Private Investigators Serving Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley
Abbotsford is the largest city in British Columbia by area and the heart of the Fraser Valley’s farm country, a place where city blocks, open acreage, and the US border all sit within a few minutes of each other. Shadow Investigations has covered this area since 1990, helping residents, employers, law firms, and insurers across Abbotsford turn difficult questions into documented answers. From Clearbrook and Clayburn to Matsqui, Mount Lehman, Sumas, and the rural roads in between, we know the lay of the land, and we bring that knowledge to every file.
Talk to an Abbotsford Investigator in Confidence
Tell us what you are dealing with using the form below. It reaches us directly, in complete confidence, and a senior member of our team will get back to you to talk through your options. If your matter is urgent, you are welcome to call us right away at 604-657-4499.
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What an Investigation Costs in Abbotsford
We believe in being straight about price from the first conversation, so you are never guessing. Here is what to expect for the work Abbotsford clients ask for most:
- Surveillance: roughly $500 for a half day or $1,000 for a full day, with travel across Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley included
- Infidelity investigations: usually $500 to $1,500, depending on the hours and surveillance involved
- WCB and disability claim work: generally $1,000 to $3,000, depending on the number of days covered
- Skip tracing to locate a person: a flat fee of $650
For a detailed list of rates for all of our services, please visit our pricing page. Every investigator on our team is licensed under the BC Security Services Act. Shadow Investigations has operated since 1990, holds BBB A+ accreditation, and is a recipient of the 2025 Consumer Choice Award.
How We Help Across Abbotsford
Below are the matters we are asked to handle most often in Abbotsford. Each links to a fuller explanation of our approach, the methods involved, and what you can expect.
WCB, Disability & Insurance Fraud
Abbotsford runs on agriculture, trucking, and logistics, industries where a single questionable injury or disability claim can cost an employer dearly. We help Fraser Valley employers, insurers, and adjusters document what a claimant is genuinely capable of, with discreet surveillance and evidence gathered to a standard that holds up when the claim is challenged.
Infidelity Investigations
When you suspect a partner is being unfaithful, the not-knowing becomes its own kind of exhaustion. Our Abbotsford investigators establish the facts quietly, through surveillance, background research, and lawful digital methods so you can decide what comes next from solid ground rather than suspicion.
Child Custody & Alimony
Family disputes are at their hardest when children and finances are on the line. In Abbotsford child custody and support matters we gather court-ready evidence, whether that means documenting a parent’s day-to-day conduct or exposing income and circumstances that a support claim quietly leaves out.
Other Investigations We Handle in Abbotsford
- Background Investigation Checks: employment, education, criminal, and public record history pulled into one clear report for employers, landlords, and individuals.
- Skip Tracing to Locating Individuals: finding people who have moved on or dropped out of contact, including those who have crossed the nearby Sumas border or left the province, for serving documents, recovering debts, or reconnecting with family.
- Employee Screening and Workplace Investigations: vetting new hires and looking into theft, harassment, or breaches of confidentiality across single sites or dispersed Fraser Valley operations.
- Surveillance: the backbone of much of our work, planned and carried out to suit everything from a city address to a rural acreage.
Surveillance and Abbotsford International Airport
Abbotsford International Airport (YXX) carries travellers across the country and on seasonal and charter routes, and that creates surveillance situations you will not run into in most Fraser Valley towns. We have the experience to pick a subject up discreetly the moment they land at YXX and step off a flight, then carry the matter from the terminal into the city or other areas of BC. It is a capability that matters whenever someone is travelling to or from Abbotsford, whether that is a spouse whose trips away do not add up, a claimant who turns out to be far more active than they have reported, or a person of interest arriving from out of province or out of country.
Rural Acreages, Farms, and the Open Road
Because Abbotsford is the largest city in BC by area and the centre of the Valley’s farm country, a great deal of it is rural: long driveways, open acreage, and quiet country roads where standard urban surveillance simply does not work. Watching an address out on Sumas Prairie or up on Sumas Mountain calls for different tradecraft than following someone through a busy city block, and our investigators plan around the terrain so a subject is properly documented without the surveillance being spotted.
That same agricultural, warehousing, and trucking economy shapes the workplace cases we see here, from injury and disability claims among farm and yard workers to concerns about theft or misconduct spread across multiple worksites. We approach each one with methods suited to the setting and to the standard of proof your insurer, adjuster, or legal counsel will expect.
The Methods Behind Our Work
No two Abbotsford cases are the same, so we match the method to the situation. Depending on what your matter calls for, that might mean surveillance, digital forensics, open-source intelligence, or polygraph testing. We will talk through the right approach with you during your free consultation, before any work begins.
What Sets Our Abbotsford Work Apart
Built for the Fraser Valley
We work the Valley constantly and understand how Abbotsford’s blend of city, farmland, and border country actually behaves on the ground.
Evidence That Stands Up
Everything is gathered lawfully and documented to a standard that insurers, employers, and the courts will accept.
No Guesswork, Ever
You get clear, honest updates as the case moves, with methods and rates laid out before anything starts.
How Your Case Unfolds
Your case begins with a confidential consultation. We listen to your concern, give you an honest read on what is realistically achievable, and lay out a clear plan with the methods and costs spelled out before anything starts. There are no surprises and no pressure.
From there we keep you informed at every stage, and we hold to British Columbia’s regulatory standards throughout. Your file is handled securely, access to it is limited, and evidence is only ever obtained within the law, which is exactly what keeps it useful if your matter ends up in front of an adjuster or a courtroom.
Questions Abbotsford Clients Ask
Yes. A large share of our Abbotsford work is rural, across Sumas Prairie, Sumas Mountain, Matsqui, Mount Lehman, Bradner, and the surrounding acreages. Surveillance in these settings calls for different tradecraft than in the city, and we plan each assignment around the terrain so a subject is documented without the work being noticed.
Yes. We have specific experience with airport-related surveillance at YXX, including discreetly picking up a subject as they arrive on a flight and following the matter from the terminal. It is a useful capability whenever someone is travelling to or from Abbotsford and you need their movements documented properly.
Yes, Abbotsford’s farm, warehouse, and trucking workforce means workplace claim work is a core part of what we do here. We assist employers, insurers, and adjusters with surveillance and evidence gathering on questionable injury and disability claims, documented to a standard suited to a claims dispute.
It depends on the service, though hourly rates in the Abbotsford area usually fall between $75 and $150. A number of services, such as skip tracing, are billed at a flat rate, and you always receive a clear written estimate before any work starts.
Yes. Every member of our team is licensed under the BC Security Services Act, which is what allows private investigators to operate legally in Abbotsford and throughout the province.
We serve Abbotsford and the eastern Fraser Valley from our Surrey office, and we are out in the area regularly.
Always. Confidentiality is central to how we work. Your information is handled securely, access to your file is kept tight, and your matter is treated with complete discretion from the first call to the final report.
Book Your Free, Confidential Consultation With an Abbotsford Private Investigator
A free, confidential consultation pairs you with a senior member of our team, somewhere safe to lay out your situation and see how our services can be adapted to fit it. Whether your concern is personal or professional, reach us using the details below and we will find a time that works, always with discretion. You can also call us directly at 604-657-4499.
Professional Associations
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