PhotoFax
PhotoFax is a privately held, woman-owned private investigation firm founded in 1988, specializing in insurance fraud surveillance and claims investigation (Workers' Comp, Liability, Long Term Disability) for insurance carriers and TPAs across the continental United States, delivered through W-2 investigators, custom Unmanned Surveillance Vehicles, and the ViewCases platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersHampshire, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What PhotoFax does
PhotoFax, Inc. is a privately held, woman-owned (WBE-certified) private investigation firm founded in 1988 by Karen DeBoer, headquartered in Hampshire, Illinois (originally founded in Elgin, IL). The company specializes in insurance fraud investigations for Workers' Compensation, Liability, and Long Term Disability claims, serving insurance carriers, Third-Party Administrators (TPAs), and insurance enterprises across the continental United States. Its service portfolio comprises six core offerings — Manned Surveillance, Unmanned Surveillance (its signature differentiator), Medical Canvassing, Social Media Investigation, Special Investigations Unit (SIU) services, and Other Investigations — delivered through a fully W-2 employed investigator workforce and a proprietary ViewCases case management platform.
The company's underlying technology centers on custom-built Unmanned Surveillance Vehicles (USVs) equipped with hidden pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras that record 24/7 and are monitored remotely by licensed investigators for 3-7 day deployments. Each investigator's vehicle is fitted with a GPS tracking device that feeds directly into the PhotoFax database, enabling real-time positioning oversight from headquarters. The firm claims a 93% film capture rate since 2012 and an average of 62 minutes of activity captured per case, with 80% of claimants found to be active outside standard surveillance timeframes. Custom surveillance vans and SUVs are provided to every investigator, who operates covertly from the rear of the vehicle. Supporting services include a 70-mile radius medical canvassing protocol, multi-platform digital footprint analysis (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Venmo, Cash App), and court-admissible evidence documentation.
PhotoFax operates a sales-led go-to-market model with dedicated account executives and Field Operations Managers distributed nationwide, assigning cases through the ViewCases platform or direct engagement. Pricing is quote-based with multi-year contract structures; no public pricing tiers exist. Revenue is generated entirely through professional services fees, with no disclosed unit economics, funding history, or external investors — the company has been continuously privately held under founder-CEO Karen DeBoer for 37 years. Management includes a deep bench of long-tenured executives (COO Chris Henkle at 33 years, CSO John Wichmann at 15 years) and a growing account executive salesforce. The firm maintains thought leadership through the SIU Today Podcast (launched December 2024) hosted by CSO Wichmann and a LinkedIn-driven content strategy.
PhotoFax firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PhotoFax
- Legal name
- PhotoFax, Inc.
- Website
- https://photofax.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- PhotoFax is a privately held, woman-owned private investigation firm founded in 1988, specializing in insurance fraud surveillance and claims investigation (Workers' Comp, Liability, Long Term Disability) for insurance carriers and TPAs across the continental United States, delivered through W-2 investigators, custom Unmanned Surveillance Vehicles, and the ViewCases platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where PhotoFax is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hampshire
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
PhotoFax business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Investigation Services: PhotoFax generates revenue through providing investigative services to insurance carriers and enterprises, including manned surveillance, unmanned surveillance, medical canvassing, social media investigations, and Special Investigations Unit (SIU) services for Workers Compensation, Liability, and Long Term Disability claims.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Case-based investigation services |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
PhotoFax product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PhotoFax is a private investigation firm specializing in surveillance and investigative services for insurance carriers and enterprises, with a primary focus on Workers Compensation, Liability, and Long Term Disability claims. The company provides manned surveillance, unmanned surveillance via custom-built Unmanned Surveillance Vehicles (USVs) with PTZ cameras, medical canvassing, social media investigations, Special Investigations Unit (SIU) services, and other desktop investigations, delivered by full-time W-2 licensed investigators across the continental United States.
Product overview
PhotoFax is a private investigation firm specializing in insurance fraud investigations for Workers Compensation, Liability, and Long Term Disability claims. The company offers a unified service portfolio of six core investigative services: Manned Surveillance (physical surveillance using custom vehicles), Unmanned Surveillance (remote PTZ camera vehicles), Medical Canvassing (medical facility investigations), Social Media Investigation (digital footprint analysis), Special Investigations Unit (SIU - including alive/well checks and statements), and Other Investigations (background checks, locates, employment verification). Services are delivered through a proprietary case management platform called ViewCases. The company employs W-2 investigators and operates custom surveillance vehicles nationally across the continental United States.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Manned Surveillance Physical surveillance conducted by licensed, full-time W-2 investigators using custom surveillance vans and SUVs equipped with HD cameras and GPS tracking to discreetly capture video evidence of subjects for insurance claim verification.
- Unmanned Surveillance Custom-built Unmanned Surveillance Vehicles (USVs) equipped with hidden PTZ (Pan/Tilt/Zoom) cameras that record 24/7, monitored remotely by licensed investigators for 3-7 days to capture claimant activity continuously.
- Medical Canvassing Investigation service that canvasses hospitals, pharmacies, and medical facilities within a 70-mile radius of a claimant's residence to verify medical history and detect pre-existing injuries or undisclosed treatments.
- Social Media Investigation Research and analysis of claimants' social media accounts across platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Venmo, Cash App, and others to identify inconsistencies in reported claims.
- Special Investigations Unit (SIU) Specialized investigations including alive and well checks, incident scene investigations, recorded statements, AOE/COE investigations, and in-person subject contact for insurance carriers and TPAs.
- Other Investigations Desktop investigations including background and activities checks, asset checks, locates, employment verification, medical records retrieval, vehicle sighting reports, gym canvass, and records checks.
- ViewCases Online case management platform enabling clients to view cases and assign new cases for investigation, supporting service delivery alongside the firm's investigative offerings.
Quantifiable outcome
- 93% film capture rate since 2012
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use PhotoFax
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
PhotoFax technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
PhotoFax partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
PhotoFax competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Pinkerton: Pinkerton is one of the largest global corporate security and investigations firms, with insurance fraud surveillance as a core offering. Comparable to PhotoFax in serving insurance carriers and offering surveillance services, but operates at a much larger scale across multiple corporate security segments globally.
- Kroll: Kroll is a global investigations, security, and due diligence firm serving corporations, law firms, and financial institutions. While broader in scope than PhotoFax, Kroll's insurance investigation services and corporate due diligence overlap with PhotoFax's surveillance and investigation offerings.
- Control Risks: Control Risks is a global risk consultancy offering investigations, due diligence, and security services to multinational corporations. Comparable to PhotoFax in the investigations domain, but with a stronger corporate due diligence and political risk focus.
Direct peers
- EFI Global: EFI Global is an engineering and forensic investigation firm serving insurance carriers with fire, origin, cause, and fraud investigations. Directly comparable to PhotoFax in serving the same insurance carrier customer base with investigation services, though with a stronger engineering/forensic focus.
- Donan: Donan is a forensic investigation firm specializing in fire, origin, cause, and equipment failure investigations for the insurance industry. Shares PhotoFax's insurance carrier customer base and investigation service delivery model, with comparable size and operational footprint.
- J.S. Held: J.S. Held is a multi-disciplinary consulting firm offering investigations, forensic accounting, and expert services to insurance carriers and legal clients. Comparable to PhotoFax in providing insurance-focused investigations and similar in size and customer profile.
- Envista Forensics: Envista Forensics is a global forensic investigation firm serving insurance carriers, legal professionals, and corporations. Directly comparable to PhotoFax in providing fraud and claim investigations for the insurance industry, with broader geographic reach.
- Haag Engineering: Haag Engineering is a forensic engineering and consulting firm serving the insurance industry with investigations into structural failures, storm damage, and fire cause. Shares PhotoFax's insurance carrier customer base and investigation service model, with an engineering specialization.
Others
- HireRight: HireRight is a leading background check and employment screening services provider. While focused on employment screening rather than insurance surveillance, HireRight overlaps with PhotoFax's 'Other Investigations' service (background checks, employment verification) and represents a tech-enabled investigation service business model.
- Sterling: Sterling is a background check and identity verification services provider serving employers and gig economy platforms. Adjacent to PhotoFax's 'Other Investigations' service line, Sterling represents a larger-scale, tech-enabled investigation services business model serving enterprise clients.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PhotoFax social profiles
Digital presencePhotoFax compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
PhotoFax financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PhotoFax leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
PhotoFax funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PhotoFax M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PhotoFax
What does PhotoFax do?
PhotoFax is a private investigation firm specializing in surveillance and investigative services for insurance carriers and enterprises, with a primary focus on Workers Compensation, Liability, and Long Term Disability claims. The company provides manned surveillance, unmanned surveillance via custom-built Unmanned Surveillance Vehicles (USVs) with PTZ cameras, medical canvassing, social media investigations, Special Investigations Unit (SIU) services, and other desktop investigations, delivered by full-time W-2 licensed investigators across the continental United States.
Is PhotoFax a public or private company?
PhotoFax is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was PhotoFax founded?
PhotoFax was founded in 1988. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is PhotoFax based?
PhotoFax is headquartered in Hampshire, United States, in the North America region.
How does PhotoFax make money?
One revenue line is on record: investigation Services.
Who are PhotoFax's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Pinkerton, Kroll and Control Risks. Direct peers are EFI Global, Donan, J.S. Held, Envista Forensics and Haag Engineering. Others are HireRight and Sterling.
Does PhotoFax have an API?
No public API is recorded for PhotoFax.