Investigative Services case studies
Investigative Services · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Investigative Services exam is a multiple-choice assessment of the knowledge and judgment expected of professional investigators working in private, corporate, or institutional settings. It is aimed at practitioners who plan and run investigations end to end: opening a case, building a documented theory, gathering and preserving evidence, interviewing subjects and witnesses, and presenting findings in a report or under oath. Candidates typically come from corporate security, loss prevention, insurance claims, HR and workplace misconduct, due diligence, and licensed private investigation backgrounds. The exam is broad rather than deep in any single specialty. Topics on this exam: Investigative Process and Case Management, Legal and Regulatory Framework, Interviewing and Interrogation, Evidence Collection, Handling, and Chain of Custody, Surveillance and Covert Operations, Forensic Science and Technology, Fraud, Financial, and Cyber Investigation, Report Writing, Testimony, and Ethics, and Safety, Risk Management, and Professional Conduct. The Investigative Services case studies are 5 cases and about 2,368 words.
1The Vanishing Refund Queue
You are the lead investigator for a mid-size online retailer. Customer-service data shows 412 refunds totaling 187,400 issued over 14 months by one agent, "M.R." All were coded "goodwill" and none has a matching returned item.
466 words, about 2 min2The Warehouse Fire and the Missing Pallet
A distribution warehouse burns overnight; the fire marshal rules the cause "undetermined" but notes an accelerated burn pattern near aisle 14. Your client, the insurer, suspects arson for profit.
513 words, about 3 min3The Interview That Almost Confessed
You are interviewing T.S., a 19-year-old stockroom employee, about $3,800 missing from a cash office over six weeks. has no record and has never been interviewed by an investigator.
456 words, about 2 min4The Tail That Was Too Good
You are running a covert surveillance on a subject suspected of workers'-compensation fraud. The subject claims a disabling back injury but is suspected of working at a family landscaping business.
476 words, about 2 min5The Report That Wrote Itself
You have completed a workplace theft investigation. stole approximately 12,000 over three months.
457 words, about 2 min