BC Private Investigator Practice Test 2

All 25 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

1. Does the Privacy Act's exception for investigating crime cover private investigators?

   1. Yes, but only for insurance fraud files handled by licensed firms
   2. No, it covers peace and public officers
   3. Yes, if the PI has a firm licence
   4. Yes, any licensed PI is covered

2. A client asks a PI to install an app that secretly forwards a spouse's calls. What is the legal issue?

   1. Intercepting private communications without consent is a crime
   2. It is legal as long as the couple shares a single family phone plan
   3. It is legal if the client paid for the phone
   4. It is only a breach of the app's terms

3. How reliable is information from a subject's own online profile?

   1. Reliable if it has many followers
   2. Never usable in any investigation
   3. Always accurate, since it is self-reported
   4. Only as reliable as whoever entered it; check it

4. An employer client wants a GPS tracker on a company vehicle an employee drives. What is needed?

   1. Nothing, since trackers are legal
   2. Permission from the employee's spouse or another family member
   3. Written permission from the company that owns it
   4. A court order in every case

5. Who may arrest a person found committing a criminal offence on or in relation to property?

   1. The owner, lawful possessor or someone they authorize
   2. Only the police, and never any private person, owner or agent
   3. Any PI working on any unrelated file
   4. Only a lawyer acting for the owner

6. May a B.C. licensee wear a security uniform while doing private investigator work?

   1. Yes, during daytime surveillance only
   2. Yes, if the client asks for one in writing
   3. No, uniforms are banned for PI work
   4. Yes, if it shows the word INVESTIGATOR

7. According to the YCJA's declaration of principle, on what is the youth justice system based?

   1. Reduced moral blameworthiness, in a separate system
   2. Maximum sentences to deter others
   3. The same rules as the adult system
   4. Punishment by parents at home instead of any court process

8. What should a PI write on an evidence bag they seal?

   1. The client's name and phone number only
   2. Their initials and the date and time collected
   3. The suspected value of the item
   4. Nothing, to keep the item anonymous

9. What is the chain of custody?

   1. The order in which witnesses testify
   2. A lock used on evidence storage rooms
   3. A documented record of who controlled the evidence
   4. A list of every person the PI interviewed during the whole investigation

10. Which source is a prescribed publicly available source under the PIPA Regulation?

    1. A hacked database posted online
    2. A friend's private photo album
    3. A subject's unlisted phone records
    4. A published newspaper or magazine

11. A PI tricks a person into giving consent with false information about the purpose. Is the consent valid under PIPA?

    1. No, consent from deceptive practices is invalid
    2. Yes, if the person signed a form
    3. Yes, as long as the investigation itself had a lawful purpose
    4. Yes, if the client paid for the file

12. What is the best practice for audio when filming surveillance video?

    1. Record without audio
    2. Record audio but delete it later
    3. Always record audio for context
    4. Record audio only at night

13. What is it called when a witness knowingly lies under oath?

    1. Perjury
    2. Contempt
    3. Hearsay
    4. Mischief

14. Under B.C.'s Security Services Act, who is a private investigator?

    1. Any person who looks up public information about a neighbour without being paid
    2. A person paid to seek information on misconduct or whereabouts
    3. A police officer who investigates crimes while on duty in B.C.
    4. A journalist who researches a news story about a company

15. A company wants a PI business licence. Who must hold a full PI worker licence?

    1. Every shareholder
    2. Its accountant
    3. Its manager
    4. Its landlord

16. A subject goes to a funeral during surveillance. What does industry practice advise?

    1. Use judgment, as privacy concerns are higher there
    2. Record the eulogy for the client
    3. Film the subject closely, since a cemetery is a public place
    4. Approach the subject to ask questions

17. A PI tells a witness, 'I work with the police, so you must answer.' Which rule is broken?

    1. Failing to carry a security business licence while out on the job
    2. Using a recorder without a battery backup
    3. Misrepresenting the nature of their legal authority
    4. Failing to report a change of address in time

18. The subject runs a red light during a mobile surveillance. What should the PI do?

    1. Stop at the light and obey traffic law
    2. Use hazard lights and keep following
    3. Call the subject to ask where they are going
    4. Follow through the red light to keep contact

19. A PI finds an error in their surveillance notes. How should it be corrected?

    1. Use correction tape so it looks clean
    2. Black it out completely with a marker
    3. Draw a single line through it and initial it
    4. Tear out the page and rewrite it

20. What is the purpose of covert surveillance?

    1. To make the subject change their routine
    2. To observe without being detected
    3. To question the subject at their front door
    4. To let the subject know clearly that they are being watched

21. Who is exempt from B.C. security licensing for computer-related work?

    1. People who recover deleted data from phones for private investigation files
    2. People who only advise on protecting electronic data
    3. People who track phones for clients
    4. People who sweep offices for bugs

22. What is the burden of proof in a civil lawsuit?

    1. Proof by two independent witnesses
    2. Beyond any possible doubt
    3. The balance of probabilities
    4. Beyond a reasonable doubt

23. If a PI makes a lawful citizen's arrest, how much force is justified?

    1. As much as is necessary, on reasonable grounds
    2. No force at all under any circumstances
    3. Any force, because the arrest is lawful
    4. Whatever amount of force the client has authorized in the contract

24. What should appear at the start of each surveillance report?

    1. A summary of the client's invoice and the PI's hourly rate
    2. Subject's name, file number, date and time
    3. The PI's home address and phone
    4. The subject's credit score

25. A PI treats interview subjects of one religion with more suspicion. Which rule is broken?

    1. The ban on wearing a uniform during PI work
    2. The rule that the licence must be carried at all times while working
    3. The code of conduct duty to treat all persons equally
    4. The duty to report a change of address