z")
> [@skdo23](#): > > Ok, so it’s only medical attention that is also the subject of a worker’s comp claim or other type of injury claim that ends up in this database? So if I, say, broke my wrist at home and went to the ER to have it treated and they charged my medical insurance provider there would be no trace, but if it happened on the job, or at a neighbor’s house and I filed a worker’s comp claim, or a claim payable by the neighbor’s homeowners insurance, respectively, it would be there. Am I understanding this correctly? Sorry, I know this is a bit of a hijack. It can be any claim the person signed a waiver to. All of those waivers have line items as to who can be informed. But it’s pretty hard to collect on a claim telling the insurance company they have no right to know anything about the injury or treatment. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-searching-for-people-do-private-investigators-have-access-to-databases-the-public-does-not/748096/26 "2016-03-08T10:31:47Z")
> [@slash2k](#): > > Depends on state laws; when and where did the divorce take place? Colorado and Nebraska ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-searching-for-people-do-private-investigators-have-access-to-databases-the-public-does-not/748096/27 "2016-03-08T10:53:55Z")
> [@bubba001](#): > > I have a brother that had cut himself off from the family. I tried some online stuff, google searches, and paid a online company to find him. No luck at all. I filed a missing person’s report, they called me the next day to tell me where he was, that he was ok, they had the local police ( out of state ) do a welfare check on him, and asked him to contact his family. I would say that the police can find you pretty quickly. That would not happen in the UK. Police would not do anything except record the ‘misper’. They take the view that if an adult want’s to go missing, it is not their job to find them. The only way they would take any notice is if there was suspected foul play. The go-to organisation for finding missing relatives here is the Salvation Army. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-searching-for-people-do-private-investigators-have-access-to-databases-the-public-does-not/748096/28 "2016-03-08T15:19:28Z")
Nearly all of these databases are simply aggregations of public records. Voter registration forms are public record as a general rule, so almost anyone can get your address and other information from those. Driver’s licenses are public record. Property deeds and tax documents are public record. The trick is that very few of these sources are made searchable online by the government agencies that hold them, and even those that are will not all be in one place. However, if you sign up for LexisNexis public records access you can find almost any piece of information that a licensed investigator can.\* The one thing it won’t tell you is somebody’s SSN, other than the last four digits. You can search for people by SSN, and confirm one you already know that way, but it doesn’t work in reverse. > [@skdo23](#): > > Ok, so it’s only medical attention that is also the subject of a worker’s comp claim or other type of injury claim that ends up in this database? I’m a civil defense attorney, and one of the first things we do on every new file is request a search of prior claims. The primary source for such things nowadays is [ISO](http://www.verisk.com/products-and-services/product-category/claims-information-and-services/improve-claims-processing-and-prevent-fraud-with-iso-claimsearch.html), which is essentially a large database that aggregates casualty and property insurance claims. Without going into great detail, the claims that will be reported to ISO are basically any in which an injury report is filed with an insurer or third party claims administrator, but also some claims that do not involve injuries. For example, a motor vehicle accident in which a property damage claim is filed will be reported, even if the subject of the search is not the person reporting the property damage. The sort of information provided by ISO depends on the type of claim and the jurisdiction where it was reported, but will nearly always include the date of loss, location, the names of the claimants and other involved parties, the name of the reporting insurer, the name of the insured (if not a directly involved party) and a very brief description of the accident or injuries. The distinction between ISO and the public record databases is that most claim reports are not public record. ISO records are provided by insurers for the benefit of other insurers, though in theory anyone can request a search. \*You’d have to have “permissible uses” for the purposes of the already-mentioned DPPA and the Gramm-Leach-Biley Act (GLBA), or you would be violating federal law - though you are free to look yourself up. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-searching-for-people-do-private-investigators-have-access-to-databases-the-public-does-not/748096/29 "2016-03-08T16:08:39Z")
Basically the trick is that anyone CAN sign up for Lexis-Nexis, but few private citizens have a need to spend that kind of cash for that kind of service. From what I understand, the main users aren’t PIs, but rather lawyers/law firms. Back when she was a practicing attorney, I had my wife track down a buddy of mine from childhood who I’d lost contact with, and it took her like 5 minutes, while I’d had no luck on free sites after about an hour and a half. ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-searching-for-people-do-private-investigators-have-access-to-databases-the-public-does-not/748096/30 "2016-03-08T17:04:42Z")
True, but as I mentioned, call your local college and check with the main branch of their library. 99% of the time, they have free access to Lexis-Nexis for anyone who walks in (even if they aren’t students). You should probably call in advance, however, since some only subscribe to the Nexis half, which is just publications, trade journal, and reference searches. Any campus with a law school will have the whole service. Your public library in a larger city may offer it as well. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-searching-for-people-do-private-investigators-have-access-to-databases-the-public-does-not/748096/31 "2016-03-08T17:17:36Z")
None of them will have free access to the public records search portion (though law school students get that for free with their own LexisNexis student accounts). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-searching-for-people-do-private-investigators-have-access-to-databases-the-public-does-not/748096.md?page=1)