4th of July Surveillance Pros and Cons4th of July Surveillance Pros and Cons

Is the 4th of July a good time to conduct surveillance?

The days leading up to the 4th of July holiday are usually filled with insurance examiners and law firms reaching out to their private investigator to set up surveillance. The idea is that the 4th of July is great time to get a subject out and active.

This commonly occurs when there are open claims and litigation involving subjects that haven’t been investigated in a while or there are some lingering concerns about the subject because they have been missing treatment appointments and cancelling scheduled doctors’ appointments.

In our experience there are some reasons why surveillance on the 4th of July can be beneficial and some reason why it poses some challenges.

Pros:

  • The subject might engage in activities that they wouldn’t normally. (Parades, Runs, Surfing, Beach, Golf, etc.)
  • When the 4th of July occurs on a weekend you have multiple days to conduct surveillance.
  • Due to increased traffic and commotion, it can be easier to setup and blend in neighborhoods that are suspicious of unknown vehicles.

Cons:

  • Many people take off for the whole week or weekend leading up to or after the 4th of July so if you setup after they leave town you are sitting on an empty house.
  • The traffic during the 4th of July holiday can make it difficult to maintain visual contact on the roads and freeways.
  • The activity pattern of a subject during the 4th of July is often very different than a typical weekend. This means they might leave very early in the morning or late at night.
  • If the subject is hosting a party or gathering at their house it is often difficult to document activities as they are occurring inside or in a private backyard.
  • The subject might leave their residence in a vehicle that they don’t normally drive, which makes it more difficult to follow.
  • Alternate transportation might be utilized due to the warm weather (Bikes, Scooter, Electric Scooter, Golf Cart), which can poses challenges for following and maintaining visual contact.

In our 35 plus years investigating workers’ compensation claims and fraud we have conducted thousands of surveillance investigations.  Our experience tells us that profiling a subject, developing a solid plan, and using an experienced field investigator are key to getting useful video footage of a subject’s activities. The more frequent the surveillance efforts occur the more likely you are to get a true picture of the subject’s activities, or lack thereof.

If you elect to conduct surveillance on the 4th of July weekend you want to be sure that your private investigator has developed a solid profile for the subject before starting surveillance.

A pre-surveillance profile and background check should include the following.

  • Verifying a home address
  • Developing vehicles/plates that the subject drives
  • Obtain a photograph or description of the subject
  • Social Media Research (Determine locations the subject frequently visits)
  • Establish who lives with the subject (Spouse, Kids, Cousins, etc.)
  • Determine best setup location and if you need more than one surveillance operative

If you have any questions about surveillance strategies on a case you are handling please let us know.

Santoni Hires Nichole Dennis as Director of Sales – Background ScreeningNichole Dennis

Lake Forest, Calif.—  Santoni, a professional background screening, risk mitigation, and investigation company.  They recently brought on Nichole Dennis as the Director of Sales for their Employment Background Screening division.  Nichole has extensive experience in meeting the needs of human resources professionals and businesses through her customized approach.  Nichole has spent more than 10 years working for companies that offer Employment Background Screening Services. Nichole was most recently a Sales Executive at Background Screeners of America (BSA) and has also has worked for AccuSource.  Nichole has joined the Santoni Team and has been charged with growing the employment background screening business.

“As we look to grow our employment background screening division, we need the expertise, insight, and industry experience that Nichole brings,” says Tim Santoni, President of Santoni. “Nichole brings a vast amount of insight and will be an excellent resource to our clients and our team,” says Tim Santoni.

Santoni is a member of the Professional Background Screening Association of America (PBSA).

workers comp claims coronavirusWorkers’ Comp Claims… During and After the Coronavirus

Right now, there are many people that continue to work and expose themselves to the Coronavirus. I am talking about law enforcement, first responders, doctors, nurses, grocery store workers, pharmacists and many other essential services.  What will happen if and when these workers file workers’ compensation claims if they contract the coronavirus. Here is my take on Workers Comp Claims, during and after the coronavirus.

First off we should be VERY thankful that these people and the companies they work for are continuing to operate. This awful pandemic that is sweeping across the US and the world is leaving a wake that is impacting everyone.

I wanted to discuss how the Coronavirus will impact employers when it comes to Workers’ Compensation Claims during and after the coronavirus pandemic.  If an employee contracts the virus in the course and scope of work how will employers, health care providers and insurance companies deal with these claims?  Will there be people that take advantage and lie about how they were exposed to the virus?

Will the exposure trigger a Workers’ Compensation Claim?  Will the carriers investigate these claims, deny them or just accept them?  The coverage issues that will arise will likely be litigated for years to come so stay tuned.

In my experience there will be employees that will take advantage of the situation especially if layoffs occur.  Employers will get frustrated with these claims because they can and will impact their premiums.  This means that there will be litigation.

If there is litigation, then there will be a need for investigation.  The important thing to remember is that investigating these things after getting notice of a claim or upon notice of litigation will pose tremendous challenges.

My recommendation is to document anything and everything you are hearing from your employees, managers and executives as it relates to employees having any exposure to virus.  Please take the CDC guidelines seriously and make sure your managers are following through so that potentially infected employees are not interacting with your partners, employees or contractors.

The best defense in these types of cases is documented evidence that tells the story.  There haven’t been similar events in the past that we can look to for guidance on how to handle things today.

I am going to throw out a few investigative tools and techniques that I think will be useful once claims related to the Coronavirus are filed.  When it comes to contracting the Coronavirus, it is all about where people were and who they interacted with.

The first investigative tool that comes to mind would be a vehicle sightings report.  This type of report could tell you where the employee was when they allegedly contracted the virus.  Were they at home?  Were they meeting with a customer?  Were they on a job site?  These are all questions that need to be answered if we are looking to determine if the virus was contracted in the course and scope of employment.

Another investigative tool that can uncover useful evidence would be Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and social media research/preservation. What is the employee saying on social media about the virus?  Who are they interacting with and where? Are they talking about how a family member or person they reside with tested positive?  There are unlimited possibilities when it comes to social media research.

What trends do you see when it comes to investigations of Workers Comp Claim During and After the Coronavirus? Please leave your comments below.

If you have any suggestions or questions, please let me know.

Court ClosuresHow are background checks impacted by the court closures?

We are really navigating through some uncharted waters.  The court closures that are sweeping across the United States are necessary to protect people from the COVID19 pandemic.  Background checks will be impacted by court closures.  The challenge is that with the courts being closed for hearings, trials and filings this also means that background screening researchers cannot access the public terminals required to conduct searches and verify information in criminal cases.

This will inevitably cause the background screening process to slow down for those searches that go beyond a database check.  The reason is that if a record is found in a database search needs to be verified there is no way to complete the verification.  If the county being searched is not available for online searching, then a physical search must be completed just to see if records exist.

This means that for employers in compliant industries like HEALTHCARE and TRANSPORTATION that need to stay operational and need to hire new employees during the COVID19 pandemic there could be challenges in the background screening process.

There are some things that can be done to get around the issues that the court closures cause.  First if you can conduct a statewide criminal search you should do it.  These searches aren’t as current or updated as the county level searches, but they are an option.  In states like California a statewide search doesn’t exist, but in states like Michigan and Washington they are an option.

If an employer elects to conduct a National Criminal database only or a statewide database search to avoid the issues caused by the court closures, they need to be aware that they could be missing out on records that should be reported.  One suggestion would be to conduct your National Criminal database search and then conduct re-screens after 1-year, 2-years or 3-years of employment assuming you have this policy documented in your company handbook.

If you have any questions or suggestions please let us know.

 

Unoccupied Businesses need security camerasIf your business is being left unoccupied…your Security Cameras are crucial

If your business is being left unoccupied or you have reduced work hours then having security cameras to document activities in and around your business is critical.  If you have security cameras in place, you need to take immediate steps to insure they are operational and that they are being backed up.

Due to the fact that many businesses are being forced to close valuable assets are being left unattended.  Your trucks, machinery, equipment, raw materials and finished products are enticing to criminals.

Unfortunately, in these situations fraudsters and criminals look to take advantage of the situation.  If your camera system is operational it is like have a virtual security guard.  Make sure your camera system is working well and that you have turned on notifications so you can be notified if there is activity during specific time periods or in locations where no one should be at all.

You should also contact your neighboring businesses and share this information with them.  If they have a camera system in place, they might have visibility to people and vehicles that are accessing your facility as well.

Be on alert for vehicles that seem to be canvassing the area where your business is located.  This means they are slowly and consistently driving by or parking on a nearby street to gain information about traffic patterns, accessibility, etc.

If you or anyone on your team sense that you are being targeted, you should contact law enforcement.  Document the vehicle make, model and color along with the license plates if possible.

If your security cameras or personnel are able to get a license plate off of a vehicle or truck, there are investigative resources available to determine who owns the vehicle.

For enterprise solutions to monitor your cameras, access systems and much more have a look at RAS Watch.

 

What do free online background checks really tell you?What do free online background checks tell you

We all find ourselves becoming online detectives.  There is so much information available via social media and other websites that provide arrest records, court records and public records.  It’s too tempting not to conduct your own investigation since these tools are all free.

WHEN/WHY?:
There are so many situations in our dailies lives that prompt us to question people and send us diving online to conduct our own investigations.  Maybe you have a new boyfriend or girlfriend and you have heard about their troubled past. Or you are curious about your neighbors or future neighbors?  A red flag has gone up about a new relationship that your elderly parent might be involved with.  It is human nature to be curious and investigate.

TOOLS:
There are also some really well advertised tools out there that give you a snapshot of what kind of records might be out there on someone.  They give you a glimpse of possible criminal records, create fear and then ask you to buy a full background report for $30.  The sites I am talking about are Intelius and Truthfinder.  These sites claim to be comprehensive in their research and make it look like they are accessing records and databases all over the place.

BEWARE:
I want to point a few issues with these sites that hopefully give you better insight.  There is no such thing as a comprehensive national criminal search or database.  In order for such a database to exist every court at the state, county and federal level would have to make their records available online in real time without any access fees and this just isn’t the case.  The records that these sites show you are typically matching on name only.  This means if the person you are investigating has a common name you will likely get a lot of records that don’t pertain to your subject.  Additionally, the filters on the preliminary, free searches don’t search on a date of birth.

In almost every county and state courthouse throughout the United States criminal records are indexed by name and date of birth.  One other very important thing I want to point out is the fact that in many jurisdictions TRAFFIC violations are filed in the Criminal courts.  This means that you might see a subject with five (5) potential criminal cases and when you get the complete record you find out the records are all for speeding and other traffic violations.

WHAT DOES $30.00 REALLY GET YOU?  MORE QUESTIONS…
Once you click the button and pay the thirty dollars the records that come up are not verified and many times it is difficult to determine if the records pertain to your subject and what the underlying charges are.  Keep in mind that if your subject has an alias or maiden name these searches won’t pick up on records under alternate names.

I know many of us can’t help ourselves and want to play detective because it is so fun and you can find yourself going down rabbit holes, but please understand the limitations of free and low-cost background research tools.

PRO TIP:
I wanted to conclude by providing a pro tip.  If you have someone that you want to profile the best way to research any criminal activity would be to go online to the courthouse in the county or counties where the person has resided and search criminal records.  In many counties these searches are free and in others they charge you $5.00 or less.

Happy hunting!

If you have any questions or comments, please let us know.

Tim Santoni

Text Messages… Myths & Magic

I have recently been fielding calls and inquiries from clients who want to find, preserve and recover deleted text messages.

I wouldn’t go as far to say that text messages are the new email, but I can say the amount of personal and business communication being conducted via text is significant. We have seen cases involving trade secrets theft, domestic violence, employment claims, workers comp, accidents.  There are many different types of cases that hinge on information that was or wasn’t sent via text message.

Cell Phone Carriers:

Many people operate under the assumption that the cell phone carriers (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile) document or preserve all text communication by their customers. This is simply not true. What the carriers typically keep track of are the phone numbers the messages are sent to and the frequency and time and date of the messages. What this means is that even with a subpoena that requires getting the cooperation of the carrier, the actual text messages are not available.

Other Options and Strategies:

Text messages can be pulled from the phone using software for practical and forensic purposes, assuming you have legal access to the phone. The idea that even with the phone in his or her possession your computer forensics analyst can extract deleted text messages is also not accurate.

A cell phone, android or iPhone, uses a solid state-flash storage drive to store information and run the operating system. The phones dynamically write to the storage drive as the user accumulates messages, pictures, emails, etc. As the user deletes information the phone will dynamically write over available space. What this means is that information that has been deleted that you need for your case might not be recoverable even using forensic software.

If your subject is an iPhone user, the text messages or voicemails you need may have been overwritten and are not recoverable. There is another option. If you can get access to the computer that your subject backed up that iPhone to, there are likely complete backups of that iPhone on the computer . When you backup an iPhone a complete copy of the information on that phone is placed on the computer.

Written by Tim Santoni , Santoni Pres/CEO

Business Development for Private Investigators

The following article by Santoni President/CEO Tim Santoni was published in Pursuit Magazine  – October 24, 2019

At the low point of the last economic downturn, I was stuck in a terrible slump. I needed to bring in more clients, but I didn’t know where to begin. The thought of cold calling people sounded awful to me. I needed to get creative — fast.

Long story short, my investigative consulting and background screening company survived, and is now thriving, thanks to the time and effort I put into establishing my reputation and building a stronger client base. Below, I’ll outline some strategies that worked for me.

Networking

The quickest way to grow your network is to join a networking group. As a private investigator, you’ll want to meet attorneys, CPAs, insurance brokers, business brokers, and other service providers who work with businesses. This means you need to join a networking group that attracts people in these lines of work.

Before you join your local Chamber of Commerce or BNI group, ask to visit and get a list of members. Every networking group is different, and you need to assess each one individually. Joining a group that consists of chiropractors and jewelers won’t do you much good.

If you want to build relationships with professionals who might refer clients to you one day, you need to learn all about your networking group and get to know its members well. Once you understand what a person does, what their ideal client looks like, and what makes them tick, you can make solid referrals. Sending business to your new contacts is a great way to build trust; before you can expect to receive referrals, you first must make referrals to people in your network. That kind of trust-building does not happen fast, but it’s worth the investment.

Some professional networking groups to explore in your area might include:

Beyond these networking groups, you should also become active in your industry associations. For private investigators, process servers and security professionals, there are lots of these organizations to choose from. Another good strategy is to join an organization where you’re the only one of your kind in the room. For instance, if you join the Sheet Metal Fabricators Association, you’ll get a lot more attention because you are different. Businesses in a group like this could use you for internal/external theft, competitive intelligence, workers’ comp claims investigations, and background checks, just for starters.

Success Story

As I mentioned in the intro, the recession had sent my firm into a financial tailspin; I needed new clients and wasn’t sure how to find them. I reached out to other people in industries that sell services to law firms. I spoke to one provider in the computer forensics field, and he mentioned a networking group that he held in high regard.

I checked out this group and ended up joining. In the first year, I brought on several new clients. That new revenue paid for my membership within a couple of months. As I ramped up in this networking group, I asked people who were getting lots of referrals what the secret was.

What they told me seemed so simple: Attend meetings regularly, be active, and offer to participate in executive committees and panels. Connect with your best referral sources, and refer out as much as you can. In other words, engage.

I am now entering my eighth year with this group, and I continue to get extreme value from it.

LinkedIn

If you want to grow your professional network and you only want to pick one social media site, LinkedIn is where you should go. LinkedIn is one of the fastest-growing professional networking sites. To get started on LinkedIn, you just need to create your profile and start interacting.

Just as you would in a face-to-face networking event, you have to engage with professionals on the platform. The first step is to connect with your friends, clients and former colleagues. Then look for ways to make introductions, comment on member posts, and write and share articles. When I say engaged, I mean that you visit the site at least once a day, but eventually move to three to five visits per day. The LinkedIn app is very easy to use and lets you get a snapshot of what’s going on in just a few seconds. Look for requests to connect, direct messages, and activity by your network and/or groups.

Many people in my circles say that LinkedIn doesn’t work. When I hear this, I ask what they are doing on the platform and what they are looking for. Many times, I think the reason that LinkedIn doesn’t work for people is that they aren’t actually out there talking to people on the platform. It’s like joining a networking group but not attending the meetings, and then saying that you didn’t get any new business, so the group is no good.

LinkedIn is also a great account management tool for investigation companies that don’t have sales teams. If you’re connected with all of your clients, LinkedIn will alert you when they move firms or change jobs. This is a great opportunity to reach out and congratulate them on their new position and make sure they have your contact information ready for when they next need your services.

Success Story

It’ll take time to grow your connections and influence on LinkedIn. Don’t expect to be rewarded with new business in a week or a month. But by following the strategy I outlined above, I’ve grown my LinkedIn network to over 4,000 connections, and I’m in the top one percent of my industry. I’m recognized by people I don’t know at industry events, and I get lots of LinkedIn messages from people needing my services. But my biggest coup was when a trusted advisor of mine chimed in on a request made by a company in need of my services. The posting on that thread was social proof that I had the skills the potential client needed, and it was a signal to everyone else to keep my name and company top of mind.

Public Speaking

If speaking before large audiences doesn’t scare you, then go forth, create a few great presentations, and start reaching out. But even if you’re an introvert with stage fright, I promise that you’ll get better with practice.

Speaking is a great way to build your brand and grow your client base. Finding opportunities to speak demands a little strategizing. Develop a list of organizations that regularly need speakers, and start reaching out. Tell your friends, family, and clients that you’re looking for speaking engagements. Include your speaking offering in your monthly client email newsletter as well.

Success Story

A close family friend of mine is the managing partner at a large insurance defense law firm. I’ve reached out to him many times to set up a meeting and show him how my company can help him, his staff, and his clients. Time after time, he has rebuffed my overtures.

Recently, I spoke at a legal networking group about investigative techniques and social media investigations. I arrived at the event, and who did I bump into: that family friend who runs the insurance defense firm. After my presentation, I spoke with him again, and he agreed to give our firm a shot.

Email Marketing

As private investigators, the only real assets we have are our clients. You should be adding to and updating your client list on a daily basis. There are many free and inexpensive tools (CRM’s) that work well. Many of them integrate with email marketing providers.

While email open rates aren’t necessarily on the rise, your email list is the only reliable, direct way to send information to your clients. Start with a monthly newsletter. Don’t stuff it with your services and pricing. Offer information about the industry, highlight your clients, share case stories, and add value.

In your email marketing campaigns, use a professional service like MailChimp or Constant Contact. Don’t send mass email from your Outlook or Gmail. If your contact list is small, you can use these services for free; many of them offer a contact management system as well.

One bonus tip about email marketing: Look at the reports — especially the automatic return messages from the client’s former firm that say, “Mr. Attorney, Esquire is no longer with the firm…” This allows you to track down that client on LinkedIn or via the state bar site, connect with them at their new firm, and update their contact information.

In order to be perceived as an expert by your audience, you need to create content that illustrates your expertise. Keep telling stories that convey the types of work you handle and the success stories. Use social media channels, preferably LinkedIn, to distribute the content. Good content is king, and I would add that consistent content is equally important.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Every entrepreneur thinks they know something about SEO, but few actually do. When I ask people what they are doing as part of the SEO campaign, I get all sorts of answers.

Let’s begin with a definition: SEO is a combination of digital marketing practices that elevate your website so that people can easily find it by searching via Google & Bing. SEO is a highly technical form of virtual sorcery that requires lots of study and constant troubleshooting; the search algorithms and best practices are constantly changing, and it takes time and effort to keep up with these changes. That’s why it’s in your interest to outsource SEO to a professional.

I’ve worked with several SEO companies over the last 10-plus years, and I can tell you that that for me, it makes sense to work with a company that understands B2B sales. If you’re targeting consumers, almost any SEO company can assist, as they see things more in a B2C setting and understand how to sell products. B2B is more specialized and demands different strategies.

Pay Per Click (PPC)

Paid ads can be valuable if you’re looking to attract consumers, because you can craft ads with specific copy that drives people to a certain service. For example, if you offer infidelity surveillance to consumers in a certain county or zip code, you can show the ad to people in that area. The other benefit is that you can use a tracking phone number for these leads and also send them to a dedicated landing page. This is different than organic search traffic that you get through search and SEO, as those people will land on the home page or the page that Google serves up in search.

In order for paid ads to work, you need to have solid ads for services that you know make you money, and you need to manage the ad spend carefully. You can easily blow through $500 – $1000 in a month without getting a single targeted lead if you don’t have a solid strategy and tracking in place.

Conclusions

In short, I don’t know of any marketing strategies that definitively don’t work. What I can tell you from experience is that some strategies take more time, resources, and management to get results.

I would caution you to not listen to competitors or friends or mimic what they do; what works for one Private Investigator business most likely won’t work for another. Instead, I recommend that you invest in a solid website (I prefer a WordPress-based site) that you can update and edit easily as your business evolves. Then start sharing information in whatever form you prefer: blog posts, short videos, infographics, white papers, images.

Schedule your content regularly; do not stop producing content. Use the channels you have in place to distribute what you create (LinkedIn, YouTube, Medium, your blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). Once you’ve been doing it consistently for six months to a year, you’ll start to see results. And then you can begin to test other marketing strategies.

Does Your Intellectual Property Investigator Need to Know Trademark Law

In a Trademark Law case it is critical that attorneys uncover and present relevant and actionable evidence and information.

Does the investigator that you and your firm works with need to understand Trademark Law? Do they need to understand the standards of evidence? Do they need to know about attorney work product privilege?
The answer to the above questions is a resounding YES. In order to effectively and efficiently develop admissible evidence, your IP Investigator should be experienced and understand the basics of Trademark Law (Lanham Act) because it will guide the investigation and the report.

Additional there are some keywords and phrases that your IP Investigator should understand.

Filing Basis:
1. Section 1(a) Registration
2. Section 1(b) of the Lanham Action (Intent to Use)- The ITU trademark application allows you to reserve rights to a trademark while you prepare to launch your product/service in commerce.
3. Foreign Registration
4. Foreign Application
ITU (Intent to Use)
Specimen
Abandonment:
 According to 15 USC 1127, a trademark is considered abandoned if “it’s use has been discontinued with intent not to resume such use.” The intent not to resume may be inferred from circumstances.
  1. Trademark abandonment, therefore, requires two elements:
    1. nonuse; and
    2. intent not to resume use.
Nonuse for 3 years is the typical standard
Common Law Use
Classes of Goods and Services
One of the key legal premises for US Trademark rights is the idea that in the US we are a first to “use” country as opposed to a “first” to file country. This means that Trademark rights (state or federal) can be established through the filing of a business name (Corporation, LLC, DBA), Business Name, Taglines, design elements, Logo or Brand, Product Name/Line, etc. There are limitations on enforcement and legal remedies if you only possess common law rights. On the flip side if you are looking to clear and register a trademark, those pesky COMMON LAW uses of your mark or a similar mark need to be uncovered to avoid potential infringement.In order for the report and or work product to be admissible, it is vital the trademark investigation is conducted in an ethical manner by a licensed and experienced investigator or license investigation firm. This type of consideration is not always top of mind when a case starts but can be a major issue if and when the reports must be turned over, depositions are set and there is a need to present the evidence and information at trial. The first thing that the other side will do is pick apart the investigation and the investigator. They will look at the credentials, licensing and methodology of the investigator because if they can show the investigation was done improperly the evidence can be thrown out.
The IP Investigator that you are working with must understand the relationship that they have between the end client and the attorney. It is really important to funnel all communication, reports and invoices to the attorney representing the client to keep the work product protected. We would also suggest that email communication be kept to a minimum to avoid having to turn over emails that might reveal information that is not favorable to the case. If your IP Investigator is licensed, experienced and understands Trademark/IP Litigation rules of evidence and attorney work product they will suggest ways to limit the exposures referenced in this blog.

Remember to ask your investigator these questions…

  • Are you licensed? Individually and as a firm/agency?
  • Have your reports and work product been submitted as evidence in cases at the State and Federal Court Level?
  • Have you and or your team been deposed?
  • Have you and or your team testified in trial?
  • Are you an expert witness?
  • Do your reports contain specific language about attorney work product privilege?

Link: Federal Trademark Search (USPTO)

8 Things You Can Do to Secure Your Technology for Peace of Mind

If you are going through a separation or divorce you are likely wondering if and how you are being tracked and monitored.  Here are 8 Things You Can Do to Secure Your Technology for Peace of Mind.

Are you newly separated or currently going through a separation or divorce?  Our checklist will help you take control of your documents, home and your technology to avoid tracking and snooping by your Ex.

1. Ditch your phone.

  • Move your phone to a separate account that only you control

2. Check your kids’ Phones & Tablets.

  • If your children have phones or tablets that your Ex controls, they can be used as tracking devices. Turn them off or move them to your account.

3. Set up a new email account

  • Use a strong password
  • Forward emails from your other account if necessary

4. Change all Passwords/Login info/email addresses associated with:*

  • Email Account(s)
  • Social Media
  • Apple ID – iCloud – iTunes – Google Play
  • Computers / Laptops
  • Security Cameras
  • Garage / Gate Codes
  • Wi-Fi (Verify that you have a password setup and/or change it)
  • Online Banking
  • All apps (Uber, Netflix, Venmo, eBay)
  • 401K, IRA’s, Insurance, Credit Cards, Mortgage, Car loans, Student loans

5.  Find out if your car has GPS integrated. If it does, take control of the account and/or get it turned off.

6.  Secure all personal documents and create digital copies.

  • Birth Certificate
  • Marriage license
  • Deed(s) to home(s)
  • Car Title(s)
  • Medical Records

7. Bank Accounts-  create a list of all known bank accounts including bank name, account numbers, account types and general description of what they are used for.

8. Notify all professionals that you do business with that you are going through a divorce or are separated.

  • Accountant
  • Insurance Agent
  • Lawyer
  • Real Estate Professional
  • Schools

If you need assistance or have questions, feel free to call us at 949-900-3400.

Additional Resources:

“Is My House Bugged” VIDEO

“Best Password App- LastPass” VIDEO

“What Happens When your Lose Access to Your Family Computer”  VIDEO