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34 Wild, Unexpected Or Underwhelming Discoveries Made By Private Investigators, As Shared In This Online Group
Movies and TV shows portray the job of a private investigator as very exciting and always finding out long-kept secrets. However, in reality it can get a bit boring with all the cheating cases and dead-ends where there is nothing more to be found.
Even though most private investigation stories are not movie-worthy, the sole fact of hiring a private investigator for a regular person is an unusual event in itself and is an interesting story to hear. There were a lot of such stories shared on Reddit when MoonPrismPowerUp asked, “Redditors who have hired a private investigator, what did you discover?”
From the stereotypical cases of finding out someone’s spouse was cheating on them to being investigated by a PI themselves, people were not afraid to reveal the drama they witnessed or got involved in.
More info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
My sister hired a PI for her child support/custody trial. She wanted to dig up some dirt on the guy I guess. (Baby girl was months old) BB daddy made very good money as the owner of a HVAC company but didn’t have a place to stay. He stayed in his warehouse. My sisters concern was, what does he do when he has the baby. Turns out when he had her he would rent rooms out in really nice hotels for stays. He’d spend the majority of the days walking her in the parks, having picnics and driving to non local destinations like state/regional parks, zoo’s. Got to see some of the pictures. Big a** 6’3” 300lb stocky body builder type guy, (think mountain from GOT) solo, pushing stroller and diaper bags in tow looking like only his daughter was the only thing that mattered. Dude is genuinely a good father with social anxiety issues.
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#2
Worked for a law firm that routinely hired PI’s to investigate workers comp claimants. One particular juicy bust involved a guy claiming a major back injury. PI got a whole days video of him doing a roofing job. Hauling big packs of shingles up a ladder, s**t like that. They went to mediation ready to drop the video on this guy when he shows up in a wheelchair being pushed by his twin brother. The PI had been following the twin all day. Fastest check I’ve ever seen written by an insurance company.
#3
I hire a private investigator about once a year to give me an update on my stalker, to ensure he’s not looking for me again. It costs a lot of money, but I sleep easier.
Also, stalker is passing of cancer and I feel pretty good about that.
#4
My old work did it for an ex senior manager, hoping to ruin him or something (horrible, bitter company).
Anyway, they got all excited about his meeting with a younger woman, drafted up the letters saying they'd expose him etc. All very sordid.
Till they found out it was his daughter he was meeting during her lunch break.
Some people truly only see darkness...
#5
My brother hired a PI against me. And then, when the PI couldn’t find anything, my brother wanted me to reimburse him for hiring the PI. Because “I misled him into thinking I was hiding something when I said I wasn’t hiding anything”
To answer the questions:
it was about money
yes, he is stupid
yes, he believes Qanon
yes, I still have some contact with him because he is the victim of his own stupidity
no, he is not my favorite brother. My other two are amazing
his name is not Dwight Schrute
Mary Rose Kent 2 years ago
You’re doing filial relationships right. My two youngest brothers had a falling out and the youngest one made a decision that the three older kids (all well into adulthood at this point, BTW) had to choose between them. I continued to have a relationship with the other brother because we have so much more in common, and so I haven’t seen or spoken to the youngest in DECADES. Only our mother is exempt. It’s utterly ridiculous.
#6
My Aunt hired a PI because she suspected her husband of cheating on her. The stereotypical "Why does he have to stay at work for so long all of the sudden?" Instead she found out that he stayed at work after he was done so he could play poker and crack a cold one in peace. When she confronted him about it, he got so mad, flying into a rage that he confessed to her how annoying and controlling she actually is. They worked it out, saved their marriage and built a house though.
#7
That, as I suspected, my husband (and I use that term loosely) was in fact already married to someone else.
Two wives in two different states and a convenient military job that required him to be “away” (at the other house) a lot.
Hiring the PI saved both of us wives because she was clueless about what was going on.
Don't Look 2 years ago
This one is just like that movie about the airline pilot with the two families in two different states.
#8
My friend hired someone only to find out his wife was just eating out alone in parking lots without him lol
MarmotArchivist 2 years ago (edited)
Wife turns around mouth covered in mariana sauce. 'it's not what it looks like, I swear!'
Katie Lutesinger 2 years ago
I read a book where a married couple have lost their son, and recently the husband has been disappearing for long periods. The wife gets suspicious that he's having an affair, only to follow him and find out he's actually going to a bakery their son loved and then sitting in the carpark with a pastry, quietly grieving. I wish I could remember the title.
Suzi Q 2 years ago
That's so sad. When my brother died of SIDS, my mom said spending time alone really helped.
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May light defeat the darkness 2 years ago (edited)
For a woman to sneak out just to have personal space and ‘me’ time may mean that husband is the paranoid, possesive and insecure type.
SirDigbyChickenCaesar 2 years ago (edited)
I have dealt with this. If I was held up at work for 30 minutes past the usual time he would accuse me of having sex with my coworkers. If I went out anywhere with my best friend he would accuse me of having sex with total strangers. If I just wanted some time alone he would make extra effort to ruin it somehow. If I was trying to relax hed put on loud music, if I was reading he would start talking to me and asking me pointless questions. Like, "leave me the hell alone!". I kept breaking up with him and he wouldn't accept the breakup and just wouldn't leave. SO FREAKING INSANE! I would literally have to go hide somewhere just for some peace and quiet. Some guys are total psychos. And the police will not help you get rid of them if they are not physically harming you and just driving you insane mentally.
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Twodogsandapicnictable 2 years ago
But why? Why was she? Why did he? Seems like a serious communication problem neither want to solve.
Jill Chambers 2 years ago
Had he put her on a diet, or was she being "supportive" of his diet?
Jonae Robinson 2 years ago (edited)
This is me... my husband thought I was funding lunch with some dude everyday. Idk why he doesn't know by now that I can eat $25 worth of food by myself. Also why would I fund an affair through our shared account??? Its like he doesn't want to accept the obvious... that his wife is a fat ass.
Mary Jeffries 2 years ago
That’s me! Happy marriage, four kids and I love to take myself out on dates. So nice to make decisions for just myself.
María Hermida 2 years ago
Why is it do difficult to understand that some of us need some time alone? It doesn't mean we don't appreciate our friends or partner, just we just need to spend time on our own, without listening or paying attention to anything. It's not despise, or boredom, or depression, or anger, or shyness. We just need to be alone.
Alex the Country Dog 2 years ago
Nothing difficult about it. Hiding it is unhealthy though.
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E2U&U2 2 years ago (edited)
No PI was involved, but my husband used to have trust issues wondering where I disappeared to and followed me around for a few days. He saw me window shopping, reading in the park, enjoying an ice cream cone while wandering aimlessly. When he finally confronted me I told him that I loved him dearly and I would never, ever, do anything that would hurt our relationship. But, I'm an only child who grew up alone and solitary for long stretches of time. Being at home with him (funny, loud, larger than life, always excited about something) and later the kids were sometimes just too much for me. There wasn't a quiet place in our house or a place to collect my thoughts. I just needed a little space every once in a while to daydream or think about nothing to clear my head. I'd always be back soon. From that day until the day he died the subject never came up again. He gave me space and I loved on him like the precious jewel that he was.
Trash Panda 2 years ago
If I were the hubby, I think I’d just pack her a favorite lunch, and pretend I have no idea. People need their space.
Jumped_up_pantry_boy 2 years ago
My Dad went to work with a guy whose paranoia increased proportionally with his success. Boss hired a PI one time to keep tabs on an employee and every day my Dad had to listen to the tapes with his boss in secret. One day the boss called him in and exclaimed excitedly, I've got him! Plays tape: "the suspect is entering a cake shop...he is making a transaction...his purchases are...1 sausage roll... and a cream horn". Boss looks at my dad knowingly. My Dad burst out laughing told him to get help and resigned the madhouse.
Kimi Tomminello 2 years ago
I do this crap all the time. I don't think my husband even notices 🤣
Vinita Talaulikar 2 years ago
I do love Indian street food. I too eat many a times alone or order in the office.
Celtic Pirate Queen 2 years ago
I used to take a book to a local restaurant and treat myself to an appetizer and glass of wine, just to get away from my husband & kids.
Jane Petersen 2 years ago
I used to go out to Red Lobster alone without the husband and kids - they all had allergies to the best menu items so I went there to be alone, eat all the good stuff, and read a book. They could smell the lobster and cheese biscuits on me when I got home. hahah
Kantami Blossom 2 years ago
I can totally understand this, to me there is nothing more annoying when you're just trying to enjoy a meal is someone talking to you.
Random Anon 2 years ago
You don't have to be attached at the hip after marriage. Everyone need their own me time.
Pamela Hutchison 2 years ago
Would've been cheaper if the guy had just took his wife out to nice restaurants once in a while instead of hiring a p.i.
No you can't have my name 2 years ago
The boxes usually have some sort of water resistant coating on them, it's not about to suddenly collapse under the moisture.
Load More Replies... #9
Not me, but the insurance agency I worked for. We got this strange claim about children that were hurt in a frontal collision while the parents filed no claim for themselves. The collision was against a wall.
A few things in their account of the accident didn't check out so the comp agent tasked an investigator.
Investigator found out the parents sat their two children in the backseat with fastened seatbelts, then put a rock on the accelerator pedal to crash the car in the wall and get compensated for their children's injuries. Needless to say, while we did pay for the children's care, parents got no penny and ended having to deal with CPS.
#10
My uncle did this, he found out that his wife was sleeping with their pastor and they found out their pastor was also a drug dealer. It was a crazy couple weeks hearing everything come out.
#11
Not me but my father-in-law and his sisters hired one because they found out their father had given their oldest sister up for adoption. They were in their 30’s and wanted to find her.
Turns out the PI didn’t need to work too hard because she was an executive at NBC in Florida. Everyone else lives in Canada. I’ve got to meet her a few times and she’s terribly nice.
#12
Not me but a friend hired a PI to find out if the PI he originally hired had started to sleep with my friends' wife... Turns out he had XD
#13
Friend hired a private investigator to look into her boyfriend who she thought was cheating on her. The dude wasn't cheating, he was plotting his proposal.
#14
My mother hired one against my dad cause she thought the he was cheating. She found out what I've been telling her, and that was that my dad was an overworked guy and was tired of her s**t and just stayed at my brother's house
#15
My coworker hired one to track down his first car he ever owned so he could buy it back. Cleanest E28 i've ever seen (in person that is)
#16
I hired one to follow somebody suing me for a knee and hand injury. The PI put motion cameras outside where he lived, one morning he sent me a picture of guy wearing sunglasses asking me if that was him which it was. PI followed him through several red lights at high speed to a park. He then records him smoking pot and playing frisbee golf without limping. The guy he followed walked up to the PI suspicious but he talked his way out of it. PI fee was money well spent, around $400.
#17
An affair that my wife had been lying to me about for a year. I got incredibly damning photos that I texted to both of them just after calling my wife on the phone and having her lie to me once more.
#18
I hired one once.
He found out my ex was not, in fact, pregnant with my child.
She had just been telling me she was.
Worst six months of my life.
#19
My vindictive aunt hired one to spy on me and the guy found out quite a bit about me, like my dental records and stuff. I mean, I'm a pretty boring person with nothing to hide so the guy didn't find much to use against me.
#20
The wedding planner booking our wedding did in fact not make any reservations, and was planning to steal pretty much every penny we gave them (20k) and leave us weddingless.
#21
That a scummy competitor who ripped off my branding, 90% word for word on business name, copy and graphics had several serious felony charges. Including getting caught red handed robbing someone at gun point by a passing police officer.
#22
I was looking for a lost family member. I discovered he wasn't living anywhere under his name, he wasn't in jail, and that he hadn't collected his VA benefits.
Turns out he was living homeless on the street, but the PI didn't find that part.
#23
That the dentist who took six sessions to just ruin my tooth (and drill on a sore nerve) wasn't actually allowed to be a dentist. She immigrated, got covered by the medical practice during her stay, and fled back into her country as soon as she realized she did a mistake. Luckily they found her.
Littlebunnyfufu 2 years ago
Not everyone knows you can usually look up licensing online. It's worth it to look up the person's license before you go to them. It will show if they are a) actually licensed and b) if they have any complaints against them. It's worth it. Won't catch everything but at least in this case OP would've known she was unlicensed.
#24
I know no one will see this but... my ex sister in law hired one to get dirt on her oldest brothers ex wife. $8000 later he got information on the wrong person and took pictures of the wrong kids.
#25
Not me, but this is kind of a funny one. A friend of my father's hired one to find out whether he was still married or not. He had been separated for many years but wasn't sure whether his ex had ever actually divorced him. (Sounds strange to me too, but that's how I heard it.) He needed to know because he wanted to remarry.
So what did he find out? That she had in fact divorced him, and also passed away. So no worries on that front.
Don't Look 2 years ago
This is actually the brunt - if I’m not mistaken - of what PIs do. Boring civil work.
#26
My father in law has been calling a woman who’s identity was a lie; she’s been using false IDs and is actually a cult guru.
I hoped exposing this info to my father in law would help him « rethink » his allegiances (he’s cutting off ties with his entire family to be with the cult). It didn’t, sadly. He was surprised when we revealed the info, though.
#27
Had one used against me (thanks current father-in-law). He found out that I was seriously a desperately boring person. Aside from my boring work and education history, he learned of two of my exes and the fact that they were pretty boring too (though one sadly, struggled with an eating disorder). I don’t think he knew what, “yeah, yak played world of Warcraft with his last ex... a lot...” meant, but yeah... he learned I was adopted and had grown up with a very nice pair of parents (non-bio... obviously).
You know, until this second, I assumed he had wasted his money, and ended up with literally no interesting info. I’m kinda curious if the guy found out about my bio parents... and wonder if that colored his view of me...
#28
My parents hired one because my piano teacher promised to make a recording of me playing piano, my parents gave him a down payment for recording equipment and then he peaced out. The PI found out that the piano teacher never went to the music school he claimed, had done this to at least 5 other families, he didn't work for the recording studio he claimed to and he didn't even live in New York as he said he did. I would have to ask my parents if there was anything else they found out and kept from me.
#29
I've hired them for incredibly boring reasons. I work as a lawyer, and occasionally I'll need a document from a courthouse that's too far away for me to just go there and pick it up. Occasionally the courthouse staff will refuse to make copies and mail them to me. So I've hired a few PIs to pick up what I needed.
Roadkill The Brave 2 years ago
This would be a perfect opportunity to turn boring into fun - Mission Impossible style. Are they really just going to the court to pick up papers? Or are they actually on a top secrete mission to uncover information about the towns founders and what hidden secrets they buried in cemetery plot 4355?
#30
Not me, but my former boss. She hired a PI to investigate a guy from my country who she was dating online. All the birthday cards, little gifts, and little etceteras she sent him never reached him, because as it turned out, he never gave her his real name. She finally had enough and hired a PI. Guy was married and he lived further away from where he said he was located
#31
My dad used one on my mom when they got a divorce since she was doing some really shady things, and she used one on him because she was paranoid.
My dad found out that my mom had gotten a 25 year old boyfriend. He also found out I was gay since he was dipping into other sources and found out a school boards chairperson had a daughter I was involved with.
My mom found nothing on my dad- except his double life as a baseball little league coach one town over. In about a year they completely separated.
#32
That the guy I sold my car to and who then got me 3 speeding tickets before I could change the details over doesn't keep his address up to date and moves roughly every 6 months...
#33
That my wife was actually not cheating on me with my sons little league coach. Cost me over 5 thousand to figure that one out.
Shawn Brooks 2 years ago
If you're at the point of doing something like this your marriage is already over.
What do you think ?
DDmaybeandor 2 years ago
How do people even have the energy to lead a double life? It’s all I can do to keep up with my single one.
Rose the Cook 2 years ago
Too trusting brother in law refused family advice to hire a PI to check out his daughter's future husband who was behaving oddly. He could have saved his daughter and granddaughter much pain if he had. Seems the girl's intended hoped to inherit a lot of money from his uncle who suspected he was gay, so imposed a condition that he must marry and produce a child in order to inherit. In time uncle passed away and he inherited then disappeared never to be heard from again leaving a lovely young woman to raise her daughter with only her parents to help financially.
No you can't have my name 2 years ago
Too bad the condition was only for him to marry and act as a sperm donor.
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Nikole 2 years ago
I worked for a detective agency for a few years. It's mainly process serving (which can involve tracking someone down using skip traces). And then filing the servers' affidavits at the courthouse. Exciting! The servers had some messed up stories though.
Legen ( wait for it ) dary 2 years ago
Tell us more about the stories. ☺️ I have some curiosity.
Load More Replies...
Suz66 2 years ago
My ex hired a PI to spy on me. I was receiving alimony (I was severely disabled when we divorced. I retired and my health became more stable but not great.) Ex wanted to stop the alimony. The attorney sent me the PI report. It was over an inch thick. He had photos of the house and my car, etc. He had photos of me from social media, etc. He must've paid tens of thousands! It would have cost me $12,000 to fight. I needed him to sign a pension form for years. He wouldn't sign it because his atty didn't understand it. My now husband explained it to him. I dropped the alimony in exchange for the pension form signed. All that money he spent is way more than a year of alimony. I didn't need it and I finally got my form signed!
Julia French 2 years ago
Knew a woman hired one to find her adult son who went to Mexico & cut communication with her. PI came back saying he couldn't find him. a decade or so later son returns, with his familly, and says yeah i paid the PI more to tell you nothing.
RafCo 2 years ago
I knew a POS who had zero contact with his son. Then the boy and mother were hit by a drunk driver and the boy, 6, was killed instantly, the mother was left with severe brain damage. Her parents sued the driver for damages, and for continued care of their daughter, and won a huge amount. The POS father, sued the maternal grandparents for custody of their daughter, so he could claim the money. Hired a PI to dig up dirt on the whole family. The PI only discovered that the POS I knew never made any of the ordered child support payments.
Eva Sawyer 2 years ago
My husband's ex wife hired someone to dig into every bit of my life/finances. Imagine her surprise when the judge told her that MY income is not considered for the purposes of child support! And even after that she wouldn't let it go....
nope nope nope 2 years ago
My husband broke contact with his parents two years into our marriage. They REFUSED to believe that we had relocated to live near my brother because I needed to get away from my abusive family. They thought I was "controlling" even though it was my husband's idea to leave because on top of my trauma we were just sick of the uneducated American south. What did they find out? Oh, that my oldest sister accuses everyone she dates of abuse, that she's labeled a "vindictive reporter" by social services because she will try to have kids taken away from anyone who upsets her, and that my dad can't legally own firearms because he threatened my mom with one to her head in the 70s when they were split up. Also discovered that my dad had been investigated for rape SEVEN TIMES! Needless to say but they believe my horror stories now. Though they still can't understand why my husband and I have chosen to adopt our children.Sorry, folks, my bloodline is broken. Ted Bundy could be hiding in my DNA. No!
James Suttle 2 years ago
Loved the stock images in this list - most of which had nothing to do with the accompanying story
Karen Lyon 2 years ago
When I was 26, a woman who was a good friend of both my parents called, asking for my Dad. He wasn't home, and the message was to tell him Helen called, but that Mom was not to know. My poor Dad, when I passed this on to him, the first words were, "It's not what you think." LOL. Their 25th anniversary was coming up, and he wanted to buy her a nice diamond ring for the occasion, and Helen was helping him pick it out. My parents married young, while he was in school, her engagement ring had been cheap. It had fallen apart years before, Dad wanted to make up for it. The funny thing, a few days later, Mom asked me if I thought getting HIM a ring for their 25th was a nice idea. I endorsed that as hard as I could without giving anything away. Watching them open those boxes on that anniversary is one of the best memories my sister and I have (she was the only one I told.) If they'd been checking up on each other, all that would have been ruined.
DDmaybeandor 2 years ago
How do people even have the energy to lead a double life? It’s all I can do to keep up with my single one.
Rose the Cook 2 years ago
Too trusting brother in law refused family advice to hire a PI to check out his daughter's future husband who was behaving oddly. He could have saved his daughter and granddaughter much pain if he had. Seems the girl's intended hoped to inherit a lot of money from his uncle who suspected he was gay, so imposed a condition that he must marry and produce a child in order to inherit. In time uncle passed away and he inherited then disappeared never to be heard from again leaving a lovely young woman to raise her daughter with only her parents to help financially.
No you can't have my name 2 years ago
Too bad the condition was only for him to marry and act as a sperm donor.
Load More Replies... Nikole 2 years ago
I worked for a detective agency for a few years. It's mainly process serving (which can involve tracking someone down using skip traces). And then filing the servers' affidavits at the courthouse. Exciting! The servers had some messed up stories though.
Legen ( wait for it ) dary 2 years ago
Tell us more about the stories. ☺️ I have some curiosity.
Load More Replies... Suz66 2 years ago
My ex hired a PI to spy on me. I was receiving alimony (I was severely disabled when we divorced. I retired and my health became more stable but not great.) Ex wanted to stop the alimony. The attorney sent me the PI report. It was over an inch thick. He had photos of the house and my car, etc. He had photos of me from social media, etc. He must've paid tens of thousands! It would have cost me $12,000 to fight. I needed him to sign a pension form for years. He wouldn't sign it because his atty didn't understand it. My now husband explained it to him. I dropped the alimony in exchange for the pension form signed. All that money he spent is way more than a year of alimony. I didn't need it and I finally got my form signed!
Julia French 2 years ago
Knew a woman hired one to find her adult son who went to Mexico & cut communication with her. PI came back saying he couldn't find him. a decade or so later son returns, with his familly, and says yeah i paid the PI more to tell you nothing.
RafCo 2 years ago
I knew a POS who had zero contact with his son. Then the boy and mother were hit by a drunk driver and the boy, 6, was killed instantly, the mother was left with severe brain damage. Her parents sued the driver for damages, and for continued care of their daughter, and won a huge amount. The POS father, sued the maternal grandparents for custody of their daughter, so he could claim the money. Hired a PI to dig up dirt on the whole family. The PI only discovered that the POS I knew never made any of the ordered child support payments.
Eva Sawyer 2 years ago
My husband's ex wife hired someone to dig into every bit of my life/finances. Imagine her surprise when the judge told her that MY income is not considered for the purposes of child support! And even after that she wouldn't let it go....
nope nope nope 2 years ago
My husband broke contact with his parents two years into our marriage. They REFUSED to believe that we had relocated to live near my brother because I needed to get away from my abusive family. They thought I was "controlling" even though it was my husband's idea to leave because on top of my trauma we were just sick of the uneducated American south. What did they find out? Oh, that my oldest sister accuses everyone she dates of abuse, that she's labeled a "vindictive reporter" by social services because she will try to have kids taken away from anyone who upsets her, and that my dad can't legally own firearms because he threatened my mom with one to her head in the 70s when they were split up. Also discovered that my dad had been investigated for rape SEVEN TIMES! Needless to say but they believe my horror stories now. Though they still can't understand why my husband and I have chosen to adopt our children.Sorry, folks, my bloodline is broken. Ted Bundy could be hiding in my DNA. No!
James Suttle 2 years ago
Loved the stock images in this list - most of which had nothing to do with the accompanying story
Karen Lyon 2 years ago
When I was 26, a woman who was a good friend of both my parents called, asking for my Dad. He wasn't home, and the message was to tell him Helen called, but that Mom was not to know. My poor Dad, when I passed this on to him, the first words were, "It's not what you think." LOL. Their 25th anniversary was coming up, and he wanted to buy her a nice diamond ring for the occasion, and Helen was helping him pick it out. My parents married young, while he was in school, her engagement ring had been cheap. It had fallen apart years before, Dad wanted to make up for it. The funny thing, a few days later, Mom asked me if I thought getting HIM a ring for their 25th was a nice idea. I endorsed that as hard as I could without giving anything away. Watching them open those boxes on that anniversary is one of the best memories my sister and I have (she was the only one I told.) If they'd been checking up on each other, all that would have been ruined.
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