International Private Investigators Union IPIU beware of Identity Theft Belleville Ontario

IPIU said:
The Level 4 forums contain the advance training and interactive discussions that occur in agency private forums...

I say:
I reached level 4. There is no advanced training. The manual consists of xerox copies of basic information on private investigation. The white binder which probably cost about $1.95 is worth more than the paperwork enclosed. What you see in levels 1-3 is pretty much what you'll find at level 4 with the exception of contact information for about 42 mystery shopping companies and a company fronted by Jeremy Lancaster.

IPIU said:
The Level 3 forums contain an enormous amount of material that is available for union members only, who have agreed not to disclose to any outside source the contents of any of the forums. Doing so could ban a member for life.

I say:
You are correct in saying that the content of level 4 is not on any of the other forums. Members are continually being banned who dare to question or criticize IPIU and their business practices.

IPIU said:
1- We offer a free operational training manual with all memberships that have Level 3 access.

2- Level 3 forums include several free private investigator books and other titles available to members.

I say:
It's strange that these "free" resources cost $178. That's what I paid for these "free" resources.

IPIU said:
If a potential Level 3 or 4 member acts in a manner that would be in violation of the rules of disclosure, then their access could be denied and referred to the Board of Ethics for a thorough investigation and review.

I say:
The Board of Ethics consists of Jeremy Lancaster and his wife. When a member has been banned by Jeremy, there is no board that reviews any violation of rules. Usually, a member is banned when they attempt to network with other members (IPIU says that they provide a forum for networking), criticize IPIU or it's business practices.

IPIU said:
...Union Members receive from 10% to 25% off all items in the store, except for custom products.

I say:
I bought about six books from the IPIU store for "10-25% off" the cost. When I researched the cost of the books later, I found that I had actually overpaid.

IPIU said:
1- Members who post a request or a comment to choose a courtesy membership refund are monitored by the volunteer moderators.

2- Agent Relations emails the member with a Refund Authorization notice and instructions.

3- A notice to Technical Support is sent to close the member's account at the forums.

Technical Support has the option of converting the member's account to banned, or refunded, or another tag that is appropriate.

I say:
The refund is rarely granted because they expect you to return every shred of paper that you ever received from IPIU. Most people don't save everything. In addition, for those who do receive a refund, they don't get a refund for the illegal background check and fingerprints.

Incidently, one of the "volunteer monitors" has been banned herself when she dared to question the ethical practices of IPIU.

IPIU said:
However, members who receive courtesy refunds are not arbitrarily tagged as a banned member just because IPIU offered them a courtesy refund. A banned member is tagged as such for a deliberate and willful violation of their Code of Ethics.

I say:
Yes, I agree. Members are banned when they attempt to network with other PIs and question any business practices of IPIU.

IPIU said:
We fully sustain the free rights for anyone who wishes to gather any item, within the prevailing civil and criminal statutes, and within their individual disclosure agreements, that they feel should be distributed to any law enforcement agency. All governments have a duty to investigate any legitimate complaint and make a determination, based on their findings of the complete facts, if a complaint has any merit. If not, then the complaint is typically dismissed or archived.

I say:
This is being done as we speak. There are several private forums not accessible to Jeremy Lancaster where members are gathering evidence and contributing resources to begin legal proceedings against IPIU. These forums are private because Jeremy threatens lawsuits to every web site that carries any forums against IPIU. Thank Goodness for Ripoff.com!! They aren't intimidated by Jeremy's tactics.

In addition, the Attorney General's office in Montana (where IPIU is located) has received many complaints about IPIU.

IPIU said:
...The specific case law and rules of conduct which apply to the safekeeping of records are govern and outlined by local and federal statutes and not by any individual organization...

I say:
There is no logical reason to obtain detailed personal information from customers. Because swindled customers ultimately find out about Jeremy Lancaster's history (fraud in Idaho), they logically worry about identity theft.

IPIU said:
To claim that Proboard's administrative staff did not delete remarks from any of their sites, let alone admit to it, is without merit. We reviewed the Proboard's Support Forum today and found their admission to deleting several items on the website mentioned, because of serious violations of their contract with the site's licensee. We also reviewed their disclosures and found they are in compliance of all federal statutes.

I said:
That and the fact that Jeremy is very good at intimidating companies with legal action. Proboard did indeed remove the posts following threats from Jeremy. If he did attempt legal action, I would hope that any attorney would do the necessary research so that the hundreds of swindled customers of IPIU could be brought to testify.

IPIU said:
The public does not see a real first and last name, let alone a phone number, etc. The author did not provide a last name at all in the original comment, only the most recent...Therefore, anyone can post a false first name in a report on this site.

I say:
Yes, and Jeremy takes full advantage of this fact also. He uses many aliases when responding to these forums. A former employee of IPIU has used a false name as well as I am. I do not desire to be the victim of identity theft which would surely occur if my identity became known.

IPIU said:
There are no owners of an association. It is governed by the Board of Directors (which represent the union members) and it's elected officers.

I say:
Please provide proof that your board of directors consists of real people other than yourself and your wife.

IPIU said:
Ann Marie Ryan - Belleville, Ontario Canada

I said:
Speaking of aliases...

The author wrote:
implying that I violated my signed Code of Ethics and therefore did not gain access to this private forum.

Answer:
Forum Members and Union Members at http://www.ipiu.org/forums/ must fully agree, sustain, and commit to the IPIU Mission Statement, the Code of Ethics, and the Forum Rules without reservation. This includes our free registrations for guests who seek a password to the Level 1 forums.

An intentional violation of any of these items can ban a member for life. Although all three items are copyrighted, they have remained in the public forums for review, and they are contained in the free online application before a guest applies.

----------

The author wrote:
I voiced a complaint about the lack of quality educational PI information in forum Levels 1 through 3.

Answer:
For the novice private investigator trainee, there are general items of discussion available to them in the Level 1 forums. But Level 1 forum members are not union members who progress to Level 3, 4, and 5.

We do not offer any free educational courses or in depth training in the Level 1 Forums. However, there are numerous compliments posted in our Unsolicited Testimonial Forum at http://www.ipiu.org/forums/ that reflect an overwhelming value to the free public in the Level 1 forums.

The Level 4 forums contain the advance training and interactive discussions that occur in agency private forums. No private investigator trainee is permitted to advance to the Level 4 forums unless they pass all three tests, possess either a PI License or other authorized ID Card, and has a proven forum record of fully sustaining their Code of Ethics and Forum Rules.

The Level 3 forums contain an enormous amount of material that is available for union members only, who have agreed not to disclose to any outside source the contents of any of the forums. Doing so could ban a member for life.

----------

The author wrote:
. . . discovered that the only educational information available was through the purchase $$$ of more books from your site . . .

Answer:
Untrue.

1- We offer a free operational training manual with all memberships that have Level 3 access.

2- Level 3 forums include several free private investigator books and other titles available to members.

3- Level 4 forums contain over 150 private agency forums, training areas, and other interactive categories that permit experienced private investigators to interact and educate others.

However, the Forum Rules forbid any disclosure of the contents in any of the non-public forums. Items of discussions include suspect names, targets, owners of agencies, and details that are never to be posted outside of the Level 4 forums. If a potential Level 3 or 4 member acts in a manner that would be in violation of the rules of disclosure, then their access could be denied and referred to the Board of Ethics for a thorough investigation and review.

Yes, IPIU maintains an optional catalog of over 800 titles of products and advance training publications. The catalog is free, or members may visit http://www.privateinvestigators.cc to browse the online catalog. Union Members receive from 10% to 25% off all items in the store, except for custom products.

Nevertheless, there has never been a single policy, single topic, or a single letter that would require any member to make an optional purchase through our catalog.

----------

The author wrote:
I was immediately banned from the forums the same day my test results were mailed out congratulating me on my high score!

Answer:
Untrue.

1- Members who post a request or a comment to choose a courtesy membership refund are monitored by the volunteer moderators.

2- Agent Relations emails the member with a Refund Authorization notice and instructions.

3- A notice to Technical Support is sent to close the member's account at the forums.

Technical Support has the option of converting the member's account to banned, or refunded, or another tag that is appropriate.

Regardless, the Educational Department completes the test scores and submits requests for the scores to be emailed.

If Agent Relations was actively approving a courtesy refund request by a member, then the Educational Department would not be notified until the next database update. So it is plausible for a member to receive an answer on a refund request the same day the test results were emailed.

However, members who receive courtesy refunds are not arbitrarily tagged as a banned member just because IPIU offered them a courtesy refund. A banned member is tagged as such for a deliberate and willful violation of their Code of Ethics.

----------

The author wrote:
. . . person is carefully gathering evidence to turn over to the FBI.

Answer:
We fully sustain the free rights for anyone who wishes to gather any item, within the prevailing civil and criminal statutes, and within their individual disclosure agreements, that they feel should be distributed to any law enforcement agency. All governments have a duty to investigate any legitimate complaint and make a determination, based on their findings of the complete facts, if a complaint has any merit. If not, then the complaint is typically dismissed or archived.

----------

The author wrote:
I was unable to locate the word "privacy" or a link to it . . .

Answer:
You found it.

There are hundreds of links at our site that provide a link to the same Privacy Statement, which you found on one page in the FAQ section.

----------

The author wrote:
. . . would like a clearer explanation of how our information on file at IPIU is being secured and archived against identity theft . . .

Answer:
Although you posted only a portion of our Privacy Statement, you need to review the remainder of the statement that was not included in your comment. The specific case law and rules of conduct which apply to the safekeeping of records are govern and outlined by local and federal statutes and not by any individual organization. To determine those rules of conduct and case law, request your local and federal authorities to provide you with a copy of their resource publication.

The author wrote:
The Criminal Warrants Registration that you led us all to believe is run through a U.S. government security check . . .

Answer:
Untrue.

If you have a copy of a CWR, read the Certification and Release. A government security check is quite different than a criminal warrants check application. Most anyone can pay $10 to $25 to have a criminal warrants check done by their local police station (with a written consent). However, there have been recent changes since 9-11 occurred, which includes the preferred passive criminal warrants check. To inquire of the passive warrant check, contact the Homeland Security liaison for the NCIC database portion of wants and warrants only.

----------

The author wrote:
. . . I was required to disclose with my application, you replied: only a driver's license number and PI license number. Now Ann Marie, that is an out-and-out lie.

Answer:
Untrue.

Although our optional CWR application is available to potential members, it is certainly not required. Applications that are mailed contain a cover letter asking the potential member for a copy of their PI License, or Attorney License, or Law Enforcement ID, etc. There are numerous orientation policy topics in our public forums which contain waivers for any ID card that meets the qualification of warrant monitoring. If the potential member chooses not to proceed to acquire any of the qualifying licenses or any of the thousands of ID cards that meet the same standard of monitoring professional conduct, then the applicant may request to complete the optional CWR application.

----------

The author wrote:
In response to my comment about (another website) being hacked . . . Proboards is a completely advertiser-supported site (and free service to those wishing to utilize their services) I'm sure they are not anxious to admit such activity occurs.

Answer:
To claim that Proboard's administrative staff did not delete remarks from any of their sites, let alone admit to it, is without merit. We reviewed the Proboard's Support Forum today and found their admission to deleting several items on the website mentioned, because of serious violations of their contract with the site's licensee. We also reviewed their disclosures and found they are in compliance of all federal statutes.

The author wrote:
Since Proboards is a completely advertiser-supported site (and free service to those wishing to utilize their services) . . .

Answer:
Yes and no.

Again, visit their site and determine for yourself what a free board is defined by, and how a paid board differs.

----------

The author wrote:
In order to submit this complaint I gave my full name, address, phone number and email address to the administrator of this website. This is not a frivolous post and I am sure you know exactly who I am . . .

Answer:
The public does not see a real first and last name, let alone a phone number, etc. The author did not provide a last name at all in the original comment, only the most recent. The author may wish to review this website's instructions that clearly state the following:

This is for our records only. By providing this information, our staff can contact you regarding your report for any follow-up and possible help with your rip-off situation.

Therefore, anyone can post a false first name in a report on this site.

Secondly, this site does not verify names, addresses, cities, emails, and phone numbers before posting. If it did, the process would take longer. Our belief remains the same as stated above.

----------

The author wrote:
received a threat of legal action against me from a "Betty" at IPIU.

Answer:
Untrue.

All outgoing emails from IPIU are saved and archived. Our review has indicated no such threat of legal action has ever been sent by any means as the author has claimed. If our office proceeds with legal action, the method is by certified mail only.

----------

The author wrote:
. . . by the owners of IPIU.

Answer:
There are no owners of an association. It is governed by the Board of Directors (which represent the union members) and it's elected officers.

----------

Sincerely,

Legal Affairs - IPIU

The author wrote:
implying that I violated my signed Code of Ethics and therefore did not gain access to this private forum.

Answer:
Forum Members and Union Members at http://www.ipiu.org/forums/ must fully agree, sustain, and commit to the IPIU Mission Statement, the Code of Ethics, and the Forum Rules without reservation. This includes our free registrations for guests who seek a password to the Level 1 forums.

An intentional violation of any of these items can ban a member for life. Although all three items are copyrighted, they have remained in the public forums for review, and they are contained in the free online application before a guest applies.

----------

The author wrote:
I voiced a complaint about the lack of quality educational PI information in forum Levels 1 through 3.

Answer:
For the novice private investigator trainee, there are general items of discussion available to them in the Level 1 forums. But Level 1 forum members are not union members who progress to Level 3, 4, and 5.

We do not offer any free educational courses or in depth training in the Level 1 Forums. However, there are numerous compliments posted in our Unsolicited Testimonial Forum at http://www.ipiu.org/forums/ that reflect an overwhelming value to the free public in the Level 1 forums.

The Level 4 forums contain the advance training and interactive discussions that occur in agency private forums. No private investigator trainee is permitted to advance to the Level 4 forums unless they pass all three tests, possess either a PI License or other authorized ID Card, and has a proven forum record of fully sustaining their Code of Ethics and Forum Rules.

The Level 3 forums contain an enormous amount of material that is available for union members only, who have agreed not to disclose to any outside source the contents of any of the forums. Doing so could ban a member for life.

----------

The author wrote:
. . . discovered that the only educational information available was through the purchase $$$ of more books from your site . . .

Answer:
Untrue.

1- We offer a free operational training manual with all memberships that have Level 3 access.

2- Level 3 forums include several free private investigator books and other titles available to members.

3- Level 4 forums contain over 150 private agency forums, training areas, and other interactive categories that permit experienced private investigators to interact and educate others.

However, the Forum Rules forbid any disclosure of the contents in any of the non-public forums. Items of discussions include suspect names, targets, owners of agencies, and details that are never to be posted outside of the Level 4 forums. If a potential Level 3 or 4 member acts in a manner that would be in violation of the rules of disclosure, then their access could be denied and referred to the Board of Ethics for a thorough investigation and review.

Yes, IPIU maintains an optional catalog of over 800 titles of products and advance training publications. The catalog is free, or members may visit http://www.privateinvestigators.cc to browse the online catalog. Union Members receive from 10% to 25% off all items in the store, except for custom products.

Nevertheless, there has never been a single policy, single topic, or a single letter that would require any member to make an optional purchase through our catalog.

----------

The author wrote:
I was immediately banned from the forums the same day my test results were mailed out congratulating me on my high score!

Answer:
Untrue.

1- Members who post a request or a comment to choose a courtesy membership refund are monitored by the volunteer moderators.

2- Agent Relations emails the member with a Refund Authorization notice and instructions.

3- A notice to Technical Support is sent to close the member's account at the forums.

Technical Support has the option of converting the member's account to banned, or refunded, or another tag that is appropriate.

Regardless, the Educational Department completes the test scores and submits requests for the scores to be emailed.

If Agent Relations was actively approving a courtesy refund request by a member, then the Educational Department would not be notified until the next database update. So it is plausible for a member to receive an answer on a refund request the same day the test results were emailed.

However, members who receive courtesy refunds are not arbitrarily tagged as a banned member just because IPIU offered them a courtesy refund. A banned member is tagged as such for a deliberate and willful violation of their Code of Ethics.

----------

The author wrote:
. . . person is carefully gathering evidence to turn over to the FBI.

Answer:
We fully sustain the free rights for anyone who wishes to gather any item, within the prevailing civil and criminal statutes, and within their individual disclosure agreements, that they feel should be distributed to any law enforcement agency. All governments have a duty to investigate any legitimate complaint and make a determination, based on their findings of the complete facts, if a complaint has any merit. If not, then the complaint is typically dismissed or archived.

----------

The author wrote:
I was unable to locate the word "privacy" or a link to it . . .

Answer:
You found it.

There are hundreds of links at our site that provide a link to the same Privacy Statement, which you found on one page in the FAQ section.

----------

The author wrote:
. . . would like a clearer explanation of how our information on file at IPIU is being secured and archived against identity theft . . .

Answer:
Although you posted only a portion of our Privacy Statement, you need to review the remainder of the statement that was not included in your comment. The specific case law and rules of conduct which apply to the safekeeping of records are govern and outlined by local and federal statutes and not by any individual organization. To determine those rules of conduct and case law, request your local and federal authorities to provide you with a copy of their resource publication.

The author wrote:
The Criminal Warrants Registration that you led us all to believe is run through a U.S. government security check . . .

Answer:
Untrue.

If you have a copy of a CWR, read the Certification and Release. A government security check is quite different than a criminal warrants check application. Most anyone can pay $10 to $25 to have a criminal warrants check done by their local police station (with a written consent). However, there have been recent changes since 9-11 occurred, which includes the preferred passive criminal warrants check. To inquire of the passive warrant check, contact the Homeland Security liaison for the NCIC database portion of wants and warrants only.

----------

The author wrote:
. . . I was required to disclose with my application, you replied: only a driver's license number and PI license number. Now Ann Marie, that is an out-and-out lie.

Answer:
Untrue.

Although our optional CWR application is available to potential members, it is certainly not required. Applications that are mailed contain a cover letter asking the potential member for a copy of their PI License, or Attorney License, or Law Enforcement ID, etc. There are numerous orientation policy topics in our public forums which contain waivers for any ID card that meets the qualification of warrant monitoring. If the potential member chooses not to proceed to acquire any of the qualifying licenses or any of the thousands of ID cards that meet the same standard of monitoring professional conduct, then the applicant may request to complete the optional CWR application.

----------

The author wrote:
In response to my comment about (another website) being hacked . . . Proboards is a completely advertiser-supported site (and free service to those wishing to utilize their services) I'm sure they are not anxious to admit such activity occurs.

Answer:
To claim that Proboard's administrative staff did not delete remarks from any of their sites, let alone admit to it, is without merit. We reviewed the Proboard's Support Forum today and found their admission to deleting several items on the website mentioned, because of serious violations of their contract with the site's licensee. We also reviewed their disclosures and found they are in compliance of all federal statutes.

The author wrote:
Since Proboards is a completely advertiser-supported site (and free service to those wishing to utilize their services) . . .

Answer:
Yes and no.

Again, visit their site and determine for yourself what a free board is defined by, and how a paid board differs.

----------

The author wrote:
In order to submit this complaint I gave my full name, address, phone number and email address to the administrator of this website. This is not a frivolous post and I am sure you know exactly who I am . . .

Answer:
The public does not see a real first and last name, let alone a phone number, etc. The author did not provide a last name at all in the original comment, only the most recent. The author may wish to review this website's instructions that clearly state the following:

This is for our records only. By providing this information, our staff can contact you regarding your report for any follow-up and possible help with your rip-off situation.

Therefore, anyone can post a false first name in a report on this site.

Secondly, this site does not verify names, addresses, cities, emails, and phone numbers before posting. If it did, the process would take longer. Our belief remains the same as stated above.

----------

The author wrote:
received a threat of legal action against me from a "Betty" at IPIU.

Answer:
Untrue.

All outgoing emails from IPIU are saved and archived. Our review has indicated no such threat of legal action has ever been sent by any means as the author has claimed. If our office proceeds with legal action, the method is by certified mail only.

----------

The author wrote:
. . . by the owners of IPIU.

Answer:
There are no owners of an association. It is governed by the Board of Directors (which represent the union members) and it's elected officers.

----------

Sincerely,

Legal Affairs - IPIU

The author wrote:
implying that I violated my signed Code of Ethics and therefore did not gain access to this private forum.

Answer:
Forum Members and Union Members at http://www.ipiu.org/forums/ must fully agree, sustain, and commit to the IPIU Mission Statement, the Code of Ethics, and the Forum Rules without reservation. This includes our free registrations for guests who seek a password to the Level 1 forums.

An intentional violation of any of these items can ban a member for life. Although all three items are copyrighted, they have remained in the public forums for review, and they are contained in the free online application before a guest applies.

----------

The author wrote:
I voiced a complaint about the lack of quality educational PI information in forum Levels 1 through 3.

Answer:
For the novice private investigator trainee, there are general items of discussion available to them in the Level 1 forums. But Level 1 forum members are not union members who progress to Level 3, 4, and 5.

We do not offer any free educational courses or in depth training in the Level 1 Forums. However, there are numerous compliments posted in our Unsolicited Testimonial Forum at http://www.ipiu.org/forums/ that reflect an overwhelming value to the free public in the Level 1 forums.

The Level 4 forums contain the advance training and interactive discussions that occur in agency private forums. No private investigator trainee is permitted to advance to the Level 4 forums unless they pass all three tests, possess either a PI License or other authorized ID Card, and has a proven forum record of fully sustaining their Code of Ethics and Forum Rules.

The Level 3 forums contain an enormous amount of material that is available for union members only, who have agreed not to disclose to any outside source the contents of any of the forums. Doing so could ban a member for life.

----------

The author wrote:
. . . discovered that the only educational information available was through the purchase $$$ of more books from your site . . .

Answer:
Untrue.

1- We offer a free operational training manual with all memberships that have Level 3 access.

2- Level 3 forums include several free private investigator books and other titles available to members.

3- Level 4 forums contain over 150 private agency forums, training areas, and other interactive categories that permit experienced private investigators to interact and educate others.

However, the Forum Rules forbid any disclosure of the contents in any of the non-public forums. Items of discussions include suspect names, targets, owners of agencies, and details that are never to be posted outside of the Level 4 forums. If a potential Level 3 or 4 member acts in a manner that would be in violation of the rules of disclosure, then their access could be denied and referred to the Board of Ethics for a thorough investigation and review.

Yes, IPIU maintains an optional catalog of over 800 titles of products and advance training publications. The catalog is free, or members may visit http://www.privateinvestigators.cc to browse the online catalog. Union Members receive from 10% to 25% off all items in the store, except for custom products.

Nevertheless, there has never been a single policy, single topic, or a single letter that would require any member to make an optional purchase through our catalog.

----------

The author wrote:
I was immediately banned from the forums the same day my test results were mailed out congratulating me on my high score!

Answer:
Untrue.

1- Members who post a request or a comment to choose a courtesy membership refund are monitored by the volunteer moderators.

2- Agent Relations emails the member with a Refund Authorization notice and instructions.

3- A notice to Technical Support is sent to close the member's account at the forums.

Technical Support has the option of converting the member's account to banned, or refunded, or another tag that is appropriate.

Regardless, the Educational Department completes the test scores and submits requests for the scores to be emailed.

If Agent Relations was actively approving a courtesy refund request by a member, then the Educational Department would not be notified until the next database update. So it is plausible for a member to receive an answer on a refund request the same day the test results were emailed.

However, members who receive courtesy refunds are not arbitrarily tagged as a banned member just because IPIU offered them a courtesy refund. A banned member is tagged as such for a deliberate and willful violation of their Code of Ethics.

----------

The author wrote:
. . . person is carefully gathering evidence to turn over to the FBI.

Answer:
We fully sustain the free rights for anyone who wishes to gather any item, within the prevailing civil and criminal statutes, and within their individual disclosure agreements, that they feel should be distributed to any law enforcement agency. All governments have a duty to investigate any legitimate complaint and make a determination, based on their findings of the complete facts, if a complaint has any merit. If not, then the complaint is typically dismissed or archived.

----------

The author wrote:
I was unable to locate the word "privacy" or a link to it . . .

Answer:
You found it.

There are hundreds of links at our site that provide a link to the same Privacy Statement, which you found on one page in the FAQ section.

----------

The author wrote:
. . . would like a clearer explanation of how our information on file at IPIU is being secured and archived against identity theft . . .

Answer:
Although you posted only a portion of our Privacy Statement, you need to review the remainder of the statement that was not included in your comment. The specific case law and rules of conduct which apply to the safekeeping of records are govern and outlined by local and federal statutes and not by any individual organization. To determine those rules of conduct and case law, request your local and federal authorities to provide you with a copy of their resource publication.

The author wrote:
The Criminal Warrants Registration that you led us all to believe is run through a U.S. government security check . . .

Answer:
Untrue.

If you have a copy of a CWR, read the Certification and Release. A government security check is quite different than a criminal warrants check application. Most anyone can pay $10 to $25 to have a criminal warrants check done by their local police station (with a written consent). However, there have been recent changes since 9-11 occurred, which includes the preferred passive criminal warrants check. To inquire of the passive warrant check, contact the Homeland Security liaison for the NCIC database portion of wants and warrants only.

----------

The author wrote:
. . . I was required to disclose with my application, you replied: only a driver's license number and PI license number. Now Ann Marie, that is an out-and-out lie.

Answer:
Untrue.

Although our optional CWR application is available to potential members, it is certainly not required. Applications that are mailed contain a cover letter asking the potential member for a copy of their PI License, or Attorney License, or Law Enforcement ID, etc. There are numerous orientation policy topics in our public forums which contain waivers for any ID card that meets the qualification of warrant monitoring. If the potential member chooses not to proceed to acquire any of the qualifying licenses or any of the thousands of ID cards that meet the same standard of monitoring professional conduct, then the applicant may request to complete the optional CWR application.

----------

The author wrote:
In response to my comment about (another website) being hacked . . . Proboards is a completely advertiser-supported site (and free service to those wishing to utilize their services) I'm sure they are not anxious to admit such activity occurs.

Answer:
To claim that Proboard's administrative staff did not delete remarks from any of their sites, let alone admit to it, is without merit. We reviewed the Proboard's Support Forum today and found their admission to deleting several items on the website mentioned, because of serious violations of their contract with the site's licensee. We also reviewed their disclosures and found they are in compliance of all federal statutes.

The author wrote:
Since Proboards is a completely advertiser-supported site (and free service to those wishing to utilize their services) . . .

Answer:
Yes and no.

Again, visit their site and determine for yourself what a free board is defined by, and how a paid board differs.

----------

The author wrote:
In order to submit this complaint I gave my full name, address, phone number and email address to the administrator of this website. This is not a frivolous post and I am sure you know exactly who I am . . .

Answer:
The public does not see a real first and last name, let alone a phone number, etc. The author did not provide a last name at all in the original comment, only the most recent. The author may wish to review this website's instructions that clearly state the following:

This is for our records only. By providing this information, our staff can contact you regarding your report for any follow-up and possible help with your rip-off situation.

Therefore, anyone can post a false first name in a report on this site.

Secondly, this site does not verify names, addresses, cities, emails, and phone numbers before posting. If it did, the process would take longer. Our belief remains the same as stated above.

----------

The author wrote:
received a threat of legal action against me from a "Betty" at IPIU.

Answer:
Untrue.

All outgoing emails from IPIU are saved and archived. Our review has indicated no such threat of legal action has ever been sent by any means as the author has claimed. If our office proceeds with legal action, the method is by certified mail only.

----------

The author wrote:
. . . by the owners of IPIU.

Answer:
There are no owners of an association. It is governed by the Board of Directors (which represent the union members) and it's elected officers.

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Sincerely,

Legal Affairs - IPIU

Hi Ann Marie,

You must be new at IPIU as the only person in "Legal Affairs" at IPIU having contacted me over these issues has been a "Sara Livingston"

Anyway, on to your rebuttal comments...

In response to my challenge for IPIU to produce one verifiable real private investigator job that has been assigned to ANY member as a result of their membership, you wrote:

"Answer:
Only union members in good standing, who have not violated their signed Code of Ethics, have access to the private forums that contain such information. Guests or banned members (who have violated of their signed Code of Ethics) do not have access to any personal information that may be posted by other union members in the private forums. "

Interesing twist on my original question. First of all, you seem to be implying that _I_ violated my signed Code of Ethics and therefore did not gain access to this private forum. Well, the truth is that I voiced a complaint about the lack of quality educational PI information in forum Levels 1 through 3 while I was waiting for my test to be graded and be bumped up to level 4. The result of my complaint was that I was immediately banned from the forums the same day my test results were mailed out congratulating me on my high score! I believe the REAL reason I was banned was because you all knew that when I gained access to Level 4 and discovered that the only educational information available was through the purchase $$$ of more books from your site that I would have really done some damage to your reputation. My belief is based on FACTs from others who have made it to level 4 (and one person who hasn't been banned yet because that person is carefully gathering evidence to turn over to the FBI).

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In response to my concern about identity theft you wrote...
"Answer:
Since IPIU was founded over a decade ago, there has never been a breach of the confidential union member files, nor has there ever been a complaint by any authority regarding such a breach. Our privacy statement remains posted at our public website at http://www.ipiu.org/ and http://www.ipiu.org/forums/ "

I was unable to locate the word "privacy" or a link to it anywhere on the ipiu.org home page. I did find the following statement in the Forums FAQ:
"An applicant or member's Criminal Warrants Registration application, Code of Ethics, Case Examiner Application, fingerprints, personal files, and photos are secured and archived to prevent identity theft as required by all provinces, state, and federal statutes."

I think there are many people out in Internet land who would like a clearer explanation of how our information on file at IPIU is being secured and archived against identity theft by the owners of IPIU.

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In response to my concern about all the information I was required to disclose with my application, you replied:

"Answer:
Yes, but only a driver's license number and PI license number. "

Now Ann Marie, that is an out-and-out lie. The Criminal Warrants Registration that you led us all to believe is run through a U.S. government security check (and in reality is NOT run through ANY government agency) requires the following information be disclosed: all names the applicant has ever been known by, drivers license number, social security number, mother's maiden name, place of birth, parent's full names, and employment and residence history for the past ten years. Also required at this step of the application process is a fingerprint card to be certified by a local law enforcement agency.

NONE of the other options you listed were ever offered to me. I was told that if I wanted to obtain WORK through IPIU that I had to submit to this process in order to gain access to the training that I would need to secure employment.

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In response to my comment about the Private Investigator forum being hacked you wrote:

"Answer:
We encourage all to contact the hosting company of that other forum and inquire of the owner whether or not anyone can hack into their forums. Our review of the hosting company (which hosts thousands of other forums) is that no one can hack into their forums, unless the owner of a specific forum gives away their passcode. If the hosting company were to have been hacked, they would no longer maintain their business service of providing thousands of forums on their site. "

Interesting response and probably one that non-technical people would believe. However, us highly skilled technical professionals know that this sort of thing is very possible. Since Proboards is a completely advertiser-supported site (and free service to those wishing to utilize their services) I'm sure they are not anxious to admit such activity occurs.

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I wrote:
I don't believe for one minute the positive rebuttals that have been made on this website regarding the IPIU! They're all lies.

You responded:
"Answer:
... Perhaps it's because complainers can use only their first name (often false) and have not attempted to resolve their issue with the company directly, but have chosen to post it here for reasons that appear frivolous..."

Again you do not have your FACTs straight... In order to submit this complaint I gave my FULL name, address, phone number and email address to the administrator of this website. This is not a frivolous post and I am sure you know exactly who I am as I did attempt to resolve this issue and in return received a threat of legal action against me from a "Betty" at IPIU (I assume this is another false name made up by the one or two people who are behind this IPIU "organization".)
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I appreciate your well wishes and hope you are able to someday secure ethical employment.

Sincerely,

The author wrote:
produce one verifiable real private investigator job that has been assigned to ANY member as a result of their membership.

Answer:
Only union members in good standing, who have not violated their signed Code of Ethics, have access to the private forums that contain such information. Guests or banned members (who have violated of their signed Code of Ethics) do not have access to any personal information that may be posted by other union members in the private forums.

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The author wrote:
. . . concerned about identity theft . . .

Answer:
Since IPIU was founded over a decade ago, there has never been a breach of the confidential union member files, nor has there ever been a complaint by any authority regarding such a breach. Our privacy statement remains posted at our public website at http://www.ipiu.org/ and http://www.ipiu.org/forums/

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The Author wrote:
I was required to disclose . . .

Answer:
Yes, but only a driver's license number and PI license number.

IPIU membership, as well as their free forum registration for a pass code to all of the Level 1 forums, only requires a driver's license number and a PI License. Both the driver's license and PI License are monitored by their state and not by IPIU. If a member violates their licenses, then our Board of Ethics reviews the member's personal file to make a determination if they violated the Code of Ethics.

If a prospective union member does not have a PI License, our policy is to accept any photo ID that is monitored on a regular basis through the criminal warrants system. There are over 7000 types of approved ID cards issued in North America, and IPIU accepts them all as proof of monitoring their professional conduct. However, if a prospective member wishes IPIU to perform the same screening on a regular basis, then they have the option of completing a Criminal Warrants Registration application. The CWR form asks for confidential information to discern the differences among common names, of which one name may be confused with another name that may have an outstanding warrant. All CWRs are archived and protected under all local and federal laws, and contains a signature box for the prospective member to authorize our use of the information within all local and federal laws.

If a prospective member declines to sign the certification and release, then they are free to provide us with any qualifying ID card or PI License.

The author wrote:
My advice . . . Find a real physical training school or a professional PI to apprentice under.

Answer:
We agree.

IPIU also has a list of endorsed PI Schools which meet current teaching standards and business ethics. IPIU does not endorse any PI School that breaches business ethics. Further, very few PI courses offer any referrals for work assignments after graduation. Finding and locating and convincing a local private investigator to apprentice under is extremely rare, but can be done with persistence, good skills, and thorough preparation. Part of IPIU's free benefits is to remove the cost of rejection by a trainee by helping them through the IPIU Placement Program, which is only available to those members who want to invest 2-3 months in continued work assignments. If a member refuses and complains and requests a refund, then we offer a courtesy refund (as is posted in all of our documents).

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The Author wrote:
Get yourself a subscription to PI Magazine . . .

Answer:
We agree.

The cost for a one-year subscription from the publisher is $39.00. However, with IPIU Preferred Membership of $89/year, members receive PI Magazine (a value of $39), plus an operational training manual and 3 exams, certificate of graduation, free access to over 100 companies hiring and free access to the weekly job bank of assignments posted nationwide, and 10% off all advanced training books, CDs, and other items at http://www.privateinvestigators.cc . In all, members feel that their IPIU union membership pays back to them much more than what they invest. Union members have also posted their unsolicited testimonials at http://www.ipiu.org/forums/ and is available to the public.

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The Author wrote:
Buy or borrow these books: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Private Investigating By Steven Kerry Brown and The Investigator's Little Black Book 3 By Robert Scott, P.I.

Answer:
We agree.

However, if a union member cannot borrow the above books, they are available through IPIU at a member's price that is lower than any other source in North America. To inquire, email bookdept@ipiu.org for pricing.

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The Author wrote:
Read through Toxey . . .

Answer:
We encourage all prospective members to take full advantage of the internet newsgroups that are protected under freedom of opinion. We also believe that prospective private investigators can judge for themselves issues of libel, slander, invasion of privacy, and attempts to assassinate any private person's character or the character of any organization whatsoever. A forum member at our moderated site at http://www.ipiu.org/forums/ will never find any comment that lacks total respect in all discussions.

Our last visit to the mentioned website above reflected less than six people participating, all using false names except the owner. We encourage prospective members to visit our forum site at http://www.ipiu.org/forums/ which has over 24,000 forum members, all using their real names, real locations, and participating under firm forum rules to maintain respect for all people, all companies, and all organizations. Our forum rules are posted in the public area under the button titled Register. The owner of the other mentioned site is not a union member and has not applied for membership.

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The Author wrote:
. . . was hacked last week.

Answer:
We encourage all to contact the hosting company of that other forum and inquire of the owner whether or not anyone can hack into their forums. Our review of the hosting company (which hosts thousands of other forums) is that no one can hack into their forums, unless the owner of a specific forum gives away their passcode. If the hosting company were to have been hacked, they would no longer maintain their business service of providing thousands of forums on their site.

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The Author wrote:
Search your state's website for private investigator licensing requirements . .

Answer:
We agree.

We also maintain a free public forum for state licensing at http://www.ipiu.org/forums/ , which is monitored by our Legal Affairs department for updates. Each state licensing topic also includes what areas of private investigation you need a PI License for, and what areas of private investigations you do not need a license for (which is usually how most trainees gain their experience). Union members have the free benefit of helping them start their own licensed PI Agency without having any prior experience, along with a designated licensed PI to help them.

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The Author wrote:
I don't believe for one minute the positive rebuttals that have been made on this website regarding the IPIU! They're all lies.

Answer:
The positive rebuttals on this website for any company, including ours, is far and in-between and extremely rare. A simple search under other organizations the size of ours will rarely find any rebuttals by the company. It appears that most companies choose not to refute anything on this site, including AT&T. Perhaps it's because complainers can use only their first name (often false) and have not attempted to resolve their issue with the company directly, but have chosen to post it here for reasons that appear frivolous. Therefore, we do not expect any positive remarks, and our remarks must be based on policy facts and not opinion. Factual remarks, such as our strict forum rules and our Code of Ethics, may be deemed by others as negative. However, by reviewing the above link to our unsolicited testimonial forum, authored by real names and real locations, we feel their positive remarks are genuine. As for lies, a careful review of our union president's comment and invitation in an earlier post is authentic. We encourage all to judge the merits for themselves.

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The Author wrote:
I got my money back in full, so I do have to give them credit for that . . .

Answer:
We thank you for the earlier opportunity to have served your initial desire. It has always been our written policy to offer a 100% courtesy refund to all union members, which is rare in comparison to the tens of thousands we have. We wish you well in your new pursuits.

Sincerely,

Legal Affairs - IPIU