When Google Isn’t Enough: What a Real Investigation Reveals That People Search Sites Can’t

In today’s digital age, it’s easy to assume that Google can uncover just about anything. Type in a name, phone number, or email, and within seconds you have access to pages of results. Add in people search sites like Spokeo, BeenVerified, or TruthFinder, and you might think you’re getting the full picture.

But here’s the truth:
If you’re dealing with a serious issue—whether it’s fraud, a missing person, harassment, or civil litigation—Google and people search sites are not enough.

In fact, relying on them alone can mislead you, waste valuable time, and potentially even make things worse.

This is where a licensed private investigator comes in. At Easton Secure Solutions LLC, we go far beyond surface-level search tools to legally, ethically, and effectively uncover information that actually holds up in real-world scenarios—from court cases to crisis intervention.

Let’s explore what these popular online tools really offer, where they fall short, and why working with a professional PI gives you more accuracy, depth, and actionable results.

What You’re Really Getting From Google and People Search Sites

Let’s start by breaking down what these tools do offer.

Google, at its core, is a search engine. It crawls public-facing web content—news, websites, blogs, social media, and public records indexed by search engines. It’s a great starting point, but it’s inherently limited by:

• Privacy restrictions
• SEO manipulation (irrelevant or misleading results)
• Deleted or outdated pages
• Noise from unrelated individuals with the same name

People search websites often promise more: “background checks,” “criminal records,” “addresses,” and more. But most of what they deliver includes:

• Old address history
• Possible relatives or associates
• Phone numbers (often outdated or inactive)
• Social media handles
• Bankruptcies or property records—if available

This information is frequently outdated, incomplete, or pulled from third-party public records. Worse, many sites piece together profiles from broad guesses, leading to false positives or mismatches—especially in New York where common names are abundant.

Why Google and Search Sites Fail in Serious Situations

If you’re just curious about a long-lost classmate or want to confirm if someone exists, Google and data broker sites might do the trick.

But if your concern is serious—like:

• Tracking a person who owes money or disappeared
• Verifying if someone is using a fake identity
• Investigating harassment, stalking, or fraud
• Preparing for a legal dispute or child custody case
• Identifying someone involved in a real-world scam

…then these platforms are woefully inadequate.

Here’s why:

1. They Can’t Verify Identities
People search engines don’t actually verify anything. They rely on databases that may be outdated by months or years.

If someone is using an alias, burner phone, or fake online persona, these platforms can’t:

• Confirm who’s really behind a number or email
• Cross-reference information across multiple identifiers
• Distinguish between two people with the same name in the same city
• Spot manipulation or identify connected digital profiles

A licensed PI uses verified data sources and investigative techniques to connect the dots and legally confirm identities.

➡️ See our Identity Verification Services

2. They Don’t Provide Court-Usable Evidence
Even if you uncover some information through a people search website, you’re not getting anything that’s documented, sourced, or admissible in court.

Attorneys, police, and courts often disregard reports from these platforms because they:

• Lack proper sourcing
• Are unverified
• Can’t be authenticated under legal scrutiny

A professional PI provides documented, timestamped, and verifiable reports that you can use in legal, civil, or administrative actions.

➡️ Need to Build a Case Before Hiring a Lawyer? Start Here

3. They Can’t Investigate Real-Time Behavior
Online tools have no way of showing you what someone is doing right now. That matters if you’re:

• Trying to prove someone is cohabitating
• Verifying employment or income status
• Monitoring a suspected fraudster
• Confirming whether someone really moved out

At Easton Secure Solutions, we conduct legal surveillance, OSINT sweeps, and asset verification in real time—something no website can offer.

4. They Don’t Catch Deception or Fraud
Scammers, abusers, and deceptive individuals know how to hide in plain sight. They:

• Use fake names or alternate spellings
• Reroute phones through VOIP
• Create social media under false pretenses
• Pose as business owners, professionals, or even romantic partners

These tactics work because search sites and basic online lookups don’t have the tools to cut through deception.

A private investigator does.

We use:

• Verified proprietary data tools
• Reverse engineering of contact details
• OSINT-based social media analysis
• Facial recognition tools (legally compliant)
• Professional intuition developed from years in the field

5. They Don’t Help You Take Action
Even if a search tool gives you a hint, you’re still stuck trying to figure out the next move. Do you:

• Call the number and risk tipping someone off?
• Try to confront them with sketchy evidence?
• Report them without full confirmation?
• Guess your way through legal paperwork?

Working with a private investigator changes everything. We don’t just uncover data—we help you understand what it means and what to do with it.

Real Case Example: When Google Got It Wrong

A Brooklyn client contacted us after sending $1,000 via cashapp for a vintage watch from a seller on Facebook Marketplace. The seller deleted their profile and vanished.

The client had already tried:

• Searching the phone number (no results)
• Running the email through BeenVerified
• Searching the name on Google (found multiple matches, none helpful)

We traced the cashapp username to a VOIP number used in two other fraud complaints and linked it to an active utility record in Queens. Surveillance confirmed the individual had a history of marketplace scams. Our findings were packaged and submitted to law enforcement, and the client was able to file a fraud complaint backed by real evidence.

Google couldn’t deliver answers—but a licensed PI could.

Here’s What a Real Investigation Can Reveal

When you work with Easton Secure Solutions, you’re not relying on guesses. We provide:

✅ Verified name, DOB, and current address
✅ Employment or income confirmation (when legally accessible)
✅ Social media accounts connected by usage patterns
✅ Surveillance documentation
✅ Contact with witnesses or neighbors (when appropriate)
✅ Assets, properties, and business affiliations
✅ Fraud or scam patterns linked to online behavior
✅ Court-ready documentation of findings

All of it is obtained legally, discreetly, and in accordance with New York State law.

What We Need to Start

Even if you’ve hit a wall with online searches, we can often start with just:

• A phone number or email
• A photo or social media handle
• A brief description of the situation
• Payment history or text/email exchanges
• Your goal (locate, verify, document, serve, etc.)

You don’t need a full file—we build the case from what you do have.

• Costs and Options
  • Basic Identity Verification: $199
  • OSINT + Profile Development: Starting at $399
  • Surveillance or Deep Background Investigations: Quoted per case
  • Fraud Reports / Legal Documentation: Available upon request

We serve New York City, Long Island, and surrounding areas, and we never take shortcuts or use gray-area tactics.

Stop Guessing. Start Investigating.
At Easton Secure Solutions LLC, we bridge the gap between “something’s not right” and real answers backed by evidence. Whether it’s a person who’s vanished, an ex hiding assets, or a scammer causing real-world harm, we bring clarity to complex situations where search engines fall short.

📞 Call now: (516) 962-1267
📧 Email: [email protected]
➡️ Visit Our Website | Submit a Case Now

When Google Fails, We Don’t
If you’ve searched, clicked, and scrolled but still don’t have the answers you need, it’s time for real investigation. Let us get you the truth—legally, confidentially, and efficiently.