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IOTDetective

This web blog was born from my interests in technology, combined with my love for investigations. I am a small-town Detective in New Hampshire and have been in law enforcement for well over a decade. This blog is a method to share my continued experience and education on a number of topics involving investigations in general.

Taking a Step Back: Attitude is Everything

What is law enforcement cynicism? As we progress through our careers in law enforcement, we tend to naturally develop a cynical attitude towards citizens, the public, and society as a whole. Broadly, the definition of cynicism ranges, however, most definitions of the word commonly focus on the self-serving interests of human beings. For law enforcement, self-serving interest are not the primary focus of our cynicism. Between our training, and the inherent evil we deal with on a daily basis, we tend to lose faith and hope that there is “good” in the world.

Check Fraud Investigations

Check Fraud Scams are Prevalent As law enforcement officers in modern times, we should be familiar with check fraud scams and understand that they occur in all areas of the country and that they can deeply affect victims. I have worked with several victims who have, unfortunately, lost significant portions of their life savings falling victim to these check fraud con artists. There are many different avenues that fraudsters take to facilitate their crimes, but in almost every case I have worked, the suspect will take measures to ensure that they are not the ones cashing these fraudulent checks and will use seemingly innocent victims to help perpetrate the crime.

Account Takeovers

What is it? Since the beginning of 2023 I have seen several of these types of cases cross my desk, as well as the desks of some of my colleagues. An account takeover starts with a criminal actor getting possession of a victim’s critical private information, such as the following: Full Legal Name Date of Birth Social Security Number License Number Full Legal Address Common PIN # or Passphrase Information about Family Relations This doesn’t seem like a lot of information, and quite honestly not all of this information is needed in order to effectively take over a victims account.

Social Engineering - A Tool for Today's Criminal Actors

Criminal activity, as with anything in life, evolves with the passage of time. My career in law enforcement began in 2009, which doesn’t seem that long ago for some. However, the method of criminal activity and the methods of investigating the same have changed. Many of the more common facets of crime still exist and occur commonly today, to include: Thefts, Robberies and Burglaries DUI and other Driving Offense Domestic Violence Offenses Sexual Assaults Child Abuse & Neglect Scams and Financial Exploitation So what is different today?

Organizing your online resources with Start.me

What is Start.me? Start.me pages have been around for a little while. As best as I can tell from my own research, the Wayback Machine indicates that Start.me was first operation in 2014. Start.me enables people to browse the internet more efficiently. We provide a fully customizable start page that works across all your browsers and devices. Pages can be shared with others, so your co-workers can also benefit from your collection of online resources and web organization skills.

Detailed and Concise, but How?

It starts with our investigations, but ends in a lot of paperwork… I am sure anyone who has worked any length of time within the law enforcement field understands how time-consuming, and tedious paperwork can be. In my nearly 14 years of experience in the field, I can say that it generally consumes most of the time during a scheduled shift. Not many of us get into law enforcement or career fields that involve investigations of a civil or criminal nature with the intent to focus mainly on our paperwork and reports.