There are countless services advertising “instant” background checks and records searches. You’ll also find large pre-employment screening companies that tout the size of their databases and the number of records they can return in seconds. These tools are inexpensive, widely available, and don’t require a private investigator license to purchase—so why would anyone pay a licensed private investigator to conduct a background investigation?

Before you spend $33.09 on a one-click report, it helps to understand what you’re actually buying—and what you’re not.

One of the most common reasons people reach out to a private investigator is suspicion of infidelity. The thought process is understandable: you want clarity before a confrontation, a breakup, or a major life decision. The question you have to ask yourself is: is this really a good decision? Will it help me in the long run?

Yesterday, I had the honor of remotely collaborating with a small but dedicated group of people in Australia to live-tweet the sentencing of Adam Robert Corden Britton. Britton is a disgraced zoologist who pled guilty of 56 offenses related to the torture, sexual abuse, and murder of Animals. He was sentenced to ten years imprisonment, with a minimum of six served and is prohibited from purchasing, acquiring or taking possession of a mammal for the rest of his natural life.