Description
All Hg training classes are approved as continuing professional education credits by ACFE, NASBA, DHS, LPF, SHRM, and ASIS. Individuals will earn continuing professional education credits for attending the live webinar. These webinars are also available after the live event; however, they are not approved for CPE credits with some associations (specifically NASBA).
Google Dorking: Building on Your Solid Foundation
January 19, 2023 | 2pm ET | 60 minutes | 1 CPE
As an online investigator, your greatest asset is the ability to uncover information on the internet. You may rely heavily on Google, but do you know how to utilize its full potential? Maximizing your search engine skills is the main objective of this Hg OSINT webinar.
Hg’s expert instructor provides hands-on techniques to tackle challenging searches.
Participants learn the basics, the hacks, and extra Google resources to create valuable search strategies and run advanced internet searches. Participants also engage with Google’s expert tools to make difficult searches more effective.
Upon completion of this webinar, field investigators will be able to
- Conduct advanced search strategies on Google, Bing, and other search engines.
- Use algorithms for surface finds and open source results.
- Hunt down deep web content.
Domestic Background Checks
February 16, 2023 | 2pm ET | 60 minutes | 1 CPE
Hg’s new webinar explores the nuances of conducting online background investigations on individuals. Whether you’re researching the credentials of new hires, the financial solvency of investors, or a client’s new neighbors, your data is only as good as your tools and techniques. Learning how to track and trace an individual’s personal and professional online footprint is the main objective of this Hg OSINT webinar.
Hg’s expert instructor expands your knowledge of online background investigations with hands-on training, databases, and free resources.
Upon completion, field investigators will be able to
- Deconstruct social media profiles for background checks.
- Research public records to support cases and help inform reports.
- Draw from sample background reports to develop a personalized how-to background check guide.
Social Media Investigations 101
March 16, 2023 | 2pm ET | 60 minutes | 1 CPE
Hg’s new SOCMINT webinar evaluates and reviews several free and fee-based resources on the market for locating unique information and monitoring social media. Focus will be on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram, among others.
Hg’s expert instructor reviews social media platforms, discusses how hashtags and images can play a role in a case, and provides guidance on where key information can be hidden or overlooked.
Upon completion, field investigators will be able to
- Conduct social media investigations using specialized search engines.
- Monitor social media platforms as well as personal and company pages.
- Conduct a CARA Analysis: Characteristics, Associations, Reputation, and Affiliations.
Private Tools & Databases for Due Diligence
April 13, 2023 | 2pm ET | 60 minutes | 1 CPE
Critical thinking is necessary to conduct due diligence research and perform analyses. This important skill enables you to arm your clients with the intelligence they need to make proactive decisions in life and business. Honing this skill is the main objective of this Hg OSINT webinar.
Hg’s expert instructor helps you finetune critical thinking skills needed to complete due diligence reports—whether public or private, foreign or domestic—with exact precision.
Upon completion of the course, field investigators will be able to
- Identify essential items for due diligence reports and highlight key facts.
- Utilize mandatory databases for conducting business background investigations and due diligence.
- Identify key resources typically not marketed to our industry.
- Choose appropriate news, social media monitoring, and geo-fencing services for individual cases.
Social Media: Locating Unknown Individuals Online
May 18, 2023 | 2pm ET | 60 minutes | 1 CPE
Have you, your team, or a client located a social media user of interest or concern but found it challenging to establish the real user identity? If so, this webinar is for you! Whether a client engages you to conduct online research for identity proofing and affirmation or to reveal the person or group behind a potential risk, the main objective of this Hg SOCMINT webinar is to outline useful steps for determining the who behind a username or handle.
Hg’s expert instructor helps you understand and engage with gold standard steps used to reveal the true identity of a disguising social media username.
Upon completion of this course, field investigators will be able to
- Outline useful steps for identifying who is behind a username or handle.
- Conduct investigations to identify the true identity behind a username or handle.
- Recognize potential difficulties in identifying unknown persons on the horizon.
Stolen Asset Investigations
June 15, 2023 | 2pm ET | 60 minutes | 1 CPE
Used for human trafficking, drug trade, and terrorism, auction websites and Backpage are popular places for nefarious criminals to conduct their trade. This intermediate to advanced hands-on webinar identifies important online tools used to conduct stolen asset investigations. The main objective of this Hg webinar is to teach participants the ins and outs of auction and illegal sale sites.
Hg’s expert instructor provides hands-on training in tracking materials stolen or otherwise sold on Backpage, Amazon, Craigslist, eBay, Oodle, gun/auto traders, and others.
Upon completion of the course, field investigators will be able to
- Track and locate assets illegally sold on auction, sale, and dark web onion sites.
- Identify what to look for in photographs and videos that can lead to arrests.
- Understand the top tools to use for these investigations.
Special Webinar – Intellectual Property and Trademark Investigations: Protecting the Brand
June 27, 2023 | 2pm ET | 60 minutes | 1 CPE
Trademarks are subject to intellectual property laws and rights, which exist to protect brands and consumers. Fraudsters take advantage of the trademark system and abusing brands to scam, deceive, and confuse. Gaining awareness of fraudulent trademark applications, domain squatting, and bad faith trademark infringement is the main objective of this Hg webinar.
Hg’s expert instructor explores fraudsters’ motives, including financial gain, influence, or disruption to a competitor.
Upon completion, field investigators will be able to
- Identify types of trademark fraud and its impact on business owners and consumers.
- Examine motives behind trademark fraud.
- Perform investigative techniques to recognize and stop trademark fraud.
Open Source Intelligence – Start to Finish
July 10-14, 2023 | 360 minutes | 6 CPEs
Open Source intelligence (OSINT) is overt, or open data, intelligence gathering. Oftentimes considered to be found online, accessible via the internet or databases, open source intelligence can also be located through the common areas like libraries, refuse (trash) left on the curb, conversations spoken too loudly in public, happenings and occurrences witnessed and remembered. OSINT is publicly available and unprotected information.
Hg’s expert trainers provide OSINT training and the tools needed to in-take cases, conduct investigations, and document findings ethically.
July 10, 2023 | 2pm | Day 1
Part 1: Introduction to Online Investigative Fundamentals & Open Source Primer, 50 minutes
Learn the types, differences, and jargon of open source investigations. Receive a companion guide to public record searching for social media verification purposes.
Part 2: Investigative Fundamentals, 50 minutes
Learn how to in-take an online case, understand the parameters of the work, establish goals, and create investigative notes C.Y.A. (Cover Your Analysts!). Understand how to identify expectations and establish parameters for all involved (client, sub-contractor, and your own) at the beginning of your investigation to keep the entire case in check. Samples and layouts will be provided.
July 12, 2023 | 2pm | Day 2
Part 1: Computer Fundamentals, 50 minutes
Learn best practices on using a computer and what resources are available on the internet and social media platforms, so you can more effectively achieve desired results. You will receive expert instruction on common errors made in OSINT investigations such as clearing your cache, exposing your protocol address, and other influencers that mislead your searches.
Part 2: Search Engine Fundamentals, 50 minutes
Learn which search engine to use, when to use it, and what results you should expect from each. Understand how to improve search engine results and when to use the surface, deep, or dark web to locate your information.
July 14, 2023 | 2pm | Day 3
Part 1: Making the Capture, 50 minutes
Learn tools to help capture and store your findings online. Understand documentation procedures for creating sharp and understandable reports. Several tools—free and fee-based—as well as sample reports will be reviewed and shared.
Part 2: Bringing it all Together Ethically, 50 minutes
Learn the fundamentals of ethically conducting online investigations, with a candid discussion about how to avoid dangerous pitfalls. Examples of investigations gone wrong will be discussed. Q&A will be encouraged.
Upon completion of the course, field investigators will be able to
- Identify the types, differences, and jargon of Open Source investigations.
- Conduct in-takes for online cases.
- Understand the parameters of the work, establish goals, and create investigative notes C.Y.A. (Cover Your Analysts!).
- Recognize best practices on how to use a computer and the resources available on the internet and social media platforms.
- Understand when to use the surface, deep, dark webs to locate your information.
- Understand documentation procedures for creating sharp and understandable reports.
- Identify the fundamentals of conducting online investigations ethically.
Online Social Media Primer
August 1-29, 2023 | 300 minutes | 5 CPEs
This introductory primer series teaches you why to use these platforms, how to crack them, where to look, what nuances and leads you need to chase down, and how they are all interrelated.
Hg’s expert trainers discuss how to capture content in five popular services, so you can present your findings in your reports. Each webinar covers a single social media platform and its specific details.
August 1, 2023 | 2pm | Day 1 – Facebook
August 8, 2023 | 2pm | Day 2 – LinkedIn
August 15, 2023 | 2pm | Day 3 – Twitter
August 21, 2023 | 2pm | Day 4 – Instagram
August 29, 2023 | 2pm | Day 5 – Reddit
Upon completion of the course, field investigators will be able to
- Understand the evolution of social media platforms.
- Locate online social media profiles on multiple social networks.
- Learn how to conduct link analyses of social media profiles.
- Understand how to gather intelligence without breaking the terms of service.
- Monitor social media platforms.
Conducting an Ethical Online Investigation
August 31, 2023 | 2pm ET | 120 minutes | 2 CPEs
This introductory hands-on course offers a comprehensive overview of the legal parameters for conducting online investigations. We discuss current laws, acceptable practices, and pitfalls that can occur in investigations.
Hg’s expert trainer provides you with the information you need to feel confident in conducting OSINT and SOCMINT investigations that are legal and compliant—nationally and internationally.
Upon completion, field investigators will be able to
- Identify drawbacks to taking shortcuts in online investigations.
- Understand the laws and compliance requirements to stay inline online.
- Garner the resources for staying abreast of current issues and legal requirements.
Discreet Investigations Online: Your Digital Footprint
September 14, 2023 | 2pm ET | 60 minutes | 1 CPE
In this intermediate to advanced Hg webinar, participants receive hands-on training on how to conduct investigations on social media platforms without compromising their online identity. The objective of this Hg webinar is to provide participants with the tools to work online undercover.
Hg’s expert trainer will help you understand how to avoid exposure when researching subjects online.
Upon completion of the course, investigators will be able to
- Conduct undercover online investigations.
- Ethically protect their identity while conducting an investigation.
Risk Monitoring: Social Media Platforms, Chat Rooms, & More
November 16, 2023 | 2pm ET | 60 minutes | 1 CPE
From bad weather to travel disruptions, parties to raves, active shooters to civil unrest, risk monitoring is the gold standard for watching and responding to potential crises. Hg’s new webinar includes a live fire exercise to help field investigators understand how to balance the intensity of these types of OSINT investigations with the stresses of risk monitoring.
Hg’s expert trainer provides in-depth training on how to prepare for and conduct event monitoring in a straightforward approach.
Upon completion of the course, field investigators will be able to
- Onboard an event, identify collection requirements, and establish the distribution of tasks.
- Select services, resources, and tools to meet monitoring protocols.
- Adhere to legal and ethical boundaries related to overseeing open communications in sensitive environments.
- Establish and maintain reporting and structure protocols to account for all data collection.
OSINT Hitlist: Best of 2023 and into 2024
December 14, 2023 | 2pm ET | 60 minutes | 1 CPE
Let Hg equip you with the know-how to enter 2024 with a bang. Our expert investigators share storied tales from their own case notes to create our 2023 OSINT Hitlists just for you! Updating your knowledge on search engine resources and how to properly conduct advanced internet and social media searches are the objectives of this favorite Hg webinar.
Hg’s expert trainer provides OSINT investigators with the best, the worst, and the mediocre online internet tools and techniques for conducting cyber investigations.
Upon completion of the course, field investigators will be able to
- Implement the best search techniques and resources of 2023 into their research, analysis, and reporting.
- Identify and select the best online monitoring alert services, both free and fee-based, currently available and develop transparent reports for clients.
- Become aware of new OSINT tools, techniques, services, and options in 2024.
- Understand how to keep up with new search engines for investigations and research.
