Fraudish Are You a Robot? AI and Paywalls in Investigations with Rob Gardner
Feb 17, 2026
Rob Gardner, an investigator and lawyer focused on background checks and public records, returns to tackle AI limits and paywalls. He contrasts AI drafting help with where manual legwork still wins. They dig into state-by-state records access, PACER tactics, captcha roadblocks, synthetic identities, and practical research tools investigators rely on.
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Paywalls And Fees Intentionally Thwart Scraping
- Some public sites charge small fees as friction to prevent automated scraping and AI access.
- Gardner notes nominal search costs (e.g., Los Angeles County) act as an effective guardrail against mass scraping.
State Laws Produce Dramatic Transparency Gaps
- State jurisdictions vary widely in corporate transparency; Delaware reveals only registered agents, not owners.
- Gardner highlights Delaware as especially opaque for LLC ownership research.
PACER Yields Deep Investigative Details
- PACER provides full federal case files including complaints, motions, and opinions that reveal deep background detail.
- Rob and Kelly both enjoy digging through PACER to find addresses, assets, and biographical info for investigations.
