A large share of investigative work never touches a personal relationship at all — it's carriers and employers trying to confirm whether a claim is real. A workers'-comp claimant who says they can't lift a bag of groceries but spends the weekend re-shingling a roof. A staged or exaggerated accident. Questions about whether someone actually lives where the policy says. This is the world of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), and the repeat buyer is a company, not an individual — which is exactly why insurance and finance show up so heavily in private-investigator employment numbers.
The work is methodical and documentation-driven, because the end product usually has to survive a claims dispute, a hearing, or a courtroom. The point isn't to "catch" anyone — it's to establish, on the record, what a claimant can actually do and where they actually are.
Who needs this?
Insurance carriers and their SIU teams, self-insured employers, workers'-comp and disability administrators, and defense attorneys handling claims.
What it usually involves
- Surveillance and activity checks documenting real physical capability
- Social-media and public-records review, gathered in a defensible way
- Occupancy and residence verification
- Background and prior-claim history to spot patterns
- Reports and footage built to hold up in a claims dispute or hearing
Handling a questionable claim?
The next step is a licensed investigator experienced in claims and SIU work. A directory to match you with one is on the way — here's how engagements typically work.
What to expect →Any professional you choose confirms their license, scope, and fee before any work begins.