theprivatei.com

What It Is

Zimmerman Investigative Services is a traditional licensed private investigation agency based in New Jersey, USA, founded by former police chief Robert T. Zimmerman. Although its services include “internet searches and social media investigations,” it is not a cybersecurity technology company in the conventional sense. Instead, it provides people-focused offline and digital forensic investigation services.

Core Features (by Dimension)

• Protection Type: Focuses on preventing people-related background risks and conducting digital footprint forensics, including premarital background checks, romance scam prevention, employee pre-employment screening, and social media forensics. It does not provide IT system security protection.
• Deployment Method: A purely offline service combined with online payment. Investigators carry out tasks in the field, supplemented by law-enforcement-grade database searches.
• Compliance & Certification: Holds private investigator licenses in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, has a BBB A+ rating, and legally maintains access to law-enforcement-grade databases such as TLOxp and Delvepoint.
• Integration Capabilities: Deeply integrated with top-tier credit and people-tracing databases such as TransUnion and IRB, as well as state-level motor vehicle and criminal records systems.

Pricing

It uses a high-barrier prepaid retainer model, charging $125 per hour based on billable attendance time. The required upfront retainer is as high as $2,500 to $5,000, with additional mileage and database query fees. Online payments are processed through PayPal, and clients must bear very unfriendly high processing fees of up to more than $250. Service cancellations also incur a $150 administrative fee.

Pros and Cons

Pros: The founder has extensive credentials, including 26 years of law enforcement experience and graduation from the FBI Academy. The agency has access to law-enforcement-grade databases that ordinary businesses cannot obtain, and it has an excellent reputation with 5-star/A+ ratings.
Cons: Expensive pricing and limited transparency make it unfriendly to smaller clients. Passing PayPal processing fees on to customers feels unprofessional. It also explicitly does not take spousal infidelity cases, and its service area is limited.

Who It’s For

Best suited for attorneys, insurance companies, corporate employers, and high-net-worth individuals in New Jersey or Pennsylvania who have high-stakes litigation or screening needs.

Access from China

The official website is built on a basic site-building platform and can be accessed directly from China. However, the service is limited to the United States and has no practical value for users in mainland China.