May 2014 - All in Investigations

Before You Jump into a Great Investment or Agree to a Short-term Loan to a Friend, Confirm the Truth through a Due Diligence Investigation

As professionals, we tend to see the more negative side of life. But we don’t exactly consider that to be a negative trait. Because we question everything and tend to dig far past the usual surface, can very often smell a rat where no one else would believe it to be true. We approach with caution. We get the facts. And then we make a professional assessment. According to a recent survey conducted by FINRA Investor Education Foundation Report, at least 80% of Americans have been solicited at least once in their lifetime by scam artists. We can skillfully sniff out the scammers with due diligence and background investigation skills. If you are considering an investment of any sort, conduct a due diligence investigation, especially [...]

Theft in the Workplace Belongs in Professional Hands

Theft in the workplace can take many forms and every department is vulnerable. Like many company owners, Ed felt the crunch of the economy. He tried not to get to the point of lay-offs. But eventually, that choice was inevitable. Some guys in production lost their jobs, others lost hours. In fact, within a few months, Ed had to reduce employees and hours in every single department. The morale of those left behind went from low to downright vicious. Ed was doing the best he could do. Then he started to notice that inventory was low, tools were suddenly missing and machinery in the production lines was suddenly out of commission. Ed suspected that his employees were purposefully causing problems; they were sabotaging the machines; [...]

Is it Pain or is it Workers Compensation Fraud?

When their employee of less than six months claimed that her back was severely injured during a fall at work, Mary and Ted were alarmed. After all, their entire company was built on safety. In more than two decades of being in business, an employee had never been hurt on the job. But soon after the woman claimed to be too injured to return to work, Mary and Ted began to smell a rat. They spoke to other employees about the incident. Unfortunately no one had seen the woman actually fall. There was no video to review since Mary and Ted had never seen cameras as a necessity in their place of business. Shortly thereafter, the employee filed for workman’s compensation. Following that, Mary and [...]

When Divorce Threatens Your Financial Future, an Investigation May Level the Field

When Kimberly contacted , she tearfully explained that she was very sure that her husband was having an affair. At first she thought, “I’ll just follow my husband,” but after a few days of the cloak and dagger, she saw she didn’t have the time or experience to do it right. And, if she did uncover more signs of infidelity, what would she do with them? Kim and her husband resided on a 1,200-acre farm. They were surrounded by flat, open land. There was no way for a member of the team to conduct surveillance without being easily detected. After all, if Kim’s husband was indeed a guilty guy, guilty guys constantly look over their shoulder. In addition to the extramarital affair, Kim was certain [...]

Are You Being Watched? GPS vs. Cell Phone Spyware vs. Listening Devices

Debi called to ask that her vehicle be checked for an unauthorized GPS unit. She admits that she has been sneaking around behind Tom’s back (her boyfriend) but it was because she was planning a special birthday event for him. Tom’s best friend, Ryan, let it slip that Tom told him she was at a certain location and there was no way he could have known that. Now she suspects Tom has put a GPS unit on her car and is tracking her movements. When someone asks about bug detection, which includes GPS units, we have to ask a lot of questions. A bug sweep is technically called Technical Surveillance Countermeasures or TSCM. And, frankly, we are discovering that more often than a hidden GPS, [...]

Trends in Private Investigation for 2014

Clearly the investigative world continues to evolve. At we have taken on the latest trends. There is no one investigative technique that is best utilized and blended investigative strategies are more the norm. Two areas where stays on the cutting edge are cellular forensics and social media engineering. For example, the use of digital forensics has become a critical tool in the resource box. We could be doing a cell phone analysis for data recovery or cellular forensics for cellular location evidence. Communication modes from test to email or call logs are all records to substantiate or refute claims of guilt or innocence. Cell phone forensic tools provide facts, not claims. In 2013, industry experts predicted a significant rise in the utilization of mobile device [...]

A Mother’s Wish for a Missing Heir

When the family gathered for the reading of their mother’s will, the adult children were surprised to find that their mother had left a significant amount of money to her youngest child. The reason this was odd? That child, known to have significant mental health issues, had been estranged from the family for years. Yet in the will, the mother left specific instructions. Her other children were asked to find their long lost brother and use the portion of his inheritance to help him get the treatment he so desperately needed. To honor their mother’s dying wish, the other three children made their best efforts to find the missing heir, but found no trail. After all, their brother had been missing from the family photographs [...]

A Background Investigation is Prudent First Step into Politics

Have you considered throwing your hat in the political ring? Maybe to be a school board member? A police chief? A Mayor? Or a state representative? Before you make that decision, you might want to take a quiet little walk down memory lane. If you’re in your wise old fifties or sixties, you might not remember every single place you’ve visited along that lane. And that, my friend, could lead to a big nightmare for you and everyone you love. And so, before you subject yourself to the unforgiving spotlight of public scrutiny, consider making a phone call that will help you hold onto your sanity. Contact the professionals at , to conduct a thorough background investigation on you, our client. Now initially that might [...]

Monthly Archives: May 2014