Tips from a Private Investigator VII

In today’s modern times, it is easy to lose touch with friends and family, but luckily finding people you have lost touch with may never be guaranteed but it is easier and cheaper than ever. We are so caught up with our own lives that we barely have time to see what’s happened to a neighbor living a block away. Also, relocating is another reason that breaks communication, eventually ending in lost contacts.

At some point though, you might find it both important and necessary to reconnect with these people who matter the most to you. The search becomes next to impossible, especially when you do not have any contact details. However, it is still possible to find these people. There are different ways you can use to get positive results with your search.

Use of Search Websites

The internet is a fantastic resource for searching long lost friends and others. There are web services which will charge a small fee to help you locate the people you are looking for. Some offer the service free of charge. These websites will require that you sign up and enter relevant information of the individuals you are looking for. One of the main issues of these types of sites is that they are for locations in more developed countries such as the UK and USA. In places such as Indonesia they do not exist as far as I know. You have the option of finding them by state, address and phone number. All possible matches will be displayed. A search by phone number tends to be more accurate.

Use of Social Media

There are different options when it comes to social media. The first includes Facebook, a social media site that has gained global popularity. By simply entering names, you will find it easier to locate the people you are looking for. You can also go through mutual friend profiles to try finding your lost contacts. Social media sites also have groups and they can include former school groups. You can therefore use such groups to try finding the person that you are looking for. It is one of the easiest ways of finding the people you are interested in. This is considering that almost everyone uses social media today. Never forget Facebook is not the only option – there are plenty more out there including LinkedIn, Friends Reunited, Instagram and many many more.

Use of Search Engines

You can directly enter the full name of the person you are looking for on a search engine. The most relevant results will then be displayed. With the results, you will know how to start with the search for the right person. The good thing with search engines is that they will give you the full details of matches making it easy to pick the right person. For instance, if the friend you are looking for started a business, you will get everything including the location of the business. It makes it easy for you to head straight to where they are.

Apart from the social media, search engines and web services, you can also (in some countries at least) try electoral register, land registry, marriage records and even death records. You can also try tracing them through former employers till you find their current employer. There are numerous options when it comes to finding individuals you have lost touch with. The finding will depend on how determined you really are in getting in touch with them. You can even go as far as writing a blog and promoting it locally to reap results. It is however important to be ready for the outcome relating to the urgency of your search. This is because their statuses might have changed during the separation.

Indonesia Private Investigation Agency  (IPIA) along with our sister agency  Bali Eye Private Investigation Agency  (BEPIA) are  fully registered Private Investigation Agencies offering private detective and private investigator services to the Private and Business sectors throughout Indonesia and South East Asia.

Private investigators are now used in different kinds of situations. Their services can be hired in keeping watch or finding more about strangers such as babysitters, co-workers, friends and even teachers among others. They can also be hired to sort out marital issues, custody battles and to find missing persons or run-aways. Their work can therefore revolve around observing and keeping track of the person of interest, interviewing witnesses to get information related to the case, analyzing documents or records and searching for evidence necessary for any court cases.

In most cases, plenty of surveillance is necessary for the private investigator to be a success in what he is doing. Some of the investigative projects might require the investigator to spend a lot of time in given places including at night just to gather enough information on the person he is investigating. This is the kind of work that calls for the right private investigation gear to get done. Here are some of the things that a private investigator might need to have an easy time doing his assigned work.

GPS devices – They come with the advantages of easily finding your way around the surveillance areas. When you type the address, the devices will guide you there. The devices will also make your subject easy to follow since you can tell which streets are up ahead. This makes it easy to tell dead ends, unfamiliar areas and even intersections. The devices also give you an easy time locating canvassing points like courthouses, restaurants and stores.

DC to AC power inverters – It comes in handy when you need to recharge your cell phone or laptop computer on the go. These devices are designed to easily plug into the cigarette lighter in the car to charge your devices. It is however important to choose the best since some can make your vehicle battery die out which is an even greater inconvenience. When charging the bigger items like the laptops, keep the vehicle running.

Binoculars – They will help you look at far off images fast and easy and without blowing your cover. It is an essential item you cannot miss out on. Select a size that is good enough for you and a binocular power that will serve your needs. Luckily, now there are compact and small binoculars in the market you can take along with you easily.

Monopod and tripod – This item is important during insurance kind of surveillance work which requires steady documentation. Using this item, you can steady your video documentation on the subject giving your information the credibility it really deserves. Tripods on the other hand are best for documentation that needs to be done over a time period that is extended. There are several options in the market most of which are very affordable.

Video camera – There is no way you will be in a position to present what you have gathered by word of mouth and expect to be trusted. This makes a video camera a must have for any private investigator. Your clients will believe more in what they can see. Apart from getting the camera, remember also to get backup battery and a charger. A backup or secondary video camera can also come in handy when your primary camera stops working for different reasons. Mini DV cameras come in handy in such situations.

There are so many options when it comes to private investigative gear you will need to have an easy time with your work. With the right gear, you definitely will be a success with your clients in any given case.

Indonesia Private Investigation Agency  (IPIA) along with our sister agency  Bali Eye Private Investigation Agency  (BEPIA) are  fully registered Private Investigation Agencies offering private detective and private investigator services to the Private and Business sectors throughout Indonesia and South East Asia.

Prevention Tips

Mobile Identity theft is scaling new heights. Not only this, it is expected to grow considerably. The primary reason for it is the soaring use of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. According to the statistics, there is a new case of identity theft every 10 minutes. The number is expected to grow in the coming years given the use of smartphones and tablets.

In order to understand what mobile identity theft is, it is important first to understand the concept of identity theft.

Identity Theft

Identity theft is regarded as a serious criminal offence. It is a situation in which, a person fraudulently passes another person’s personal information as his own to secure certain benefits. This private and confidential information can include a person’s social security number, credit card number or driving license number etc. As the name of the offence states, the information is not given voluntarily but robbed.

One of the reasons a person steals another’s identity is because the latter might need it to get certain services, merchandise or credit. The second possible reason is to use the credentials which he can use to run up a debt or to mask his crimes by providing false identification to the police. The information can be used to obtain cellular phone services, open a new checking account or to establish a new credit card account.

What is Mobile Identity Theft?

We use our mobile devices for a wide variety of functions. This includes surfing the web, emailing, instant messaging, paying utility bills, banking and shopping. As such, we not only share but also store a large amount of personal data on them. If your mobile falls into the wrong hands, this personal information can be misused; it is either used to steal money or to create a fake identity. Additionally, hackers can access this information by means of tracking softwares and bugs.

Preventing Mobile Identity Theft

The consequences of mobile identity theft are seriously damaging. The effects are long-term and hence, one should take adequate steps to prevent it. Following is a list of tips to protect sensitive information from being robbed.

• Setting a password on your phone is the first step towards protecting yourself against mobile identity theft. Also files containing confidential information must have a further layer of password protection. Names, birth dates and telephone numbers are easy passwords. A strong password is one that includes numbers, alphabets and symbols.  Pattern passwords should be changed regularly.
• Set an automatic lock to lock your phone. As such, it should lock automatically when the phone is not in use. In this way, no one will be able to access your phone although it is left unattended and they have an opportunity to do so.
• Along with securing your smartphone, you should also be cautious about where you shop. This implies shopping at secure sites; those that guarantee to protect sensitive information submitted to them. The website URL in the address bar helps tell if a website is secure or not. A secure website has ‘https: //’ instead of ‘http: //’. A secure shopping site also includes the padlock symbol in the URL.
• Secure your smartphone with a good anti-virus program. It protects the system for virus and malware that could possibly be the activity of hackers. Antivirus programs also include a tracking feature that allows you to track the phone if it is lost.
• Financial information should not be shared on an unsecured Wi-Fi network.
• Beware of the apps you download from the internet. The apps should be updated regularly to keep them operating efficiently as well as for security purposes.

Children Are Easy Targets

Identity thieves are continually finding new methods of fraud. A growing concern we have been picking up on recently in the west is using children’s social security numbers to conduct fraudulent activities.

Fraudsters use the numbers to apply for benefits from the government, open credit and bank accounts and even apply for loans. The numbers can also be used to rent lodgings or a utility service. It makes it important for every parent to search for a credit report. It becomes easy to tell if their child’s information is in any way being misused. Immediate action can therefore follow to resolve any issues that could be there.

When entering schools, the forms require plenty of details of the children they are admitting. It helps to find out how the sensitive information will be collected, used and even stored or disposed after use. Remember the information is protected under law, and you have a right to ask that the school or organization safeguard such sensitive information. It is a simple way of minimizing identity theft cases.

Fraud Warning Signs

Here are a few of the warning signs of a child’s information being used in fraud:

• The child or you are turned down on government benefits. The reason will usually be that someone else is being paid using the social security number in question.
• You receive an official notice claiming that the child did not pay income taxes. It could also be a claim that the social security number has been used on a different tax return.
• You get bills or collection calls for services and products that you never received. They are all telltale signs that something is very wrong.

How to Prevent Child Fraud

There are several ways you can use to protect your child’s identity from being misused in fraud. You can start by finding a safe and secure location or storage for electronic records and papers which contain all personal details of the child. It minimizes the risk of the documents falling into the wrong hands.

Ensure that you do not share the Social Security Number of your child with anyone unless it is a party that you trust fully. You should find out why such details are needed and how they will be protected from any form of circulation. If there is an alternative identifier, you can see if it is possible to use that one. You can also ask (at least in some countries) that only a few digits of the number be used.

If any documents containing the personal information of the child become invalid or are of no use any longer, shred them or dispose of them properly.

You should take precaution when there is a security breach at school, a break in at home or you have a lost purse, wallet or any paperwork that contained such private and confidential information.

Indonesia Private Investigation Agency (IPIA) and our sister agency  Bali Eye Private Investigation Agency (BEPIA) are fully registered Private Investigation Agencies offering private detective and private investigator services to the Private and Business sectors throughout Indonesia and South East Asia.