July 2013 - All in Investigations

Missing Heirs or Unknown Heirs Are Traceable with

has a reputation for being able to locate missing heirs or people. Usually it is because a family member is trying to reconnect with another family member who has not been in contact for a long time. But other situations arise where we are asked to find people like the case of the veteran who died not remembering he had an insurance policy and hadn’t seen any family for more than 55 years. The veteran was quite elderly and had moved into a nursing home because he needed care. When he passed, his bank acted as executor and discovered he was the owner of an insurance policy that had been purchased in the late 1940s. It was now worth more than a half a million [...]

Computer Forensics Analysis an Effective Evidence Collection Tool

Computer forensic investigation is becoming more and more a part of many crimes and alleged criminal activities. From activity on websites to chats and email, evidence can be extracted by a computer forensic investigator and by following data extraction protocol, what the forensic computer analysis uncovers can be used in a court of law. Here at , we have operated one of the first computer forensics labs in the nation and have built a reputation on our experience and professionalism. Attorneys know if it’s there, we will find it. With recent whistleblowers stepping forward from the ranks of Bank of America, the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) appears to have been hampered (pun intended) by executives in the bank. The thing is that it [...]

Bug Detection Out of the Office

During nice weather, business is conducted in a lot of places outside the office. Think the golf course or even on a boat. was called about Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM) services from a financial planner’s attorney. His client had suddenly lost several clients to a specific competitor and was suspicious about why – and how. The common denominator was that the financial planner had entertained every one of the lost clients on his boat. Of course they had talked some business and the financial planner believed there must have been a listening device or some sort of spy equipment on the craft. When a TSCM sweep is requested, it is most often for an office or meeting facility. But in reality, a bug sweep can [...]

How Well Do You Remember? Missing Person Investigation Starts with Accurate Information

There are many reasons to find a person from your past. was recently called in on a case involving an elderly man. He wasn’t ill. In fact, he was pretty spry for his age – at least physically. His spirits were pretty low because he had several children he hadn’t had contact with in more than 40 years. He didn’t really think of it as a missing person search, he saw it more as a search for some people he had lost. He had married a girl in the ‘50s when they were both teenagers. Very quickly they had three children. The marriage didn’t last and the couple divorced early in the ‘60s. He hadn’t seen the three children – 2 girls and a boy [...]

Computer Forensic Analysis Solves Business Problems

Computer forensics investigation is not solely limited to the big companies who fear corporate espionage. No, every business has access to cutting edge investigative techniques. Business had been growing for a small fastener manufacturing company. Their bids were consistently being accepted and their pipeline was running full. Until, that is, when all of a sudden, their competitor started winning the majority of bids. Something was wrong or at least the owner smelled something fishy. His attorney contacted to arrange a meeting away from the business. The owner wanted to explore his options because he felt certain someone in his organization was sharing confidential bid information with outsiders – specifically his competitors. Rather than beginning with the potential of a computer forensics analysis, the owner wanted [...]

Accuracy of Initial Information Critical to Due Diligence Investigations

The first step takes in a due diligence investigation or background check is to verify the information we have received on the subject. The online searches or a Google search just take the information given and if that information is inaccurate or incomplete, so are the search results. That’s not how we work. For instance, let’s consider aliases. Aliases are not necessarily covert names used to hide identity in this regard. Aliases are names someone may have legally had at some point in their life: Maiden name Different names from prior marriages Names prior to adoption Names prior to legal name changes Incorrect reporting or typos from various reporting agencies Another important piece of information is a social security number. If a number is transposed [...]

Cell Phone Forensics Exposes Source of Harassing Messages

was recently called into an interesting case that could have easily escalated into violence or a life changed forever. We got a call from an attorney who was representing a couple and their college-age daughter. The daughter was receiving harassing texts, calls and messages on her cell phone. They believed the former girlfriend of a new boyfriend was behind them. Their attorney knew it was possible to peel back the layers to get to an IP address to determine the source, but he didn’t know exactly how. So he called us. Part of the cell phone forensic process means obtaining records from the service provider. You have to use their language and have legal authority to request the records. Communicating and having the most precise [...]

Outside Investigator Can Search for Assets and Answers in Family Disputes

When news stories seem to come out clustered around one topic, it makes it apparent that we need to talk about it. Just over the last couple of weeks, I have seen news reports or documentaries about family disputes and in both situations there were step-parents, siblings and step-siblings at odds with each other about the care of an elderly parent and their subsequent estate. is familiar with these situations. Sometimes a widow or widower is aging and becomes unable to handle their financial or medical care. One of the children is given power of attorney and siblings or other relatives suspect them of mismanaging funds and perhaps even the medical and daily care of the subject. Others in the family suspect they are milking [...]

Cell Phone Records Critical to Defense Attorney’s Arsenal

Cell phone forensics is becoming as important a tool for attorneys as DNA evidence. All you have to do is stand in line at any store or sit in any restaurant to see that most customers are either talking on one or using it to find the best deal or discount coupon. That proliferation of devices creates a window for cell mapping, cell tower triangulation and other cell phone forensics tools that can provide evidence to support guilt or innocence in connection with crimes – and defense of clients. One of the tools mobile phone forensic analysis includes is the use of cellphone records. Records could include a variety of information, including: Records for blocked callers Records for restricted callers Call history Text and email [...]

Monthly Archives: July 2013