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August 2008
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Sunday, August 24th

UK Private Investigator Blog - "Madeline P.I. Search costs £500K"


Hi,

There was an article in the Independent this week that was passed around UK Investigator Associations. Apparently the Madeline McCann fund paid a US-based detective agency £500,000 (roughly $1 Million) for it’s services to try and locate the missing toddler.

The detective company searched through CCTV footage, manned the phone lines waiting for tips and carried out an array of P.I. work over a 6 month period. The British millionaire funding the charity decided not to renew the agency’s contract stating that the monthly bills of £80,000 were “disproportionately high given its results”.

The parents issued a statement saying they were interested in employing the best persons and resources to find their daughter and won’t comment on personal, financial or operational details of the search.

My heart still goes out to Gerry and Kate, and I knew as soon as it was announced they were hiring private investigators the cost of conducting this search for Madeline would be very complex. In such cases the bill was always going to be very high.

Thanks,
Andy
Andy on 08.24.08 @ 08:57 AM CST [link]


Saturday, August 9th

UK Private Investigator Blog - "New email scams"


Hi,

A new type of internet email scam has come to light recently – Vishing scams. It sounds like a phising scam, and it is but with a new twist. The standard phishing scam is an email sent to you (and a million other people) pretending to be from your bank or Paypal saying that your account has been suspended and you must follow the link they provided and log into your account to sort he mess out. Of course then the link you click takes you to a dummy website that looks like it’s from your bank but when you log into the account you give them your details.

The new Vishing scam is an email sent to millions of people as a spam email, also pretending to be from your bank but instead of giving you a link to click to go to a dummy website they provide a phone number to call. When you call the number the smooth talking criminal on the other end tries to get you to give your account information so they can “fix the problem”.

Here’s some tips to avoid Phishing and Vishing scams:-

Phishing Scam Tips
1) Never follow any links in emails, just open a new web browser and type in your banks web address as normal, that way you’ll go to the legitimate website.
2) You’ll notice that when you hover your cursor over the link in the email that it comes up as not being from the bank’s website if you look at the bottom left corner of your browser screen.

Vishing Scam Tips
1) Don’t call any phone numbers given in your emails. Log onto your bank’s website and then look up their standard call number from there.
2) Type the number given to you into Google, Yahoo or MSN, if it comes up on your bank’s website then it’s a legitimate number. There could also be posts from newsgroups and other people warning that the number is a scam that they were also emailed with.

Thanks,
Andy

Andy on 08.09.08 @ 04:05 AM CST [link]


Saturday, July 26th

Uk Private Investigator Blog - "Police forced to delete criminal records"


Hi,

The UK police force recently lost another case to keep a person’s “minor” criminal records in their computer system. The information tribunal reached a verdict that the police were breaking data protection laws by holding criminal records for minor offences on the police national computer for decades after the offence.

This follows another similar ruling last year when a convicted shop lifter got his “minor” criminal record deleted after complaining that it was still stopping him from getting a job.

It seems as though millions of such records may need to be deleted from the police national computer now. I guess a criminal record isn’t as much of a deterrent as it used to be! The police commented “A crime may look very trivial, but it might still be of significance to a person’s potential behaviour,”.

Of the 5 cases the tribunal looked at, and ordered to be deleted, one was for stealing a 99p packet of meat in 1984, the offender was fined £15 at the time. Another was for a charge of assault committed when the person was 13, now at age 20 it was disclosed in her job application. So, it doesn’t look like we’re opening the flood gates just yet, but the thin edge of the wedge perhaps? And for the rest of us who managed to get through teenage life without committing a crime, what do we get? Oh, we also don’t get a criminal record.

Another battle is ensuing over the breach of data protection laws with regards to DNA evidence. Currently the police are keeping DNA files of persons who were charged with a crime but not convicted. Basically, if the police say they think you did something and ask for a DNA swab to eliminate you as a suspect they keep that record forever. That’s a different kettle of fish to deleting minor criminal records in my opinion.

Thanks,
Andy
Andy on 07.26.08 @ 02:51 AM CST [link]


Saturday, July 12th

UK Private Investigator Blog - "Euro data laws"


Hi,

The UK Information Commissioner recently described European data laws as “no longer fit for purpose”. The statement comes ahead of the commissioner ordering a review of the EU data protection laws, and hiring “Rand Europe” to carry out an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of European data protection laws.

This is not a total surprise, people have been mumbling that current data protection laws in every country from the United States to Romania need to be re-done for the 21st centaury. By that they mean “the computer age” as you’d be surprised how many aspects of data protection laws were made before there was a PC in every house. Some UK laws date back to the late 70s!

Once again though, change for change’s sake is never a good idea and I hope they won’t suddenly put the breaks on the computer age by writing up some draconian throwback laws.


If you need someone located give me an email! I specialise in tracking down missing family members, old friends and birth parents. Contact Me

Thanks,
Andy
Andy on 07.12.08 @ 10:55 AM CST [link]


Monday, June 30th

UK Private Investigator Blog - "Ozzy PIs find deadbeat dads"


Hi,

The Australian Human Services Minister, Joe Ludwig, announced that Australian PIs will be employed by the government to trace parents not paying child support. The problem has reached the tune of £1 Billion in the country.

The minister went on to warn those who are behind in their child support payment that "Parents should do the right thing by their kids and give them the level of support they deserve," he said. He also said that parents who don’t pay will face the consequences.

Last year the UK Child Support Agency took similar steps, also hiring PIs to trace “deadbeat dads” that the department was unable to locate and make pay. It’s unknown at this time of all of those parents who owe child support could be eligible to be traced by investigators. It’s very likely that only those that owe over a certain amount will be passed on to Private Investigators, as some outstanding balances wouldn’t justify the PI’s fees.

The federal director of the Shared Parenting Council of Australia pointed out that "deadbeat dads" were rarely to blame for missed payments. The most common causes were misunderstandings between parents, a denial of contact by one parent, or fathers being too poor. He commented "I think before going off and using these draconian measures of surveillance and seizing assets - these are drastic measures - more effort should be made to ease tension between parents and restore contact,".

Thanks,
Andy
Andy on 06.30.08 @ 12:11 PM CST [link]


Saturday, June 21st

Uk Private Investigator Blog - "bugging solicitor-defendant talks"


Hi,

The Independent newspaper printed a story recently about the UK Metropolitan Police using a mole to inform them of the defendant’s private legal discussions. The case centres around a defendant who is charged with murdering a private investigator with an axe. The informant that was questioned alleges he recieved £21,000 over 9 years for being a mole for the police department within a group of businessmen, and the private detective axe mnurder was one of the cases he was involved with.

It’s rumoured this is not the only case where police officers have used this unlawful eavesdropping tactic. Obviously what’s said between a defendant and his solicitor should not be the target of a police investigation, but as my investigator colleagues pointed out this is a matter the police have to get to the bottom of.

So there’s the dilemma – do you allow police officers and private detectives to obtain as much information on a defendant as they can in the hope that it will show the whole case and a reasonable judgement of guilt or innocence can be made? Or by using increasingly invasive and “unlawful” techniques can the investigators end up purely gathering as much negative data as they can, producing a negatively skewed judgement?

Thanks,
Andy

Andy on 06.21.08 @ 09:45 AM CST [link]


Sunday, June 15th

Uk private Investigator Blog - "Caller ID Faked?"


Hi,

Recently, call ID spoofing in the UK has been investigated by information watchdogs. In the USA there are many companies willing to help you by-pass caller ID systems and fake the number that will appear on the recipient’s handset. A few caller ID spoofing companies have recently been set up in the UK and worried MPs asked information chiefs to investigate the development.

In America caller-ID faking services are often used by telemarketers and trouble makers. The services generally ask for you to enter the number you wish to call and the number you’d like them to see on their Caller-ID service. Obviously that means you could see a call from your bank appear on your caller ID and a telemarketer could try and sell you insurance, which you’d think would be advice from your bank.

UK MPs were worried about con-men using the service, more than they were concerned with telemarketing, hence the public investigation.

Thanks,
Andy

Andy on 06.15.08 @ 02:43 PM CST [link]


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