Flatirons PI Social Media Investigations
Social media is how we communicate. Social networking websites allow users to build web pages, communicate, share ideas, share photos and express opinions. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and many other social networking sites continue to grow. Whereas you once had to talk to your friends to find out the new and interesting things in their lives, people currently tag themselves often reporting far more information than they know. With the increasing popularity of “showing off” people have become less concerned with their own privacy and will post anything.
By contrast, social media was used as a tool for insurance investigators (Private Detectives) to extract evidence while investigating suspicious claims. Subjects would post pictures on their Facebook page doing things that they say prevents them from working. Today social media serves many more purposes, not just legitimate research but scammers, stalkers and others with bad intentions. Who is looking out for you on social media?
Who can get to and see your information? A friend? What about a person stalking you or your family. What about a scammer pretending to know you through your “online life”? You (or your friends and family) provide a constant feed of information to social media which may put you at risk.
Typically subjects of our investigations don’t realize just how open their social media content is and how people can use that information against them. Private investigators (Private Detectives) working for clients are probably the least of your concerns. With privacy lines blurring and constantly changing “privacy rules” on popular social media sites, is your information secure?
Flatirons PI investigators typical and ethical use for social networking investigations include:
- stalking and harassment
- identity fraud and theft
- standard investigation lead development
- anti-pedophile investigation (think: to catch a predator)
- disciplinary actions
- company policy violations
- identity verification
- dishonest on unsavory employee actions
- alias vetting
- employee character development
- court order/probation violations
- criminal case development
- sting operations
- intellectual property theft