Bug Sweeps Archives - Page 5 of 8 - All in Investigations

Stay in Step with Advances in Technology

Like nearly every other career across the globe, the field of private investigation has been greatly affected by technology. In most instances, those changes are all positive. Though still see cases where surveillance is necessary, we also see more and more clients with a need for our technological expertise. We are highly skilled in the areas of digital forensics. Because we stay informed about every new step taken in the world of technology, we provide an amazing skill set for gathering information and truth. To offer you a more detailed description of how swiftly technology is changing the world, we offer the results of a social experiment conducted by a journalist named Adam Penenberg. When he wrote an article for Forbes 14 years ago, Penenberg [...]

Effective Investigators Keep Wide Array of Resources at Their Fingertips

Once viewed as rather mysterious types who hide behind binoculars and frequently conduct dumpster dives for clues, private investigators have finally made their professional presence in the world. The truth is that private investigators have always been persistent, highly professional and intuitive in their quest for the truth. But now, we add technological advancements, such as digital forensics. Well-informed professionals, such as business owners, attorneys and government officials are educated about the impressive skill set offered by . Our list of clients and referral sources has changed right along with the old stereotypes. As necessary, we provide skills from “yesterday's investigations,” such as surveillance and the face-to-face interviews necessary to gather information. We add new skills, such as digital forensics, social media engineering and research [...]

Private Investigators Combine New with Old Investigative Skills

Have you ever heard a person who has all kinds of abilities be described as a “Jack of all trades?” That term very closely describes the skill set of a private investigator. The only correction is that more women than ever before are now entering this field, so we are careful not to describe our profession in a gender- specific manner. The point is that both male and female private investigators bring amazing skills and abilities to this career and to their clients. Private investigators must be logical thinkers. They must be detail oriented, fast on their feet and willing to be in potentially dangerous situations. Observational skills are also important in this job. None of this is new, of course. The role of a [...]

Look to a Private Investigator and Digital Forensics for Professional Help

received a call from a business owner. He said his new office manager spends an excessive amount of time on the phone. In fact, since some of her job requires her to be away from the office, her phone is company-issued. When she runs work-related errands, she is gone a lot longer than what he would deem necessary. He had already addressed these concerns privately with his new employee. In fact, he had also reminded her that she is still on probation. A couple of weeks later, other office staff told him that the new employee has told co-workers that he made a pass at her during a meeting alone in his office. They also told him that she has plans to file a claim [...]

TSCM Foils Entrepreneurial Voyeur and His Spy Equipment

You’ve all seen the movies, but truth be told, actual real-life situations beat out most all of the movies. Take for instance the situation a recent call brought to . The caller was a professional woman in her 40s who we’ll call Mary – and she was beside herself. Mary had received a call from a friend on the other side of the country telling Mary that she’d been featured in an online porn movie. Mary was VERY certain she had never participated in the production of a porn film and she couldn’t hardly believe there was any truth to it. So her friend sent her the link via email. To her horror, there she was – in her bedroom! That’s when she called . [...]

Fugitive Recovery Agent Aided by Investigators

By the time Joe contacted , he was beyond angry and frustrated. After all, Joe is a well known and well respected bail bondsman. He still believes that good people suddenly find themselves in some not-so-good situations, through no fault of their own. Unfortunately, that is exactly why Joe ended up in a bad situation, which brought him to our office. A male acquaintance of Joe’s called him in the middle of the night, begging to be bailed out of jail. Joe knew the guy from the gym where they both worked out every morning. And so, when the guy tearfully explained that he had wrongly been arrested for dealing cocaine, Joe jumped out of bed and headed to the jail. The guy insisted that [...]

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; [...]

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 [...]

Insider Tips about Cell Phone Spyware

In any given day at the offices of , the phones ring with inquiries about cell phone spying. The conversation starts out that the caller suspects someone is listening to her conversations and she wonders she needs cell phone spyware detection services. We ask about the common signs that spyware has been installed on a mobile device: Is the battery warm when not in use? Is the battery life noticeably diminished each day? Are there small pauses in audible communication when talking? Are there noises; light beeps, tones or clicks, throughout conversations? Is there any sign of flickering or flashing on display or change of brightness on the phone? Is the Internet access slower than usual? And the big question: have you opened any emails [...]