Hackers turn credit report websites against consumers

Here's an interesting story worth checking out: http://redtape.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/26/10875023-exclusive-hackers-turn-credit-report-websites-against-consumers

In short, companies that offer credit reports and security monitoring are vulnerable to attack from hackers, creating huge opportunities for thieves wanting to still another's credit. If you feel that you're credit has been compromised in any way, hire a private investigator to help you with the investigation and to do a thorough risk assessment of your daily online and offline activities.

A useful book

Though the following book may not be useful for all readers, it is something that both the Californian private investigator and clients (especially attorneys) should read. It is written by David Queen, a tenured federal prosecutor, defense attorney, and licensed private investigator. The book's legal focus makes it very useful guide for assured due diligence in investigative cases. Investigators and clients residing outside of California can benefit from this text by using it as a reference when subcontracting or when an investigation shifts to California legal statute. As a reference book, it can certain assure that the investigator handling a case is operating within the rule of law.

New format: Also, a few notes on social networking safety

As promised in our end of the year post, we're going to change some things about our blogging efforts this year.

While we will intermittently write a variety of  our longer posts offering advice and tips, we're going to try a more popular format of writing short posts somewhat more frequently. Expect a post about every 2 to 3 weeks instead of every four.

The theme of the posts will vary, but will generally provide links to interesting news stories, reviews of relevant books and journal articles, helpful advice and reminders, and other interesting substance. As before, the posts will focus on issues relevant to the private investigations industry with an intended audience of (potential) clients. As we've advocated, it is important to remain an informed consumer and select investigators who are practicing ethically and legally. 

In this post, we want to remind our reader's to remember that it is hard to identify people who are potential con artists, as evidenced by a woman who recently was able to swindel her boss out of a million dollars, and to be wary of social networking scams, which are becoming more sophisticated.

• How Facebook is fueling a new breed of social scams
  For example:
• Facebook Identity Theft: Thieves Use Deceased Child’s Photos For Online Donations
• Facebook birthday T-shirt scam steals secret mobile email addresses

The following books are useful resources for people looking for specific tips and strategies

It's that time of the year... to wrap things up and open new gifts

It's that time of the year again, when people wrap presents, eat food, and drink delicious beverages... that they likely didn't buy! One in every 11 people who walk through a retailer's door is likely to walk out with at least one item he or she didn't pay for, with nearly 70% claiming they didn't plan to steal something (Klara, 2011). The top 10 most shoplifted items, according to Klara in an article published in Adweek, are as follows:

1. Filet Mignon
2. Jameson (liquors)
3. Electric tools
4. iPhone4
5. Gillette Mach4
6. Axe (deodorants)
7. Polo Ralph Lauren
8. Let's Rock Elmo
9. Chanel No. 5
10. Nikes

The list is interesting, for sure. But we provide it as a friendly reminder that retailers need to take precautions, as we suggest last year at this time. No retailer is safe from sticky fingers, and it seems that there are a variety of motivations for theft. It is also a reminder to be observant of others' behaviors and, if warranted, do a background check or surveillance on employees, spouses, children, etc., especially when they engage in suspicious behavior. This is just a matter of protecting your own self interest, even if it feels odd.

It is also that time of the year when people think it is appropriate to make changes. We're not alone. We're planning to make a few changes to our blog next year. We'll continue to write long posts with ideas and tips for clients, and thoughts on the profession. However, these will be less frequent. Instead, we will update the blog a few more times per month with shorter comments, and more timely news about the profession. This, we believe, will allow us to cover more topics. It is also consistent with the push in social media to make information fresh and concise. We believe shorter comments with links to articles will better serve our readers and the PI profession more than our current approach does.

So until 2012, have a safe and happy holiday. However, if it is for any reason a little unsafe and unhappy, give us a call: investigateworldwide.com. 

(Note: We'll be working cases, but we'll begin delivering content in mid-January.)

Another privacy issue, another reason to hire a private investigator

Continuing with our theme of internet safety, personal computer safety, and fraud protection, we have another odd case to report on. Again, this news only highlight why private investigators are becoming more important and how they can assist domestic and corporate clients.


An Ohio teacher recently sued a computer tracking company for sex spying. In this case, as described in the article and summarized below, the Ohio substitute teacher, Susan Clements-Jeffrey, had a webcam chat of a sexual nature with her boyfriend. This was at her home, in private.  Little did she know, her laptop was actually stolen property being aggressively monitored by Absolute Software, a private company that specializes in tracking stolen computers. 

Clements-Jeffrey had purchased the a used laptop from one of her students for $60 in 2008. Not only is this ethically questionable, but it should have at the very least raised a red flag. According to Clements-Jeffrey, she was unaware that the laptop was stolen. Supposedly, neither did the student. He or she had purchased for $40 at a bus stop and passed it along for a quick buck.

The computer was actually property of Ohio's Clark County School District, which uses Absolute Software to install hidden tracking software on all of its machines. This assists in recovery in the case of theft. As noted in the referenced article, "Absolute's software, known as LoJack for laptops, gives the company total remote access to the computer's data, which it records. LoJack is a highly-rated security service — and an entirely legal one — but in this case, Absolute is under fire for potentially violating the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Stored Communications Act, which details guidelines for virtual privacy." The issue is that Absolute's theft officer recorded Clements-Jeffrey's keystrokes and snapped three sexually explicit screenshots, and passed these along to the Springfield, Ohio police department. Clements-Jeffrey and her partner are currently suing Absolute, Magnus, the city of Springfield, and two police officers for violating their Fourth Amendment rights.


This is certainly an alarming story--one that does not reflect well on the private security industry. However, as with all news--good or bad--about a profession, much can be learned by unpacking the story's lessons. In this case, it should lead individuals to consider the following two things:

1. Consider contracting with smaller companies. Small investigative and security firms can do many of the things that Absolute does. Need your computers monitored or stronger internet security? A professional, private investigator can do this for you. In many cases, the smaller company subcontracts with companies that offer global property tracking services. So the service coverage is the same. However, with a smaller company you get higher quality, safer, and monitoring free of legal error.  Though you may not get the same cost advantage as going with a larger firm, you do get the benefit of a more personalized service. Smaller companies often only employ a few investigators, who are micromanaged. Direct supervision of employees or the actual work of a licensed, bonded, and experienced investigator (who is required to know laws and take continuing education) mitigates the possible poor judgment of lower-paid or low-skilled agents. In the end, piece of mind is worth the extra expense up front. In the case that it leads to a lawsuit, the minor additional costs of contracting with a small company will far exceed the costs of errors caused by larger firms.
2. Hire an investigator to check sellers, buyers, and products. Sometimes, a good deal is not too good to be true. However, if you are suspicious that one is (e.g., a $60 laptop) then spend an extra $100 to check the deal out. A private investigations company can do a background check on the equipment, check it for spyware, do a background check on the seller (or buyer) and so on. Obviously, for more expensive items, or when selling online, you definitely want to consider hiring a private investigator to facilitate and guide the process.

In today's economic climate. People are looking to take advantage of others. One group of people has been reducing domestic, professional, and corporate risks for centuries. A professional investigator can be an excellent way to avoid having to sue, or being sued by people. In this case described in this post, everyone seems to be a loser in the deal. A smaller investigative company could have been the unforeseen solution.

CYA: Get ToneCheck to monitor your company

We’ve blogged in the past about the need for small businesses to think about cost-effective solutions to security, employee monitoring, and due diligence. So when a program comes along that could help you legally monitor (if implemented correctly) your and your employees’ emails with internal and external stakeholders, we want to pass this information along.

Entrepreneur Magazine recently published an article about ToneCheck, an email plug-in that flags emotionally charged and other inappropriate email. With a relatively good freeware version and a reasonably-priced full version for use in small to large enterprises, ToneCheck provides a line of defense against harassing and inappropriate emails. You know, those types of emails that may originate in a time of intense anger or passion, or when you're rushing to send off a rushed email.

If, for example, your employee wants to send a message, in jest, that reads "Ugh, you suck!" the "CYA" program comes to the rescue: a box pops up informing the sender that she or he "has exceeded the company’s tone tolerance." You can, of course, create various settings, and it does not stop an email; it only warns the sender. Such a program. however, can come in handy for a variety of reasons.

When used legally and strategically as part of your broader risk- and security-management, this program can help mitigate risk of lawsuit or lost business. For example, if you have this program installed on all of your computers, with employees' full awareness, they may actually appreciate this handy tool. Before an employee sends you that angry-toned email about how you're such a “bosshole” (admittedly, Entrepreneur Magazine said this one got through), the program will warn him or her that the message is “threatening.” In short, the employee will appreciate that this program saved their job.

Before an employee sends along a sexually-provocative joke throughout the office, “just to make people laugh,” the program will warn them of the risk. If she or he still proceeds, and your employee handbook specifically notes “that we do not tolerate the exchange of inappropriate emails (e.g., sexually explicit or racist in tone),” and you further specify that sending the email after warning by ToneCheck, the employee can face legitimate reprimand or termination. Also, you can show due diligence in court should a discrimination lawsuit be filed.

As a tool for yourself and your employees, y'all will be warned regarding the tone of an email to a potential or current customer. If you or your employee happens to be in a rush, the program will warn that the email can be interpreted as “threatening.” You don’t want to say “It has been annoying…, upsetting…, troubling…,”—which are all somewhat angry—when you really want to convey the following:  “It has been concerning me for some time that you have not been able to keep up on payments.” Yes, you may be annoyed or angry, but you don’t want to lose a good customer just because they interpreted your email as threatening.

Of course, a program is only as good as it is used and it can only be used with the appropriate type of monitoring. If you find that a particular employee has a tendency toward writing violent or threatening emails, especially if unconsciously, you may want to hire a private investigator to look into the person’s history or to conduct a thorough investigation. This program could just help you uncover an employee who is threatening sabotage or violence against you or your company’s interests. 

Small business owners, are you prepared for holiday scams, fakes, and cheats?

The National Retail Federation provided staggering estimates that retail fraud cost businesses $9.6 billion dollars in 2009. $2.7 billion of these losses were during the holiday shopping season alone. The details of NRF’s survey of large national retailers point to some alarming statistics:

According to the survey, 93.1% of retailers said stolen merchandise has been returned to their stores in the past year, up from 88.9 percent in 2008. In addition, three-quarters of retailers (75.4%) say they have experienced returns of merchandise purchased with fraudulent or stolen tender while 43.1 percent say they have experienced returns using counterfeit receipts. Nearly half (46.2%) also report that wardrobing—the return of used, non-defective merchandise like special occasion apparel and certain electronics—has been an issue for their company within the past year.

The same survey, however, also indicates that there is some hope:

Though return fraud continues to plague the retail industry, changes in policies have helped companies see improvements in some areas. According to NRF’s annual Return Fraud Survey, completed by loss prevention executives at 134 retail companies, two-thirds of retailers (69%) say their company’s return policy has changed in the past to account for fraud. However, the losses remain staggering: the retail industry will lose an estimated $2.7 billion in return fraud this holiday season and an estimated $9.6 billion this year.

But where do you begin if you’re a small business? National and regional businesses have more resources, which often include their own in-house loss prevention specialists. Because they need to have comparable return policies as their larger competitors, but lack security expertise, small business retailers are more exposed to the risk of fraudsters. This is one reason to permanently retain a professional investigator or security consulting company. According to Dr. Craig Engstrom, a small business consultant and assistant professor at The University of Montana, “Small retail and restaurant owners understand that bogus returns and counterfeit coupons put a major dent into their profits. However, most small business owners—especially those with fewer resources—seem to be at a loss about where to begin. I recommend to my clients and students to outsource to professional investigators.”

In a previous post, I already explained the benefits of retaining a private investigator as a small business owner. However, there are a few additional reasons to make a private investigator a permanent part of your business operations:

1. Reduced fees. The first benefit of permanently retaining a private investigator is lower service rates. If you contract with a private investigator and pay a large, and often refundable, retainer, she or he is likely to reduce the rates of services.
   
2. Specified expertise. By permanently retaining an investigator, you will have investigators permanently on call to respond to issues. What is more, the investigative company will better understand your business and be able to respond quickly to fraud, when time is precious. Because the investigative agency will do a comprehensive security assessment of your business, your risk exposure will be mitigated. Should an unforeseen problem arise, however, you’ll have a trained expert ready to begin an investigation to quickly identify or prepare a case against shoplifters and individuals who fraudulently return merchandise.
   
3. Lower insurance rates. If you retain a professional investigator with security expertise, you can make a case to your insurance company that you should receive a discounted rate. Just as an alarm system lowers your insurable risk, so does having a team ready to respond to crisis. You may be surprised to learn that many private investigations companies actually write comprehensive risk assessments and offer crisis management training and preparedness to many small- and medium-sized enterprises. Do you have a crisis management plan and are your employees trained to handle crisis? If the answer to either of these questions is “no,” then you should consult with a professional investigator soon.

With the holiday shopping season now in full swing and the economy still in recovery, the risk of fraud has never been greater. Practicing due diligence by having a private investigator ready-at-hand can reduce your risk to fraud and exposure to crisis. An investment in security may be one of the best decisions you could make now or in 2011. According to Entrepreneur, to be successful in 2011, businesses should, among other things, “overhaul… business plans” and “team up” with other companies. One thing you should seriously consider adding to your business plan is “risk management” and instead of guess what may or may not work, team up with an expert, such as a local licensed private investigator. Two things to remember: Don’t forget to ask the right questions in your first phone consultation and if you can’t afford the investment on your own, perhaps team up with several other local business and pool your money together to hire an investigative agency that will look out for all your interests.

Some notes on identity theft

What are the odds that you’ll be a victim of identity theft this year? About 1 in 6, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

What is the expense of identity theft? Depends on the severity; however, the FTC estimates that the average victim spends $1,200 in out-of-pocket expenses and an average of 175 hours in his or her efforts to resolve the many problems caused by identity thieves. (Source) 

What are the most common types of identity theft? According to the ID Theft Data Clearinghouse, the following are the most common types of identity theft:

• Using or opening a credit card account fraudulently
• Opening telecommunications or utility accounts fraudulently
• Passing bad checks or opening a new bank account
• Working in another person’s name
• Getting loans in another person’s name

People could also use your identity to obtain a driver’s license, medical services, or to cover up both violent and non-violent crimes. As a result, you could find yourself in a situation where you have unpaid fees and fines or an arrest warrant issued in your name.

There are several ways in which an identity thief can steal your information. Here are just a few of the more obscure ways:

• Dumpster diving – As the saying goes, one person’s junk is another’s treasure.
• Your mail box – An unlocked mail box receives delicious pieces of mail everyday, usually while people are not at home.
• Computer hard drives – Don’t sell or recycle your computer without taking out the hard drive!
• Stealing customer details from a business – A disgruntle employee, for example.
• Email phishing scams – Don’t click on links embedded in emails!
• TMI-O! – Too Much Information Online! Posting all your contact information online along with your resume, bio, and picture can give an identity thief enough nuggets to assume your identity.
• Pre-texting – Some identity thieves pretend to be telemarketers and get unsuspecting victims to give them many details. If a legitimate representative of a company wants you to upgrade, they’d never say, “to verify your account, could you please provide your number and password?” Hang up!
• Outright theft – Yes, there are still those old-schoolers out there who’ll just steal your wallet or purse.
• Threats that you may not even know about -- Like this one:

Please do not become overly paranoid. People still have to take risks in order to function in our society. Being a member of an online social network can help you stay in touch with friends. Posting your resume online could be vital to getting yourself a job. Offering your biography online could solicit new clients. But be diligent whenever you put information online. Do an on-line security assessment from time to time.

How can you protect yourself? There is no shortage of information on the internet offering advice for protecting yourself (e.g., frequently change your online passwords). Here are a few good ones: FTC ID Theft Help, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, and Identity Theft Resource Center.

In the event that you should be a victim of identity theft, you need to take action immediately. 

Hiring a private investigator can save you time and money; here is a real life example:

An investigator I know was recently retained by an individual (the victim) whose social security number had been used to open an account with a large mobile phone provider in Austin, Texas. Without notice, the victim started to receive harassing phone calls from a collection agency attempting to collect approximately $500. The identity thief had cleverly altered the last name of the victim and used a fictitious billing address to open the account. (This suggests it was likely an inside job.) The victim never received notice of the debt accumulating against his social security number. By the time the collection agency received the debt, more than a year had passed. It was the collection agency who eventually posted the delinquent account to the victim’s credit history; consequently, the victim’s credit monitoring company did not flag this because it was technically non-existent. (This also means that had the issue not been resolved quickly, the collection agency could have claimed the victim had himself committee fraud and reported him to the police.)

Due to the fact the credit added this alias to the victims credit history, the victim had an alias for several months and a lower credit score. After the victim repeatedly suggested to the collection agency that he was a victim of fraud, that his last name and date of birth were different than that of the supposed alias, and that he had never lived in Austin, Texas he tired of dedicating so much time to this simple issue. The victim wasted at least 40 hours or more trying to resolve the problem himself when he retained the private investigator. For less than $150 and in just a few days time, the issue had been resolved. The investigator simply provided proof that no such address was in existence—a demonstration of negligence on the part of the mobile phone provider—and contacted the collection agency and the large mobile carrier on behalf of the victim. With specific details, a comfortable understanding of laws and legal jargon, the name of attorney, the investigator motivated both organizations to provide the proper forms for the victim to resolve the issue. According to the victim, the professional investigator saved him a lot more time. Since time is money, the $150 turned out to be a great return on investment.  

Your identity and financial credit history are important matters. Take precautions and contact the appropriate people who have the knowledge and experience to help you.

The following books may also be helpful:

Protect yourself when selling online (and a few other ramblings).

Selling personal items and services online can be a way to earn a few extra bucks. However, the dangers of advertising and selling expensive items online or in traditional print classifieds became all too apparent recently. James Sanders advertised a 1.07-carat diamond ring with an asking price of $1,050. He arranged for a couple to come to his home to look at the ring, and hopefully purchase it. During the transaction, James and his wife were ambushed by four people. By the end of the altercation, James had been shot. Click here for full story.

While it would be easy to suggest Craiglist be monitored, controlled, or shut down, this would come at the loss of a great, free, and easy service. It would also not solve the problem of people creating these dangerous situations. This tragic story only highlights the need for people to better plan for the dangers of interacting with strangers and engaging in online (social) networks.

Here are just a few tips to keep in mind in dealing with online and offline interactions:

• Never post personal details, home phone number, or addresses online, especially when engaging in a high-value transaction. With phone number reversal sites and the online white pages, it’s easy to figure out where you live, especially if you still use a landline. Cell phones are more difficult to trace, but it’s possible. Create a free email address or use the Craigslist anonymous email posting option. When doing an online transaction, ask people to supply their full name and number in the initial email response. Then you can check them out before you make more personal contact.
• Meet in public spaces, with lots of people and surveillance cameras, and during the day. This does not require further explanation, does it?
• Arrive first and leave last. This will reduce the possibility that you’ll be staked out by potential thieves.
• Meet people with your (big) friends present. Again, no further explanation needed.
• The incomprehensive list above applies to all types of off-line interactions that originate online or via advertisement. If you’re on a social networking site, never post that you’ll be leaving town and wait to return before sharing the photos and updates from your trip. Many people whose homes are burgled oftentimes have a direct or indirect connection with the thieves.

For added security, especially on big ticket items like cars, you may want to consider hiring a private investigator. Here are just a few things he or she can do for you.

• Attend the sale with you. Some private investigators are certified in doing security and are licensed to carry a fire arm.
• Complete a background check on a potential buyer.

Protect your online persona.

As far as your online persona goes, many private investigators are being hired to complete comprehensive on-line security analysis. Just like a home security analysis can be used to identify potential security weaknesses in your home, an online analysis can identify the areas where you are open to identity theft or exposing yourself to personal risk. Fortunately, there are now many ways to control what people are able to find out about you through search engines (e.g., Google) and a professional private detective can identify and deal with these for you.

There is no reason for tragedy to strike you. There is no reason for you to be passed on an excellent job offer because your friends tagged a photo of you doing a shot of vodka at that bar you don’t remember and posted it without your permission to their Flickr account. There is no reason you should expose yourself to identity thieves and predators. Just keep these things in mind and you’ll be much safer: If you won’t do it offline, don’t do it online. If you wouldn’t plaster it on an interstate billboard, don’t post it online. Finally, expect what you’d find offline (e.g., violent criminals and stalkers) to be more pronounced online. Call a professional investigator if you have any concerns, chances are he or she can help you.

Another resource:

Civil rights violated?: Another reason you need a private investigator

by Craig Engstrom, Ph.D.*

Radley Balko, a senior editor for Reason, recently published an intriguing article. As he notes in the introduction to the article:

George Orwell famously said, ‘If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.’ He may still be right. But in today’s age of smart phones, Flip cams, and iPod cameras, there's a pretty good chance someone's going to capture that boot and the face it's smashing and post both to YouTube for all the world to see. Two recent incidents in Maryland illustrate the power of this new and increasingly democratized technology—and highlight just how important it is that the law protect the people who use technology to hold government agents accountable. (Balko, 2010, ¶ 1)

The first incident Balko describes, which will frame the advice given in this post, occurred recently at the University of Maryland. Following Maryland’s win over Duke, university students spilled into the streets to celebrate. In what appears to be an unprovoked confrontation, Jack McKenna, a Maryland student, was beat by three riot cops. With their iPhones, several bystanders captured to video this event and posted them to YouTube. Interestingly, the campus police initially stated that they could not provide footage from the campus security camera:

After the iPhone video of McKenna's beating emerged, investigators subpoenaed 60 hours of surveillance video from the College Park campus police. The only video police couldn't manage to locate was the one from the camera aimed squarely at the area where McKenna was beaten. Funny how that works. Campus police claimed that a "technical error" with that particular camera caused it to record over the footage of the beating. As public pressure mounted, police later found what they claimed was a recording of the lost video. But two minutes of that video were missing. Coincidentally, those two minutes happened to depict key portions of McKenna's beating. (Balko, 2010, ¶ 4)

While this incident (and the other incidents described in Balko’s article) highlights the usefulness of new technologies to speak truth to power, it raises two important questions: 1) What if bystanders had not been recording the incident and 2) what can one do immediately following these types of incidents? A possible recourse for victims, who feel that their civil rights have been violated in any type of situation, is to immediately retain a private investigator.

The immediate benefit of retaining a private investigator, even before an attorney in many circumstances, is that she or he can immediately begin an investigation. This will mitigate the potential that precious time will be lost. In these types of situations, it is critical to begin an investigation immediately, before evidence is lost (or destroyed) and witnesses forget details or are coached to question their initial impressions. In many states, any information that is obtained by a private investigator can later be submitted to the attorney as “notes to file,” meaning that it becomes part of the attorney’s work product and is, therefore, not discoverable. This will allow you to search for an attorney (the professional investigator will likely have several to recommend) or to file your claim with civil rights agencies without worrying about whether you’ll have a case. The private investigator will already be collecting data that will hopefully demonstrate that there is grounding for your claims. By having hired a licensed private investigator, evidence will be collected and processed in a legal manner, consistent with court admissibility. You will also have a central person to whom you can direct all people who approach you about the incident.

The investigator may also uncover witness video recordings that, for whatever reason, did not make their way to YouTube or other social media websites. This is, of course, the best evidence to have. But even if no video is obtainable, the investigator will be able to follow leads and conduct interviews with witnesses in order to collect accounts of the events. He or she may even be able to uncover details that may be purposefully or accidentally omitted in police reports. Whatever he or she can collect becomes important data that can be used to help in your defense (should you be charged with a crime) or civil proceedings (should you choose to file a suit). If, for whatever reason, there are no witnesses present during an incident where you feel a government has violated your rights, you may still benefit from an investigator. You can file your complaint to the appropriate authorities, and the private investigator can conduct an investigation into other complaints filed against the particular agent(s). By interviewing other complainants, employees, and other individuals who are knowledge about the agents or departments, an investigator may discover a pattern that could prove some negligence.

Private investigators are important ballasts to their public counterparts. While hiring a private investigator is often a great investment, it is important to remember that you or your family should vet private detectives before hiring them. You should ask the private investigator several questions, including whether she or he can conduct an objective investigation into potential police misconduct. While some private investigators are former police officers, many of them are not. Nevertheless, you should not exclude a private investigator solely on the basis of his or her prior or current connection with a particular police department. Hiring a private investigator with prior police experience can be an asset for many reasons. In other words, the particulars regarding where an investigator received his or her training and experience is not as important as what type of knowledge and experience she or he has. What matters more than anything, and something that you will be able to tell during your initial conversations, is whether the private investigator seems interested in your case and has the expertise to conduct a competent investigation. Not every investigative agency is interested in or equipped to handle these types of investigations. You should ask the investigator to explain to you what she or he will do to assist you. If something doesn’t sound right to you, it may not be. Before hiring any investigator, you should also check his or her reviews on websites such as Ripoffreport.com, Yellowbot.com, or the local Better Business Bureau.

It’s unfortunate that many citizens have to rely on technology and private investigators to protect themselves from government and corporate misconduct. However, by relying on both technology and quality private investigators, you can better protect yourself against injustices perpetrated by others against you.

* Dr. Craig Engstrom is owner and operator of Critical Hours, a company that provides consulting, research, and documentation services to small business owners. His scholarly research focuses on the business of private, professional investigations.

References

Balko, R. (2010, April 26). Watching the detectives: A nebulous "right" to videotape on-duty cops isn't enough. The right needs to be enforced. Reason Magazine. Retrieved April 27, 2010 from http://reason.com/archives/2010/04/26/watching-the-detectives>

Being stalked through your cell phone or other electronic devices?

If you suspect your electronic devices, home, or car is bugged, it is important to keep in mind that very few private investigators are specially trained in electronic countermeasures and counter-surveillance techniques. Remember to practice due diligence.

Video available here: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/stalked-cell-phone-10040683