Craig Biggs
Founder & CEO
With years of sworn law enforcement experience across two California agencies, Craig Biggs built a career defined by integrity, decisive leadership, and an unwavering commitment to public safety. Rising through the ranks to Sergeant and Acting Lieutenant, Craig developed a deep understanding of criminal investigations, threat assessment, and the command-level decision-making that separates good security professionals from exceptional ones. That foundation doesn't just inform our work; it drives it.
From that platform, Craig took his expertise beyond the badge and into the private sector, successfully building two private investigation and risk management companies from the ground up in two different states. These weren't inherited businesses or franchises; they were created from scratch, client by client, case by case. That entrepreneurial grit, combined with real investigative skill, established a reputation for results that speaks louder than any credential.
Craig's experience doesn't stop at investigation. He has led corporate physical security programs, directed enterprise-level risk management strategies, and managed executive protection details for high-profile principals. He understands the full spectrum of security, from the boardroom to the field, and knows how to design and execute programs that actually work in the real world, not just on paper.
When you partner with Craig Biggs and our team, you're not hiring a consulting firm that learned security from a textbook. You're working with a professional forged in law enforcement, tested in the private sector, and proven across some of the most demanding security environments in the industry. Craig brings command presence, investigative precision, and strategic vision to every client engagement, because anything less simply isn't good enough.
Articles by Craig Biggs
Investigating Franchise Fraud: Protecting Your Brand, Royalties, and Reputation
Franchising is built on a foundation of trust. Franchisors extend their brand, systems, and intellectual property to independent operators, while…
Expanding Our Global Reach: Encyphir Announces Three International Partnerships and a New Law Firm Alliance
At Encyphir Risk Management, our mission has always been to deliver world-class investigative and risk mitigation services to clients navigating an…
FCPA Violations: What Every Company Must Know Before Operating Internationally
Expanding operations across borders opens the door to remarkable growth, but it also exposes companies to one of the most aggressively enforced laws…
Procurement Fraud: Detection and Response for Corporate Teams
Procurement fraud is one of the most damaging and least visible risks facing modern corporations. It hides inside legitimate purchase orders, buried…
Ponzi Scheme Investigations: How Fraud Examiners Unravel the Scheme
Ponzi schemes remain one of the most damaging forms of financial fraud, wiping out retirement savings, corporate reserves, and investor confidence…
Employee Theft: Behavioral Signs and Investigation Triggers
Employee theft is one of the most persistent and costly threats facing businesses today. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners…
How Much Does a Private Investigator Cost? What You'll Actually Pay
Most private investigators in the United States charge between $50 and $150 per hour, with retainers typically ranging from a few hundred dollars for…
How to Hire a Private Investigator: A Step-by-Step Guide
Hiring a private investigator comes down to five steps: verify the license, confirm relevant experience, ask how evidence is documented, get the…
What Does a Private Investigator Actually Do? Services, Limits, and the Law
A private investigator legally gathers information and evidence on behalf of clients: conducting surveillance, running background investigations…
How California and Florida Private Investigator Laws Protect Clients
When you hire a private investigator, you are placing a significant amount of trust in a stranger. You may be sharing sensitive personal details…
Drug and Alcohol Issues in the Workplace: Investigation and Response
Substance abuse in the workplace is one of the most persistent and costly issues facing employers today. According to the National Safety Council…
What to Look For When Vetting a Licensed Investigator
When your organization faces a sensitive matter, whether it involves suspected employee misconduct, a high-stakes acquisition, or a potential data…
When Does Surveillance Become Stalking? A Legal Breakdown
When Does Surveillance Become Stalking? A Legal Breakdown Surveillance is one of the most powerful tools available to businesses, attorneys, and…
Wiretapping Laws and Private Investigators: What's Legal in 2026
Wiretapping Laws and Private Investigators: What's Legal in 2026 In an era where conversations happen across phones, video conferencing platforms, and…
Hidden Marriages & Cohabitation: How a Private Investigator Helps Stop Unfair Alimony Payments
Alimony is meant to provide financial stability to a former spouse who needs support after a divorce. But what happens when that ex-spouse quietly…
Protecting an Elderly Parent: How a Private Investigator Can Help Stop Family Exploitation
Watching an aging parent grow vulnerable is hard enough. Watching a relative quietly drain their bank accounts, isolate them from family, or…
How Encyphir Supports Business Litigation as an Investigative Partner
How Encyphir Supports Business Litigation as an Investigative Partner Business litigation is rarely won on legal arguments alone. Behind every…
The Future of Facial Recognition in Private Investigations
The Future of Facial Recognition in Private Investigations Facial recognition technology has moved from science fiction to standard tooling in just…
Night Surveillance: Techniques and Legal Considerations for Business Clients
Night Surveillance: Techniques and Legal Considerations When the sun goes down, investigative work becomes exponentially more complex. Reduced…
How to Check if Someone Has a Criminal Record: A Professional Guide
In today's risk-driven business environment, knowing who you are dealing with is no longer optional. Whether you are hiring a new executive, entering…
The Role of Body Language in Investigative Interviews
In any investigative interview, the words spoken are only part of the story. Skilled investigators know that the human body often communicates what…
Multi-State Private Investigations: What Businesses Need to Know About Licensing and Reciprocity
When a corporate matter crosses state lines, the investigation must follow. A fraud scheme rarely confines itself to one jurisdiction, a missing…
Florida Private Investigator Licensing Requirements: What You Need to Know
Florida is one of the most regulated states in the country when it comes to private investigation. Whether you are considering a career in the field…
Licensing Requirements in California for Private Investigators: What You Need to Know
Hiring a private investigator is a serious decision, and in California, the stakes are high when it comes to ensuring the professional you hire is…
Sub Rosa Surveillance: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It Matters
In the world of private investigations, few tools are as powerful or as misunderstood as sub rosa surveillance. Derived from the Latin phrase meaning…
GPS Tracking Laws in California and Florida: What Businesses and Investigators Need to Know
GPS tracking technology has become an invaluable tool for businesses, fleet managers, and licensed investigators. From monitoring company vehicles to…
One-Party vs. Two-Party Consent: What Every Business Needs to Know About Recording Laws
Recording a phone call, capturing a conversation during a workplace investigation, or conducting lawful surveillance all hinge on one critical legal…
Private Investigators Using Drones for Surveillance: What You Need to Know
The Rise of Drone Technology in Private Investigations Drone technology has transformed industries ranging from agriculture to filmmaking, and the…
Criminal Record Checks: What Employers Can and Can't Ask
Hiring the right people is one of the most important decisions any organization makes. A single bad hire can lead to financial loss, reputational…
The Art of Tailing: How Professional Investigators Conduct Mobile Surveillance
When most people hear the word "tailing," their minds jump to dramatic car chases in Hollywood films. Professional mobile surveillance is far more…
How Private Investigators Help Law Firms with Litigation Support
When a case goes to trial, the strength of an attorney's argument depends on the quality of the evidence behind it. Legal teams invest countless hours…
How to Respond to an EEOC Charge: A Practical Guide for Employers
Receiving an EEOC charge of discrimination is unsettling. How your organization responds in the first weeks can shape the outcome. The Equal…
How to Find a Private Investigator Near Me: A Guide for Businesses and Individuals
When you realize you need a private investigator, the first instinct is simple: open a search engine and type "PI near me." But finding a qualified…
Life Insurance Fraud: Common Schemes and How They're Caught
Life insurance fraud costs the industry billions of dollars each year. Those losses ripple outward to affect insurers, employers, policyholders, and…
Child Custody Investigations: What Parents Need to Know
When your child's well-being is at stake, emotions run high. So do the stakes. Child custody disputes are among the most sensitive legal matters a…
What Is a Hostile Work Environment? Legal Standards and How Investigations Work
Not every uncomfortable or unpleasant workplace qualifies as a legally hostile work environment. People often use the term informally to describe any…
Insurance Fraud Investigators in Nevada and California
Insurance fraud doesn't recognize state lines, but insurance fraud investigation does. Licensing, privileged-information access, surveillance privacy…
Nationwide and Multi-State Insurance Investigations
Claims don't stay in one state. A California carrier has insureds who move to Nevada. A workers' comp file in Oregon includes a claimant who now lives…
Surveillance Investigators in Nevada and California
Nevada and California are the two highest-volume surveillance markets in the western U.S. They sit on opposite sides of several important rule sets…
Third-Party Liability and Subrogation in Claims
When a workers' comp, property, or first-party claim involves a liable third party, the carrier's subrogation right can recover significant dollars…
Apportionment and Pre-Existing Conditions in Workers' Comp
Pre-existing conditions don't defeat workers' compensability, but they almost always shape it. Apportionment determines what share of the claimant's…
FCRA and GLBA Compliance for Insurance Investigations
Permissible purpose is the legal foundation of modern insurance investigation. Get it right and your evidence stands up. Get it wrong and the…
NICB, ISO ClaimSearch, and How Carriers Share Fraud Intelligence
Most large insurance fraud cases are not solved by looking at a single claim in isolation. They get solved, or significantly accelerated, by cross…
Red Flags That Should Trigger Surveillance on a Claim
Not every claim justifies surveillance, and not every red flag does either. But a well-established set of signals exists across workers' comp…
Building an Insurance Fraud Case File That Holds Up
A fraud investigation only produces value if the resulting file can actually be used. It needs to support a denial, a rescission, a reduced-value…
Prior Claims History and ISO ClaimSearch in Claim Investigation
A claimant's prior claims history is among the most valuable pieces of information on any claim investigation. Repeat injuries, prior property losses…
Surveillance Cost: Hourly, Day, and Flat Rates Explained
"How much is this going to cost?" is one of the first questions adjusters ask, and it's a reasonable one. Surveillance isn't a single product at a…
Admissible Surveillance Video: Chain of Custody and Authentication
Surveillance video that was captured well but preserved poorly can get excluded at trial. That's a miserable outcome for a carrier or defense team…
Insurance Application and Premium Fraud
Most insurance fraud investigation focuses on the claim. But a meaningful share of fraud happens before the loss, at the application and underwriting…
Witness Interviews in Insurance Claims
Witness interviews are a different discipline from recorded statements. Witnesses aren't parties to the claim. They may or may not want to cooperate…
Disability Fraud Investigations: LTD, STD, and SSDI
Disability claims are particularly fraud-prone. This includes long-term disability (LTD), short-term disability (STD), and Social Security Disability…
Prior Claims and Litigation History in Insurance
Prior claims history is one of the strongest predictors of current-claim fact patterns. A claimant with multiple prior soft-tissue claims across…
Scene Investigations for Workers' Comp Claims
Scene investigation is foundational for workers' comp and general-liability claims where physical facts drive the outcome. Photographs, measurements…
Surveillance and Privacy Law, State by State
Surveillance privacy law is state law. What's lawful in Nevada may not be lawful in California. A responsible insurance investigator knows the rules…
Counter-Surveillance: How Claimants Realize They're Being Watched
Counter-surveillance is a bigger factor in insurance surveillance than most adjusters realize. It happens when a subject realizes they're being…
Medical, Pharmacy, and Life Insurance Fraud Investigations
Medical, pharmacy, and life insurance fraud sit at the intersection of healthcare regulation, financial crime, and traditional insurance investigation…
Recorded Statements: Technique, Ethics, and Admissibility
Recorded statements are a vital investigative tool in insurance claims, and one of the most commonly mishandled. A well-taken statement locks in a…
Undisclosed Employment and Gig Work Investigations
Undisclosed employment is one of the highest-ROI investigation categories in insurance claims. A claimant on workers' comp indemnity may run a cash…
When to Hire an Independent Workplace Investigator
Most HR departments handle employee complaints as a routine part of their work. Performance disputes, policy violations, and interpersonal conflicts…
Homeowners and Property Insurance Fraud: AOB, Water, and Storm Schemes
Homeowners and property insurance fraud clusters around a small set of recurring schemes. Most are soft fraud: inflating otherwise legitimate claims…
Surveillance Types: Stationary, Mobile, Drone, and Team Operations
Insurance surveillance takes many forms. The right setup depends on the subject, the environment, and the evidentiary question. Matching the…
California's 90-Day Rule and Good-Faith Investigation
California Labor Code 5402 requires an admitted insurer to deny a workers' compensation claim within 90 days of the date the claim form is filed. If…
Auto Insurance Fraud: Staged Accidents, Arson, and Owner Give-Ups
Auto insurance generates more fraud referrals, by volume, than any other line. Carriers process a huge number of auto claims, and auto schemes are…
Red Flags on Workers' Comp Claims
Experienced workers' comp claim handlers and SIU analysts build a mental checklist of red flags that prompt closer investigation. Most red flags aren…
Activity Check vs. Surveillance: Which Does Your Claim Need?
Adjusters frequently ask the same question: should I order an activity check or full sub rosa surveillance? They're related tools, but they answer…
AOE/COE Defenses: Intoxication, Horseplay, and Willful Misconduct
Several affirmative defenses can defeat workers' compensability even where the general AOE/COE requirements appear satisfied. The ones that come up…
Is It Legal to Put a Tracker on Someone's Car? What Businesses and Individuals Need to Know
When suspicions arise, GPS tracking often seems like the most straightforward solution. This applies to corporate asset protection, fleet management…
Workers' Compensation Fraud: A Full Investigation Guide
Workers' compensation is one of the largest single areas of insurance fraud investigation. Fraud here doesn't come from just one direction. It can…
Going and Coming, Special Mission, and Other AOE/COE Doctrines
The going and coming rule is one of the most invoked, and most misunderstood, doctrines in workers' comp compensability analysis. It excludes ordinary…
Hard vs. Soft Insurance Fraud: What's the Difference?
Insurance fraud is one of the largest forms of financial crime in the United States. The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud estimates U.S. insurance…
Workers' Comp Surveillance: When to Order It and What It Proves
Workers' compensation surveillance is one of the oldest and most reliable insurance investigation tools. Its cost-effectiveness depends almost…
The AOE/COE Investigation Process, Step by Step
An AOE/COE investigation is the core of workers' comp compensability analysis. This post walks through the step-by-step process we run from referral…
Asset Searches for Subrogation and Post-Judgment Recovery
Winning a subrogation case or civil judgment without collecting the money produces a file number and not much else. Asset investigation is where…
Insurance Fraud Red Flags and Common Schemes
Red flags are not proof of fraud. They are prompts to investigate. When enough red flags stack up on a single claim, or when one flag is strong enough…
The Sub Rosa Investigation Process, Step by Step
A sub rosa investigation is not just "go follow the claimant around." Done properly, it follows a disciplined process from referral to report. Cutting…
AOE/COE Explained: Arising Out of and Course of Employment
"AOE/COE" is the shorthand every workers' compensation adjuster, defense attorney, and claims investigator uses dozens of times a day. It's also one…
Claimant Background Investigations for Insurance
A claimant background investigation is different from a pre-employment background check. The scope is broader, the purpose is different, and the…
How to Investigate Insurance Fraud: The SIU Playbook
Insurance fraud investigation looks like a single discipline from the outside. From the inside, it's four or five overlapping disciplines: claim file…
What Is Sub Rosa Surveillance? Definition, Legality, and Use
"Sub rosa" is Latin for "under the rose," a centuries-old expression for something done secretly or confidentially. In insurance investigation, sub…
Workplace Retaliation: How to Recognize It and What to Do
Retaliation is the most commonly cited basis for EEOC charges in the United States. It surpasses even race and sex discrimination as a standalone…
What Counts as Sexual Harassment at Work, and How Investigations Work
Workplace sexual harassment is one of the most misunderstood areas of employment law. Employees are sometimes unsure whether what they experienced…
Types of Workplace Discrimination and How Each Is Investigated
Workplace discrimination takes many forms, and each requires a distinct investigative approach. Federal law defines protected classes and sets out…
How to Find Out If Someone Has a Criminal Record: A Practical Guide
Researching someone's criminal history is a practical skill, whether you are a business conducting due diligence, an employer assessing a candidate…
What Happens During a Workplace Investigation?
When a workplace complaint is filed alleging harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or other misconduct, most employees and many managers have only…
Analyst Reports, Review Sites, and Customer Voice as Intelligence Sources
Industry analyst reports and software review sites occupy an odd place in competitive intelligence. They are among the most-cited sources in any…
The Complete Guide to Pre-Employment Background Screening
Pre-employment background screening is one of the most important steps in any hiring process, and one of the most frequently misunderstood…
How to Protect Your Identity and Remove Your Personal Data From the Internet
Your personal information sits on hundreds of data broker websites, public record databases, and aggregator services. Most of these you have never…
Types of Cheating in Relationships: From Physical Affairs to Micro-Cheating
Infidelity is not a single, clearly defined act. The word "cheating" covers a wide range of behaviors. What counts as cheating varies between…
Healing After Infidelity: A Practical Guide to Recovery
Discovering that a partner has been unfaithful is one of the most painful experiences in adult life. The betrayal destabilizes things most people…
Strategic Surveillance and Early Warning: Systems for Boards and Executives
Strategic surveillance is the continuous, disciplined scanning of the operating environment for signals that should change a leadership team's plans…
How to Catch a Cheating Spouse: What Actually Works
Suspecting a cheating spouse is one of the hardest situations a person can face. The uncertainty is often as painful as a confirmed answer would be…
The Psychology of Cheating: Why People Are Unfaithful
Understanding why people cheat does not excuse infidelity. It does help people make sense of something that otherwise feels incomprehensible. When a…
Infidelity Statistics: How Common Is Cheating and What the Research Actually Shows
Infidelity is one of the most common reasons marriages end. Yet accurate statistics are surprisingly difficult to pin down. People lie to researchers…
Emotional Cheating: What It Is, Why It Happens, and How to Recognize It
Emotional infidelity is one of the most debated and misunderstood forms of unfaithfulness. Unlike physical affairs, it leaves no obvious evidence…
GPS Tracker Detection: How to Find a Hidden Tracking Device on Your Vehicle
Hidden GPS trackers are common surveillance tools in domestic disputes, workplace investigations, insurance fraud cases, and stalking situations. They…
TSCM Explained: Technical Surveillance Countermeasures and Why They Matter
Technical Surveillance Countermeasures, or TSCM, is the professional discipline of detecting and neutralizing electronic surveillance threats. It was…
Bug Sweep Services: How to Detect Listening Devices in Your Home or Office
Listening devices have changed dramatically over the last decade. What once required professional-grade equipment to plant is now available for under…
How to Find Hidden Cameras in Airbnb, Hotels, and Rental Properties
Hidden cameras in vacation rentals, hotel rooms, and short-term stays are a real and growing problem. Reports of guests finding covert recording…
Market Reconnaissance: A Field Guide to New Market Entry
Market reconnaissance is the structured investigation of a market before a company commits meaningful capital to it. Done well, it answers the…
Nationwide PI Firm vs. Local Investigator: Which Is Right for Your Case?
School districts, law firms, and corporations that need a private investigation face an early decision. Should they hire a local private investigator…
Private Investigator License Reciprocity by State
License reciprocity is the arrangement by which a professional license issued in one state is recognized as valid in another. It is a common feature…
Can Private Investigators Work Across State Lines?
Multi-state investigations are a practical reality for many clients. A school district may have students who cross state lines for school. A…
Do Private Investigators Need to Be Licensed in Every State?
Licensing requirements for private investigators vary significantly from state to state. Whether a PI needs a license in every state where they work…
Background Investigations for Attorneys: Uses in Litigation and Client Matters
Background investigations are a routine tool in litigation practice, and they apply across practice areas. Attorneys use them to understand an…
Expert Witness Preparation: What Attorneys Should Know
Expert witness preparation is a nuanced part of trial preparation. Done well, it produces witnesses who testify clearly, withstand cross-examination…
How Private Investigators Support Law Firm Cases
Private investigators and law firms have a natural partnership. Attorneys provide the legal strategy and courtroom execution. Investigators provide…
Mediation vs. Arbitration: Key Differences Attorneys Should Know
Mediation and arbitration are the two most common forms of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Attorneys frequently advise clients on whether to use…
What Is Litigation Support and How Does It Help Attorneys?
Litigation support covers the full range of services and resources that help attorneys prepare and try cases. It is not a single service but a…
Legal Document Management Best Practices for Law Firms
Legal document management is an operational challenge that directly affects case outcomes. Files that cannot be located, documents produced without…
Court Reporting Services: What Attorneys Need to Know
Court reporters create the official record of legal proceedings. Depositions, trials, hearings, and arbitrations all depend on accurate transcription…
How to Find and Vet an Expert Witness
Expert witnesses can determine the outcome of cases. A well-qualified, credible expert who communicates clearly changes what juries and judges believe…
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