Here we go again, another incident involving a private investigator that tarnishes the reputation of an entire profession all in the name of making a quick buck.
A local Ohio newspaper is now reporting that a worker at the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation has allegedly admitted to selling the Social Security numbers and other non-public personal information of injured workers’ to a private investigator.
The private investigator has not been identified, but the case has been referred to the Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s office for possible criminal prosecution.
While it doesn’t appear that the information provided was being used for identity theft, the bureau is still notifying 49 injured workers whose personal information appears to have been was compromised.
These incidents only provide legislators with more ammunition to exclude licensed private investigators from legitimate access to valuable personal information.
One can only hope that those PIs who are willing to break the law, or forget about professional ethics, are caught and punished.
What do you think about this incident?
There are bad seeds in every profession and within every walk of life. Just seems we unfortunately have many. Of course, due to our line of work and public opinion of PI’s, it hurts all of us at a time when our profession needs a boost, not another blemish. Let’s hope that many sensible people will see it for what it is:one bad apple.
We as professional PI’s that provide very deep investigations for clients and we do not go on words just hard facts that we find. Now you know and i know that the media exaggerates a whole lot.
I use these words on every investigation and i am able to use it on this article. There are three sides to every story the (BWC)worker words, the(PI), and the truth. Judge not and stay true because we as Private Investigators have some people out there that are for us and some are against us.
I wrote:
“I’m curious as to what the other personal information was that the PI got a hold of… ”
Because what’s important are what clients were seeking this privileged workers’ compensation claims information. The investigator is only a tool a client uses.
I’m very sorry this has happened but hope we finally see a time where licensed investigators are allowed access to publicly guarded information, with strict guidelines, like the way DMV records are handled in many states.
I’m curious as to what the other personal information was that the PI got a hold of…
Things in the private investigator world have changed a lot since the advent of the Internet. It’s not like the days when a select few would receive critical information from local sources or legitimate databases.
Many investigators just didn’t have the foresight to understand the problems that would be caused by such flagrant use and/or abuse of sources.
Most licensed private investigators have strong ethics and are there to help in cases of fraud, missing children, injustices of law and other areas of concern where law enforcement have less manpower or other means to assist.
We urge the public to support a licensed private investigator cause for access to certain special information in critical lawful circumstances.
While I partially agree with Ron, I have to think back on years past, before all the privacy laws and before the availability of internet access searches. We (investigators) traditionally made and utilized contacts that could provide us access to information that would otherwise NOT be obtainable to us or to others in general. That was our gift…that was one of our skills. We had to have connections on the local, state and federal levels to get that “extra” information that satisfied our clients. Law enforcement, utilities, credit & collection agencies just to name a few examples.
What we did was not exactly illegal at the time…but probably would have been frowned upon had it been discovered.
Traditionally I’d like to think it was more about success than greed. But, of course, that was BEFORE the laws were applied that could be broken.
No, the BWC employee should NOT have been selling information, period. And no, the investigator should NOT have accepted such information knowing that it was illegal to do so.
In todays society, our profession is judged highly on public perception. Our businesses are built almost solely on reputation and ethics. Any violation on that reflects on all of us.
If one dosent think of the consequences of their own actions, that person certainly has no interest in the repercussions that we all face in the industry.
And, as angered as I am about the accusations, appearance on our profession, and possible consequences, I still hate to see someone loose their livelihood. Then again…I’m in one of those rare, forgiving moods this evening.
Well it all comes down to GREED, and the reason we investigators are out there trying to protect our clients assets. As for Ms. Woodruff the employee, I only hope the $20.00 per name you got from the investigator was worth your job. I also hope Ms. Ryan at the BWC will impel law enforcement to go after the foolish investigator. As the rest of us in the field of Investigations spend time & money in marketing new clients.I’d like to see the PI/SI Department of Ohio yank this investigators/providers License forever.I’ve always said “your hard work will always get you more business/cases with your client”,and they in return will market your business with other clients. So I guess the investigator’s greed to make a quick buck makes him/her no better then some of the subject’s we investigate. I wish PI/SI would post the investigators name like the state employee, happy retirement you two…
I’m curious as to “how” or “why” this information was brought forward. Was the Ohio employee under internal investigation and during the course they uncovered some of his activities? How did everyone learn of this relationship? I’m not saying its appropriate, but I’m curious as to the “how” because it may be that the Ohio employee was a bad seed, and perhaps worse.