We received the following email over the weekend from a new potential member of the Private Investigators Forum. Without mentioning the name, I felt they deserved an honest and straight forward answer to a question that may be circulating among other internet non-members of the Private Investigators Forums. For this purpose we wish to provide the truth and alleviate any fears of registering at our site for a free guest passcode account:
Dear *****,Originally Emailed by ***** *****
There is NO legitimate need for you or IPIU to know and have our drivers license #, social security # and other such personal identifiers. That you require such simply to register to join the IPIU forums strongly suggests that you are scammers trolling for peoples personal identifiers in order to misuse them.
Thank you for contacting us about our online registration for a free passcode account. We would very much like to have you a member of our community of over 40,000 professional private investigators, attorneys, state and federal law enforcement officers, case examiners, trainees, and others who are involved in investigations.
I am sorry if you were informed we require a social security number. That is false, and whoever told you that is misleading you. All we require for our online registration is the first and last name and a drivers license in order to verify the person is an adult. And if the new member is reluctant to prove themselves to be adult with the use of their drivers license, there are many other alternative choices to choose from to obtain a guest account without a drivers license. All they have to do is call our office and ask for a manager.
However, if you already have a PI License, then you do not need to provide any personal identification whatsoever. Just provide us with the state link to verify you have the state PI License, and your free account can be approved. It is that simple. (In your case, as a private investigator, you can also provide us with the web site address of your agency and use the same email address listed on your web site as the email address you wish to register for with our site)
With over 40,000 members, you can be assured that every one you will meet and have contact with at our site is exactly who they portray themselves to be when you see their real first and last name and location. For those whose primary tasks are of an undercover covert nature, we may have approved an alias to be used to prevent unnecessary exposure which may jeopardize their career, but we know internally who they are in order to approve their activity at our site.
The International Private Investigators Union is also an Accredited & Verified Member of the Better Business Bureau with the highest rating of A+ the BBB can award.
Since IPIU was founded 21 years ago in 1989, there has never been a single complaint filed by any state or federal agency for anything, including "misuse of members personal identifiers". If there had, we would not still be in business for over two decades, let alone an honorable member of the BBB.
Nevertheless, if you ever come across an official government web site where there is a listed complaint against IPIU, we encourage you private email us through the CONTACT US link at the bottom of this page the name of he government site so that we may fully investigate the matter in order to protect our associations integrity and mission of serving tens of thousands of members.
I also feel it fair to state that IPIU has one of the strongest Code of Ethics and Forum Rules on the world-wide Internet. As a contract, both members PLUS IPIU agree to conduct themselves in the same manner. It's Agreement is required of all employees of IPIU and of all members. To read it: Click Here . Because of our precautions, we have no trollers at our site. All of our 40,000+ members, through their elected directors of the Board of Ethics, have chosen to fully sustain the requirements of registration. As a result we now have one of the best reputations of a worldwide online community where no one fears potential harassment, insults, or character assassination. To read our Unsolicited Testimonials (posted by read people using their real first and last name and location), Click here .
Again, we appreciate your inquiry and we sincerely hope you will reconsider with confidence at becoming a member of our community of professionals.
Sincerely,
Betty Stevens
IPIU Support