Computer Archives - Page 2 of 6 - All in Investigations

Cell Phone Forensics Illuminates Murder

When the nearly naked dead body of a 28-year-old male was discovered in a wooded area near a lake, the local sheriff's department requested an autopsy, announced that a large amount of heroin was found in the young man's blood stream and treated the death as a drug overdose. Quickly, the case was closed. Although the grieving family members were enraged at the actions of local authorities, they gathered to bury the young father of three. But in the weeks following the funeral, they soon discovered that they could not let go of the case. They did not believe the conclusions drawn so quickly by the Sheriff's department. After all, this young man, called Chip by family and close friends, had absolutely no history of [...]

Traditional and Cutting Edge Investigative Techniques Required in Today’s Investigations

When you think about the various ways that some people lie, cheat and steal, certain activities make you immediately decide that a private investigator should be involved. Two examples … When one spouse sees signs of infidelity and suspects an extramarital affair, most of us think about a private investigator. We also think about hiring a private investigator when a business owner suspects his employee of faking a job-related injury and committing workers compensation fraud. But the client base at continues to broaden. We are not limited to certain scenarios where private investigators would be suggested. And so, when a well known company for designer sunglasses suspected a black market traitor in their midst, they contacted the police. But they also hired private investigators. Knowing [...]

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 [...]

Computer Forensics Fights Back

It happens. A disgruntled employee or maybe an ex-spouse posts a pornographic photograph on the web and claims that you are the person in that photo. Immediately, you begin to suffer the consequences of this vicious action. Something of this nature will of course negatively affect your professional life as well as your personal relationships. But how can you possibly fight back and clear your name? If these actions were taken on computers in your company or in your home, where you and your spouse both accessed them and you have ownership, the good news is that you have the opportunity to find the evidence you need to clear your name. Instead of immediately contacting police and waiting, your other, faster option is to contact [...]

Private Investigators Step Up For Investigation

As the use of the Internet evolves, more great ways to educate, entertain and inform the world are constantly being developed and implemented. Unfortunately, there is a downside to all the great ways that computers connect the globe, and that means that more and more criminals seek ways to participate in illegal, untraceable crime through computers. One great example of a greedy opportunist would be Chase Lindsey, a Texas chiropractor convicted last year of $3 million auto insurance fraud. For two years, Lindsey participated in a fairly elaborate rip-off scheme, involving fake auto dealerships and fake patients. He allowed fraudulent chiropractic bills to be created under his name, for treatment that was never provided, on patients that never existed. In addition, Lindsey sent fraudulent settlement [...]

Do You Need a Handwriting Analyst or a Computer Forensics Analyst?

Forgery isn’t always a signature. Generally speaking, forgery is creating a false copy in an effort to defraud someone or something. Through the years, has seen that something to be valuable; money, land, custody or control. A New York man was charged with felonies in two states for allegedly forging checks. But it wasn’t the signature that was forged – it was the amounts of the checks. The signatures were valid, but he was able to cash 13 checks for more than $8,000 over the original check amount. With handwritten checks, it is possible to complete a thorough handwriting analysis to determine if the maker of the check actually wrote the amounts on the check. Sometimes, in medium-sized businesses, the bookkeeper might make out the [...]

Think Computer Forensic Services if you are Concerned about Employee Theft

Employee theft can take many forms, not just stealing cash from the register or lifting product out the backdoor to an associate. In fact, in a recent article on American Express Open Forum, Barry Moltz lists several you might not have even considered, although he says they are common. Set up fake vendor accounts. Steal checks Falsify expense accounts. Buddy punching (timecards) Steal data Most of these can be precluded through strict protocol and a system of checks and balances. If you suspect employee theft, can step in and bring the truth to light. First, computer forensic examination reveals not just documentation to confirm wrongdoing, but also can identify groups of employees conspiring through email and other communications. Even if the employee deletes emails, a [...]

Computer Forensics Investigation Uncovers Facts to Support Ruffled Feathers

Generally when employers find an ambitious employee who really wants to get ahead they jump to give him all the resources they need to do so. And employers know that other employees can get their feathers ruffled. When an employer contacted asking for help, that’s all he thought he had on his hands – ruffled employees. The employer explained that he had hired a salesman who was really ambitious and now other sales personnel were complaining. They were saying he was swooping in and taking their clients and leads before they even had a chance to get an appointment or meet with them. All their sales activity was kept on their computer accounts, but each one was password protected. We called in our computer forensics [...]

Cell Phone Forensic Investigation Finds Evidence to Support Gut Feeling

The owner of an aerospace company that manufactured parts for the government called with some concerns. Recently two of his key sales people had left the company under a cloud of suspicion. The company owner had no tangible proof of wrong-doing, but he had a feeling something wasn’t right. Both of the employees had been with the company for more than seven years and had always been straight up with him. But over the last year he felt his relationship with them changed. There was a distance that had developed and when they both suddenly resigned, it just didn’t feel good. They had left their computers and cell phones that were company issued. He’d had IT look at the computer, but both cell phones were [...]

Computer Forensics Investigations Reveal Truths – Wanted or Not

Computer forensics is not only used for criminal cases, but for civil cases as well. One illustrative case involved a worker who was placed on unpaid leave and then terminated. He filed a lawsuit against his employer alleging violations of the anti-retaliation provision of the False Claims Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as the laws of the state of the occurrence. He told his attorney that several supervisors had conspired against him and that there were emails he had seen to prove it. The attorney obtained subpoenas for the computers of the supervisors and the terminated employee for computer forensics analysis. When the certified computer examiner began the process, he created a digital copy and found something unusual. The unallocated file [...]