Updated on June 14, 2018
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Every day, ordinary people realize that they need to find out if someone in their life has hidden assets — like money that’s been hidden in a secret bank account or stocks that have been tucked away in a hidden brokerage account.
Article Highlights
If you’re going through a divorce, trying to collect child support, thinking of filing a lawsuit, trying to collect a judgment that a court has awarded you, or entering into a new business venture, you may have to tap into your “inner James Bond” and hunt for hidden bank and brokerage accounts!
But you’re no spy… So, how do you actually go about DOING this?
Bank Account Finder
You have to start by finding the right team to work with. There may be lots of offers floating around in cyberspace, but if you’re going to do something as important as search for someone’s hidden assets, you need to work with the very best. In this case, that means working with a team of licensed private investigators.
What exactly will they do for you?
The good ones will be able to conduct a nationwide search for assets that belong to the person in question. As long as you can provide your investigators with the person’s full name, last known address, and Social Security number (bonus points if you know the person’s date of birth!), they should be able to find any and all bank and brokerage accounts that are associated with him. They’ll be able to tell you what the title of the account is, the name and address associated with the account, what kind of account it is, and even the approximate current balance! And, if the person has any hidden brokerage accounts, you’ll be able to get details about the value of the accounts!
But what if you don’t need to find a PERSON’S hidden assets? What if you’re looking for a BUSINESS’ hidden assets instead?
No problem!
A good team of investigators will be able to turn up the exact same information on a business. The only difference is that you’ll need to provide them with the EIN of the business in question, rather an individual’s Social Security number.
That’s some pretty sensitive information, though! Can anyone go out and order a bank account search whenever they want?
No!
How to Locate Bank Accounts
There are specific instances where it’s perfectly legal to locate bank accounts and search for assets and investments. Divorce cases are the most common example, because so many spouses try to hide money from each other so that it doesn’t “count” in the settlement.
It’s also perfectly legal to try and locate someone’s bank account when they’ve stiffed you on child support payments or a court judgment.
It’s also acceptable to search for a business’ assets before you take on a new partner, invest in a new company, or merge your company with another one.
Bottom line — as long as your motives are on the up-and-up, you won’t run into any trouble for hiring an investigator to search for someone else’s assets.
However, a good team of investigators won’t just take your word for it! Before they do any work for you, they’ll call you and ask some questions about why you need this search done. They may also ask you to provide proof that you’re entitled to such sensitive information — like sending them a copy of a court judgment or the docket that has your divorce proceedings listed on it, for example. That way, your investigators can be sure that they’re turning over information to someone who legitimately needs it. If they didn’t do this kind of due diligence, it would make ALL of our bank and brokerage information ripe for identity thieves, stalkers, and other criminals!
OK, so how long does everything take from start to finish?
A good team of investigators will know exactly how to search for hidden money and secret bank accounts, but because they’ll have to do all of the searching by hand (that’s right — REAL investigators don’t rely on automated gadgets or internet databases!), it will take a week or two to uncover all of the information you need.
Good investigators won’t stop searching once they’ve uncovered one secret bank or brokerage account. Instead, they’ll keep looking through all of their national resources until they’ve exhausted every single possibility. That way, you can rest easy knowing they’ll find EVERYTHING and not just the tip of the iceberg!
Searching for hidden bank accounts typically goes faster than locating hidden brokerage accounts, but to be on the safe side, place your order 2-3 weeks before you have to make any decisions that are based on the information — like signing a divorce agreement, going to court over missed child support payments, or signing a new business contract.
What if they can’t find anything?
If, after all of their expert searching, your investigators don’t turn up anything, they’ll return the bulk of your pre-payment. They’ll keep a small portion as a “research fee”, but this is certainly fair. After all, they spent a lot of time working, even if they didn’t find anything!
Ready to move forward?
If you’re dealing with someone that has hidden money or other secret assets, you don’t have any time to waste. The longer it takes you to hire a good team of private investigators, the longer this person gets to take advantage of you! Start your bank account search now.