Apple's Smart Marketing Statement that Means Nothing

Well, Apple is really good at marketing. Much better at marketing than any of there actual "innovations" or technology.  Even when they are behind technologically, they manage to convince an extremely large amount of people that their products and system is "superior" to their competitors.  Sometimes they are even so good at this, they convince even their competitors.

What am I talking about this time?  Well, Apple's protection of privacy for their customers. Here is what Apple claims:

“Unlike our competitors, Apple cannot bypass your passcode and therefore cannot access this data,” the company wrote in the new privacy policy. “So it’s not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession running iOS 8.”

First of all, they imply some things that are not necessarily true.  If it were - if you ever forgot your password, Apple could not assist you restoring/resetting it.  They also imply that there is no way one could go through Apple (like the government) to gain access to your data (which also isn't true).

This all goes along with things like "Apple doesn't get viruses" or "Apple can't get hacked" which have both been proven wrong over the years, but folks still believe this.

If you ever plug your Apple into a computer (doesn't matter what kind) or use the cloud (of course Apple calls it iCloud) you are likely to be less secure than the users of the "other products" - even from the government.

I am not a computer geek, but all the ones I know confirmed this.

The Ultimate Guide for Legal Recordings for Private Investigators

When can you make a recording?  When can you use it?  I won't get into all of the legal aspects of when you can use it right now.  However, I am glad when someone else has done all of my homework, and I don't have to "reinvent the wheel" when it comes to knowing what you can and cannot do when recording.

Normally, I stick to stuff about Texas, because that is what I am familiar with when it comes to Investigations.  However, I believe I have found the best source to know when you can and cannot record (barring court order, etc) anyplace in the US.

So I will call this the ultimate guide for legal recordings for private investigators.  OK, I admit I stole this from the reporters, but you don't have to tell them!

Here is the guide in a nutshell:

Below is the place to go to get the down low.  Also where to get the download.  I suggest you do so and save it to your computer for future reference.  That is what I did.

The Reporter's Recording Guide.

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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.

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The One Ring Scam - It Is Alive and Well in Texas

So, what is a one ring scam you ask?  Simple.  A company sets up a a toll charge site, often based in another country.  They set up computers to robo-dial phones (particularly targeting cell phones with regular phone bills).  As soon as the phone registers a ring, the dialer hangs up.

What happens next:  Curiosity gets to a lot of people so they call back the "missed call."  Since it is a toll charge site, you are automatically charged a fee - usually $19.95  (I am not sure why that amount) and of course, if it is international, you are also charged for whatever time you stay on the phone with international charges.  Some international charges are not cheap either.

Simply calling the number back could cost you $30.  How do you avoid it?  Never call back a missed call, unless you know who/where it is from.  Guess what?  I just saved you $30.  And to think I did it for free.

Here is a news story on the calls:

http://www.kltv.com/story/24543509/scam-missed-calls-could-cost-you

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Serving "That Guy"

I just want to say, sometimes you run into "that guy" when you are serving papers.

He is angry that you are serving him.
He thinks if he doesn't touch the papers, then he isn't served.
He thinks he can make some sort of statement that will somehow negate the service.
He thinks he can intimidate you with threats of calling the police.
He thinks he can intimidate you with threats claiming you are trespassing.

That guy.  Well, I actually served that guy the other day.  Yes, he tried to employ every one of those tactics.  The one I found most amusing, was the "trespassing" one.  Here is what the place looked like when I approached:

This is a blurry pic - but I didn't want to use a good one, as not to reveal "too much."  However, it is easy to see the open front gate and the fact that th door to the porch is standing open (which I did not go through).

"That Guy" tried to claim he had a "no trespassing sign."   I asked him where, as I never saw one.  Then he pointed towards the house next door and said "It is way down there."

Here is how it went down:

I walked up and knocked on the wall by the open door.  I waited and knocked again.  "That Guy" walked up from inside the house and closed that glass door.  I introduced myself and told him why I was there.  I already recognized the guy from his jail booking photos.

"That Guy" said he didn't know me, he wagged his finger at me, and said "Get off my property."  I told him "OK", then I said "You are served." See that gap above the door?  I slid the papers in there before walking away.  "That Guy" then grabs the papers, opens the door and throws them on the ground.

This began his threats of calling the police - to which I said go ahead.  He then said he was already served and already has a court date - which I told him the date was on the papers and I was not sure what that was. He then complained that I threw something into his house.

It was really not that big of a deal, but he was indeed "That Guy."

Stay Safe!

The Great Transformation

I served a woman today that I hardly recognized. I served her two days before in jail. Today I saw her leaving the courthouse and I served her.

In “vulgar” terms – she looked like a crack whore in jail. When I saw her outside the courthouse she looked really good. She knew it too, as she asked me how I recognized her. I mostly went by the fact she was the same height, weight and hair color and I knew where she was supposed to be. I don’t think I have both photos as cameras are not allowed in the jail. 

I was pretty much amazed at her transformation.

Sorry - no photos to protect her privacy

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!