Private Investigations

'So you want to be a private eye'

2007-10-15T01:33:00.000-07:00

Anyone who's grown up in the United States in the past 50 years can tell you what it's like to be a private investigator: You've either got a fast car or an old beater, a big gun, a dismal romantic record and a trademark phrase or item of clothing. You're usually an ex-cop or military officer, your cases are dangerous and someone generally attempts to hurt, if not kill, you.

Read on: Pam Dawkins story called So you want to be a private eye

Is Your Email Private? Part 1 Of 3

2006-05-09T01:26:00.000-07:00

By: Mike Ameye

In a word, no - an email message has always been nothing more than a simple text message sent unencrypted to a recipient we choose. So all the email that we so blithely send all over the Internet everyday is neither private nor secure. Every birthday greeting or Dear John email, every complaint, rant or verbal purge we may have sent to our employers, credit companies, congressman or customer service rep is subject to delivery errors or outright interception.

How can this be? To answer that we need to understand how email works. For the vast majority of email users today, the email system they use consists of two servers providing incoming and outgoing services, SMTP and POP3.

The SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server handles the outgoing email. SMTP was designed years ago when plain ascii text was all there was to send via email. So, when you push the "Send" button in your email client, the SMTP server at your ISP (Internet Service Provider) connects with the incoming POP3 (Post Office Protocol ver. 3) server where you are sending the email. The servers have a short "chat" verifying that the email address you are trying to send to exists on the incoming POP3 server. Then the SMTP server passes the message to the POP3 server and the POP3 server puts the message into the recipient's email box. At no time during the process is your email encrypted to protect your privacy. The message could be intercepted at anytime during the process and read by anyone.

On occasion, email sent to you or by you may even be delivered to the wrong inbox and your private message is no longer private. A single misdirected message could expose you to all kinds of trouble depending upon it's content.

Well, no one wants to read your email right? Wrong! Have you ever heard of Carnivore? That's a system that the FBI uses to harvest all email traffic going through a network. How does this affect you? When the FBI hooks Carnivore up to your ISP's network because they suspect someone of dealing drugs or some other crime, Carnivore will filter through ALL email looking for keywords that relate to the crime in question. And because the search has to be intentionally vague, you may be sending a request for information about a prescription drug you take and Carnivore will harvest your email to be read by a human agent. Suddenly, the drugs you're taking are now public knowledge. Spammers have also been known to harvest email addresses via captured emails.

OK - so now that you know the problem, what should you do about securing your privacy? It was hinted at earlier on... encryption! Learn how to use PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) to encrypt your email.

PGP uses a Public/Private key method to encrypt email. First you create a "Public" key. This is the key that others will use to encrypt email sent to you. Send this key to everyone you want to receive encrypted email from. Then you create a "Private" key. This is the key you use to decrypt any encrypted email sent to you. Safeguard this key well. It is the only thing that can decrypt your messages. If you tell someone what it is or loose it, your privacy is again compromised.

For more information on PGP and a free download visit: http://www.pgpi.org. Next Time: Incorporating PGP into your email...

About the Author:

Michael Ameye has been developing web sites since 1995. He started writing about online privacy issues to answer questions from family, friends and co-workers. Visit http://www.canyourspam.com to see his latest work or to sign up for PSS Online - a privacy, safety, and security ezine.

Keeping Private Information Private

2006-05-09T01:22:00.000-07:00

By: Norm McAlister

Identity theft, a vicious crime based on impersonating someone else, is becoming more and more prevalent. Recently, there has been a run of news items on this topic in the national media almost daily. One of the most disturbing aspects is that often these crimes are inside jobs occurring at banks, mortgage companies, and similar places where sensitive personal information is housed. In these instances, where the crimes are large scale and well organized, there is not much the individual can do to prevent them.

During March and April 2005, numerous significant examples of large scale identity theft occurred. With help from a few corrupt insiders, several major banks and credit card companies were targeted, involving the compromise of personal information of millions of Americans.

However, there are various things you can do to handle those factors within your control. These include being aware of how your private information is used, who has access to it, and how it is handled. This involves shredding papers before disposing, keeping information secured or locked and away from those who do not need it.

Just because someone asks for information does not mean you are obliged to provide it. Find out if -- and why -- something is required before responding. You can also remove yourself from unwanted mailing lists, where your name and address is circulated.

When you understand why and how these crimes occur, it is easier to eliminate the opportunity. Simply becoming more aware of daily activities involving your information (i.e., using credit cards, putting out the trash, visiting web sites, etc.) should increase your caution. The more careful you are, the less opportunity for the thieves, and this is certainly a crime of opportunity.

By taking a few simple precautions, you may save yourself considerable suffering and grief. Identity theft is a violation of the worst sort, and the consequences are serious and lasting. Repairing your credit and getting your identity back can be done, but it is a lengthy expensive and tedious process.

About the Author:

Norm McAlister is a writer and consultant with a background in security. For additional informationabout what you can do to protect yourself and those you love, go to http://www.SafeguardYourInfo.com.

Review 'Activity Monitor' for Business

2005-11-28T10:20:00.000-08:00

Monitor all computers in LAN remotely from a single administrator's PC. Keep an eye on your employees or students. Do they play games or surf Internet during the work time? What do they write in email or chat?

Activity Monitor is for real time monitoring and continuous tracking of users' activities on network connected computers. View remotely in real time screens of the remote computers, typed keystrokes, visited Internet sites history, used applications, record all activity to the log file and do much more with this powerful and easy to use program.

Combine log files from different computers and export to HTML or MS Excel for advanced analysis. Have full computer usage statistics.

SoftActivity.com

Review Bearcat BCT8 BearTracker Warning System with 800MHz Trunktracker 111

2005-11-23T11:04:00.000-08:00

The BearTracker warning system alerts user to activity on highway patrol link frequencies within 3 miles of location TrunkTracker III technology 250 channels, 14-band coverage, 5 banks, 5 priority channels Highway patrol alert, local police scanner, CB and weather scan Aircraft and 800MHz compatible Backlit keys and display Priority operation and search lockouts AC or DC operation.

Beartracker Warning System

Review Realtime-Spy

2005-11-13T12:59:00.000-08:00

Realtime-Spy is the latest in high-tech surveillance software that allows you to REMOTELY INSTALL the monitoring system and access the activity logs from ANYWHERE via you own personal Realtime-Spy Webspace.

No remembering long IP addresses or directly connecting to the remote PC - all you have to do is point your browser to your own Realtime-Spy website address to view logs from any machines you deploy Realtime-Spy on.

All logs are password protected and securely stored for your eyes only - and no worrying about waiting for the remote machine to sign-on to retrieve its IP address to monitor it.

Realtime-Spy

Review Infiltrator - Network Security Scanning and Auditing

2005-11-13T12:57:00.000-08:00

Infiltrator is an easy to use, intuitive network security scanner that can quickly scan and audit your network computers for vulnerabilities, exploits, and information enumerations. Infiltrator can reveal and catalog a plethora of information on scanned computers - such as installed software, shares, users, drives, hotfixes, NetBios and SNMP information, open ports and much more.

The program can audit each computer's password and security policies, alerting you when changes should be made to increase security. All results can be generated into a sleek, easy to read report by the report generator.

Infiltrator

Review 007 Spy Software

2005-11-10T06:18:00.000-08:00

007 Spy Software is a stealthy computer monitoring software which allows you to secretly record all activities of computer users and automatically deliver logs to you via Email or FTP, including all areas of the system such as email sent, Web sites visited, every keystroke (including login/password of ICQ, MSN, AOL, AIM, and Yahoo Messenger or Webmail), file operations, online chat conversation, and take screen snapshot at set intervals just like a surveillance camera directly point at the computer monitor.

Features include password protection, logs remote delivery, suspend on idle, monitoring schedule, HTML report, logs sorting and searching, as well as a solid stealth technology that prevents virus scanners and spyware detectors from finding/disabling it. With this amazing spy tool you will be able to see exactly what people have been doing online and off-line just like you are looking at the computer monitor over their shoulders.

Strongly Recommended!

You want to become a private detective?

2005-11-07T05:35:00.000-08:00

There are no formal education requirements for most private detective and investigator jobs, although many private detectives have college degrees. Private detectives and investigators typically have previous experience in other occupations. Some work initially for insurance or collections companies or in the private security industry.

Former law enforcement officers, military investigators, and government agents often become private detectives or investigators as a second career. Others enter from such diverse fields as finance, accounting, commercial credit, investigative reporting, insurance, and law. These individuals often can apply their prior work experience in a related investigative specialty.

Review Hunt Detective

2005-11-06T03:43:00.000-08:00

It's always useful to know who you're surrounded by. It's not that you don't trust your neighbors, but there's no harm in a little extra verification. Or, you could find old friends that you've lost, research new branches of your family if you're genealogy buff, even find the biological parents of an adopted child. The possibilities are practically unlimited.

Even if you don't want to check the background info of people around you, it's always handy to know what's in your own file. With this information, you can check out your own records, to catch potential mistakes in your credit reports, or even just to see what's in your FBI record.

There really is a whole lot of information online - you can get information on virtually everyone, with details ranging from civic records all the way to detailed financial information.

Don't worry about breaking the law - all of this information is in the public record, strewn across the Internet in hundreds of tiny, messy databases. It takes a lot of work to patch it all together to form a coherent image of an individual, and for a private investigator working solo, it can mean hours of work without the guarantee of a payoff.

Hunt Detective

Review Detective Advanced

2005-11-06T03:34:00.000-08:00

What you get:

Find a Lost Friend or Schoolmate
Find out what's in your FBI File
Check out an Employee
Find Unlisted Phone Numbers
Investigate a Suspicious Neighbor
Lookup the Sex Offender database
Search divorce & marriage records

http://detectiveadvanced.com

Review ComputerGOD and Online Recorder

2005-11-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

Are you worried about what your employee, spouse or children are doing on the Internet? Do they hide windows when you look over their shoulder? If you want to know exactly what they're typing and where they're going, this program is for you.

The Online Recorder of Original Programs secretly runs under windows when your computer starts up and extracts text from Internet applications. It also records every keystroke on your computer without slowing it down or changing it's performance.

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ComputerGOD silently records all keystrokes, websites visited, email received, passwords, instant messages, details of applications and windows opened, and snapshots of the screen taken periodically. In addition, this application can control most functions of a remote computer. It can restart, shutdown, and logoff a computer, send chat messages, control the remote computer’s desktop and mouse, transfer files, and make the remote computer talk any words. ComputerGOD is also remote installation capable and is designed to allow a user to monitor and control multiple computers.

ComputerGOD and Online Recorder

Review Network Monitoring Spy Software

2005-11-02T22:41:00.000-08:00

Network Monitoring Spy Software is a software tool that discreetly monitors an entire TCP/IP network. It records keystrokes and takes snapshots at intervals set by the user. This includes chats, emails and other activity. Traditional spy software is designed to function on only one PC.

Network Spy Software runs on networks and is completely hidden to others within the network. The user accesses the activity logs via a hidden and password protected interface. This allows the user to see exactly what users were doing while they were logged into the network.

Review AceSpy Software

2005-11-02T22:34:00.000-08:00

AceSpy Software makes it easy to secretly see what others do online. After you install it, AceSpy will begin secretly recording everything that is done on your PC. The spy software is completely hidden from others. They won't know it's running unless you tell them. This premium spy software will immediately forward all of their emails directly to your personal email address. So when your child or spouse gets an email, it will be instantly sent to your address. Then, if they reply to that person you'll receive an exact copy of that as well.

AceSpy will also immediately forward their instant messages and chats to your personal or private email address. The instant they finish their conversation, a real text log of the entire conversation will be forwarded to your personal email address.

The software helps protect against online predators. What if your child has a conversation with an online predator? AceSpy allows you to see the whole chat instantly after it happens, by checking your email.

Background Check

2005-11-02T09:55:00.000-08:00

Are you dating a man or woman and not sure he or she tells the truth about his/her background?

Let Spygear4u check it:
http://www.spygear4u.com

Included in this Report:

# Bankruptcy
# Places of work
# UCC Filings
# Corporate Affiliations
# Driver’s Licenses
# Vehicle Registrations
# Property Merchant Vessels
# FAA Pilots
# FAA Aircraft
# Professional Licenses
# Florida Accidents
# Voter Registration
# Hunting/Fishing Permits
# Concealed Weapons Permits
# Associates Relatives (3 Degrees) Neighbors
# Criminal Convictions and Sexual Offenders

Review - I am Big Brother

2005-11-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

As with all monitoring software, IamBigBrother runs in total secrecy, and is very hard to find. IamBigBrother will not slow down your computer, or do anything noticeable to the user. We test many of these, and THIS is the best. You may wonder how you see the recorded information if it is so hidden...all you do is enter your secret password, and IamBigBrother will activate...but only for you! IamBigBrother does NOT appear in the START menu, nor will it appear in the CTRL-ALT-DEL Task Manager.

Another useful feature is to let IamBigBrother capture the screen when certain keywords are typed. If any of the words you setup are typed, IamBigBrother will capture the whole screen and save it for later viewing by you. This works for offline programs too.

Spy Products

2005-11-02T02:01:00.000-08:00

SpyGear4U™ is a company involved in all aspects of security and surveillance. They have over 10 years experience in the design, installation and servicing of these systems.

Their systems engineering and law enforcement background allows them to analyze the customers needs and to recommend the best equipment or system to do the job.

They are also currently consulting in physical security, private investigations, and home automation in markets ranging from retail to heavy industry.

Review P.C. POLICE

2005-11-02T00:45:00.000-08:00

* PC Police is totally undetectable and unremovable. Only the person who installed it is able to remove it.There is no need to be at the monitored computer to view the captured data. You can set it up so you view the activities performed on the computer almost instanteneously.

The program logs BOTH sides of chat and IM conversations plus the date/time, chat windows and computer users chatting. The supported chat clients are AOL IM (AIM), ICQ, MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger. And it records every Internet visit and opened folder path on the monitored computer. It gives the ability to review the visited websites and access the opened folders.

P.C. Police is one of the the most effective and cheapest product available in its class.

Review Net-Vestigator

2005-11-02T00:25:00.000-08:00

Net-Vestigator is a program which offers you access to the same databases used by many professional investigators. Some of the information you will be granted access to is difficult for even government agencies to find.

It's safe and legal to use, and best for all, it can be done without anyone ever knowing. You can find people, build your family tree, run your credit report for free and much more with this database of internet resources.

Review: Net Detective

2005-11-01T12:55:00.000-08:00

A review of some of the features of Net Detective:

* Perform Background checks
* Powerful reverse search to find addresses, phone numbers and more
* Find e-mail addresses
* Get your own FBI file and see what they know about YOU
* Locate an old friend, missing relative, or lost love
* Check out your daughter's new boyfriend
* Protect yourself from Identity Theft
* Track down people who owe you money
* Find trial transcripts and court records
* New data added and accessible on a monthly basis

It provides powerful background check features with extreme ease of use, making it an ideal choice for home users and professionals.

Net Detective

Review Keylogger Spy Software: KGB Keylogger and All in One Keylogger

2005-11-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

KGB KeyLogger is a multifunctional keyboard tracking software (a.k.a. keylogger) that is widely used by both regular users and IT security specialists.

The reason for such popularity is that this program does not just record keystrokes; it is capable of recording language specific characters (ex. umlauts), date and time certain window was initiated as well as the caption of that window.

Thus, this software combines two very important qualities - it records all typed data, so that you won't lose it when your computer unexpectedly crashes, and it keeps the record of all keyboard activity. The latter quality allows you to monitor your children's or spouse's activity at home or to make sure your employees do not use company's computers inappropriately without invading their privacy.

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All in one Keylogger allows you to register all keystrokes typed including language-specific characters, talk and messages conversations, passwords, e-mails, clipboard information, microphone sounds, screenshots capturing, desktop and Internet activity (like sites your kids have visited).The keylogger automatically activate it self when windows starts and doesn't demonstrate in tasks list when CTRL-ALT-DEL is pressed.

All In One Keylogger has very experienced log aspecter. Allows you to aspect, browse, delete, check, type and colander your log files. All In One Keylogger viewer allows you to aspect logs by dates and level the total log. You can set the aspecter to marks only dates when log was registered. It also supports HTML and plain-text reports and "Slide Show" for screen snapshot pictures.

From immediately you can identify what your kids, spouse, employees are doing on the PC and maintain a backup of your typed data. Away from home, it can level delegate you logs by e-mail.

Cheat Checker

2005-11-01T06:38:00.000-08:00

The Cheat Checker examines similar answer sheets for independent marking. Any pair that fails the test is labeled presumptive cheating. The Cheat Checker then examines the uniqueness of this pair with respect to the entire class. A significant finding for uniqueness and for presumptive cheating is labeled confirmed.

A Rule of Thumb for Cheating is five to seven consecutive identical pairs of wrong answers within a string of right anwers.

You can download it here

The Signs

2005-11-01T06:36:00.000-08:00

What are the signs of cheating?

* He/she receives phonecalls that they don’t want you to overhear.
* He/she has an e-mail address to which you do not have access.
* You get the impression that you are often lied to about little things.
* You no longer seem to have serious and intelligent conversations about

Read more: Health24

Don’t Push Your Spouse out the Door when he is cheating

2005-11-01T05:40:00.000-08:00

It’s important to realize that certain impulsive reactions from you could push your partner to leave the marriage. Don’t blast him (or her) with questions. Don’t overpower him with rage.

Yes, you may feel justified to act in these ways.

But be careful with behaviors that could shatter your chances for marital recovery. You can shoot yourself in the foot if you do the wrong thing now.Explosions never hold anything together. Especially in a marriage. But they can sabotage your future with your spouse if you’re not careful. Because there’s still a chance for you to have a happy marriage if you know what to do.

Stop Divorce, save marriage

Supreme Spy Software

2005-11-01T05:26:00.000-08:00

With Supreme Spy you can...

* Discover whether or not your significant other is cheating and/or flirting in email or chat rooms!
* Find out what websites your partner is visiting
* Capture keystrokes, even passwords
* Capture programs used
* Capture websites in Internet Explorer
* Capture screenshots
* Learn what others are writing about in their emails
* View instant messenger conversations
* Determine what times your computer is in use
* Receive emails with information in real time as it happens
* Secretly email encrypted log files to another email address
* Run silently and in invisible "Stealth Mode" at startup
* View the exact sequence of everything that occurs on the pc (keystrokes/programs/websites/screenshots in real time) by using a unique playback mode just like you would use a VCR
* Automatically start recording activity as soon as Windows starts

Supreme Spy

The More you know: Adultery and Cheating

2005-11-01T05:18:00.000-08:00

When infidelity strikes a relationship, the results are devastating. Even the best of marriages struggle to survive. Some couples have compared the outcome from adultery to the death of a loved one. Knowing facts about an affair is very important, especially if you suspect a lack of devotion. And who offers you the best advice —family, friends or neighbors? No! Be careful confiding in them has its drawbacks. Putting family and friends in the middle may bring you embarrassment, humiliation and division. So who can you turn to?

Normally therapists only help you deal with the aftermath. Lawyers require evidence or you’re just “speculating.” Law enforcement turns a deaf ear to civil matters. In states where courts hear adultery as grounds for divorce, judges want proof of the affair from a disinterested party. Will you be prepared? Who do you ask next?

Until now, no one created such a thorough resource to guide you from suspicion to evidence. Using three decades of experience, author and internationally renowned private investigator Bill Mitchell, created a book with YOU in mind. His book, "The More You Know" deals with the subject of adultery compassionately - understanding just how traumatic your life may become. Counseling thousands in the midst of this turmoil Bill Mitchell shares with you how to resolve your fears. He shows you how he finds evidence, what you can do for yourself to preserve your resources and empowers you with countless options.

Secretly record emails, chats, instant messages etc.

2005-11-01T04:27:00.000-08:00

Do you want to know what other people type on your computer when you are away?

See everything being typed on your computer by any person at any time: PAL PC Spy Pro records everything typed, used and said on your computer on every window, even on password protected boxes.

How You Can Quickly and Easily Discover If Your Lover Is Cheating On You

2005-11-01T04:23:00.000-08:00

* You do not need to spend another night lying awake in bed waiting for them to come home, unable to escape the sickening thoughts of where your lover could be, who they could be with and what intimate things they might be doing to each other.

* You do not need to go weeks on end without making love or endure the gut-wrenching pain of longing for them to “touch you like they used to”, while they seem to do everything in their power to hurt and ignore you.

* You do not need to put up with their endless lies and excuses or endure the vicious emotional abuse that makes you feel like you never meant a damn thing to them.

Learn the truth about what's been going on behind your back

Break free from the affair

2005-11-01T04:20:00.000-08:00

The affair is HIS problem. It is THEIR problem. What you did or did not do did not "cause" the affair. He CHOSE that avenue to solve his dilemma. Did you make mistakes? Sure, we all do. Could you have done some things differently? Of course! He could have also! You are NOT defective. No one is a better lover or person than you. Nothing is wrong with you!

Please understand. I care for someone who is having an affair because they are trying to find something - like all of us. The problem: their way of finding that something is really misguided. Anyone who chooses to trade one set of problems for a worse set, or really believes that another person can make his life better or "complete" obviously isn't thinking straight.

Stop the Agony of the Affair. Get back to your old self... or someone better. Save Your Marriage... if you really want to:

Break free from the affair

How to Catch a Cheating Spouse

2005-11-01T04:17:00.000-08:00

Are you sick and tired of your partner's suspicious behavior? This same partner that you have unselfishly devoted so much of your life and love to over the years? The one that you have been there for, even when no one else has? If your partner is in fact cheating on you, and you want solid evidence right now, then you have to hear everything I'm going to share with you. It's that important.

First of all, you have to ask yourself these questions:

* How long are you going to put up with them making you think that you are a lousy lover?
* Are you sick and tired of having your heart pounding and losing endless hours of sleep due to the sadness and uncertainty as to what is going wrong with your relationship?
* Are you ready to find out once and for all the truth about what your partner has so recklessly been doing behind your back? Even if the truth hurts?

You're about to learn the most guarded secrets that private investigators use. Whether your spouse has just started having an affair, been having an affair for a while or just ended an affair it doesn’t matter, I’ll show you how to get the solid evidence you need that will leave no room for excuses or alibis.

http://www.catchspousecheating.com