Though the recent growth in technology, particularly the internet, has

yielded numerous benefits, various internet crimes have paralleled these

advancements.  It is estimated that nearly 1 out of every 3 households will

fall victim to such white-collar crimes, and even less will report it.  The

reason being: internet crimes are concealed under legitimate activity so

most people do not even realize their victimization, among those that do;

they simply do not know who to report it to. 

One such internet crime that is plaguing society today is“phishing,” defined

 as the fraudulent process by which one acquires sensitive information such

 as usernames, passwords and credit carddetails by posing as a trustworthy

 entity in electronic communication. 

A common example of phishing is sending E-mails, supposedly from the

Internal Revenue Service, to uncover sensitive data from U.S. taxpayers. 

Often the phisher will trick the recipient into revealing confidential

information.  While these emails are well disguised, there is always ways

of telling them apart from the legitimate businesses.  

For example look for misspelled words, this is a common mistake.  Also be

sure to note the URL of the webpage though it may appear to be legitimate,

it might actually link to the phisher’s webpage.  When entering financial

information, make sure that the website is secure, to do this check for an

“s” after the words “http.”  Be smart about the information you give out 

on the internet, don’t fall victim to internet crimes!

While domestic investigations are a tool to ensure a child is safe from

family members, children today face other threats. In many households both

parents leave the house for work while childcare is turned over to third

parties. Even licensed professionals are capable of actions that could

endanger a child.

Complete background checks should always be performed before a parent

allows a nanny to care for the child. Leaving a child in the care of a stranger — 

even one with childcare experience – presents a potential risk.

Day care centers are arguably safer, particularly if staffed by multiple people. 

However, neglect and abuse still occur. Centers might be under investigation by

the state but still allowed to operate, and parents should know a center’s history

before entrusting a child to their care. 

Domestic investigation is inexpensive and discreet. Any citizen who suspects a 

child may not be in a safe environment should not hesitate to contact an 

investigative firm.  It is better to hire and investigator and be wrong than to ignore

the situation.

Trying to find people, especially people who don’t want to be found, is not easy. Tools exist to make a search easier but it is rare an amateur will successfully find someone. For the best chance of success, hire someone who finds people for a living.

Winning the court case means that it has been determined that the other party is at fault and must pay up, but it is rare that the party actually does so. If this person were willing to take responsibility no legal action would have been necessary. 

One popular way of avoiding payment if for the person or corporation involved to hide their money then claim inability to pay. Asset searches are necessary to find the party’s financial resources. Once they money is found then further action can be taken to make sure it ends up in your hands. 

There are countless tricks people use to hide their wealth and that is what makes asset searches so challenging. Techniques can be as simple as withdrawing their savings in cash and burying it in the backyard. People can hide the money in accounts under the name of a child, friend or other willing party. Methods can get as complex as a web of false identities using stolen Social Security numbers.

It is common practice to run complete background investigations on workers from factory line employees to CEO candidates. In fact, the higher a position in the company, the more likely the need for an investigation. 

Calling an applicant’s previous employer is no longer a useful avenue of investigation. Increased liability means that HR departments won’t do any more than confirm that a person used to work there. This applicant might have been fired for embezzlement or assault on a co-worker, and yet their employer can’t admit that to you without risking a lawsuit. 

Not all revelations need to be that dramatic. Falsification of credentials from past work history to college degrees is common at all levels of employment. Discovering this fraud says a lot about the applicant’s character and saves your company embarrassment.

This weekend we worked an infidelity investigation where we were following a husband because his wife thought he was seeing another woman.  After 4-days of surveillance we reported no evidence that the husband saw another woman.

The wife was upset with the results because she still believed that her husband is cheating on her.  We reported our investigative finding and showed the wife video evidence of the husbands activates for the weekend.  She still was not satisfied. 

I feel that anytime you conduct an investigation you need to have clearly defined objectives.   If you have doubts as a spouse provide the investigator with as much information as you have and accept the results of the investigation.

Even if your company is not involved in classified activities, you may still be the target of espionage activities by foreign governments. 

There are a number of laws restricting the export of materials such as encryption software or advanced electronics. Foreign governments will seek other avenues to get access to these products. Any organization that handles restricted items should have a counter intelligence program in place. While this may sound farfetched, there are numerous examples of these operations. For instance, many model rocketry clubs have implemented criminal background checks on new members because terrorist organizations try to infiltrate them to obtain explosives. 

If you have strong evidence of espionage, particularly if criminal or foreign intelligence activities are suspected, then the police or the FBI would be the place to go. However in most cases, companies have no idea that this is happening. Implementing a counter intelligence office sweep is an important first step in discovering these activities.

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Employee theft can range from the occasional box of paper clips to millions of dollars in securities. Embezzlement schemes can be hard to discover, often shielded behind confusing arrays of false identities and fictional bank accounts. Surveillance companies are experts in asset searches that will track the activity. 

Not all counter intelligence is about actions aimed directly at your company. Sometimes your organization can be an incidental victim to other criminal activities. Criminals may be stealing employee Social Security numbers or customer credit card information. Hackers can create hidden areas on your servers to host pirated software, child pornography or other illicit files. Again, it can be difficult to discover these operations without the help of experienced counter intelligence specialists.

When performing a physical security evaluation of a surveyed area, a starting point must be established. It might be the door or a corner of the room. No mater where it is, a SYSTEMATIC examination must be performed of everything on or against the walls, progressing in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction until a complete 360 degree circuit of the room has been completed. When checking items, they should be compared with like items whenever possible for weight and composition. If an item doesn’t seem correct, perform a critical examination, to include X-Ray if necessary.