FAQs for Private Investigations

Shadow Investigations offers surveillance, infidelity investigations, child custody evidence gathering, background checks, fraud investigations, workplace investigations, skip tracing, OSINT (open-source intelligence), polygraph testing, digital forensics, witness statement interviews, due diligence reviews, and undercover operations. All services are available across British Columbia. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss which services match your situation.

We serve all of British Columbia, with offices in Vancouver, Surrey, and Kelowna. Our investigators regularly cover Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Langley, Maple Ridge, Abbotsford, and surrounding Lower Mainland communities. We also take cases throughout the Fraser Valley and the BC Interior. If your case involves a location outside our primary coverage area, we’ll discuss logistics and feasibility during your free consultation.

Shadow Investigations has operated continuously since 1990 — over 35 years of experience. We are BBB A+ accredited since 1999, rated #1 in Vancouver by The Best Vancouver in 2024, and members of PIABC, ASIS, WAD, and ACFE. Our co-founder Janet Helm served as president of the Professional Investigators’ Association of BC and created the first PI course at Douglas College. We build court-admissible cases with clear, actionable evidence tailored to each client’s unique needs.

All investigations are completely confidential. We use unmarked vehicles, blend into environments, and never reveal client information. Every investigator operates under strict non-disclosure agreements. Your identity, case details, and all communications — whether by phone, email, or intake form — remain fully protected at all times. Our BBB A+ accreditation since 1999 reflects our longstanding commitment to ethical conduct and client trust.

Yes, you can remain anonymous during an initial consultation or when providing a tip. To proceed with a formal investigation, we may require your contact information for legal and reporting purposes. Your identity is always kept strictly confidential and never disclosed without your consent. All communications are handled with the same level of discretion as the investigation itself.

Our office hours for consultations, scheduling, and general inquiries are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, seven days a week. However, investigative fieldwork — including surveillance, undercover operations, and other time-sensitive services — is conducted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This includes early mornings, late nights, weekends, and holidays. Investigations are scheduled based on each case’s specific requirements to maximize the opportunity for gathering evidence when it matters most.

Pricing depends on the service type. Surveillance, undercover operations, and OSINT are billed hourly. Background checks, skip tracing, polygraph examinations, digital forensics, due diligence reviews, and witness statement interviews are offered at flat rates. We provide a free, no-obligation consultation where we recommend the most suitable approach and give you a clear cost estimate before any commitment. Visit our pricing page for full details: https://www.shadowinvestigationsltd.ca/private-investigator-price/

A half-day of surveillance (5 hours plus 1 hour of travel within the Lower Mainland) costs approximately $500 after tax. A full day (11 hours plus 1 hour of travel) costs approximately $1,000 after tax. These estimates account for average daily mileage throughout the surveillance area and give you a clear idea of costs based on the timeframe you need covered. For a personalized estimate, contact us for a free consultation.

Background checks are offered at a flat rate that varies depending on the depth and scope of the search. A basic check covers personal, professional, and criminal history verification. More comprehensive checks can include hidden asset discovery, employment verification, and education confirmation. Contact us for a free consultation and we’ll provide exact pricing based on your specific requirements.

No. Shadow Investigations offers a completely free, obligation-free consultation. During this call, we discuss your situation, recommend the most suitable investigative approach, and provide a clear cost estimate — all before any commitment. There is no pressure to proceed, and all information shared during the consultation is kept strictly confidential.

We accept major credit cards, e-transfers, and other standard payment methods. Payment terms and arrangements are discussed during your consultation and outlined clearly before any investigation begins. We believe in full pricing transparency — there are no hidden fees or surprise charges.

Contact us at 604-657-4499 for a free, obligation-free consultation. We discuss your situation and goals, create a tailored investigation plan with a cost estimate, then execute the investigation with regular updates throughout the process. At the end, you receive a detailed report with evidence including video footage, photographs, and written observations for any surveillance or undercover work — all professionally prepared for court proceedings if needed.

The information we need depends on the type of service. For surveillance cases, helpful details include the subject’s name, photo, address, vehicle information, social media profiles, and known routines or key dates. For skip tracing and OSINT, any last known contact details are valuable. We provide two tailored intake forms — one for surveillance and undercover operations, another for skip tracing, background checks, and OSINT — to streamline the process and ensure we have what we need from the start.

Investigation timelines vary by case type and complexity. Basic background checks may take one to two days. Skip traces and OSINT investigations typically take a few days to a week. Surveillance, infidelity, fraud, and workplace investigations can take days to weeks depending on the subject’s activities and how quickly evidence can be gathered. We provide realistic timeline estimates during your free consultation so you know what to expect.

Yes. We maintain frequent communication throughout every investigation. You will be updated on progress, consulted on scheduling decisions, and shown evidence of significant findings as they occur. We believe in keeping clients informed and involved throughout the process rather than waiting until the final report to share results.

After your consultation and intake form, we develop a surveillance plan based on your objectives and the subject’s known routines. Our investigators use unmarked vehicles and professional recording equipment to discreetly monitor and document the subject’s activities, locations, and interactions. You receive time-stamped video footage, photographs, and detailed written observations. We provide regular updates and consult with you on scheduling throughout the investigation.

Surveillance is conducted discreetly by trained, licensed investigators using unmarked vehicles, professional cameras, and video equipment. We may use mobile, static, or on-foot surveillance depending on the case. All activities comply with Canadian privacy laws — no trespassing, wiretapping, or illegal recording is ever used. Our goal is to gather clear, lawful video and photographic evidence while remaining completely undetected.

Yes. You receive a comprehensive report that includes our investigators’ written observations, time-stamped video footage, and photographic evidence where applicable. All reports are professionally prepared and formatted for use in legal proceedings, court filings, or insurance claims. Evidence is delivered securely and confidentially. We can also provide testimony in court to support the evidence if needed.

Yes. Our licensed investigators can provide expert testimony and appear in court to present evidence gathered during the investigation. All reports, video footage, and documentation are professionally prepared with court admissibility in mind. Our evidence has been used successfully in family court, civil litigation, insurance disputes, and workplace proceedings across British Columbia.

Yes. Evidence gathered by a licensed private investigator — including surveillance video, photographs, and written observation reports — is commonly used and accepted in BC family court proceedings. This includes child custody disputes, spousal support hearings, and divorce cases. The key requirement is that the evidence was obtained legally through a licensed agency, which is why working with a properly licensed PI firm is essential.

Yes, hiring a private investigator in Canada is legal. In British Columbia, PIs must hold a valid security worker license under the Security Services Act and operate through a licensed agency. This ensures all investigators meet specific training and ethical standards. Hiring an unlicensed investigator can lead to legal complications and may compromise the admissibility of gathered evidence. Always verify your PI is licensed before hiring.

In Canada, one-party consent recording is legal under the Criminal Code — meaning you can record a conversation you are part of without notifying the other person. However, recording a private conversation you are not part of is illegal. British Columbia also has specific privacy legislation that may affect how recordings are used as evidence in court. We recommend discussing your specific situation during a free consultation so we can advise on the best evidence-gathering approach for your case.

The Security Services Act is the British Columbia law that governs private investigators, security guards, and related security professionals. Under this act, all private investigators in BC must hold a valid security worker license and operate through a licensed security business. This ensures investigators meet specific training, conduct, and ethical standards. Hiring an unlicensed investigator can compromise evidence admissibility and expose you to legal risk. Shadow Investigations is fully licensed and compliant.

Yes. We specialize in investigations that support family law matters, including child custody disputes, parenting time concerns, and spousal or child support cases. Our services include surveillance to document a parent’s behavior and environment, background checks, and evidence gathering to support your position in court. All evidence is prepared with family court admissibility in mind and delivered with the sensitivity these situations require.

Infidelity investigations are primarily conducted through discreet surveillance, supported by background checks and targeted OSINT research when appropriate. Our investigators most commonly document a partner’s activities through surveillance, capturing photographic and video evidence of meetings, locations, and interactions. Background checks are often used to identify and gather information about the person they may be seeing, helping to confirm identities and uncover relevant details. Once initial evidence is obtained, OSINT research can help locate additional digital information—such as social media activity or dating profiles—and sometimes determine how far back the relationship may extend. We handle every infidelity case with empathy and discretion, delivering clear evidence so you can make informed decisions about your relationship and next steps.

OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) is the process of gathering and analyzing publicly available information — social media posts, public records, databases, news sources, and online activity — to build a factual profile or uncover evidence. We use OSINT for infidelity cases, child custody investigations, fraud detection, insurance claim verification, and as a strategic first step before surveillance. It provides recent photos for identification and insights into a subject’s habits that make surveillance more effective and cost-efficient.

OSINT researches publicly available digital information — social media, public records, databases, and websites — to build a profile or uncover evidence from behind a desk. Surveillance involves physically monitoring a person and capturing real-time video and photo evidence in the field. OSINT is often used as a first step before surveillance, providing recent photos for identification and insights into a subject’s routines that help us plan more targeted, cost-efficient surveillance operations.

Hire a PI when you need evidence that will hold up in court, when the situation requires professional discretion, or when you lack access to investigative databases and techniques. Attempting your own surveillance or investigation can compromise evidence, alert the subject, or expose you to legal liability. A licensed PI operates within legal boundaries and produces professionally documented evidence that lawyers and courts accept. If you’re unsure whether you need a PI, our free consultation can help you decide.

Police investigate criminal matters on behalf of the government and can lay charges. Private investigators work on behalf of individuals, businesses, or law firms and focus on gathering evidence for civil matters, family law, insurance claims, and workplace disputes. PIs cannot arrest anyone, carry firearms, or access restricted government databases. However, PIs can dedicate focused time and resources to your specific case — something police often cannot do for matters that are not criminal in nature.

Client confidentiality is fundamental to everything we do. Case details are only shared with authorized parties. All investigators follow strict privacy protocols and operate under non-disclosure agreements. Information shared by phone, email, or intake form is treated with complete discretion. We have maintained BBB A+ accreditation since 1999 — a reflection of our ethical standards. Your personal information and investigation evidence are stored securely on Canadian-hosted servers.

All information shared with Shadow Investigations is treated with strict confidentiality. We use unmarked vehicles, our investigators operate under non-disclosure agreements, and we never reveal client identities. Case details are only accessible to authorized parties directly involved in your investigation. Our data security practices include secure Canadian-hosted storage for all evidence and case files. Our BBB A+ accreditation since 1999 reflects our longstanding commitment to ethical conduct and client trust.