Accepting a Case invitation

If a Private Investigator on NearbySpy has invited you to a Case, you will receive an email with an Accept link. Accepting the invitation creates (or attaches to) your Client account, gives you access to the parts of the Case the Investigator chose to share, and starts the working relationship inside the platform. This article walks through that flow.

Before you click Accept

• Confirm the email actually came from your Investigator. The sender domain should be NearbySpy. If anything looks off — a different domain, a Case you do not recognize, an Investigator you have not spoken with — do not click. Reach out to the Investigator directly first.
• Decide which email address you want to use long-term. The address tied to your invitation becomes the address tied to your Client account.

Step 1 — Open the invitation link

The link goes to a NearbySpy invitation page. The page shows the Investigator's name, the Case title, and the role you have been invited as (almost always Client). If you are already signed in as the matching account, the page will offer to accept directly. If you are not signed in, you will be prompted to sign in or create an account.

Step 2 — Sign in or create your Client account

If you already have a NearbySpy account, sign in. If you do not, create one with the email address from the invitation. You can use email and password or sign in with Google — see Signing in with Google for that path. For password rules and account safety, see Password rules and keeping your account secure.

Step 3 — Confirm and accept

Once your account is signed in and the email matches, the Accept button is enabled. Pressing it links your Client account to the Case. You will land on your Client dashboard with the new Case visible.

What happens after you accept

• The Investigator is notified that you joined.
• You can open the Case and see the tabs the Investigator made visible to you. You will not see investigator-only tabs, and you will only see Operations the Investigator marked as visible to you. See Why Evidence or Reports tabs are missing for details.
• Messaging opens with your Investigator. You can send a quick "Got it, thank you" to confirm receipt — see Messaging your Investigator.

If something goes wrong

• The link says it is expired or already used. Invitations have a finite lifetime. Ask the Investigator to re-send.
• The Accept button is disabled. The email on your invitation does not match the account you are signed in as. Sign out, then sign back in with the matching email.
• You land on an Investigator dashboard instead of the Client view. Your account may already be set up as an Investigator. See Why you land on Client vs Investigator dashboard and Choosing between a Client account and an Investigator account.
• You cannot find the Case. Check your email for the original invitation; if the Investigator deleted you from the Case after you joined, it will no longer appear. Reach out through messaging or by phone.

Once you are in, the most useful next step is opening the Case and looking at what is shared with you — start with Viewing shared Evidence as a Client.