• Categories

  • Pages

  • Archives

Successful Locates v. Diminished Settlements

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Lina Maini

pushPinMap

To conduct a successful locate, hire a good investigator.

As flippant and self-serving as that may appear, if you’ve tried the usual public search options and have come up negative, if might be time to hire a professional detective.   The information online appears to be uniform.  It’s not.  A good investigator will use multiple data sources to locate a subject.  The key to selecting the most valuable  and current data  available along the digital trail is  in

1.  knowing the information providers update schedules (every 30 days, quarterly, when an important change is collected?).

2. understanding  the sales configuration of their products v. one’s needs. (E.g. Is a local versus a national real property search required? Does the service  allow for varying levels of information depth?)

3. confirming their level of removal from the primary data source.  (Is the data provider obtaining the information directly from officially recorded materials or repurposing another provider’s data?)

Your investigator should be aware of and constantly renewing his/her baseline  ”Go To” information sources.

For a subject locate,( to more efficiently utilize an investigator’s services), prepare the following on the subject:

1. Full name (to include maiden, extensions, e.g. Jr.  or III)

2. Date of birth, if known (or approximate age)

3. Social Security Number, if known

4. Last known home, cell and work phone numbers

5. Last known address or employers’ address

6. Work information, career field

7. Prior military experience

8. Relatives, emergency contacts

Perhaps, having had all of the above information available on your subject, you think there is nothing new an investigator can uncover.  Quite often, a different approach and skill set will make all of the difference between a successful locate and having to settle a case for a fraction of its worth.

Investigator Tip:

Often it is necessary, for completely legitimate reasons, to  initialize “soft” contact with a subject.  In that case, we suggest an untraceable, disposable, anonymous  email tool:  Guerrilla Mail.

Our Operatives: Street smart: info savvy.

As always, stay safe.

Filed under: General Information, locate | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Falling Off The Grid: A How-To Disappear. Part I/II

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Lina Maini

As an investigator for well over a decade, often employed in a skip-tracing capacity, I’ve learned how a  person can disappear (fall off the grid) or modify their public data (perception management). Without delving too much into SEO and other optimization methods hawked on the market, we focus on running our people tracer searches in reverse; i.e., locate the public information available on an individual and then follow the below masking methods.  To ensure that a person has successfully dropped off of the grid, we then try to locate them ourselves; determining how well our cloaking measures have worked.

There are basically three steps involved in falling off the grid.

1. Misinformation.  There is so much electronically available information on individuals now that turning this data to suit your needs may indeed appear to be a Sisyphean task.  (We are not referring to allegedly protected information such as your Social Security Number or credit rating; albeit the latter can be manipulated as well by simply adopting a new identity.  We’ll get to that in a later article.)   I’m referring to contact information given way too freely to cell phone and cable companies, utilities and even to marketing professionals just to receive nonvaluable products or services.

Solution: Locate and deviate your known information.  I.e.,  Select a letter of the alphabet different from your middle initial or invent one if you don’t have a second name. Open a P.O. Box, directing your street address to that of an identity securer’s physical address.   Select a different date of birth.  Where and when applicable, use these three new misinformants.  As marketers, cable, fraternal organizations… upgrade their selling lists, this new information will begin to be applied to your newer identity.  Your old information will begin to drop off of aging consumer lists.

2. Disinformation.  Similar to the above but with the direct intent to mislead an aggressive researcher.

Solution: Have your created data result redirected to a different city.  Make it as difficult and expensive as possible to have the would-be seeker find you.

3. Necessary contact.  So you’ve won the lottery, need to fall off the grid for a while (if only to regain a sense of balance in your life) but you still wish to remain in contact with your family (the real ones and not those having recently spilled out of the woodwork upon news of your winnings).

Solution: Pre-paid cell phones, Internet cafes or hot spots, pre-paid calling cards and pay for everything in cash.

In our next article, we will cover the art of perception management.  Expertly applied by politicians (except Senator Edwards), large corporations and dictatorially run oppressed nations.

Our Operatives: Street smart, tech savvy.

As always, stay safe.

Filed under: Identity, Identity Protection | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Who Am I Dealing With?? Watching Your Back(ground) Checks.

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Lina Maini

Now that we are past the literal dogfight world of last week’s ugly politics, my concentration falls back to tangible information for the legal (and corporate) professional regarding background searches.

Lately, we are requested quite often to research the backgrounds of prospective employees, partners and corporate entities.

With our now internet-enabled reach (not just to locate web-based information but to network with other investigative specialists), we are able to access nationwide data as to the personal, work and credit backgrounds of potential new hires.  We have gained the ability to likewise perform these background search services on a global basis for those seeking new business alliances, products and services.   Today, given the mobility and globalization of people and companies, often the backgrounds of the those with whom we might form potential partnerships are, at bes,t based on hazy anecdotes and very basic, publicly available information.  Unfortunately, these types of non-professionally investigated histories can easily be manipulated, i.e., by net savvy perception managers.  For this, and many other reasons (personal security, access and information verification, to name several) we will always steer people away from the alleged “free” searches available online.  If one is serious about researching a potential employee or partner’s background, get it done right — by an experienced, highly rated private investigator.

Below we outline several types of background searches, their information yield and best applicability situations.

Basic Background Check, Individual:

Primary Uses:  Prospective new hires, subject identification, tenant verification.

Should yield:

  • DOB & Alias Names
  • SSN Verification
  • Address History (20 yr)
  • Address Summaries
  • Others Residing w/Subject
  • Possible Phone #s Associated w Subject (landline/mobile)
  • Email Addresses
  • Nationwide Criminal Profile (Includes State & Nationwide Criminal Databases, National Warrant Databases, Department of Correction Records, Nationwide Sex Offender Check)
  • Property Transactions
  • Civil Judgments, Tax Liens, & Evictions
  • Bankruptcies
  • Registered Vehicles *
  • DL Information *
  • Voter Registrations
  • Hunting & Fishing Permits
  • Professional Licenses
  • Possible Work Affiliations
  • Relatives & Associates

*In available states.

Recommendation: If the new hire will have access to accounting and or client information, we also suggest obtaining a release to conduct a standard asset search.

Comprehensive Background Check, Individual:

Primary Uses:  Prospective partners, major settlement/award cases, potential private care (nannies, housekeepers, home nursing aides…) and personal/business financial services providers (attorneys, accountants, brokers…)

Should yield:

  • All of the above plus :
  • Credit check (obtain authorization)
  • Financial background (to include but not limited to assets, banking information,  involvement in fraud investigations)
  • Professional background (to include but not limited to being a named party in any legal action, professional sanctions, industry rating)
  • Verified (in person/voice) and thorough reference checks

These are basic searches to conduct in the above referenced circumstances.  Of course, no two files will ever be the same and each search should be geared towards individualization.  A good professional investigator will know where to look and when to dig deeper.

As always, stay safe.

Related articles

Filed under: background, background checks, databases, employee, employee record, information | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Investigation Urban Myths Debunked

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Lina Maini
By Richard Wheeler (Zephyris) 2007. Lambda rep...
Image via Wikipedia

At social events or during casual introductions, invariably the question is raised (sometimes politely), “So, what do you do?”  Presumably, the person is requesting my career field information.

I’m dual-careered - investigations/security and animation development/production (proprietary property only) and occasionally, marketing (for clients as diverse as Domino’s Pizza to law firms to Sony).  This career combination may appear odd but it’s a personal balance.  Which field I initially disclose is based on the requestor’s behavior.  I tend to be more restrained on discussing the investigative field.  The reason?  Urban myths about private investigations.  Whether generated by common lore, CSI or playing junior detective at home (we’re all curious), the majority of non-investigative specialists really do believe that products, concepts and forensics methods,  exist in reality.  For that reason, I’m debunking one in each category today in Myth/Reality/Explanation format:

1. Untraceable cell phones.  NO SUCH THING.

We’ve all seen the ads for “throw-a-way” phones, “turn your electrical jack into an instant phone – no number necessary” and the latest hi-tech “soft phone” (software download that is run through your ISP.)   If law enforcement has the reason and can show cause – all of these untraceables are locateable.  Manufacturers know which numbers are shipped to specific stores, the electrical jack converter does have a hidden (from you) tracker and rule-of-thumb and common sense, if it is downloadable, it is traceable. The factors of whether l.e. decides to go through the effort depends on the case and cause.

2.  Unlocateable person.  FALSE.

(The following information does not  apply to certain people in law enforcement or under protective cover – although, they too can be flushed out, the expenditure – i.e.,  money and time –  is not usually individually undertaken.)

Every person leaves a trail – including when they go off the grid.  There is a lot of advice from so-called experts on how to hide your identity.  It is no longer possible, given our existence in the Information Age.

What can be done to cloud your whereabouts, assets and history is a) plant red herrings/false information, b) protect assets association (if you have to ask, don’t even try it. It can be done – LEGALLY – just hire an expert.) and c) employ a good, tech-savvy P.I. and/or reputation saver provider.  (Be very careful with the latter.  Ask for specifics on data for which they will search.  Provide as much info yourself.  Unless you have money to toss around or think this is a “test the investigator” game, you have to know why you want information withheld from the public.  You may not know which information will come back to haunt or trip you up or even that it is out there, but your investigator must be told the reason for your request.  A party photo of you holding a glass of wine is not a big issue if you realize your assets are being researched – but it can make one  heck of a difference in a child custody case.  Also, when the results of what amounts to your own background check are provided to you, request the identification of the sites, databases, deep drills… that returned a ”no hit” status.  What you think may be lurking out there just might be but you may have unwittingly misinformed your investigator.  Conversely, you want to ensure that information that is returned was run through a comprehensive investigative wringer.)

3. DNA is incontrovertible proof.  WRONG.

While extremely effective, forensics scientists have proven that DNA can be modified with false markers and it can also be manufactured.  There is always Option Three for those with true intent – plant their target’s DNA at the designated scene.

This is the proper forum to ask these questions.  And they are very welcome here. If any of our loyal readers have any questions on any other urban investigation myths, please, query as to your curiosity.  Either myself, an expert partner or contact will provide you with the truth – as we know, experience (we are actively in the field) and test it.  Ask away.

BNI Operatives: A step ahead.

As always, stay safe.

Filed under: background checks, cell phone, DNA | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

100 Useful Niche Search Engines You’ve Never Heard Of

Posted on July 27, 2009 by Lina Maini

Well, it’s probable that you have heard of a few of the niche search engines mentioned by our friends from Social Blog 100+ Useful Search Engines.  Aside from using megasearch engine Google, though, have you really surfed the more drilled down search sites?  I’m sure you can find use from at least a few in the list.  Below, we’ve selected one or several from each category that we find particularly useful.

Extracurricular

Search blogs, games and even forum postings for information and fun.

Bloglines:  Find “billions of articles” and posts going back to 2003 from blogs, comics and more.

FindSounds:  This search site finds sound effects in all kinds of file formats, channels and resolutions.  Very useful for making presentations  impactful.

 

Quick Answer Guides

Have a specific question you need answered quickly? Go here.

Answers.com: Type in your question to this search box or answer other users’ questions about politics, automotive issues, TV shows and pop culture, health, technology and more.

AskMeNow: Use this site to do a quick Wikipedia search from your mobile phone.

eHow:  This is the gold standard know-it-all site with literally an answer for any question you can think of.

Lexxe: Type in your question to this search engine, which pulls answers from its database of URLs added by users.

 

City Guides and Travel

Get to know your  town a little better, or plan a vacation or study abroad trip with these search engines.

Google Local: Many don’t realize that this popular site is also a search engine. Find local businesses and addresses here.

MSN City Guides: Click on a city to get started or type in a general location or activity to let this search engine find fun things for you to do in your area.

CitySquares: the premiere hyper-local search site in New England, New York City and eastern New York State.

Kayak.com: This aggregate travel search engine finds the lowest air fares, cruise vacations, car rentals and hotel stays available through the Web that match your travel requests.

Trabber: Trabber.com searches 31 different websites to bring up cheap flights based on the schedule you submit.

 

Shopping Search Engines

Find customer reviews, product information and shopping sites with these search engines.

MySimon: This fun site lists shopping specials and gift ideas for holidays, and it lets you search within a specific category or conduct a general search.

Shopzilla: Shopzilla is super easy to use. Enter in the keywords or product description for the item you’re shopping for, or browse the categories on the right, to bring up results from online retailers like Amazon.com.

PriceGrabber: Conduct an advanced search by shopping different categories or type in exactly what you’re looking for on PriceGrabber.com.

Bing: This comprehensive site lets you first browse by category to narrow your search or type in keywords to bring up something more specific.

 

Business

Those interested in staying current on business news and trends can take advantage of these niche search engines.

Bloomberg: Bloomberg.com connects you to business news through its search engine, breaking news articles and market data updates.

IFACnet: Accountants can use this search engine for industry news and “access to global resources and information.”

Business.com: Entrepreneurs can browse categories like software, startup, transportation, office management, real estate and health care to “quickly find anything for [their] business”.

 

Academic and Reference

Find reliable and authoritative reference sites here.

Librarian’s Internet Index: This site brings together “websites you can trust,” on subjects like media, law, communications, consumer research, health and more.

Scirus: This scientific search engine claims to be “the most comprehensive scientific research tool on the web” and indexes over 450 million science-related resources.

Google Scholar: Search journal articles, abstracts, academic papers and bibliographies, and other scholarly publications here.

Intute: Social Sciences: This division of the online search tool Intute connects you to quality information about government policy, geography, law, economics, anthropology, business management, social welfare, psychology, politics, women’s studies and more.

CiteSteer: Great “scientific literature digital library.” For computer science and IT needs.

 

Social Media and People

User-generated content and user-driven sites like these often result in more relevant search results for you.

wink: wink is “where people find people.” Search by location, name, interests, school or any other category to help you reach old friends and family members.

 

Multisearch

These search engines offer more than just ordinary searches. Enjoy using features like shared searches, saved memory and specific search options.

Trexy: Trexy can help you “blaze search trails” by saving your search memory, share your searches with the Trexy community, and add a TrailBar button to your toolbar for fast searches.

 

TV, Video and Radio

Look up video clips for presentations or discover new radio sites and web streams through these search tools.

veoh: Find millions of online videos by searching this site.

blinx: blinx digs into the Web to find “over 26 million hours of video” and bring up relevant results.

Radio-Locator: Search for over 10,000 different radio stations and 2,500 web streams from radio stations all over the world.

Snipp.TV: Find video and audio content from this easy-to-use beta search engine.

 

Medical and Health Search

Research authoritative journals and publications.

PubMed: This search tool is sponsored by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

OmniMedicalSearch.com: This site has been named a Top 5 Medical Search Engine by About.com and is lauded by The Washington Post. Search the Web, images or forums to get connected to quality health and medical information.

American Hospital Directory: Find a nearby hospital fast by typing in your telephone area code, zip code, city or state.

MedicineNet: This organized search engine displays your results according to different categories, like News, Symptoms, Procedures and Tests, and Medications, so you can quickly find the most relevant results.

 

Law

Gain access to court rulings, history and political sciences resources, and other law material here.

eLaw: Find cases, attorneys, motions… on this super search site.

FindLaw: Find attorneys and answers to your law questions by searching here.

Meta-Index for U.S. Legal Research: Search judicial opinions, federal regulation, legislation and more on this site.

 

Metasearch and Megasearch Engines

The following search engines work extra hard to bring you information from other search engines at the same time, including Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and others.

Dogpile: Find information from “all the best search engines” here.

Excite: This metasearch engine also shows you the latest sports scores, stock ticker, featured games and videos, and more.

HotBot: This search engine can pull information and material from Yahoo!, IyGO.com, and MSN.

 

Photos, Images and Visual Search Engines

Make your search a more visual experience by checking out these tools.

Grokker: Grokker searches Wikipedia, Yahoo! and Amazon Books, and then displays your results in an outline view or a map view.

Picsearch: Use Picsearch when you need to add images to a project or presentation.

 

News Searches

Stay current on business, technology, cultural and political news.

News Lookup: Find news stories from all over the world, or just search a particular country or news topic.

AlltheWeb: Use the News search tool on this site to find relevant stories from newspapers, TV stations and other news sites. 90.Yahoo! News: Search sports, entertainment, business, technology, world and U.S. news here.

 

Jobs and Real Estate

Turn to these search engines to help you with your search for an apartment, domestically or internationally.  You may even find  time shares,  home swaps and interns for your business.

Hotpads.com: Find homes and apartment listings for sale or for rent around the country with this tool.

trulia: This smart search engine finds homes for sale by zip code or city and state. You can also find movers, moving tips and more on this comparative shopping site.

Internship Programs: Look or post for interns after you log on.

There’s a wealth of information out there in the etherworld.  The megasearch engines, like Google or Yahoo are fine but they operate strictly on algorithms and ad revenue so the response you will receive to a search query may not be the best answer for your situation.  Poke around a bit.

BNI Operatives: Street smart: Web savvy.

TIP OF THE WEEK FOR OUR SUBSCRIBED READERS:  PUT YOUR VERY OWN FIRM’S TOOLBAR ONTO YOUR CLIENTS’ BROWSERS. FREE. 

As always, stay safe.

Filed under: General Information, Search Engines | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Reminder: Secure Your Metadata

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Lina Maini

From Wikipedia:

Metadata (meta data, or sometimes metainformation) is “data about other data”, of any sort in any media. An item of metadata may describe an individual datum, or content item, or a collection of data including multiple content items and hierarchical levels, for example a database schema. In data processing, metadata is definitional data that provides information about or documentation of other data managed within an application or environment. The term should be used with caution as all data is about something, and is therefore metadata.

For example, metadata would document data about data elements or attributes, (name, size, data type, etc) and data about records or data structures (length, fields, columns, etc) and data about data (where it is located, how it is associated, ownership, etc.). Metadata may include descriptive information about the context, quality and condition, or characteristics of the data. It may be recorded with high or low granularity.

Please check the following sites for metadata control advice:

WordPerfect metadata info

Word metadata info

BNI Operatives: Street smart; web savvy.

As always, stay safe.

Filed under: Tech Tips | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 186 other followers

%d bloggers like this: