Computers replace trench coats
Modern sleuths do most work on the Internet
 Laura Dobbins
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 28, 2003 12:00 AM
FOUNTAIN HILLS - The Hollywood image of the trench-coated sleuth just isn't what it used to be.
Technology has converted some private investigators into professional public record specialists.
Fountain Hills resident Kelly Goar, owner of Goar Investigations, says most of her jobs are not that exciting. While she has performed surveillance work, most of investigation involves sitting at a computer.
"That doesn't make the cases any less interesting. But instead of a stakeout, I spend most days sorting papers," Goar said.
Today, background checks are almost automatic for some residents in Fountain Hills and Scottsdale when they hire landscapers, house-sitters, maids, gardeners or anyone else who works in the home, she said.
Part-time residents, who often rent their homes for extended periods, also do background checks on renters, Goar said.
"A lot of people in town have been taken by the people they allow into their homes. All of us need to be more careful who we trust and what information we are willing to disclose," Goar said.
The computer age has presented other needs for background checks.
For instance, an Internet boyfriend who claimed he was a starter with a National Football League team. A background check revealed the guy was no NFL player and wasn't the rich businessman he claimed to be, Goar said.
The greatest need for background checks today involve business deals. The mistake most people make, she said, is not checking someone out before hiring them or going into partnerships.
For instance, a man in California had gone into business with someone he hardly knew. It wasn't until he was scammed that he did a background check and discovered that his former business partner had scammed others for thousands in three other states, Goar said.
"You think it can't happen to you, but it does," she said. "I hate to tell people not to trust anyone, but we all need to be more careful."
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