Complaint Review: International Private Investigators Union - Carson City Nevada

This company actually has two addresses--the one I listed above and the one in Big Fork, MT (posted by other complaints).

I responded to an ad in Outsource 2000 regarding a

private investigator trainee in late October of 2002.

On November 9, 2002, I received a packet from IPIU

that contained a fingerprint card, a PI newsletter,

and an instruction packet that detailed the

requirements of gaining employment through IPIU. I was to fill out their application, a fingerprint card, and have a passport photo taken.

Also, included was a letter, stating that my application was being considered by four (4) agencies. I applied for their forum membership (which is free for the basic membership) and submitted the completed paperwork on December 28, 2002.

Since then, I have learned that IPIU is not an employment agency, as I was led to believe in the

beginning. It is a referral agency that claims to have

20,000 members worldwide. IPIU is virtually unknown to many PI agencies. As of today, a few state agencies have heard of them, but either know nothing about them or are investigating them for consumer fraud.

In order to gain access to their confidential forums,

you have to complete three steps. The first step is

the background check. The second step involves signing a Code of Ethics. Finally, the last step involves taking a test that you have to pass with a score of 70% or better.

Many members have expressed surprise when they arrived at Level 4 only to find a list of mystery shop

companies, an anti-piracy forum, and one "agency"

forum that no one has access to but the higher ups.

All of the mystery shop companies can be found at

www.volition.com, which does not require a membership.

I have seen a few members get irate when they make

this discovery. What they expected was paid field

training as a private investigator trainee through a

local agency because that is what the employment ad

said. Instead, they receive a list of companies that

anyone can apply to for free and without the

background check.

IPIU claims that mystery shopping used to be performed by private investigators as "Integrity

Investigations." They said that the name was changed

so that mystery shopping companies could hire

stay-at-home moms. They claim that mystery shopping can lead to more lucrative assignments.

But they refuse to say how long you have to work at

mystery shopping before PI agencies will consider your application. Several members have asked this question, including one man who has been a member since 2001.

IPIU does not provide actual field training but a

forum that offers useful tips about PI work and

mystery shopping companies that you can apply to. They also have a special book forum, which you can place an order. However, the books are expensive and outdated, even with their discount.

I read somewhere about a Level 5, but it was a blurb

that disappeared as quickly as I found it. About a

dozen of the members have business contact

information, but you are not allowed to contact them.

IPIU prohibits anyone from contacting each other,

citing safety concerns. This I can understand, having

met a few unsavory people on the Internet.

Extreme politeness and professionalism is required in

order to participate in the forums. As I said above, a

few members got very irate and voiced their opinion

about getting scammed. The administrators immediately clamped down on them, forcing them to apologize in order to keep their membership.

As of this date, they are using threats of revokation if the member doesn't stop complaining. Sometimes, they revoke a member's membership without notice after they have posted their frustration about not getting PI agency referrals. The administration has justified their actions by stating that the member is "disruptive" or "could upset other members."

Approximately 300 people have joined IPIU since I

signed on in November of 2002. The majority of them are unemployed and looking for a job. I have not landed a job with an PI agency through IPIU. Instead, I had to network outside of the organization.

IPIU tries to discourage their members from doing

this, citing that their training is the best in the

world and that they will be met with a cold shoulder

should they try to seek a job on their own.

I have been contacted twice with business offers from

a PI and an information broker by networking through other online forums. So, I know that IPIU's claim is false. They do encourage you to set up your own agency and give you a list of state-by-state exemption laws. They also stress that you to keep your day job while you are training and/or building your business.

To date, I've spent approximately $400 in registration fees and books. I have recouped this cost by signing up with a month-long contract with one of the mystery shop companies. However, the assignments come few and far between. This leaves me no choice but to look elsewhere for gainful employment.

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Update:

Jeremy Lancaster has hired a computer hacker to delete any files he finds that discredits IPIU from any website. He has done this with the Proboard site.

Donald D. Merritt is listed as the President of IPIU and is also the President of American Management Group. He claims that he serves on President Bush's security team, but this has turned out to be false.

The best way to fight these men is to report their practices to the job boards, since that is how they sucker members into joining their bogus organization. Lawsuits and reports to government agencies have failed so far.

Tina

San Jose, California
U.S.A.