Any experienced private investigator will tell you that social media has become one of the most powerful tools for things like locating missing people and digging up any necessary information. While hiring a professional will always net the best results, there are some actions that even a novice can use to get the ball rolling on a social media investigation before having to bring in an expert. Let’s take a look.
Start with Google. The easiest place to begin a social media search is through the popular search engine Google. A quick check may reveal links to all the different social networks your target is using, as well as other interactions and mentions on the web. If you’re not getting the results you’re looking for, try searching different variations of the name.
Check out Knowem. This nifty social search engine allows you to conduct an instant search of more than 500 different social networks. While it’s primary purpose is to locate brand information, it can also be used to search peoples’ names as well as usernames they may have on various social platforms.
Use Facebook’s “Find Friends” feature. A great place to start is by conducting a search on Facebook through the platform’s “Find Friends” feature. You can narrow your search by geographic location, schools attended, employers and more. Of course, the results you get will ultimately depend on the person’s privacy settings.
Try doing a reverse image search. There are several different platforms that allow you to upload or include a URL to a photo and conduct a reverse search. (A popular one is called TinEye.) If you have a photograph of the person you’re trying to locate, you may be able to uncover information this way.
Don’t forget Instagram. Many times people forget about other social media sites like Instagram. This photo sharing app allows you to conduct a search by username and just regular name. It might be a shot in the dark, but with over 300 million monthly active users, it’s worth a shot.
Of course, sometimes locating a person via the internet simply isn’t possible for a layperson, particularly if the target has taken conscious measures to ensure they aren’t found. If you’ve tried all of the suggestions above and are still coming up empty, you may want to consider enlisting the help of an experienced private investigator. Contact us today to learn how we can help you locate the person or persons you need to find.
There are a number of reasons a business may need to locate a former employee, whether it’s due to impropriety or to access the information they’re privy to, such as insider knowledge about the corporation or other employees. While many organizations choose to hire private investigators to do the necessary digging for them, others may prefer to conduct or at least begin the investigation on their own. That said, here are a few helpful tips of where you can start your search and hopefully find the information you’re looking for.
Search Engines – This may seem like the most obvious method, but in many cases, all it takes is a simple Google search to locate the person you’re after. (Hint: look for news and publications, like press releases, that may include contact information on where the party in question now resides or works).
Professional Organizations – Many of these organizations maintain member lists which are available to the public. Check groups that are closely related to your industry and/or the employee’s particular expertise.
Public Records – If applicable, you may be able to find the information you need by checking with local licensing boards. Additionally, corporate and SEC filings often contain detailed info, as to litigation records.
Archive.org – This website contains a wealth of information on just about everything under the sun. In fact, it’s widely considered to be one of the largest digital collections of information on the Internet today. Put it to good use.
LinkedIn – First, set your profile to private to ensure anonymity when viewing other LinkedIn profiles. In many cases, a basic search will yield the results you’re after. In others, you may only be able to access a portion of a profile. You may be able to get around this, however, through the “People Also Viewed” area on another member’s profile.
Social Media – People often neglect to do the simplest thing – set their personal social media profiles to private. If you’re lucky, you may be able to gather all the information you need via the person’s social channels.
Of course, if the person you’re trying to locate has taken measures to keep his or her identity and/or location private, the methods above may yield no viable results. In cases such as that, or in instances where time is of the essence, employing the services of an experienced private investigator may make the most sense.
Lauth Investigations, Intl. offers professional investigation services to help corporations and businesses with all their employee location needs. Give us a call 800-889-3463 to discuss how we might assist with your specific case.
Few situations in life are more tumultuous and emotionally charged than that of a child custody battle. It can be even more upsetting when one parent lacks the capacity to provide a safe, healthy environment for the child or children in question. Unfortunately, scenarios such as these can be difficult to prove on your own. That’s when the help of a qualified, experienced private investigator can help. Here’s how.
In-Depth Background Investigation – In many cases, it’s not only the other parent that is potentially placing the child or children in danger, but those with whom he or she associates or resides. A private investigator can conduct comprehensive background investigations on every party in question to uncover any potential evidence of a problem.
Video/Photographic Evidence – You may be confident that your former partner is not acting appropriately or lacks the responsibility to adequately care for your children, but convincing a judge of this can be challenging. Unless, of course, you have evidence. A skilled private investigator can gather the pictures and videos necessary to demonstrate that your concerns are legitimate.
Examining Documents – As much as you suspect certain events in your ex’s life may make him or her an unfit parent, you can’t go into court without the proper documentation. Unfortunately, snooping around to dig up information on your own will probably not produce much viable data. Private investigators, on the other hand, have access to documentation that you may not even realize exists.
On-Site Residential Evaluation – If you suspect that the other parent is neglecting, abusing or placing your child or children in harm’s way at home, chances are you won’t be invited in to check things out for yourself. A private investigator, however, can conduct a thorough on-site assessment of the other party’s home environment to evaluate cleanliness and look for signs of neglect and/or abuse.
Court Testimony – Once you’ve gathered all the proof you need, you’ll likely have to present your case to a judge. An experienced child custody investigator can provide you with a confidential report that details all photo, video and documented evidence obtained during the investigation. If necessary, he or she can also provide testimony as an expert witness during the case.
As a parent, you want to do everything within your power to keep your children safe, healthy and happy. If you suspect that your former partner is not providing an adequate level of care to your kids, you’ll have a much better chance of winning your case if you hire a professional.
For more information or to get the ball rolling on your own child custody investigation, call us at 800-889-3463.
Vetting is a process most often spoken of when it comes to political candidates. A potential candidate can go through extreme forms of background checks and research into anything from family matters to finances. Because they are backed by political parties and face media scrutiny, this process remains essential and goes unchallenged.
Why then do people of similar position in the private sector often go through the hiring process unchecked? In 2012 Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson was one such case when he was found to have lied about his educational history when he added a dual major for a degree that didn’t exist at his alma mater. After this information was made public, he was fired, others in charge of hiring forcibly resigned, and thus became a monster headache for the struggling corporation.
Former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson (Source Cnet)
This is just one example in long line of upper management being improperly hired, leading to scandals down the line: impacting the company, the brand, and the bottom line. In order to avoid such public pratfalls, a thorough vetting process would be wise to implement for the most influential positions of a company.
Proper Vetting Techniques, Facts, and Myths
1. Make sure the right employees are involved in the hiring process. Especially in large organizations, certain members can do more harm than good. For instance, in Yahoo’s case board members were heavily involved in major hiring decisions, causing strife with the HR department (aka people who are trained to hire others). This led to some obviously poor decisions including informal interviews without HR knowledge and/or going through proper vetting channels.
2. The higher the position, the more detailed and stringent the hiring process should be. Makes sense right? You’d be surprised at how this can often be reversed. Some suggested this occurs from not wanted to upset your potential CEO who might find it undignified. An HR exec at Pepsi-Co Suggests that the “more senior you are, the more its about relationships and less about filling out an application.” Whatever the case may be, this backwards thinking has lead to many a company’s PR department having endless migraines.
3. Vetting process isn’t just for the companies benefit. Being properly vetted helps the potential hire and not only through avoiding embarrassing public scrutiny. By having certain exaggerations or falsities come up through vetting, it allows the candidate the chance to correct the error and move on before it can scar them for life.
4. Utilizing a third party for this process can avoid in-house biases. Hiring objective, experienced investigators can produce the best results without leaving hiring or HR department of the company in compromised positions. However, said department should still work closely with the investigators in order to receive the necessary information.
5. Trying to understand the candidates psychology. Just because they passed a background check and have the necessary credentials doesn’t mean they should become the face for your organization. Trying to suss out cases of candidates too consumed with power or narcissism can be tricky, but there are options available. Going beyond a person’s references can stem from asking a reference particular questions or interviewing the potential hires previous employee underlings. Taking the time to go through such measures can help determine if he/she would be proper fit for your company.
6. Not just CEOs. Vetting techniques can and should be used for candidates of many industries. From the coach of professional sports organizations to higher ups in various form of academia, if you can be hired in a position of power, then the organization should take the time and due diligence to make sure you won’t come back to haunt them.
Private investigators, eyes, and detectives may seem like a profession that’s been around forever, but this is not the case. Perhaps because their famous fictional counterparts have been around nearly as long, but in reality private detectives have been in use for around 150 years.
First documented in France in the first half of the 19th century, the first known private detective was a former criminal and inspiration for writers like Victor Hugo. Eugene Francois VIdocq spent decades stealing, robbing, and escaping jails before turning his life around and using his skill set for good. After years of working with the police he eventually founded Le Bureau des Renseignements, which is considered the first private detective agency and was primarily staffed by ex-convicts.
The first well known agency was founded by Allan Pinkerton in 1850. So influential was Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency in fact, their logo was how the term “private eye” came about.
The “eyes” have it. (Public Domain)
The Pinkerton agency is said to be responsible for the mug shot, and contributions to law enforcement. At this time the agency was often used to mediate strikes and provide security, with Pinkerton himself saying they singlehandedly foiled an assassination attempt against Abraham Lincoln. By the end of the century PNDA became one of largest firms of its sort in the world, and is still around today as a subsidiary to Swedish security company Securitas AB.
At this formative time for private detectives, they often filled the role of law enforcement, acting as police when their clients felt the police were too ill-equipped to handle a need or situation. Agencies were rarely hired by average citizens at this time, perhaps to due the pre-modernization of America thus the lack of excess funds for such hires.
Agencies were also hired to find the most infamous criminals of the time, such as Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, and the Sundance Kidd. Not until the roaring 20’s was it possible for everyday people to seek the assistance of a PI, which was in part due to the expansion of the middle class.
The uses for private detectives often changes with the eras as peoples needs are altered and technology evolves. In the past 20 years, strides have been made to require more licensing and certification to become a PI, perhaps in an effort to authenticate the industry from it’s looser, less reputable past (or at least that what the movies make it out to be). Even the term “private detective” is less en vogue then the current “private investigator” or LPI’s for similar reasons.
What’s for certain, PI work is an industry that responds to the problems of today, and shall continue to do so, always around the help control the chaos.
When one conjures up images of a private investigator or “PI”, what are some commonalities? Perhaps a long tan coat, a notebook, mustache, and of course your handy dandy – magnifying glass?
Somehow this is the universal image for a profession where you use facts and reasoning to find information. Most people use magnifiers to look at ants.
Detective stories have long altered the perception of what private investigators do so here now lies some basic PI 101 information.
Private investigators are hired by individuals, business, and organizations to seek out the truth. This can take many forms, which is why you have various kinds of PI’s like those who specialize in forensics, lost assets, surveillance, or background checks.
Though certain fictional representations may focus on a PI’s eccentric personality, the job itself is more grounded and based in logic, details, and deductions. Some other private investigator myths are as follows:
1. Private investigators basically have carte blanche when is comes to solving a case.
Couldn’t be farther from the truth. One of several distinctions of a PI from a Craigslist ad offering similar services is their vast knowledge of legal and ethic implications. They work within the system, often with backgrounds in law or law enforcement. Which means several examples you’d see on television aren’t relevant. Pretexting to gain access to phone records, breaking and entering, and important documents (like certain financial information) wouldn’t be accessible to private investigators due to legality and regulations such as the The Gramm-Leach Bliley Act.
2. Private Investigators are the same as police detectives right?
A surprisingly common question, with a simple answer. Police work for the government, while private investigators are hired by people or groups. Because of this, the kinds of work differs, as the police work on more crime matters while PI’s find answers without prosecution.
3. PI’s are just former disgruntled police detectives.
With the multiple kinds of private investigators, their backgrounds come from all sorts. From forensic accounting to computer science, the plethora of backgrounds give PI skills for their particular type of investigation. Depending on the state you may require formal license, or need to pass exams. With each state differing in requirements, sometimes reciprocity agreements are issued to work in several states. LII is licensed in Iowa, Florida, Indiana, and Arizona.
4. Their client base is 1940’s blondes.
Kinds of client depend on the area of investigation, but companies and organizations make up a significant part of PI’s business, often for reasons you wouldn’t expect. For instance, a larger company may hire a private eye to look into corruption from within the organization. By doing their due diligence, it allows for handling of smaller scenarios now in order to avoid a PR/stock price disaster later on.
Private investigation is a detailed process, and though not as heavily based on intuition or donning the look of an action movie star, private investigators can be a great asset in your corner.
Media’s representation of Private Investigators (Source: PInow)
Any experienced private investigator will tell you that social media has become one of the most powerful tools for things like locating missing people and digging up any necessary information. While hiring a professional will always net the best results, there are some actions that even a novice can use to get the ball rolling on a social media investigation before having to bring in an expert. Let’s take a look.
