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Thread: Potential Member writes: "There is NO legitimate need for you or IPIU to know and have our drivers license #, social security # and other such personal identifiers."

  1. #1
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    Potential Member writes: "There is NO legitimate need for you or IPIU to know and have our drivers license #, social security # and other such personal identifiers."

    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:

    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.
    Dear *****,

    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

  2. #2
    John Sanderson is offline Lifetime Member

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    Re: Potential Member writes: "There is NO legitimate need for you or IPIU to know and have our drivers license #, social security # and other such personal identifiers."

    I just wanted to post, I as well as Task Force Investigations stands by the IPIU, all they stand for and promote and tesitfy to the quality and reliability of the IPIU. The IPIU is as honest an organization I have ever done business with.

    Any real investigator would research the reports and verify their validity before going public with a one sided investigation, using a report generated by a WANTED FELON, wanted by the FBI. It appears, as I have seen many times now, people read reports and believe them without researching the allegations or who posts them.

    The owner of one site which slams the IPIU (as mentioned in my last paragraph) is on the run from the FBI for posting fraudulant reports about companies which refused to pay him, to make good reports. This is consistantly, the report people use without knowing about the federal charges against the person putting the reports on the internet.

  3. #3
    Lori Copaus's Avatar
    Lori Copaus is offline PI Agency Corporation Owner
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    Re: Potential Member writes: "There is NO legitimate need for you or IPIU to know and have our drivers license #, social security # and other such personal identifiers."

    So correct. I have been a member for quite some time now and have never been asked for my SS# by anyone here.

    Lori E. Copaus

  4. #4
    Petra Post -'s Avatar
    Petra Post - is offline Retired Administrator
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    Re: Potential Member writes: "There is NO legitimate need for you or IPIU to know and have our drivers license #, social security # and other such personal identifiers."

    Still active topic

  5. #5
    John Sanderson is offline Lifetime Member

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    Re: Potential Member writes: "There is NO legitimate need for you or IPIU to know and have our drivers license #, social security # and other such personal identifiers."

    Potential Member writes: "There is NO legitimate need for you or IPIU to know and have our drivers license #, social security # and other such personal identifiers.
    Having been a member for a bit of time now, I can say this statement depends upon what you are doing with the IPIU. Having been a contractor for the IPIU (still currently, but dormant), I have supplied personally identifiable information for tax and payroll type purposes.

    If your intention is to become a private investigator, handling people's personal information such as Social Security Numbers, shouldn't the IPIU know who they are trying to endorse for a PI license, or a job as a PI?

    I don't know what reasons the IPIU has for asking for whatever information they do for sure, it's not my business. I made a decision based on their record and verifiable existence as a legitimate business, operating legally (and very successfully at that) to fill in whatever information requested to get a free account to these forums when I first started out here. If you are new, ask any active fraternal union member about their experiences with the IPIU.

    The IPIU is an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau, and a member of the US Chamber of Commerce. Anyone suspecting the IPIU of foul/dishonest play should first check their background. The IPIU's rating with the BBB was A+, the last time I checked. Achieving this rating is not easy, nor is keeping 46,000 members happy, and counting. The IPIU from what I have seen proof of in their BBB report has had on claim set against them in the last 20 or so years of business, with 46,000+ current members!

    They must be doing something right!

  6. #6
    John Sanderson is offline Lifetime Member

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    Re: Potential Member writes: "There is NO legitimate need for you or IPIU to know and have our drivers license #, social security # and other such personal identifiers."

    Quote Originally Posted by John Sanderson View Post
    If you are new, ask any active fraternal union member about their experiences with the IPIU.
    I hate to beat a stick with a dead horse, but...

    Of all the people who got a free password account here, only to scrutinize the IPIU with their minds made up before entering this site and forums, with slanderous web postings in mind, I have never seen any of them ask any full, paid, and fraternal member any questions. Point in fact; It is not a violation of the COE to ask a member their experiences with the IPIU or their satisfaction level with the IPIU's assistance and services. The 46,000+ names you will find in the Forum Members Introduction Lounge are real name of people who are current members, regardless of access level. We are real people who pay pennies for services the IPIU offers, compared to their REAL value.

    Rather, people come and go claiming they are investigators, licensed or not. They claim they have investigated the IPIU and say the IPIU is fraudulent. They say these things noting ripoffreport.com reports about the IPIU. All of us satisfied and educated members of the IPIU just sit back and laugh aloud because someone claiming to be a seasoned and well experienced investigator has just admitted they read a report on the ripoffreport.com site and believed without doing research.

    Why do we laugh? Because we all know (in the IPIU ranks) the owner of the ripoffreport.com site is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations in countless cases of extortion and millions of dollars (if not billions by now) in judgments by judicial systems nationwide for extortion, slander, defamation, and other crimes and civil offences.

    Stepping off my soapbox, I hope this helps.

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