Understanding How to Assess Intelligence

OK,  I know when people see "intelligence" they think about spy agencies and whatnot. Well, most of what PIs deal with is intelligence.  Sometimes a PI will forget about assessing the intelligence "because the information is so good."  What I mean by that is, we learn something from a source that really could blow the case wide open.  We need to tread lightly, if we do not assess the intelligence.

OK, I have already over used "assess" so I will explain what I mean.  When we gather information, we need to weigh the quality of information we receive.  We really need to explain this if and when we pass this information on in our reports.  One line you should never see in a PIs report is "I learned that..." or "I discovered that..." at least not with an explanation of how it was learned/discovered.

You see, sometimes how you get the information is nearly as important as the information itself.  I am not saying you need to reveal your sources directly.  Example:  Let's say you run a report from one of the data companies.  The report shows that your person of interest resides at 123 Austin Street, Houston, TX.  Look at the report closely.  Does it show a driver's license using that address?  Can you find a second source through public records or even a Google search?  You should never just say "Well, Acme information service says he lives there."

Here is an example of what I mean.  I had to farm out a paper to be served out of state.  I gave them the information that I had.  I also explained where I received the information.  This included using "a friend of a friend on Facebook."  It also included jail booking records and what agency it was from.

If I just said "I have information he is at that address." without passing on how I got the information, the people receiving it have no idea how to assess the information.

This happens all the time.  What happens?  Someone telling me information without giving me an idea where it came from.  How do I know it happens?  I get something from someone almost every day this way.  What happens when I cannot confirm the information or deny it right away?  I have to pick up the phone or email and ask how did they get the information.

Save a step - pass on how you got the information.  You may have to say, "I have an informant I have used in the past that has been very reliable."  That is OK.  Or, "I learned it from the Ex."  Exes often keep closer tabs on the whereabouts of the ex than they did when they were together - go figure.

Weigh your intelligence, it will help you know how much time and effort to put in on what you are doing,   Sometimes you only have a sliver of information, and that is fine.  Just know how to use your resources wisely.

Stay safe!

Clear Your Facebook Searches

You may want to clear your activity log from time to time on Facebook.  One of my favorite sites, called Facecrooks, tells you everything you need to know to do this.

Knowing this information is good to know whenever you want to find out these things, or you want to cover your tracks.

Here are the four easy steps:
1. Navigate to your Timeline and click on your ‘Activity Log.’
2. Look for the ‘More’ link in the left column and click it:
3. Scroll down in this column and click on the ‘Search’ link.
4. Lastly, click on the ‘Clear Searches’ button.


Go to the article here to see the whole thing in pictures.

Stay Safe!

One More Reason to Turn Off Wi-Fi on Your Phone

I have a habit of turning off my Wi-Fi on my smartphone, mostly because I am gone out and about for most of the day, and when Wi-Fi is turned on it tends to drain the battery much faster as I move about because it is constantly seeking to connect.

Well, a security researcher, Brendan O'Conner, developed a device (which many could make on their own) that can snoop on anyone whoever happens to hook up with unsecured Wi-Fi.

He could pick up the Web sites he browsed when he connected to a public Wi-Fi – say at a cafe – and he scooped up the unique identifier connected to his phone and iPad. Gobs of information traveled over the Internet in the clear, meaning they were entirely unencrypted and simple to scoop up.

 Even when he didn’t connect to a Wi-Fi network, his sensors could track his location through Wi-Fi “pings.”

Not only that, but it could gather email addresses, Id's to social media sites, photos and a lot more.  You can learn more about it by reading A Cheap Spying Tool With a High Creepy Factor

This is not legal to do anywhere, but it can easily be done.  So my tip for you is to turn off Wi-Fi except when you are using a secured server.  Identity thieves can really have a hey day with something like this.
Whatever you do - Stay Safe!