Washington State Investigators P.I. News

Video Surveillance Investigations

In the context of insurance investigations, covert video surveillance is the observation of an individual from a hidden or unknown position to document the extent of the subject's physical activities. The insurance investigator may suspect that the individual filing an injury or disability claim may be exaggerating their injury in order to collect benefits that…
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Researchers use ride-sharing cars to sniff out secret spying tools

LAW ENFORCEMENT'S USE of the surveillance devices known as stingrays, fake cell towers that can intercept communications and track phones, remains as murky as it is controversial, hidden in non-disclosure agreements and cloak-and-dagger secrecy. But a group of Seattle researchers has found a new method to track those trackers: by recruiting ridesharing vehicles as surveillance…
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America’s gun culture in 10 charts

Students across the United States will join a national march to call for tighter gun control and to highlight the issue of school safety.The March for Our Lives was organized by pupils at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, where a former student is accused of killing 17 people last month.The shooting, one…
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How to Protect Yourself From Cyber Attacks

Today, we live in an age where cyber security is crucial. Cyber attacks are rampant and it has got to the point where these malicious crimes have become the norm. In the last month alone we have suffered several global cyber attacks. In May, millions of users across the globe were caught off guard by…
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Surveillance: Past, Present and Future

Surveillance is an intrinsic part of a private investigators craft. Also known as spying, it is a way of gathering and collating information, and then using that information to increase ones understanding of another party’s actions and intentions. There is a distinction between surveillance and spying though. Surveillance is solely the act of gathering information…
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Learn cybersecurity basics with these essential YouTube videos

A hand-picked list of must-watch cybersecurity videos to help you learn the fundamentals of encryption, how hackers penetrate systems, and strong cyber-defense tactics for business. This year global cyber-war went mainstream. Banks were robbed by digital criminals, Yahoo confessed to losing half a billion consumer records, foreign attacks leaked documents from the Democratic National Committee…
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Experts predict 2017’s biggest cyber security threats

From internal threats to creative ransomware to the industrial Internet of Things, security experts illuminate business cyber security threats likely to materialize in the next year. If 2016 was the year hacking went mainstream, 2017 will be the year hackers innovate, said Adam Meyer, chief security strategist at SurfWatch Labs. Meyer analyzes large and diverse…
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Facts, Truth and Evidence: How to be Objective

As legal investigators, we are not truth seekers, but fact finders. We rarely discover “the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” Moreover, although we may discover a lie or two along the way, it’s not up to legal investigators to decide what the “truth” is. It’s up to us to find information, facts, and…
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How to safely access and navigate the Dark Web

This is the last installment in a series of Dark Web articles brought to you by Washington State Investigators. Is your business data on the Dark Web? Learn how to find out if you've been compromised in this step-by-step guide to accessing the underbelly of the internet. The Dark Web is easy to find. With…
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One of the biggest hacks happened last year, but nobody noticed

Millions of email addresses, passwords, and cell numbers were in the stolen database, but questions remain over where the breached data came from. Hackers last year quietly stole a database containing the details of over 57 million people. The breach has only come to light this week, after the stolen data was put up for…
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Four misleading myths about the Dark Web

Combat Dark Web threats by understanding their reality. The Dark Web can threaten your data security. Don't compound the risk by believing these misconceptions. It's too easy to fear the dark. The hidden, encrypted internet known as the Dark Web has earned a reputation as a monolithic, mossy rock under which lurks criminals and black…
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Dark Web: The smart person’s guide

Nefarious profiteers use the encrypted internet to sell stolen data, drugs and weapons. Facebook and the UN use it to protect dissidents and journalists. This guide shines a light on the Dark Web. Hacking is a fact of life for business and consumers alike. Often, leaked data surfaces and is sold to miscreants—hackers, shady government…
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From the dark web to the ‘open’ web: What happens to stolen data

The online black market is becoming a well-oiled and lucrative machine, thanks to the massive amount of stolen data flowing through the underground. In any data breach, it's particularly interesting to note the number of individuals whose personal information was compromised. Case in point, the title of Zack Whittaker's June 9, 2016 article on TechRepublic…
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Remote Install Cell Phone Spy Software Exposed

Can You Install Spy Software Without Having Access to the Phone? Every week I receive emails from folks asking different versions of the same question: I don’t have physical access to the phone. Can I install cell phone spy software remotely? The answer, of course, is no. You need physical access to their phone to…
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Five Important Questions About DEA’s Vehicle Surveillance Program

With each week, we seem to learn about a new government location tracking program. This time, it’s the expanded use of license plate readers. According to the Wall Street Journal, relying on interviews with officials and documents obtained by the ACLU through a FOIA request, the Drug Enforcement Administration has been collecting hundreds of millions…
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