Indagor Glossary

30 terms — operational, integration, and compliance vocabulary used throughout Indagor documentation and blog posts.

B

Background check
A case type focused on assembling records about a subject — criminal history, civil filings, employment, education, residency. Distinct from surveillance both operationally and from a fee-structure standpoint.
Related: Surveillance, Case type
Bates numbering
Sequential identifiers placed on documents produced in litigation. Relevant to PIs handling legal-support cases where deliverables become discovery exhibits.
Related: Legal-support investigation, Chain of custody

C

Case IQ
A case management platform used by some investigative agencies. On the Indagor integration roadmap.
Related: Trackops, CROSStrax
Case type
The category of investigation requested — background, surveillance, domestic, skip-trace, corporate, legal-support. Drives jurisdiction analysis, conflict-check scope, and retainer sizing.
Related: Background check, Surveillance
Chain of custody
The documented sequence of who handled an evidence item and when. Required for evidence to be admissible in many legal proceedings.
Related: Legal-support investigation, Bates numbering
Conflict check
A pre-engagement search for prior or concurrent relationships with the subject (or related parties) that could create a conflict of interest. Industry standard at intake; required by some state PI licensing boards.
Related: Retainer, Intake script
Corporate investigation
A case type involving a business client — internal fraud, intellectual-property theft, due diligence, executive background. Distinct retainer structure and confidentiality requirements from individual-client work.
Related: Due diligence, Case type
CROSStrax
A case management platform for investigative agencies. On the Indagor integration roadmap.
Related: Trackops, Case IQ

D

Domestic case
Investigations within a family or intimate-partner context — typically suspected infidelity, custody-related observation, or hidden assets in divorce. Requires careful intake and clear scope to avoid prohibited surveillance.
Related: Surveillance, Scope of engagement
Due diligence
A research engagement to verify facts about an entity or person before a transaction — investment, acquisition, hire, partnership.
Related: Corporate investigation, Background check

G

GLB
Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act — federal statute that prohibits obtaining personal financial information through false pretenses. Defines the outer boundary of permissible PI fact-gathering.
Related: Pretexting, State licensing
GPS tracker
A device that reports a vehicle's location over time. Legality depends heavily on state law, ownership of the vehicle, and consent. Many states restrict or prohibit use by PIs in domestic contexts.
Related: Surveillance, State licensing

I

Intake script
The ordered set of questions used to qualify a new case — case type, jurisdiction, subject identifiers for conflict check, urgency, retainer awareness, callback details.
Related: Conflict check, Retainer

J

Jurisdiction
The state (or country) where the investigative activity will occur. PI licensing is generally state-scoped, so jurisdiction at intake determines whether the agency can take the work or must refer it.
Related: State licensing, Reciprocity

L

Licensed investigator
An individual holding a state-issued PI license. Licensing requirements (experience hours, exam, fingerprinting, bond) vary by state.
Related: State licensing, Reciprocity

O

P

Pretexting
Obtaining information through misrepresentation. Heavily restricted — the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act prohibits pretexting for financial information, and the FTC actively enforces.
Related: GLB, State licensing
Process service
Delivering legal documents (subpoenas, summonses) to a party. A separate licensed activity in some states; PIs frequently coordinate with process servers.
Related: Legal-support investigation, Jurisdiction

R

Reciprocity
An arrangement where one state recognizes another state's PI license under defined conditions. Limited and inconsistent — multi-state cases usually require additional licensing or local partners.
Related: State licensing, Jurisdiction
Retainer
Up-front fee or deposit paid by the client before investigative work begins. Indagor captures retainer-awareness at intake but does not quote pricing — the licensed investigator does that.
Related: Intake script, Scope of engagement

S

Scope of engagement
The written agreement on what the investigator will and will not do — case type, jurisdictions, time budget, deliverable format. Defining scope at intake prevents mid-case disputes.
Related: Retainer, Intake script
Skip trace
Locating an individual whose current whereabouts are unknown. Common in collections, legal-support, and family-reunification contexts. Distinct from surveillance.
Related: Background check, Case type
State licensing
Each US state regulates private investigators independently. Requirements include experience hours, written exam, character review, bonding, and continuing education in some jurisdictions.
Related: Licensed investigator, Reciprocity
Subject
The individual or entity being investigated. Subject identifiers (name, aliases, DOB, last known address) are captured at intake to enable conflict checking and case scoping.
Related: Conflict check, Intake script
Surveillance
Observing a subject's activities over a defined time window. Field-intensive, fee-structure-distinct from records-based investigations.
Related: GPS tracker, Domestic case

T

Trackops
A case management platform widely used by investigative agencies. Indagor writes casefiles directly into Trackops at intake.
Related: Case IQ, CROSStrax

W

Witness statement
A signed or recorded account from a person with knowledge relevant to the case. Format and admissibility considerations vary by jurisdiction and proceeding type.
Related: Legal-support investigation, Chain of custody