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Small Phones; Big Ears: Phone Security Breaches

Posted on January 26, 2009 by Lina Maini

by Lina M. Maini

(This week’s Bulletin carries updates to our BB Vol. 7, May 12, 2008 edition regarding widespread telephone tapping and how to avoid having your firm fall victim to cell phone security breaches. The related video below cotains an actual conversation between a TV producer and her attorney. They are on the 36th floor of an office building; the intruder is FOUR MILES away.)

Small Phone, Big Ears: Cell Phone Tapping
Particularly disturbing law firms these days is the potential that client meetings, conferences… can be secretly monitored via the attorney’s own cell phone.

How it is done:
To remote access your cell phone’s “firmware” (hard drive), an interested party can:

1. scan for your phone’s frequency signature and bounce back an electronic tracer signal. In less than a nanosecond, your cell phone now serves as a broadcaster or

2. install spy software on your phone.

The obvious ethical issues of client/attorney privilege aside, firm operating procedures, sensitive case information, negotiation tactics… are delivered on a silver headset to outsiders with a desire to know.

How to tell if your phone is tapped:
The tech and investigation experts in the below video demonstrate cell tapping techniques , threat management and elimination. (Important note: the video concentration is on spy software installed on your cell, but your phone can be remotely tapped. There is no need for the thief to have physical possession of your phone.)

Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCyKcoDaofg

Spoiler: the three main clues that your cellphone is tapped are:
1. It feels unusually warm.
2. The battery drains more quickly.
3. You get static feedback from speakers on other electronic equipment within range of your cell.
How to prevent cell phone tapping:
1. Remove the battery before sensitive meetings.
2. Don’t take the cell phone into any high-stakes meetings.
3. Carry a signal jammer. Many are disguised as business card holders or similar small accessories and are extremely effective.

BNI Operatives; Street smart; Web savvy.

As always, stay safe.

Filed under: cell phone, phone breaches, security, wire tapping | Leave a Comment »

Who’s Your Daddy? Paternity Testing

Posted on January 19, 2009 by Lina Maini
Whether for personal knowledge or court-directed, paternity tests are now as common as the phrase “locked in an Albany political boondoggle”. (Snarkiness can be expanded to other states’ capitals political machinery.)

There are many “off the rack” paternity testing kits that one can order online. The purpose of this week’s Bulletin is to provide information regarding a) sample types, b) gathering techniques and c) admissibility.

The full article is in your mailbox if you are a registered Beacon Bulletin reader. If you have not registered with us yet, we invite you to do so now. It’s free, delivered each Monday and full of reader-requested information. Please note that registration is limited to licensed legal professionals and law enforcement. We do verify our registrants.

Filed under: admissability, blood, buccal, collection, dna testing, forensic, hair, paternity, swab | 3 Comments »

Email – True Or Scam?

Posted on January 12, 2009 by Lina Maini

by Lina M. Maini

We’re barely into the new year, and already the scammers are flooding our inboxes with fake email, promising riches.

Below is an email I received. In that it was sent to me by a very skeptical Bulletin reader as a heads-up, I double-checked with the best source for scam busting: Hoax-slayer. (More on HS below the scam email.)

Subject: Please Read This. It Was On Good Morning America!

What do you have to lose?

This was sent to me by my accountant… if you think this is ridiculous I have no problem giving you his contact information…Read carefully…THIS TOOK TWO PAGES OF THE TUESDAY USATODAY – IT IS FOR REAL. To all of my friends, I do not usually forward messages,But this is from my friend Pearlas Sandborn and she really is an attorney. If she says that this will work – it will work. After all, what have you got to lose?

SORRY EVERYBODY.. JUST HAD TO TAKE THE CHANCE!!! I’m an attorney, And I know the law. This thing is for real. Rest assured AOL and Intel will follow through with their promises for fear of facing a multimillion-dollar class action suit similar to the one filed by PepsiCo against General Electric not too long ago. Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet companies and in an effort to make sure that Internet Explorer remains the most widely used program, Microsoft and AOL are running e-mail beta tests. When you forward this e-mail to friends, Microsoft can and will track it (if you are a Microsoft Windows user) for a two week time period. For every person that you forward this e-mail to, Microsoft will pay you $245.00 For every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you $243.00 and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid $241.00. With in two weeks, Microsoft will contact you for your address and then send you a check.

Regards. Charles S Bailey General Manager Field Operations1-800-842-2332 Ext. 108 5 or 904-1085 or RNX 292-1085

What’s particularly clever (other than none of the text) is the use of an 800# that generates a message that the caller “cannot reach this party from (your) area code”. If you get email that you’d like to verify, visit the the guys over at Hoax-Slayer.

“Hoax-Slayer is dedicated to debunking email hoaxes, thwarting Internet scammers, combating spam, and educating web users about email and Internet security issues. Hoax-Slayer allows Internet users to check the veracity of common email hoaxes and aims to counteract criminal activity by publishing information about common types of Internet scams. Hoax-Slayer also includes anti-spam tips, computer and email security information, articles about true email forwards, and much more. New articles are added to the Hoax-Slayer website every week.” - Hoax-Slayer

Stay safe.

Filed under: email, Gates, hidden information, hoax-slayer, Microsoft, scam, scammers | Leave a Comment »

Finding Old Faces In The New Year

Posted on January 5, 2009 by Lina Maini

by Lina M. Maini

Welcome back and a happy, prosperous, safe and sane 2009 to all.

This time of the year, the dual-faced Janus finds us simultaneously looking backward at unfinished business and forward to the future. It is not surprising, therefore, that we notice an uptick in requests for people locates in December and January.

Barring criminal activity, most of us innocuously and accumulatively lose people in life, usually due to school, work, family, careers…

As our readers know, BNI works exclusively for the trial law and legal community. We do not accept service requests from the general public. Every so often, however, one of our attorney or corporate clients will ask us to conduct a personal subject locate. In the spirit of hope and unity in a new year, we offer the following tips gratis for this search type:

Tips for Finding Missing Persons:

The first suggestion is what NOT to do:

Do not use alleged free search sites such as alliedpeoplesearch.com. “Alleged” because it is a teaser site – forcing you to register at Reunion.com before releasing unqualified information.

Now for the DO list:

1. Google the person. (Put the “name” in quotes to reduce irrelevance and redundancy.)

2. Search the ultimate white and yellow pages – Argali. (This site simultaneously searches multiple search engines – white pages, infospace/intellus, anywho…)

3. Search genealogy sites: (First check Cyndi’s List - an archive of 250,000+ genealogy sites, starting off with the most populated, Ancestry and YourFamily, registries.

4. Check the Missing Persons Org site if you believe the person may have been reported missing.

5. And, if you have reason to believe the person may have passed on, research the Social Security Number Index site. (You don’t need the subject’s SSN; just the name – although, if in the registry, the SSN will return.)

Finally, be creative. Think of activities or interests the person may have enjoyed and search those sites, leave posts on their bulletin boards or conversely, put up your own web site with a missing person page. It all comes down to algorithms. Increase your chances of a successful locate by putting it out before potential millions of eyes that you are searching for that person.

Of course, if all else fails, or there is a legal and or time constraint, you can give us a shout.

BNI Operatives: Street smart; web savvy.

Stay safe and again, a happy New Year to all.

Filed under: ancestry, argali, genealogy, google, index, infospace, intellus, missing persons, people search, social security number, soiled doves, white pages, Yellow Pages | Leave a Comment »

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