From the Desk of Kristen Justis, Director of Marketing and Customer Relations
ALIMONY INVESTIGATIONS
Alimony is defined as a husband or wife’s court-ordered provision for a spouse after separation or divorce. The purpose of alimony is to provide financial support to a spouse due to the change in their lifestyle upon the separation. While only 20 states still allow alimony, Lauth Investigations International, Inc. (Lauth) receives several clients due to provisions for alimony in a divorce.
Alimony States
Only 20 states allow for alimony and some are stricter than others on their provisions. The stricter states allow alimony to be a permanent obligation for life. Others allow receivers of alimony to receive further income should their ex marry another. Meaning, if the payor marries another, the new spouse will be obligated to pay some of their income to the receiver. Some states have a set formula giving the lower income spouse alimony of up to 40% of the higher income spouse’s salary. Below is the list of the states starting with the strictest states when it comes it alimony:
Colorado
New Mexico
California
Mississippi
New York
New Jersey
Florida
West Virginia
Vermont
Connecticut
Alabama
Delaware
Kansas
Tennessee
Utah
New Hamshire
Alaska
Nevada
Texas
Georgia
Every divorce and alimony decree are different. Some only requires alimony for a few years, while some require alimony to be permanent until death, others stipulate alimony ceases once the receiver of the alimony resides with a new companion, while some allows the new spouse of the payor has to pay a percentage into the alimony. The set time for alimony is clear cut for the ending of alimony payments. The alimony ending when the receiver resides with a new companion is far more difficult to document and prove to the Court.
Alimony Case Investigation
Lauth previously handled an investigation case for the payor of alimony as he believed his ex-wife to be living with a new spouse. This may seem like an easy thing to prove given our access to records on the internet and social media; however, people still have the means to be secretive and manipulative where money is concerned.
Trent, payor of alimony, resides in a state which ordered him to pay Mallory, receiver of alimony, $3,000 per month until Mallory began to reside with a new spouse. Since the divorce several years ago, Mallory moved out of state. Trent began to hear rumblings of Mallory living with a new spouse. He perused social media and saw her with a man several times; however, this did not prove they lived together. Trent began to do some research on his own.
Through his digging on the internet, Trent was able to confirm Mallory had purchased a home along with this new gentleman. Although it may appear they purchased the home to live together, this was not enough information for the Court to cease the alimony requirement. This is where Lauth comes in. Trent hired Lauth to get the full details of the living arrangement and use of the home in question.
The problem of just showing the two individuals purchasing the home together is they could be in business together to flip the home for sale, rent the home to others, starting a business in the home, etc. In order to receive a ruling for alimony to cease, all information must be concrete and prove fully the receiver is no longer in need of the spousal support as they have other forms of income.
The internet provides useful information; however, private investigators, such as Lauth, are able to answer all questions beyond a shadow of a doubt for clients. Lauth was able to locate the home, complete surveillance of the home, take pictures of Mallory and her significant other leaving the home consistently, and find further information on the use of the home. After given definitive proof from Lauth, Trent was able to show the Court Mallory no longer needs his spousal support. The Court ruled in his favor and he is now saving $3,000 per month.
Conclusion
When looking to get married, check out the laws in your state and consult an attorney. If there is an alimony law, attempt to establish a prenuptial agreement outlining your own parameters for alimony. If you are getting divorce, contact an attorney immediately and try to work with your ex-spouse on alternative agreements such as a one-time lump sum or a time period so the alimony is not a permanent requirement.
If you are paying or receiving alimony, ensure you stay aware of what the other is doing. On either side of the alimony, the actions of the other can cost or save a lot of money. The best way to stay aware is to work with a private investigator who can keep you updated without your name being involved and allowing you to get definitive answers to help you in Court.
Is Your Employee a Drug Trafficker? Opiates in the Workplace
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sales of prescription opioids quadrupled during 1999 to 2014. Referred to as an opioid crisis in America, it seems we all know someone battling an addiction to prescription medications.
Opioids include prescription pills (including Vicodin, Oxycontin, and Percocet), as well as Heroin and Fentanyl, a drug that can be injected, taken as a lozenge or through a skin patch.
Nationwide 1 in 4 people who are prescribed opioids will struggle with addiction. The depth of the problem is highlighted in a disturbing CDC post stating, “Almost all prescription drugs involved in overdoses come from prescriptions originally; very few come from pharmacy theft. However, once they are prescribed and dispensed, prescription drugs are frequently diverted to people using them without prescriptions. More than 3 out of 4 people who misuse prescription painkillers use drugs prescribed to someone else.
In addition to the personal toll to the addicts and the American family touched by opioid abuse, the CDC also estimates the total “economic burden” of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year, including the cost of healthcare, loss of productivity, absenteeism, increased injuries, addiction treatment, theft, criminal justice involvement, and legal liabilities.
The Drug Enforcement Agency estimates employed persons who misuse opioids account for 64.5% of medically related absenteeism and 90.1% of disability costs.
The use of opioids in the workplace is a growing battle for American business. According to a National Safety Council (NCS) survey, 57% of employers perform drug tests. However, more than 40% do not test for synthetic opioids like oxycodone, one of the most abused narcotics on the market, making accurate national statistics unreliable.
An NCS survey also found 29% of employers reported impaired job performance due to use of painkillers, with 15% citing injuries due to drug use. Up to 70% of employers said their workforce has been negatively affected in one way or another.
The Impact of Drugs in the Workplace
Use of drugs impairs decision making and causes physical impairment, a deadly condition when at work. It causes an overall decline in employee morale, an unsafe working environment and increases employer liability.
It is estimated at least 1 of 6 employees use drugs at work and the toll on the workplace is costly in the following ways:
Addicts are 1/3 less productive than their counterparts
Five more times likely to cause accidents
Are absent up to 20 times more often
Five times more likely to request workers compensation
Contribute to 40% of all industrial work fatalities
Health care costs for addicts is three times higher than other employees
Admitted to selling drugs to coworkers
Admitted to stealing from employers and coworkers
It is estimated 70% of 14.8 million Americans who use illegal drugs are employed. It is safe to assume if you have drug abusers on the job, you probably also have drug dealers operating within your company.
As drug dependency increases, it is common for addicts to buy drugs from friends or coworkers and even steal from their company, co-workers and clients.
Experts have also found the number of heroin addicts have increased as it is common for an opioid user to transition to using heroin when they begin running out of pills and money. Heroin is significantly cheaper than opiates and easier to obtain. Heroin laced with Fentanyl is becoming increasingly popular because it can be 50 times stronger than heroin.
The drug dealer of today is no longer the shady guy driving a decked-out Cadillac, meeting his clients in a dark alley or an unlit street corner. Dealing drugs to coworkers is preferred over standing on the corner selling to strangers and for a drug trafficker, less risky.
At work, a dealer has an employed clientele able to afford the drugs, and someone they can establish trust with while selling under the radar of management in the restroom, parking lot, lunch-room or cubicle.
Oftentimes workplace dealers will sell drugs on credit or a “front” according to the book Undercover Investigations in the Workplace by Eugene Ferraro. Drugs are sold to an employee with the agreement of paying later, usually on payday. Co-workers make the perfect client for a drug dealer and quite a lucrative business, with one Oxycontin pill demanding up to $50-$80 each on the street according to a CNN Money article Prescription Drugs Worth Millions to Dealers.
According to Ferraro, “We have caught employees-dealers (earning less than $10 an hour from their employer) who never carried less than $10,000 cash to work.”
Paydays are usually the biggest days for drug trafficking activity. However, to pay for drugs, addicts often turn to their employers to fund their habits.
With addicts in the workplace, there is a higher incidence of theft of equipment, tools, products and part inventories where drug trafficking and abuse is occurring. Aside from being at increased risk, both abusers and drug dealers are more likely to become involved in additional criminal behavior, stealing from their employers and fellow employees.
What are the signs of drug trafficking and abuse in the workplace?
Are certain employees driving an expensive car far beyond the means of what they make working? Flaunting money? Are your employees leaving without notice to meet clients? High turnover and absenteeism and/or meeting in the bathroom or parking lot? What may appear on the surface to look like comradery, could be a sign of something more.
Robert Avery, 41, worked as the Parental Involvement Director at a Head Start program in Gadsen, Alabama. Instead of offering educational and health services to low-income children, Avery was arrested for selling the prescription drug “Roxycontin” to undercover agents from the program facility.
Even police departments are not immune. November 20, 2017, Jellico Police Department Dispatcher and Fireman Robert Rookard, was arrested in “Operation Thanksgiving Harvest” for selling drugs at work.
In August 2017, more than a dozen Atlanta USPS workers were rounded up for running an illegal drug distribution operation. Sixteen employees working at post offices across Metro Atlanta were arrested for accepting bribes in exchange for delivering kilogram packages of cocaine.
When the FBI received a tip that drug dealers were running packages of drugs through the mail system, they began an 18-month sting putting a fake drug dealer on the street to see how many postal workers they could get to sign up. In a bribery agreement, workers agreed to provide special addresses to the drug trafficker, intercepting and delivering the packages to the dealer, who just happened to be working with law enforcement. The number of postal workers who agreed to participate astounding.
While some companies may assume there is no liability for the actions of an employee, one company is feeling the devastating effects. According to the October 13, 2017, Chicago Tribune article, “Oak Park appeals board upholds pantry’s closure after employee accused of selling heroin,” it was reported The Village of Oak Park in Chicago closed the Austin Food Pantry after 55-year old store manager Edgar Lucas was arrested on 17 counts of heroin sales and possession at the establishment. Charges include 5 counts ofunlawful delivery of a controlled substance determined to be heroin. In the aftermath, the city revoked their business license.
In an appeal, the store owners stated they had no knowledge of the employee’s drug activities; however, Village of Oak Park trustees upheld the decision to permanently close the business. In a written ruling, trustee Cara Pavlick said Austin Pantry owners were “negligent, reckless and careless at a minimum in allowing their business to be operated as a place for the sale of illegal narcotics on numerous dates.”
Drug use and trafficking are often difficult to spot and many times even harder to prove. However, every employer and Human Resources department has a responsibility to ensure a safe environment for all employees, immediately addressing any infraction or suspicion to reduce liability within the workplace and protect your company.
Private Investigators – A Weapon in Battle to Reduce Illegal Drug Use
An internal investigation sometimes involves drug-testing, some use dogs, and some use undercover operatives. Wall Street and other large corporations began using private investigations long ago with the demand ever increasing.
General Motors (GM) reported substance abuse by some of its 472,000 employees and their dependents cost the company $600 million in 1987. To combat the problem, GM instituted undercover operations at 10 mid-western plants and said it would not hesitate to use such investigations in the future. That was then, and drug use in the workplace has only increased.
While employers are encouraged to practice a covenant of good faith and dealing with all employees, protecting the workplace should be the primary goal, and often requires professional private investigators to work alongside law enforcement to ferret out drug use and other illegal activity.
Conducting a private investigation not only reflects your company as being proactive, careful documentation can help achieve a conviction and reduce liability.
Thomas Lauth, owner of Lauth Investigations International, specializes in undercover investigations for both blue-collar and white-collar companies. Having spent over 20 years in the field as a private detective, he believes diligence is key to combating workplace crime. “One can never be too careful or diligent when protecting their company. When working with clients, we tailor our investigation to the needs of each individual client.”
When hired by a client, Lauth’s investigative team provides an assessment and tailors the investigation to the needs of the specific case. Working with Human Resources, the business is profiled to determine the best course of action.
The most effective way to detect drug trafficking and abuse in the workplace is to conduct a covert investigation planting an investigator within the company. Typically, the investigator goes through the hiring process like any other employee, informing minimal staff, allowing the undercover private investigator to protect their identity and integrity of the investigation.
From there, the investigator fits in with employees, developing friendships to gain information about drug activity. In Lauth’s experience, “Many times, our investigators uncover additional illegal activities, resulting from the initial investigation,”
Periodic background checks can also assist companies in identifying employees who are high risk for illegal activity. “At Lauth Investigations, we recommend conducting background checks of all employees, newer employees as well as those who have worked for the company for several years. A lot can change after the hiring of an individual,” Lauth says.
For those who may be concerned office morale may be damaged, Lauth points out a background check can be conducted legally without the employee’s knowledge. “Background checks can reveal drug offenses, fraud, theft and other criminal activity on record with a police department or court and one of the most important steps a company can take to protect their company.”
Government and military entities are not the only ones spying and conducting espionage investigations to protect our national security. More and more corporations and even small businesses are now hiring expert private investigators to conduct espionage investigations and counter-surveillance to protect “trade secrets” and other classified information.
Cases of economic espionage, industrial espionage, corporate spying and corporate espionage are commonly conducted for commercial purposes but can also include personal information that can later be used to blackmail, discredit and control enemies and competitors.
Espionage or “Insider theft” can cause significant personal and financial harm and described as an individual obtaining secret information without the explicit permission of the owner. For example, a corporation or company spying on another company’s activities, collecting data and information for gain or cause damage, most commonly through the doorway of employment.
Espionage involves clandestine activities. Though methods and motives of spying have changed over time, the desire to uncover competitor’s secrets has not. There is a war going on, and spying the primary weapon.
The FBI concludes “insider threats” or employees familiar with the inner workings of a company who obtain sensitive industry secrets in exchange for large amounts of cash are becoming more common and pose a significant threat to companies worldwide.
To combat this ever-increasing menace to American businesses, the FBI produced a video “” to raise awareness.
Private investigator Thomas Lauth, CEO of Lauth Investigations International, says, “Global trade of fake goods is damaging U.S. markets, along with theft by U.S. retail workers.”
Pirated and imports of counterfeit goods are worth nearly half trillion dollars annually with much of the proceeds going to organized crime, according to the OECD and the EU’s Intellectual Property Office.
“Trade in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods: Mapping the Economic Impact,” reports fake products like footwear, handbags, even strawberries, are commonly presented to the U.S market. While there is significant financial damage occurring, products like pharmaceuticals, toys that are harmful to children, baby formula, and failing auto parts are endangering lives.
According to former Attorney General Loretta Lynch in a 2015 Department of Justice press release, “The digital age has revolutionized how we share information, store data, make purchases and develop products, requiring law enforcement to strengthen our defenses against cyber crime – one of my top priorities as Attorney General, “said Lynch. “Companies like Sony and Target – have demonstrated the seriousness of the threat all business face and have underscored the potential for sophisticated adversaries to inflict real and lasting harm.”
While the Attorney General’s Office, FBI, Homeland Security and law enforcement are allocating more resources to combating intellectual property theft from dangerous outside adversaries, companies throughout the world are encouraged to take the necessary steps to protect their own intellectual property from outside and insider threats.
Insider Theft of Intellectual Property
Experts maintain upwards to 70% of a corporation’s value is found in Intellectual Property (IP). Insider threats come from the inside because the “thieves” are given access to their day-to-day employment.
The value of an organization’s secrets, product plans, customer data, and price lists cannot be underestimated. It becomes necessary to find a balance between productivity and protocol that allows a watchful eye to protect sensitive data and detect insider threat activity. Operational staff should be prepared with information to help them better understand how insiders can damage their agency, and in the various methods used by insiders. They are the front line to help battle IP theft crimes.
Insider thieves commit crimes for varying reasons, to include gaining a competitive business edge, to start a competing business, or personal financial gain.
It is not uncommon for thieves to use networks to send internal server data outside of an organization. The most common method of stealing data is the use of external media such as a writable CD or USB mass storage device. Using corporate email accounts to send information off-site to personal emails and competitors is also common and requires monitoring to prevent such abuse.
It is necessary for organizations to identify risks and develop standards of best practices and policies that address the many ways IP can be exploited. These should include but are not limited to IT Security, removable media policy, controls and inventory, physical security, logs, and indexing tools to identify patterns in behavior. It is especially important to implement heightened security measures during reorganization, acquisition, downsizing, mergers or other organizational events.
Non-Compete Agreements Protects the bottom-line
Employee departures resulting in the scheming of trade secrets and clients has increased significantly in recent years. Many employees leave their employment to begin a similar start-up or pursue freelance work. As a result, it has become common for former employees to approach old clients, steal data, marketing materials and even share negative information to damage their former employer’s credibility.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, with the help of investigators, over the past decade, there has been an increase in the number of departing employees being successfully sued by former employers for breaching Non-compete Agreements (CNC).
Considered one of the most effective ways to prevent the theft of a company’s secrets, having a Non-compete in place and requiring every employee to sign it, can prevent damages that could otherwise last years.
Private investigation firms are playing a significant role in the effort to safeguard information, the detection of costly breaches and providing an evidentuary solution presenting facts when litigation is necessary.
Lauth Investigations International is working to prevent intellectual property breaches, global piracy, counterfeiting and insider threats with data mining experts and field investigators who focus on safeguarding IP and detecting violations utilizing sources that are not commonplace to HR and Operations Supervisors. “It is vital to be able to detect violations to prevent violators from reaping profits and expanding their worldwide market, where damage can extend for years,” says Lauth.
Brand Protection areas include:
Apparel
Music and Apps
Tools and Hardware
Cosmetics and other Products
Logos and Authentic Branding
Indigenous Rights
Author Rights
Content and SEO Detection and Protection
Plagiarism, Marketing Materials and Website Protection
“Our investigators conduct trademark infringement for brands, large and small, trekking through some of the most complicated cases and vast markets such as Hollywood celebrities, apparel, and electronic clients,” says Lauth. “Our team provides intellectual property and litigation support for small business and corporations working with corporate executives, HR, and those in Operations Supervision to provide research and investigations, crisis intervention, employee screening, vendor and supplier screening, electronic discovery, surveillance, loss analysis, and expert testimony if needed.
Working to protecting your brand
“Our private investigation firm will not only work with key staff and operations supervisors to identify current and potential breaches, we work with companies that operate throughout the world to implement the right policies and safety protocol to help protect their IP into the future,” says Lauth.
Lauth Investigations offers free consultations and guidance to help protect your brand. Following are a few tips to help you better protect your IP.
Protect web content and marketing materials by utilizing a DMCA account and protection badge.
Think globally. Obtain trademark protection for worldwide protection.
Set up a Google Alert to police your brand.
Obtain IP Protection for Copyrights, Trademarks, and Patents.
Register trademarks with the US Patent Office.
Develop a Policies and Procedure Handbook and have each employee review and sign.
Utilize Marketing Analytics software such as TrackMaven and Travel IQ for online tracking.
Monitor unregistered infringements.
Create various divisions for a more controlled environment.
‘Tis the season for the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping. While the stores are packed with consumers, cyber-shopping is at an all time high. Shopping in public can have potential to be dangerous with getting your wallet stolen or being robbed when putting the bags in your car. Cyber-shopping has a different kind of danger to be aware of. Be aware and prepared when shopping online.
Cyber-Shopping Frauds
We are all excited to get the “great deal” when shopping either in the stores or online. Sometimes, though, we need to sit back and determine when a deal is just too good to be true. There are so many sites set up to fraud consumers, I could not list all of them, so I am just going to list some ways these sites go about their scam:
Copy Sites – Large company websites such as Wal-Mart, Amazon, E-Bay, are easily recognized; however, some of the smaller websites, such as Pandora Jewelry, are not as easy to determine if a site is the correct location for the National company. Websites are set up to resemble these less known company websites, selling similar looking items for cheaper prices. When you order from these sites thinking you are getting the real thing, you are sent a cheap knock off that is not worth the money you spent.
How to avoid it? Ensure you are shopping on the correct retailer sight. If the website is something other than “.com”, chances are it is a fake. Do your research and pay attention to the website. If the website is a “knock off”, you will see the difference. Did you know the “s” in “https” stands for secure? If there is no “s”, move on.
2. Take the Money and Run – Websites are set up with “authentic” or “custom made” merchandise. When you order from these sites, you provide your credit card information to pay for the item and the item never comes. Now the individuals took your money, you have nothing to show for it and they have your credit card information.
How to avoid it? Do your homework. Research the company, call the company to speak with an employee, read the customer reviews. Do not give your credit card out without being 100% certain the company is legitimate. If they are legitimate, they will do whatever it takes to make you feel comfortable doing business with them.
Auction Sites – E-Bay is probably the biggest Auction Site on the web. It is also the most problematic Auction Site. When purchasing an item through an auction, there are several scams that may occur:
The seller posts a picture of an expensive item, the bidding war begins, the auction ends, money is sent and the seller posts a picture of the purchased item stating “technically” that is all they listed for sale was the picture, not the actual item.
The buyer purchases an item either by auction or the buy now tab and the seller requests the buyer to pay outside of E-Bay for various reasons. The buyer pays and goes to pick up the item or waits for receipt of the item. When contacting the seller due to never receiving the item, the seller states the item was never listed on E-Bay and it is not for sale.
The auction or sale is complete. The item is received by the buyer and it is damaged or not the correct item. The seller is unresponsive to contact attempts.
How to avoid it? Always make the sure the seller is active on the site. Look for reviews. If they have no reviews, they may be new to the site and started just to pull these scams. Never pay outside of auction site. Ask questions about the item. Get the seller to provide intricate details including extra pictures. Read the description of the item carefully to see if there are any keywords that stick out making the listing unauthentic.
Facebook Sellers – If a seller posts an item to your newsfeed through Facebook, you have to click on the link and you are re-routed to a different page. At that point, you are no longer secure. Once you enter their site, all your personal information is provided to them. Should you buy an item, they then have all your credit card information as well. It is so easy to be scrolling through Facebook, see a cute item for sale, hit the link, and within seconds you have purchased the item.
How to avoid it? Stop and think about what you are purchasing. Do not leave Facebook. Do not click on that link. Check out the website on your own. Do your homework. Ensure they have a safety symbol on their website.
Cyber-Shopping is so easy and convenient, we often lose ourselves to the fast paced life that we go for convenience over common sense. Before shopping online, do your research. Are you at a safe, secure website? Does the website look authentic? Check out the reviews of the seller, whether it’s an individual or a company. Ensure the url states “https” as this indicates a secure site. Trust your gut. I cannot express this enough. We know when something doesn’t look right, if we take the time to pay attention. Finally, if the deal seems too good to be true, it is so walk away!
“Trust your gut. It knows what your head hasn’t figured out yet.”
We expose more of ourselves on a daily basis than at any other time in history. Most people have some form of social media an enterprising sleuth could build a profile based off of just by pressing the “older posts” button. There’s been a lot of news about wiretaps lately, but something under most people’s radar are the Smart TV’s and toys that have been listening to their owner’s conversations.
While it’s scary enough to consider how many things in your home could be listening in on you this very moment, what’s even more concerning is how quickly you can lose control of these devices and extorted to get them back. And it’s not just individuals having their devices and data taken from them, it’s also hit schools, hospital and private businesses hard over the last year.
One of the most common forms of extortion today is the use of “ransomware” to lock people or companies out of their electronics and data. Ransomware is a term for a particular kind of hacking that’s been on the rise as internet reliance has increased. Victims of ransomware typically receive a message on their device’s display saying something to the effect of “pay us this money and we’ll give you back your data.”
In an interview with CNN, South Carolina public school administrator Charles Huck, highlighted the dilemma presented by ransomware when he said, “You get to the point of making the business decision: Do I make my end-users — in our case teachers and students — wait for weeks and weeks and weeks while we restore servers from backup? Or do we pay the ransom and get the data back online more quickly?”
If the targets of ransomware want their systems or data back then they don’t have much choice, but to pay the fee. The hackers have repeatedly targeted hospitals since their technology working is literally a case of life or death there is significant pressure on the hospitals to simply pay the ransom.
When Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center had some of it’s communication devices taken over by hackers last year, the criminals demanded $17,000 to be paid in bitcoin. The hackers asked for that amount, because it’s low enough most places will pay under the impression it’s the quickest way to get it all over with.
“The malware locks systems by encrypting files and demanding ransom to obtain the decryption key. The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key,” Chief Executive Allen Stefanek said when the LA Times asked why they paid the hackers. “In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this.”
One of the scarier things about ransomware is this is only the beginning. The FBI reported ransomware to be a $1 billion industry in 2016. In a follow-up storyCNN reported:
At that rate, ransomware is on pace to be a $1 billion a year crime this year. The FBI told CNN that the number “is quite high” because a few people “reported large losses.”
The agency also said that the losses could even be bigger once other related costs from these extortion schemes are factored in. Plus: Some victims may choose to pay and not report the crime.
Paul Roberts, founder and editor of a website called The Security Ledger told CNN, “The ransomware criminals understand this. Their business in some ways is a volume business so they don’t set their ransom so high that you can’t pay it. They set it at a level so they can get their money and move on to the next victim.”
This crime has even made its way into consumer electronics like smart phones and TVs. Last Christmas a photo of an LG TV stricken with ransomware went viral.
The hackers demand far less money to relinquish control of personal devices, but $500, especially if it’s on Christmas Day after you’ve spent money on gifts, is still a lot. In December, Slatereported:
“Ransomware works by taking over a system until a user pays a fee, often in the form of cryptocurrency or digital gift cards. One recent high-profile ransomware attack shut down much of San Francisco’s public transit system while another targeted a Hollywood hospital. More mundane ransomware has been reported on Android devices since at least 2014, and Frantic Locker first began to show up on phones in 2015.
Keep your systems operating systems up to date and don’t download files that aren’t from trusted site to help avoid ransomware. If you do all these things and still end up under attack, contact your systems administrator or the manufacturer of your device. Take precaution, because ransomware isn’t going away anytime soon.
David Schroeder, Blog Writer, Lauth Investigations International
Trent, payor of alimony, resides in a state which ordered him to pay Mallory, receiver of alimony, $3,000 per month until Mallory began to reside with a new spouse. Since the divorce several years ago, Mallory moved out of state. Trent began to hear rumblings of Mallory living with a new spouse. He perused social media and saw her with a man several times; however, this did not prove they lived together. Trent began to do some research on his own.
When looking to get married, check out the laws in your state and consult an attorney. If there is an alimony law, attempt to establish a prenuptial agreement outlining your own parameters for alimony. If you are getting divorce, contact an attorney immediately and try to work with your ex-spouse on alternative agreements such as a one-time lump sum or a time period so the alimony is not a permanent requirement.
According to Ferraro, “We have caught employees-dealers (earning less than $10 an hour from their employer) who never carried less than $10,000 cash to work.” 
Even police departments are not immune. November 20, 2017, Jellico Police Department Dispatcher and Fireman Robert Rookard, was arrested in “
The FBI concludes “insider threats” or employees familiar with the inner workings of a company who obtain sensitive industry secrets in exchange for large amounts of cash are becoming more common and pose a significant threat to companies worldwide.
Insider thieves commit crimes for varying reasons, to include gaining a competitive business edge, to start a competing business, or personal financial gain.
Did you know the “s” in “https” stands for secure? If there is no “s”, move on.
When you order from these sites, you provide your credit card information to pay for the item and the item never comes. Now the individuals took your money, you have nothing to show for it and they have your credit card information.
At that point, you are no longer secure. Once you enter their site, all your personal information is provided to them. Should you buy an item, they then have all your credit card information as well. It is so easy to be scrolling through Facebook, see a cute item for sale, hit the link, and within seconds you have purchased the item.
