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Next Edition Topics:
Everything Changed: How 9/11 transformed privacy expectations
Open Up: Some keys to success in the cold interview
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In the two articles in this installment of VantagePoints, we first discuss the acquisition of closely held information by surreptitious means; specifically, using pretext calls. These can be an extremely valuable asset in an investigation. However, client consent, research, and preparation are essential to minimize the risks inherent in such methods.
Next,
we discuss the growing tendency of people to openly express personal opinions on Social Media. Such actions can prove extremely damaging, both personally and professionally. To the skilled investigator, these posts can be resurrected even long after they are taken down or deleted. All the more reason to think before you tweet.
Thank you for your comments about VantagePoints. Suggestions for specific topics of interest are always welcome and can be sent to
news@resultquestinc.com
. We hope you will recommend our publication to your colleagues.
J.R.Skaggs
Founder, Owner, and Manager
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Give 'Em a Call: Hazards of inadequately planned pretext telephone contacts
 A
mong the most useful of tools in the investigator's box is the ability to extract
useable
information
by means of
a telephone call made under a suitably planned pretext. Years ago, such a technique could be employed readily and with little risk of adverse consequence. However, with the advent of Caller ID and the Internet, this technique has become significantly more complicated - and risky.
When there is no danger of exposure, it might be feasible to make an impromptu pretext call to acquire general information. However, this would be the great exception to the rule of "backstopping" such contacts.
In one case taken over by
ResultQuest, the previous investigator had posed as a
lender in calling a company to request information regarding a current employee. Within minutes, the subject of the investigation was calling him to ask why she was under the scrutiny of an investigator pretending to work for a bank. The investigator's poor choice of pretense, used without client approval, and failure to consider the possibility that the Caller ID signal might lead back to him led to what might have been a disastrous outcome.
Pretext calls,
properly developed and implemented, often provide valuable intelligence. But there are some fundamental considerations.
The first, and most critical, consideration is... Read More
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Tweet Tweet
: How your history on Twitter and other social media can hurt you
First came the email. People were able to discuss any viewpoints, hoping and trusting that the recipient would not betray their confidence. Next came the text message. Once again, professions of beliefs and opinions were usually protected from mass consumption - to the degree of loyalty of the recipients, anyway.
Relationships can sour, though, and what better way is there to embarrass or exact revenge than to distribute some objectionable statement, or photograph, to others who might take serious issue. News stories abound with humiliating episodes of unwanted exposure of words or deeds.
Nonetheless, with email and text messages, disclosure is largely restricted to a finite universe. Not so with the various social media such as Twitter, Facebook, et al., where what you say is what we see. And, especially in this day of societal angst and hyper-partisanship, what we see can be viewed as objectionable or offensive.
People who take hard stances on issues on social media sites should be aware that such activity can be damaging to the "offender" - First Amendment notwithstanding. This is especially true of.
.. Read More
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