Is your teenager being stalked on Social Media?

Kids will be kids and they are often naïve enough to trust people that they haven’t met or who appear to be credible based on their social media profiles. Local police aren’t likely to take a report and conduct an investigation for social media online stalking.  Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. are not going to disclose account information to help you identify the stalker and even if they did reveal profile information, the person’s name, email and other identifiers could be made up. Here are some tips on how to stop cyberstalking and prevent it from happening.

What can you do?

You should attempt to identify the true identity of the stalker and determine where the stalker lives, works or goes to school. Hiring a licensed private investigation firm with national resources that specializes in locate/skip-trace investigations, is one way to accomplish these items.

The Private Investigation firm that you hire can also conduct a background investigation to discreetly profile the stalker and assess the threat level of the individual.  If you are able to identify the true identity of the stalker and where he or she resides you can potentially gain the attention of law enforcement in the appropriate jurisdiction.  Another option is to have an attorney initiate contact by sending a letter and or making some calls to the stalker directly or to his/her parents. Overall, it takes an aggressive approach to stop social media stalking.

Recently Santoni worked on a locate investigation case where an adult male befriended a teenage female on Instagram. She eventually stopped communicating with the person, but he continued to repeatedly contact her and even wrote that he would come see her soon, uninvited. We were contacted by the family’s attorney to gather information on the subject and identify him through his social media.  Through our social media investigation we were able to determine where he lived, who his parents are, places he frequented, who his friends were and eventually his true identity. The information we uncovered was provided to the family and their attorney. The family of the stalker was contacted, and the background information was provided to law enforcement. If a situation like this should present itself to you, contacting a professional investigative service to report cyber stalking will provide you with the best expert solution. 

Tips for monitoring your child’s social media:

It’s not easy.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recently released a startling statistic. The study found that 22 percent of teenagers log onto their favorite social media sites more than 10 times a day, and that 75 percent own cell phones. 

  • Have regular and open conversations with your children about the guidelines of using social media and set your ground rules.
  • Make sure your child has secure and appropriate privacy settings. 
  • Don’t let your child join social media until they meet the age requirements. These guidelines are in place because of legislation to help protect children.
  • Educate your child not only about the dangers of online stalking, but also cyberbullying. According to DoSomething.org, 43{2f3748b5ca5ab0ef62f1154c571df9c56b0d52fa28ba96fa4f869e5919b9e929} of children have experienced cyberbullying and 1 in 4 has had it happen more than once.
  • Limit the time that your child is allowed to be online and keep the computer in a main area of the house
  • Monitor the photos and location info that your child posts online.Is your teenager being stalked on Social Media
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4 Online Investigations Tools – Internet Investigations Tools

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4 Online Investigations Tools – Internet Investigations Tools

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1) Domain Tools

WHOIS information or domain ownership information is like property ownership records for domain names.

The paid version is great for obtaining historical domain ownership records which allows you to see who owned a domain name before it was privatized. It also give you chain of ownership like a title report on a house.

We use this tools when we need to locate the owners of privatized domain names who are potentially infringing on our client’s trademarks and we also use it when we need to contact owners of domain names that our clients are looking to acquire.

2) TOR Browser

Is a FREE browser that works on Windows, Mac and Linux computers. The Tor browser protects your identity and location by bouncing your communications around a distributed network around the world. This tools is great if you are making undercover buys or inspecting your competitors websites and you don’t want to leave a trace.

One drawback is that because the traffic is being bounced around the world your connection can seem a bit slower at certain times of the day and night.

3) Archive.org / WayBack Machine

Historical pages on a website.
Products, services and company information
Cached sites on the WayBack machine can be navigated.

4) Open Source Intelligence (OSInt) Qwarie

This free tool has numerous searches for Open Source Intelligence information namely social media. The one tool from Qwarie that we want to highlight on this video is the Facebook content lookup tool.

First off you need to locate the Facebook ID of the profile you are looking to research. This can be done by copying the URL of the Facebook profile from Facebook.com and pasting it into Lookup-ID.com. Once you have the Facebook ID you can paste it into the the Qwarie Facebook search.

This tools is great for locating photos and videos that were taken down by your subject but are still on their friends or families pages or were commented on by friends. This tools is also very useful in showing links between two people on Facebook.

This tools it the closest thing there is to finding “deleted” Facebook photos and content.

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Locate Investigations are more Than A Database Search

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Locate Investigations are more Than A Database Search

A locate investigation involves much more than a search of a commercial database like; TLO, IRB, Accurint, Westlaw, LexisNexis, Tracers, etc.  An investigator who is proficient in tracking down people (Locate Investigations, Skip-Tracing, Witness Locates) needs a variety of tools.  Some of the tools are free like social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram), Corporate Records, and Court Records. Others like the ones referenced above cost money.

In most cases a combination of commercial (paid) databases, letters, OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) and discreet phone calls are required to confirm the whereabouts of a subject or target.

If you need to locate a subject for the purposes of serving it is crucial that you send out “Letters to the Postmaster.”  We recommend that you send letters regarding any previously known addresses and any new addresses that you develop through a database search.  The postmaster requests take some time to get back, but you can determine if the subject is CONFIRMED to received mail at the address, MOVED and left no forwarding or is NOT known at the address.  When you are serving a Summons & Complaint a letter from the postmaster can give you standing for sub-service under (415.20 (b))

Section 415.20 (b) of the California Civil Code Of Procedure States: If a copy of the summons and complaint cannot with reasonable diligence be personally delivered to the person to be served, as specified in Section 416.60, 416.70, 416.80, or 416.90, a summons may be served by leaving a copy of the summons and complaint at the person’s dwelling house, usual place of abode, usual place of business, or usual mailing address other than a United States Postal Service post office box, in the presence of a competent member of the household or a person apparently in charge of his or her office, place of business, or usual mailing address other than a United States Postal Service post office box, at least 18 years of age, who shall be informed of the contents thereof, …

What if a traditional locate investigations still doesn’t work?

In cases where you cannot locate your subject, we recommend locating people that would know how to contact your subject and where he or she might be living or working.  We call this practice using the “EX Factor” (VIDEO on Locating People Using the Ex-Factor).  This could be an ex-spouse, ex-partner, ex-neighbor, ex-employer…

If you want to know why locate investigations are much more than database then watch the video below and get the whole story.

 

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What information can a Private Investigator get from the DMV?

What information can a Private Investigator get from the DMV?

 

A private investigator with the proper credentials can get direct access to DMV records in all 50 states.  The odd thing is that the DMV in every state operates differently. The information available, the charges, the turn-around time, etc. are all different.

An experienced investigator will know how to obtain the information you need if they understand the nature of your case and what you are looking to prove or disprove.

One request that comes up repeatedly is… “I have the plate/tag/VIN, so can you tell me who owns the car and where they live?”

Investigators that are working independently of Insurance Companies and Law Firms no longer get address information from the DMV in California.  The restriction on address information came about because a rogue investigator decided to use address information from the DMV to stalk and eventually kill a woman that he met at a bar.  The private investigation industry and our client’s must live with the after effects of this horrible decision.

A private investigator can get the name of a registered owner or owners and the legal (lien) holders name(s).  From there an investigator can initiate a skip-trace or locate investigation to track down the whereabouts of the owner.

DMV records are very useful if you are looking to verify ownership of a vehicle as of date of loss or accident.  An investigator with access to the DMV can run ownership as of a date in the past and they can get purchase histories and the supporting documents.

In California, it is also possible to run the name of individual along with their address and find out if any vehicles are registered to them.  This means that in order to get a hit on vehicles owned in a persons name who must know where they currently reside or have resided to get a hit.  If the subject registers their vehicle at their parents house and you don’t run that address you will not find evidence of the vehicle being owned by your subject.

As mentioned above every state has different rules so work with a licensed investigator who has experience running DMV searches in numerous states and they will be able to keep you up to date on the available searches and what information can be revealed.

Here is a link to a video that Tim Santoni recently recorded on this topic for his YouTube show, The Ask a Private Investigator Show.

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Vehicle Sighting Reports

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Vehicle Sighting Reports

The vehicle sighting reports have recently been improving drastically in terms of the geographic coverage and number of records updating.  Currently the available databases have about a billion records available and are adding 50 million sightings each month.  Records are currently coming in from 42 US states.

How does a vehicle sighting report work?

The commercial providers have been able to grab license plate recognition (LPR) and put it into a searchable database which allows you to search by plate or tag to determine if the vehicle was spotted.  If so when we was the vehicle spotted?  Last 30 days, 31-90 days or 90 days and beyond…

  • Each Vehicle Sighting includes time, date, and exact location stamps.
  • Integrated with online mapping tools, visual pinpoint location information is available with a single click.
  • Access a massive database of more than a billion vehicle sightings and the addition of up to 50 million sightings added monthly.

What type of cases can a vehicle sighting report be useful for?

Here are some examples of cases where a vehicle sighting report could be a great tool to be used in the course of the investigation.

  • Family Law- your spouse moves out and refuses to tell you where he or she is living. Your spouse has visitation of the kids, but you have no idea where they are staying or with whom.  A vehicle sightings report could give you insight into where he or she could be residing.
  • You own commercial vehicles (trucks, trailers, cement trucks). You lease these vehicles out to contractors and they stop paying you.  Now you need to locate and repossess the vehicles.  What are your options?  Before you conduct a stake-out and or surveillance that can be costly a vehicle sightings report might give you a sense of where that vehicle is being used, which could lead you to the business location or yard where it is stored at night.
  • If you need to locate a transient or runaway and they are living out of their car, a vehicle sightings report can provide valuable insight into what spots they are frequenting and this will help you to get them served with legal papers and or get them off the street and into court or rehab.

We recently had a case where we needed to conduct surveillance on a claimant alleging a workers compensation claim.  He told the employer, the doctors and the attorneys that his home address was his parents’ house.  We eventually determined he was living with his girlfriend, but we didn’t know her name.

All efforts to conduct surveillance came up dry because he was never there.  We ran a vehicle sightings report on his vehicle and found evidence that his vehicle was always spotted in one intersection where there a number of apartment complexes.  We canvassed the area and located his vehicle which was parked in a spot the tied to his unit.  Now we could conduct surveillance on this subject and determine what his activities are and where he could be working.

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What do Private Investigators charge?

What do Private Investigators Charge?

Trying to find the right private investigator for you is no different than finding the right plumber or cable provider. The focus of the industry is to provide a service and to provide it at a rate that works for the provider and the customer.

Whether you’ve worked with a Private Investigator before or if it’s your first time, you will probably find yourself wondering “How much is this going to cost me?”

To be brief, the standard range for hourly rates in California will be $70-$150+ an hour.

However, because each investigator is unique, you might want to consider the following factors that go into what an investigator will charge for their services.

1. Experience

Just as you want highly trained plumber or electrician working on your house, it is equally important to have a seasoned investigator working on your case.

One indicator of how long a private investigator has been in the field will be their hourly rate. Do be aware that there are some investigators out there who charge an exorbitant rate without the record to back it up.

In the early stages of working with a private investigator, make sure to ask them about their previous clients or cases that are relevant to your situation. An experienced investigator will be able to tell you dozens of similar examples like yours.

If they brush off such a question or give vague answers, that might be a good sign to move along and find someone else.

2. Resources

Just as a plumber or electrician has their tool box, so does a private investigator have their own tools they use during a case.

Typically, these will be online resources. They include databases, utilizing other service providers, or web search tactics that save time.

But with today’s ample amount of technology available, the best resources will be gadgets.

For surveillance, that can mean having covert cameras, an appropriate surveillance vehicle, or even specialized apps on their phone.

Having valuable resources also pertains to the type of business they run.

A one-man-show is not going to have the same accessibility as an investigation firm with several PIs. Additionally, depending on your type of case, you might need multi-language speaking people or even a group of investigators with different ethnicities.

When retaining an investigation firm, the hourly rate may be higher than the lone private investigator, but will usually mean getting results in a timely and cost effective manner.

3. Type of Case

Most cases are priced hourly because there’s no way to determine exactly how much work will be needed.

The most common type of investigation is surveillance. Be it following a cheating spouse, documenting the actions of a worker’s comp claimant, or conducting interviews about an on-site accident, investigations require an PI to be on the move.

Because of this, make sure to inform your investigator of exactly how much time you want them in the field.

If you know that the person isn’t home from 6am until 6pm, tell the PI before hand. This way, he’ll be better prepared and you won’t get charged for the hours you knew the person wouldn’t be home.

But some investigations can be priced with a flat rate. These investigations are typically formulaic and provide the same kinds of results.

These can include:

Asset Checks
Background Checks
Locate/Skip-Trace Investigations
Service of Process
Database Searches

Be wary of an investigator who doesn’t provide a flat rate for those types of cases. If they’re asking for an hourly rate because they don’t know how much time they’ll need to spend on it, you might want to walk away.

PRO TIP: Get It In Writing

To save yourself from getting jerked around, it is important to have everything in writing before the investigator starts your case.

This is true of most business transactions, but is critical when working with a Private Investigator.

In your agreement with the investigator, you can work to define what constitutes necessary fees.

For surveillance cases, you can put in the agreement how long you want them in the field.

For flat rate cases, the expected results of the cases should be laid out in the agreement. That way you can get a better understanding of what you are buying.

Next time you’re ready to hire a Private Investigator, keep these things in mind. Resources and experience should match the price that is being asked.

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Why You Need an Investigative Team, Not Just an Investigator

You Need an Investigative Team, Not Just An Investigator

I get calls from clients all the time, asking me,“Do you have any female investigators? Do you have a Hispanic Investigator? Do you have an Asian Investigator? Do you have an Investigator in San Francisco…” And so on.
Investigation Team

One of the key characteristics a professional investigation company is having resources where the clients need them when then need them.  This mean being able to adapt to the specific needs of the case and the clients requests.  In short adaptability is a must.

You have to be flexible. Whether you need to switch from one case to another as developments arise, balance between multiple clients, and especially in order to take on a multitude of diverse cases all over the country.

An investigation company could lose on an opportunity to handle case because there’s something they can’t change; like the way they look, their age, gender or location.

There are times when a client needs an investigator who is of a specific ethnicity, gender, age, or background. They might even need a group of these diverse investigators to take on an assignment.

The reason I bring this up is because we recently had a case where the client wanted to hire us for an undercover investigation project that involved purchasing some items that they felt would be best completed by a younger (21-30 year old male or female) investigator.

The investigation started by making contact with the subject via email.  Our director of investigations, who is over 50 years old, followed up with the subject via phone. This enabled us to coordinate with our male field investigator who was out of the area to setup the meeting to acquire the goods.

The subject then insisted on the person making the purchase show their identification. Needless to say, this complicated things. Instead of being able to use a pseudonym, we had to find a way to use someone with an identity that could be revealed and not compromise the case.  In this time of social media and total transparency, not many people have a minimal online footprint. A trained investigator, however, knows to keep their online presence on the down low.

Then, at the last minute, there was a change of plans.

The subject decided that instead of doing the “deal” at the original meet up place where our female investigator was ready to deploy, now they wanted to meet in the greater Los Angeles area.  On the fly, we had to deploy a male investigator to pickup the “goods”, since our female investigator was too far away.

When all was said and done, our team of investigators succeeded in completing this undercover project for the client.

Here is the team that was needed to get the job done…

1) Male Investigator (Caucasian- 30-40 years old)- 40 plus years of experience

2) Male Investigator (Caucasian- 50 years plus)- Ex-Law Enforcement– 30 plus years of experience

3) Male Investigator (Caucasian- 40-50 years old)- 15 plus years of experience

4) Female Investigator (40-50 years old)

5) Male Investigator (Hispanic- 40-50 years old)- 20 plus years of experience

In addition to the people involved, our team also utilized several commercial databases to run name searches, reverse cell phone searches and advanced Internet searches.

At the close of the case, the client was happy with the results and probably didn’t even realize how many people were involved to get them what they were looking for.

Before you hire a single investigator based on their age, ethnicity or location think about this example. Most of the time, it’s better to work with a team of investigators that can adapt to the case as things change and they will very quickly.

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When to use a Private Investigator for Collection Matters

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When to use a Private Investigator in Collection Matters

When to use a Private Investigator in Collection Matters

When to use a Private Investigator in Collection Matters

Obtaining a judgment can be easier than collecting on a judgment.  Debtors will often use tactics to evade collection and hide assets.  When you need to find evidence that leads to assets you can use a private investigator in your collection matters.

If the debtor is being evasive, it could be time to bring in an investigator.

Here are three ways a PI can get you better leverage on your debtor.

1. Conduct an asset and background investigation

This will be the most basic starting point to getting the money that’s owed to you. An asset investigation will allow you to determine where the debtor stands financially. You can get the full picture about whether they’re lying about not being able to pay or simply being stingy.

Next, a background investigation will help you determine the debtor’s litigation history. It’s possible that you’re not the only person waiting to get paid. Finding out where your collection stands will let you know when you can expect to get your dues.

Through these two investigations will also reveal if the debtor owns property, vehicles, planes or boats, and any other type of high-ticket item they might have funds tied up in. Knowing what they own can present an opportunity to have the court mandate selling some of these purchases in order to pay off the debt owed to you.

2. Find out where they really live

While you may already have their address, it is still important to see precisely where they live. Is their residence easily accessible from the street? Is it in a gated community?

This information is important for the next stage of an investigation: evidence collection.

One of the best ways to get information on a person is to go through their trash. Once that dumpster bin is out and on the street, waiting to be collected, it technically becomes public property.

In a trash can, you can find receipts, bank statements, offer letters, and a multitude of documents that can link the debtor to people, places, hidden assets, other ownership, and possibly other collections they’re involved in.

3. Lifestyle surveillance

Conducting surveillance over several days to document and track behavior of the the debtor can give you the story of their lifestyle, business dealings and standard of living.

Being able to track their day-to-day activities enables you to discover spending behaviors, relationships and interactions with businesses.

If they spend their money frequently, you’ll know where they went. The type of place will determine if the money they spent on retail should actually be going to your bottom line instead.

Intelligence gathering becomes crucial when you’re determining setting a judgment debtor examination, levying on a bank account or subpoenaing records is the best move. If you have the full picture your odds of effectively collecting on your judgment vastly increase.

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Why should an attorney have a reputable investigator by their side?

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Why should an attorney have a reputable investigator by their side?

In a game where evidence is king, every attorney needs a reputable private investigator to help them get the information needed to win.

Whether that information is obtained before a trial, during, or after, an investigator can be a key element to wining a case.

Investigators can document activities of the opposing party, dig up public records, or even interview witnesses whose testimonial can be crucial to a case.

Also, most attorneys don’t always know where their next case or referral will come from. They may be brought into a matter they do not specialize in.

However, by using an investigator to gather information, it will be easier to evaluate the case. That way, the attorney can determine if they can assist or if they should bring in an expert to help.

It is important to find the facts as soon as possible before time and money are invested into a case that someone else might be better off handling.

At the end of the day, if an attorney can expand their practice and their reach by hiring an investigator, they can drive more revenue to their bottom line.

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7 Ways a PI Can Help your Family Law Case

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7 Ways a Private Investigator Can Help with Your Family Law 7 Ways Private Investigator Can Help with Your Family Law CaseCase

Ask A PI Show Video “7 Ways a PI Can Help with Your Family Law Case”

When your children’s future and your financial well-being are on the line, you need peace of mind.  Preparing for and going through a divorce can be a daunting and confusing experience.

This is especially true if you don’t trust that your spouse is being honest.

An attorney experienced in family law matters can be an invaluable resource, but in order for your attorney to represent you effectively, he or she will need to know the full situation in order to get you the best possible resolution.

To answer some of these questions, your attorney might suggest hiring a private investigator to help.

Most people know that private investigators can document infidelity, but what else can they do to help you in your family law case?

Here are 7 ways a private investigator can help with your family law case.

1)    Infidelity Surveillance

2)    Cohabitation Investigations

3)    GPS Tracking

4)    Computer Forensics (iPhone, iPad, Laptops, Computers, Smart Phones)

5)    Violations of Child Custody Agreements

6)    Social Media Investigations & Preservation

7)    Asset & Background Research

The role of a private investigator in a family law case is to verify any information that you have so that it can be admissible in court.

There are many more ways a private investigator can help with your family law case. Consult with an experienced private investigator who works with family lawyers on their clients and see what they suggest to help you develop a creative and ethical investigation plan to get you what you need.

 

Additional Resources:

Divorce / Separation Checklist (Technology & Tracking) – 8 Things You Can Do to Secure Your Technology for Peace of Mind

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