The sign above, like most, provided only a unlisted mobile phone number. After researching the usual records and still finding nothing to reveal the identity of the mini-mart pay-as-you-go phone owner, this officer decided to call the number and pose as a potential job-seeker.   The person who answered, although suspicious, finally agreed to meet and allow the 'applicant' to fill out an employment application.  The 'employer' directed this officer to a new-home construction site in a very upscale subdivision, just outside this officers jurisdiction,  where several well-known movie-stars and talk-show hosts have their homes. This officer then drove by the specified lot number and recorded the license tags of all three vehicles present.  The three owner-names were then searched on the state web-site which contains free public records searching (like almost all states do) with the Department of Corporations.  The link to search corporate officers and registered agents was used. One name produced a hit!  The President of a framing & dry-wall company, upon receiving his violation notice, called and tried to get out of it until confronted with the evidence gained above.

Here is a simple bit of detective work that took less then 15 minutes! Two signs always together appeared city wide. Typical color-plast and pre-printed: 'Jimmy Buys Houses' and 'Realestate Investors Wanted.' What was not pre-printed was the phone numbers on both. They were written in black marker and the hand-writing was the same!.  First dialing *67 then the number I called the Jimmy Buys Houses number and inquired about being a realestate investor thus establishing the same entity for both signs.  Then each number was googled and msn searched.  One number had no hits but the other hit a web-site called 'Andre Buys Houses' , same phone number as the sign,this 'bandit' website lacking any web-master or privacy links also displayed a e-mail address: 'avisser@____'  Figuring that 'a' might stand for Andre and Visser the last name Andre Visser was googled. Several hits for realestate in the local area were found.  Next state records were researched with the state licensing authority and bingo!  Found his realestate license and principal/mailing address. This was then cross referenced with the county property appraiser. Now I can send out a citation to the office and residence of the end-benefactor of the signs! And 'Jimmy' is not a real person...there is a suprise!....Not!