Miami Private InvestigationsFraud investigations at a glance
- What it is: a lawful, fact-finding inquiry into suspected deception, using records research, interviews, open-source research and, where it helps, surveillance.
- Typical matters: embezzlement, vendor and invoice schemes, identity theft, romance scams, investment schemes, insurance and mortgage misrepresentation.
- Who hires us: business owners, HR and risk managers, attorneys, insurers and individuals who have been targeted.
- What you receive: a written report with a timeline, source citations and exhibits, prepared so counsel or an agency can act on it.
- What we don't do: promise to get money back, access accounts or devices without authorization, or obtain records by pretexting.
- Credentials: Florida agency license A1800135, veteran-led, bilingual, office in Coral Gables.
Fraud is deliberate deception for financial or personal gain, and left alone it compounds. A good investigation answers four questions: what happened, who did it, how, and what proof someone else can rely on.
What does a private fraud investigation involve?
Florida's definition of private investigation expressly covers gathering information about "crimes or wrongs done or threatened," a person's "transactions, reputation, or character," the "location or recovery of lost or stolen property," and "securing evidence" for use in trials and arbitration (s. 493.6101, F.S.). In a fraud matter that work usually combines several methods:
- Document and transaction review. Building a timeline from invoices, statements, emails and expense reports you lawfully hold, and flagging anomalies such as duplicate payments or approvals outside normal channels.
- Public-records research. Corporate filings, property records, dockets, liens and judgments that reveal hidden relationships.
- Open-source research. Profiles, photos, domains and public posts, used to test whether a person or company is who they claim to be. See our open-source intelligence service.
- Interviews with witnesses, former employees or counterparties who agree to talk.
- Surveillance, when conduct matters. Observing from lawful public vantage points. Details on our surveillance page.
Which types of fraud do we investigate?
Embezzlement and internal theft
An employee diverts cash, pads payroll, runs personal spending through a company card, or takes inventory. Warning signs include a lifestyle that outruns a salary, a bookkeeper who never takes vacation and records only one person understands. We work quietly, with a small circle at the client, so evidence is not destroyed.
Vendor, invoice and procurement fraud
Payments go to a supplier that does not exist, invoices are billed twice, or a real vendor pays kickbacks to the employee who approves its bills. We compare vendor addresses, officers and registered agents against employee information, and check whether the business is real. Florida's Sunbiz search lets anyone look up entities by name, officer or registered agent, address or FEI/EIN, and also covers fictitious names and judgment liens.
Identity theft
Someone opens accounts, files claims or signs contracts in your name. Our role is to identify, where the records allow, who is using the identity and how they obtained it, and to put the facts in order for your report to police and creditors. The Federal Trade Commission's identity theft resources point victims to IdentityTheft.gov to report and recover.
Romance and online scams
A new partner met online, often overseas, is warm, attentive and always in a crisis that requires money, gift cards or cryptocurrency. We research whether the name, photos, employer and location hold up. When the answer is a fabricated identity, the report supports a complaint to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which describes itself as "the central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime." We work these cases in English and Spanish.
Investment schemes
A promoter offers guaranteed returns, pressure to decide quickly and little paperwork. We research the promoter's history, the entities involved, prior litigation and whether the claimed business activity exists. Florida's Office of Financial Regulation, which enforces the Florida Securities and Investor Protection Act, accepts complaints and tips about possible fraud involving financial services.
Insurance, mortgage and claim fraud
Staged accidents, inflated losses and misrepresented loan applications. Carriers and defense counsel should see our dedicated insurance claim investigations and workers' compensation pages, and our guide to corporate and insurance fraud investigations in Miami.
Who hires a fraud investigator?
Business owners who see money leaving and cannot explain why; attorneys building or defending a civil fraud claim who need facts gathered by someone able to testify to how they were found (see attorney support); insurers reviewing a suspicious loss; and individuals targeted by identity theft or a scam who want the facts before going to police or a lawyer.
How does a fraud investigation work, step by step?
- Confidential consultation. You tell us what you have noticed and what you already hold. We say plainly whether an investigation can help, or whether the matter belongs directly with an attorney or an agency.
- Preserve first. No confronting the suspect, deleting emails or wiping a departing employee's laptop.
- Scope and plan. We agree on the questions, sources and order of work.
- Investigation. Records, open-source research, interviews and, if needed, fieldwork, with updates so you can widen, narrow or stop.
- Report and next steps. You receive the findings, and we coordinate with your counsel on a civil claim, an insurance claim or a referral to law enforcement.
What a Florida PI can and can't legally do in a fraud case
Investigators and agencies are licensed by the FDACS Division of Licensing under Chapter 493. A license carries no power to subpoena, search or seize.
What we can do
- Search public records, corporate filings and court files, and analyze documents the client lawfully owns or controls.
- Interview people who choose to speak with us, and identify witnesses for counsel.
- Research open-source material and observe conduct in public places.
- Prepare findings for an attorney, an insurer or a law-enforcement agency, and testify about the work.
What the law forbids, and we refuse
- Pretexting for financial or phone records. Federal law bars obtaining a financial institution's customer information through "a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation" (15 U.S.C. § 6821). Obtaining another person's calling records by fraudulent means is prohibited in Florida (s. 817.484, F.S.) and federally (18 U.S.C. § 1039). Bank statements come through the client, a subpoena or discovery.
- Getting into accounts or devices. Accessing someone's online accounts without permission is part of Florida's definition of cyberstalking when it causes substantial emotional distress and serves no legitimate purpose (s. 784.048, F.S.). We do not guess passwords, read a suspect's email or image a phone that is not the client's to hand over.
- Secret recordings. Recording a private conversation requires the prior consent of every party (s. 934.03, F.S.), and anything intercepted unlawfully cannot be used in any trial or hearing (s. 934.06, F.S.).
- Hidden trackers. Placing a tracking device or app on another person's property without consent is a felony, and investigators have no general exception (s. 934.425, F.S.).
- Entering property or posing as police. Unauthorized entry is trespass (s. 810.08, F.S.), and falsely acting as a law-enforcement officer is a felony (s. 843.08, F.S.). Knowingly violating or assisting a violation of any statute is also grounds for losing a PI license (s. 493.6118(1)(k), F.S.).
More on these limits in our guide to Florida Statute 493.
Where do fraud findings go in Florida?
We document facts; decisions about charges, claims and money belong to others. Where they go depends on the fraud:
- Insurance and workers' compensation fraud. The Department of Financial Services' Criminal Investigations Division investigates insurance fraud, workers' comp fraud, public assistance fraud and arson. Tips go through first.fldfs.com or the fraud hotline, 1-800-378-0445.
- Investment and securities fraud. The Office of Financial Regulation's complaint and tip form, linked above.
- Internet and romance scams. A complaint to IC3, plus a report to your local police department.
- Embezzlement, vendor fraud and identity theft. A report to the police agency where the loss occurred, and, where your counsel advises, a civil action. In Miami-Dade, civil and criminal cases are heard in the 11th Judicial Circuit.
An investigation cannot guarantee that anyone will be charged or that money will come back. It can make a referral or lawsuit concrete: names, dates, amounts, documents. If assets may have been moved, our asset checks help counsel see what a judgment could reach.
What evidence and reporting will I receive?
- A written report with an executive summary, a dated timeline and each finding tied to its source.
- Exhibits: copies of the public records, filings and screenshots relied on, labeled so a reader can find the original.
- Interview summaries and any surveillance media, preserved unedited.
- Testimony by the investigator at deposition, hearing or trial.
Evidence must be relevant (s. 90.401, F.S.) and authenticated as what it claims to be (s. 90.901, F.S.). Business records kept in the ordinary course can come in under a hearsay exception, and a party's own statements may be offered against that party (s. 90.803, F.S.).
What affects the timeline and cost of a fraud investigation?
We do not publish a price list; each matter is scoped first. The main factors:
- Volume of records. A handful of suspect invoices is a different job from several years of books.
- People and entities. Each one adds research.
- Geography. Subjects or funds outside Florida take longer to trace.
- Fieldwork. Interviews and surveillance add investigator hours and travel.
- Deliverables. A briefing memo versus a litigation-ready report with testimony.
Why businesses, attorneys and families work with us
- FDACS agency license A1800135
- ★ 4.9 from 88 Google reviews
- Veteran-led team
- Investigators who work in English and Spanish
Attorneys have recorded video testimonials about working with us; see what attorneys say. Everything you share stays confidential: unauthorized release of client information is grounds for license discipline (s. 493.6118(1)(e), F.S.). You can confirm our license, or any Florida agency's, through the FDACS agency search. Para fraude empresarial en español, lea investigación interna de fraude empresarial.
Related services
Documenting staged, inflated or misrepresented claims.
Locating property and holdings that may satisfy a judgment.
Vetting partners, vendors and acquisitions before you commit.
Identity, history and litigation checks on people and companies.
Investigation and testimony for civil and criminal counsel.
How assets are traced in a divorce or lawsuit.
Available across Florida
Fraud investigations are run from our office at 4000 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Suite 470, Coral Gables. Records research reaches statewide, and investigators travel for interviews and fieldwork.