Private Investigator News

Android devices in U.S. face more malware attacks than PCs

admin — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:27:00 +0000

Android devices are now attacked more often by malware than PCs, according to a report released Tuesday by a cyber security software maker. The 2013 Security Threat Report from Sophos revealed that almost 10 percent of Android devices in the U.S. have experienced a malware attack over a three-month period in 2012, compared to about [...]

Psst, Your Amazon Kindle Is Spying On You

admin — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:23:55 +0000

For literature lovers, nothing beats spending the evening alone with a good book. But for owners of Kindles and other e-reading devices, that tradition is no longer as easy as sending the kids off to a sleepover. That’s because e-book readers are never really alone — at least, not according to a new report by [...]

Insurance fraud agents get shotguns, fast cars

admin — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:21:01 +0000

The Oklahoma Insurance Department has stepped up the presence of its anti-fraud unit, a move that is raising some eyebrows at the state Capitol. In recent months, the unit has bought new police cars, shotguns, uniforms, badges, body armor and other equipment for the seven-member unit, and some are asking why. “There’s no reason for [...]

Why are elderly more vulnerable to scams? Brain change

admin — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:18:05 +0000

New research suggests age-related changes in the brain make it harder to detect suspicious body language and other warning signs that people may be untrustworthy. Lidia Coito, 90, says she had no reason not to trust Rita Wynegar, her great-niece. When Wynegar told her in 2006 that the company managing Coito’s money was overcharging, Coito [...]

‘Tis the Season of Holiday Scams

admin — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:15:36 +0000

In song, the gifts of Christmas include partridges, turtle doves and French hens. But scammers seek a different type of bird — pigeons who’ll fall for their holiday-themed hoaxes. To commemorate those lyrical dozen days, here are 12 tips to avoid getting plucked this holiday season. Sign up for the AARP Money Newsletter. 1. When [...]

As polygraph screening flourishes, critics say oversight abandoned

admin — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:12:01 +0000

For more than three decades, CIA polygraphers collected what they hoped would be damning evidence that Michael Pillsbury should be barred from seeing government secrets. netheless advised three Republican presidents, got countless security clearances, was a top defense official under President George W. Bush and did sensitive work for the CIA. The extent of the [...]

How Trusting in Vice Led to John McAfee’s Downfall

admin — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:09:14 +0000

y now, you are aware of John McAfee. If there’s one thing that the sexagenarian millionaire antivirus founder seems to love more than teenage girls, it’s publicity. And he is extremely adroit at getting it. His misadventures in Central America have eaten the media whole. Even now, in the hospital where he was taken after [...]

Government Cannot be Sued for Violating its Own Wiretapping Laws

admin — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:04:42 +0000

There’s more bad news on the Fourth Amendment front as the appeals court reviewing a lawsuit filed against the US government for illegally spying on American citizens has declined to rehear the Al-Haramain case. A federal appeals court is refusing to reconsider its August ruling in which it said the federal government may spy on [...]

‘Worst’ process server way off mark: watchdog

admin — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:02:49 +0000

Serving legal papers wasn’t his strong suit, the city says. The city’s worst process server claimed to be hand-delivering court summonses to deadbeats all over the city, but GPS records revealed he was often miles from his mark or totally off the grid, according to the Department of Consumer Affairs. Robert Winckelmann, 41, lost his [...]

Prison bosses hail new GPS tracking devices a success as they identify breaches and put offenders back before courts

admin — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 01:59:14 +0000

The state’s most dangerous sex offenders are being caught breaching strict release conditions as prison bosses hail new GPS tracking devices as a success. Since the trackers were introduced in November last year following a Courier-Mail campaign, 20 offenders monitored under the Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act have been hauled back to the Supreme Court [...]

Bail-bondsman shares info in gym owner murder

admin — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 01:56:47 +0000

While police are still searching for the fifth suspect in the shooting of gym owner Joe Lengel, 19-year-old Deitrekk Boone, a local bail-bondsman denied bond to one of Boone’s fellow suspects. Ken McKay, owner of You Walk Bail Bonds, was called by Devonte Harris, another suspect believed to be involved in the shooting, to post [...]

Secret Service under investigation over loss of sensitive files on Metro

admin — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 15:48:42 +0000

The Secret Service is the target of an investigation into an “immense breach” involving the loss of two backup computer tapes left on a Washington, D.C., Metro train that contained sensitive personal information about all agency employees, contacts and overseas informants, according to multiple law enforcement and congressional sources. The ongoing probe is one of [...]

TEXT-TO-911 SERVICE TO BE AVAILABLE NATIONWIDE IN 2014

admin — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 15:45:33 +0000

Citizens in danger across the country will be able to text distress calls to 911 by May 2014, following an agreement with the nation’s four largest wireless carriers, the Federal Communications Commission has announced. Major deployments of the text-to-911 service should be available through AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile during 2013, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski [...]

Julian Assange: the fugitive

admin — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 15:43:05 +0000

The Ecuadorian embassy in Knightsbridge looks rather lavish from the street, but inside it’s not much bigger than a family apartment. The armed police guard outside is reported to cost £12,000 a day, but I can see only three officers, all of whom look supremely bored. Christmas shoppers heading for Harrods next door bustle by, [...]

Hollywood’s Total Piracy Awareness Program Set for January Launch

admin — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 15:40:15 +0000

Beginning in a few weeks, the nation’s major internet service providers will roll out an initiative — backed by Obama and pushed by Hollywood and the record labels – to disrupt and possibly terminate internet access for online copyright scofflaws without the involvement of cops or courts. But that doesn’t mean Hollywood is done filing [...]

Special Report: How foreign firms tried to sell spy gear to Iran

admin — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 15:36:27 +0000

In the summer of 2008, Iranian security agents arrived at the family home of Saleh Hamid, who was visiting his parents during a break from his university studies. The plain-clothes agents, he says, shackled him and drove him blindfolded to a local intelligence detention center. There, he says, they beat him with an iron bar, [...]

WHAT JOHN MCAFEE COULD LEARN FROM A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR

admin — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 15:34:14 +0000

We track people down all the time. Sometimes it’s very difficult. The police have an even more difficult job tracking down criminals. Sometimes people make it easy. When you’re on the lam, you don’t hide by contacting members of the press and giving all kinds of interviews. We’re speaking to you, John McAfee. Many of [...]

College spy camera death investigation

admin — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 01:18:38 +0000

Stonyhurst College says it has set up a support network following the sudden death of college nurse Neil Riley. Fifty-four-year old Mr Riley, who was arrested and bailed on suspicion of voyeurism by police after cameras were found in a room at the college, was found hanged. A statement issued by the college said: “Concerns [...]

HIV, Adultery, Arrest & More In Craziest Church Scandal You Will Ever Hear!

admin — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 01:16:32 +0000

Married Atlanta pastor Craig Lamar Davis is facing allegations of having affairs with two women and not telling them that he has HIV. Davis, head of the Full Gospel Baptist Church in Atlanta, was arrested July 22 on reckless endangerment charges and released from the Fulton County Jail on $1,500 bond July 24, according to [...]

Federal polygraph programs are secret even to researchers

admin — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 01:14:11 +0000

It’s one of the best-kept secrets in the federal government. Information about polygraph screening is so guarded by the agencies that use it that job applicants who are tested are urged not to tell anyone. The news media are denied basic information, such as how many government employees are screened, because it’s “sensitive” and could [...]

Charge against former mayor for operating unlicensed private investigation practice dropped

admin — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 01:11:23 +0000

A charge of unlicensed practice as a private detective against former Olney mayor and retired Illinois State Police Sergeant Kelly Henby has been dismissed. A warrant for Henby was issued in February 2011 for the charge, a Class A misdemeanor. He said Friday morning that the charge was dropped Wednesday, though he was told early [...]

Retired Sailor Charged With Spying: FBI

admin — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 01:09:06 +0000

A retired cryptologic technician allegedly attempted to deliver sub-tracking secrets to the Russians, but ended up caught in an FBI sting instead. A federal grand jury charged retired Cryptologic Technician 1st Class (SS) Robert Patrick Hoffman II on Wednesday with attempted espionage, according to an FBI release. The former sailor earned a top secret security [...]

Judge deals rare rebuke to Canadian Spy Agency: Refuses to grant wiretap on citizens, corporations

admin — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 01:07:11 +0000

The federal spy service has been dealt a rare rebuke by a judge, who has rejected a CSIS bid to wiretap Canadian citizens or corporations allegedly in cahoots with suspicious foreigners. In a heavily censored Dec. 6 ruling touching on a Top Secret intelligence dossier, Madam Justice Anne Mactavish approved wiretaps against a network that [...]

How to Recruit and Retain Quality Security Employees

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 20:00:53 +0000

One of the greatest challenges for any security director is finding and retaining the right people to fill security positions. The keys to success are to know how to attract and interview candidates and then how to engender loyalty among those who join the team. Also important is how to handle the employees who do [...]

What computer security threats can we expect to see in 2013?

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 19:57:33 +0000

Earlier this week, Sophos released the latest edition of its Security Threat Report, summing up the biggest threats seen during 2012, along with five trends that are likely to factor into IT security in the coming year. Regarding the malware rides we experienced in 2012 and the thrills we can expect in 2013, there will [...]

Weird Laws: True or False Edition 12

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 19:53:02 +0000

I recently wrapped up our “Weird laws: True or False edition.” It was fun discovering weird laws from 5 different states each week. I enjoyed sharing my interpretations of strange laws from across the nation so much that I decided to start back from the letter “A” and provide new strange laws from all the [...]

Security guard identified in homicide investigation at the Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 19:49:26 +0000

Police have identified the security guard found dead at a downtown Cincinnati hotel Friday morning. Richard K. Campbell, 58, was a security guard at the Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel, located at 35 West Fifth Street. Police say Campbell was a Vietnam Veteran who was killed on his birthday. Campbell was considered a mentor in his [...]

New Technology Will Spy On Your Living Room With Cameras And Microphones

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 19:46:35 +0000

Google TV, Microsoft, Comcast, and now Verizon have all submitted patent applications to create televisions and DVRs that will watch you as you watch TV. Earlier this month, news came out that Verizon applied for a patent to create a DVR sometime in the future that has cameras and microphones that can see and hear [...]

Industries That Need to Conduct Background Checks When Hiring

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 19:42:05 +0000

You don’t need to be Mensa qualified to understand the importance of background checks for bringing on board new hires, especially in some industries. The Liars Index, a report compiled by Jude M. Wern & Associates, reported that nearly 21 percent of resumes had false education claims for the period of the first half of [...]

Feds expand polygraph screening, often seeking intimate facts

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 13:51:39 +0000

She was one of the brightest students at a leading university when the Central Intelligence Agency offered her a job as a counter-terrorism analyst. But first, the 19-year-old was warned, she had to undergo a polygraph test to determine whether she could be trusted. Instead of scrutinizing her ability to guard government secrets, polygraphers asked [...]

VIDEO: Mount Washington Man is Bradbury Building’s First Private Eye

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 13:47:03 +0000

Private investigators uncover information for a living. So it’s particularly fitting that Mount Washington’s Keith Rohman, president of Public Interest Investigations, has his office in the historic Bradbury Building, which reveals its secrets gradually. The outside of the Bradbury Building, on Broadway at the corner of Third Street in Downtown Los Angeles, is modest compared [...]

NAPBS Releases 5 Tips for Employment Screening in 2013

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 13:41:32 +0000

Accuracy in Background Screening is the Prevailing Theme Now is the time when companies are prepping their budgets, strategies, and staffing plans for 2013. If your plans involve hiring permanent, temporary, or even outsourced workers, selecting the right people for the right positions is paramount. That’s where employment screening comes in. TheNational Association of Professional [...]

Celebrities turn to encryption to keep phones private

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 13:39:07 +0000

CELLPHONE hacking sparked the inquiry that led Lord Justice Leveson to conclude that the press “wreaked havoc in the lives of innocent people” in his long-awaited report to the British government last week. But those in the public eye aren’t counting on heavier press regulation to stop future hackers. Instead, they are increasingly placing their [...]

12 Ways to Stay Current in the Fast-Evolving World of Legal Support

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 13:36:24 +0000

The world of legal support is evolving around us much faster than most of us anticipated and were prepared to address. Technology waits for no one and pushes forward constantly, shrinking the world and putting everything right at our fingertips. It is so very crucial now to ride the crest of that wave and not [...]

Spooks, Incorporated – Does every company need its own CIA?

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 13:33:25 +0000

Since 9/11, a quiet intelligence revolution has been brewing inside many of America’s leading companies. Hotel chains, cruise lines, airlines, theme parks, banks, chemical companies, consumer products manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and even tech giants have been developing in-house intelligence units that look and act a lot like the CIA. These organizations don’t steal competitor trade [...]

U.S. Commandos’ New Landlord in Afghanistan: Blackwater

admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:37:42 +0000

U.S. Special Operations Forces have a brand new home in Afghanistan. It’s owned and operated by the security company formerly known as Blackwater, thanks to a no-bid deal worth $22 million. You might think that Blackwater, now called Academi, was banished into some bureaucratic exile after its operatives in Afghanistan stole guns from U.S. weapons [...]

New law bans your boss from spying on your Facebook account

admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:35:07 +0000

Good news for anyone who’s ever been tagged in a Facebook photo doing something less-than work safe: It’s now illegal in California for your boss to demand access to your Facebook page. Gov. Jerry Brown took to Twitter and Facebook, appropriately enough, to announce Tuesday that he had signed two new Internet privacy bills aimed [...]

HC refuses to grant time to CBI in fake bail bond scam

admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:31:54 +0000

Refusing to grant three months time as sought by to CBI to complete probe into the fake bail bond scam at suburban Kurla railway station involving RPF, the Bombay High Court today asked the agency to file a status report within a week. A division bench of Justice A M Khanvilkar and Justice Mridula Bhatkar [...]

Worker spied on celebrities’ health records

admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:28:33 +0000

Vancouver’s health authority is assuring patients their privacy is secure after firing a clerical employee who admitted to sneaking a peek at the medical records of five local media personalities. The female staff member, who had worked for Vancouver Coastal Health for several years, accessed the files through the authority’s electronic records system on multiple [...]

Canada a ‘laggard’ on freedom of information laws, says federal watchdog

admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:25:50 +0000

After releasing a report showing some mixed reviews on delays in federal government response to requests for public records, Parliament’s information watchdog, Suzanne Legault, said it’s time to correct the flaws in Canada’s access to information legislation. Canada’s Access to Information Act, first adopted in 1982, requires federal government departments, agencies and crown corporations to [...]

US Demand for Private Security Services to Reach $63.8 Billion in 2016

admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:23:40 +0000

Demand for private contracted security services in the U.S. is projected to increase 5.2% annually to $63.8 billion in 2016. The market will be supported by a high perceived risk of crime (from conventional violent and property crimes to white collar crimes and terrorism) and a concern that public safety officials are overburdened. The outsourcing [...]

Canadian companies not investing enough on cyber-security, government documents say

admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:19:43 +0000

Canadian companies may be skimping on IT security, leaving themselves and Canadians vulnerable to attacks from hackers, newly released records suggest. The documents from Public Safety Canada show that the scale of cyber-security threats “is significant” and many companies don’t invest the required money or time in good IT security. How to solve this problem [...]

Is Spying On Corporate Jets Insider Trading?

admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:17:21 +0000

One of the stranger aspects of Bloomberg’s story about the FBI’s Tip Machine, also known as former Morgan Stanley director David Slaine, is that one of his original tips involved a fund manager who was allegedly paying off people to discover who was coming in and out of Teterboro Airport, the small New Jersey airport [...]

Undercover Agent Outed by Marshal, Feds Say

admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:14:32 +0000

A U.S. marshal whose father was allegedly involved in a drug-trafficking ring blew the cover of an undercover agent, prosecutors say. The Homeland Security agent had allegedly posed as a tractor-trailer driver named Guadalupe Zavala who would help drug traffickers transport marijuana in Texas last year. Zavala transported 1,800 pounds of marijuana for $50,000, and [...]

Seven Secrets Every Whistleblower Needs to Know

admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:12:07 +0000

I was president and CEO of Olympus Corporation when the financial scandal broke last year, after I had exposed a massive fraud of approaching $2 billion which has subsequently become known as Japan’s Enron. Less than a month after I had been forced to leave the company, Olympus’s share price had dropped by a staggering [...]

How Secure Is Your Video?

admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:09:17 +0000

The spirit and intent of this common question are correct, but with the complexities of IP video and the variations of how vendors deploy and store video, the question is really answered by asking three other ones: • How secure is your network? • How are you recording your video and in what format? • [...]

Fraud Office Opens Investigation Into Rolls-Royce

admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:04:44 +0000

Rolls-Royce, one of the world’s largest makers of engines for commercial airplanes, said Thursday it was cooperating with the Serious Fraud Office on an investigation into alleged corruption at some overseas business operations. Rolls-Royce passed findings of an internal investigation to the S.F.O. relating to concerns about bribery and corruption at intermediaries in Indonesia and [...]

Creating a Digital Evidence Policy

admin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:02:16 +0000

One way to address the issue of data volume is to have a well-thought-out routine data destruction policy, says McIntyre. It’s also important to have good archiving so that it’s not hard to find where data is located, she says. These provisions should be part of an overall information security plan. Sometimes people intend to [...]