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While billions of people are under stay-at-home and work from home orders, predators are taking advantage of people’s fears, anxiety, and losses at mind-numbing proportions. Children, who are now spending more time online for schooling, are targets for exploitation by pedophiles. Seniors are vulnerable from financial scams, and businesses are vulnerable from hacking, phishing, and cybercrimes. We are committed to serve the public by providing information on the latest scams, exploitation, and fraudulent activities as we are all in this together. -
Social Network Searching Summer Update
There are always new Web sites to visit and use for our investigative work. In this article, we focus on social network investigations and the latest sites - or updates to those you are already familiar with. -
Across the Ocean - Business Due Diligence in the Republic of China
How does the well-informed investigator determine if a company located in the Republic of China is reputable and free from encumbrances? In this article you will be given a systematic account of the due diligence steps necessary to answer the above question. This article examines the steps, thought processes, and online resources necessary to achieve success with business due diligence in China. The objective of our investigation is to minimize monetary and reputational risks involved with a foreign business. -
Due Diligence with LexisNexis and WestLaw
The value of combining traditional media (e.g., news, journals, and the written word vs. social media) with online litigation searches is immeasurable. Case after case has been made thanks to finding articles with a mere mention of our subject referenced. Old court cases, no longer accessible from county Web sites—if ever they were available—can also be located. -
Investigating with Instagram
Instagram is a smartphone application that allows for photo-sharing over social networks. Once the photo is taken, any number of filters can be applied to the photo greyscale, sepia, darker, brighter, etc.) – and significantly altered; a mini-version of Adobe Photoshop, if you will. Additionally, the image can be placed in a frame, cropping the photo down in size, and cutting out all the noise in the background. Apparently this is a lot of fun to do, because Instagram has 60 million photos uploaded every day to its service with more than 65 percent of the activity coming in from overseas (www.instagram.com/press/). -
Building Social Media Investigations
Building Social Media Investigations will explore the alternatives in other countries that exist aside from Facebook. It will explore the preferred social media sites, online communication methods, and popular focus of investigation for both a country and it's culture. -
Opt-Out Online: Part 1
This article will help you understand the dark side of information. Data, at its most annoying, is a commodity with social media sites selling your Likes to data providers. Data, at its most dangerous, allows someone from overseas to obtain personal addresses and threaten families. -
Opt-Out Online: Part 3
Despite the overabundance of information shared and sold on the Web today, a number of measures for protecting your information are available to you. Learn about these important protections and how to exercise the options they offer to you. -
Keeping Current with the Latest Investigative Tools
A good investigator must stay abreast of current investigative industry tools. Snaptrends and CyberTOOLBELT, two tools reviewed in the Spring 2015 issue of data2know.com have, in the six months since, significantly increased their investigative capacity—enough to warrant a review update. This article will discuss the Snaptrends and CyberTOOLBELT updates and will introduce a third investigative tool, Geofeedia. -
Protecting Your Image Online
With a good Google search, somebody can find where you live, discover your likes and dislikes, learn what you do with your free time, or what others might think of you. Perhaps even habits you would likely not want known, particularly by coworkers. It is a serious matter for anyone, professional or otherwise, concerned with their own personal security. Have you Googled yourself lately? https://www.hetheringtongroup.com/product/data2know-vol-15-no-8/ -
Best of People Search and Company Search Engines
Today’s commodity is data. Everyone is selling a specialized database in their particular arena. Our job as investigators is to find that database; doing so will greatly enhance our skills and give us the edge to set us apart from the rest. -
What the APP?! Top Social Media APPS and the Lowdown on What Info They Collect
Starting a new health and fitness routine? Need to get to the library, but your car is in the shop? Has your 12-year-old son been grounded from receiving photos from his friends on his smartphone but appears unaffected by it? Booking a trip to Bermuda? Or, are you stepping out of your single’s lifestyle and looking for love?
All of these questions have one thing in common that a mere 10 years ago did not exist: There’s an app for that!
This Hg FactSheet gives you a foundational understanding of what these APPS collect, better preparing you to protect yourself.
