Monday, November 23, 2009

Survey: Few companies addressing cyberterrorism

http://ping.fm/OTb6K

Dangerous to check personal e-mail or bank accounts from an unsecured iPhone via Wi-Fi

Here's some good info for those who wander around looking for hotspots with their iPhone or other wireless phone. DO NOT check bank accounts or personal mail, especially if you do so from public wireless access points. Here's why. How could criminals exploit this newfound capability to hook up with mobile users who have their guards down? How could a person protect themselves from identity theft in these situations?


 

Reference:  visage/mobile, Mobility management news and blogs, Smart phone users vulnerable to identity theft while using unsecured Wi-Fi. Retrieved 23 November 2009 from http://www.visagemobile.com/news/news/managing-mobile-devices-news/1644/smart-phone-users-vulnerable-to-identity-theft-while-using-unsecured-wi-fi/.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Are you spending money without your spouse knowing? Are you being unfaithful?

http://tinyurl.com/yf6fuy8

 

Dave in suit 2007-254 pixels

 

Dave Pettinari

Dave Pettinari

cid:E5345F81-32FE-4121-A0D1-B8C8EDF85D20 719.485.0008 | Office: 719.485.0008| E: davepet@socolo.net|  http://www.tacforensics.com

TAC Forensics and Investigations, 8998 Grand Avenue, Beulah, CO  81023

cid:FBFAFB91-67EF-4E7A-BD9F-DA3447CFB506 Cell: 719.334.0433

cid:0DAFCDE0-F8E1-4071-A679-7845ACDE0E6A Fax: 719.485.0008

 

My blog site; more good information:  http://tacforensics.blogspot.com/

LINKEDin profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/davepettinari

Facebook profile:  http://www.facebook.com/davepettinari

Public file folder at Windows Live:

http://cid-952aeab2609b979a.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/.Public

 

 

 

Financial Infidelity

Financial Infidelity

Computer Forensics & Law Enforcement: Getting paid to watch porn

http://ping.fm/wYLmG

 

 

 

 

Arnold, my hero, with a word for you on this Thanksgiving holiday

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Five tips for survival

The Cyberspace Explosion: Five Tips for Survival http://ping.fm/yXehQ

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Principles of Legal Investigation

Check out this Dean A. Beer's SlideShare Presentation : http://slidesha.re/2h8GpH

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Just a funny video – no disrespect to women…some men drive like this as well!!!

I about wet myself viewing this video - soooo funny!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siLoz9A_QvY

America is now the number one destination in the world for child sex trafficking

This is a sad commentary on our country's efforts to stem the tide in trafficking of humans for sexual purposes. We need to do more! http://ping.fm/3mDCk

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Most common Hotmail password revealed

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/10/10000-passwords/

Monday, October 5, 2009

Cell phones. - what evidence can you find in them?

http://www.dfinews.com/articles.php?pid=665.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

RecordTimes are changing: Electronic evidence is different

DFINews – Digital Forensic Investigator/The West Virginia, retrieved 29 Sep 2009 from

http://www.wvrecord.com/news/221039-forensic-files-times-are-changing-electronic-evidence-is-different

Need an online investigator?

Internet Forensics: What an online investigator can do for you: http://ping.fm/sUQTHr

Need an Internet investigation done? Hire a private investigator!

investigator_pi PI News: Reasons why Internet Private Investigation is Taking Over the Online World http://ow.ly/15RDRj

Monday, September 28, 2009

Could someone be monitoring your keystrokes???

PINewsWire KEYLOGGING IS A SERIOUS THREAT http://ping.fm/xK0lC

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Is your cheating husband or wife doing so using web e-mail, or deleted e-mail?

catchinfidelity Recover Deleted Emails For Infidelity Investigations – Computer Forensics http://bit.ly/eaFxn

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

What a computer forensic examiner really does…


 


 

PINewsWire The Roles and Duties of the Computer Forensic in the Criminal Justice Field http://ping.fm/7hO90
Tue, Sep 22 16:30:20 from Ping.fm

Friday, September 18, 2009

Do you really want to catch your spouse cheating?


 

PINewsWire The Pros And Cons Of Hiring A Private Investigator To Catch Cheating Spouse http://short.to/qp95

Thursday, August 13, 2009

The nature of private detective work - good article!


 

http://detectivelondon.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/the-nature-of-private-detective-work/

'Wounded Warriors' Learn Digital Forensics at Military Medical Facilities

Computer forensics is good, honest work for wounded soldiers who cannot do the work they used to do. Check out this kewl training program for our wounded vets! Wow! http://bit.ly/nS1GO

Computer Forensic Guide To Profiling USB Devices on Win7, Vista, and XP

Download these pdf files, they are very good guides to go by! http://bit.ly/hLH7T

Monday, August 10, 2009

MAN BLAMES CAT FOR DOWNLOADING CHILD PORN

WHO COULD MAKE THIS STUFF UP?- Maybe he thought the cops meant kitty porn! What a hairbrained excuse for a criminal act!!! http://bit.ly/CyzV5

Monday, August 3, 2009

Copper Clappers Caper - Joe Friday

This is the kinda investigator I am - just the facts ma'am!!!

Friday, July 31, 2009

Key requirements for a career as a private investigator

Decent, concise article on this topic at http://tinyurl.com/lgs4tj

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Computer Forensics - What happens when you delete a file?

Deleted files are not deleted. We can recover them! Call me if you need assistance! Dave...

Computer Forensics - Recovering deleted email - E-discovery

Delete an important e-mail? You can get it back, it is NOT gone! Call me for assistance! Dave...

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

What it is I do - the nitty gritty

Colorado computer forensic examiner
Computer crime
Computer and crime
Computer crime forensics
Computer crime investigation
Computer crime investigator
Computer crime Internet
Computer forensics
Computer forensic investigations
Computer forensics investigator
Computer forensics Colorado
Computer forensics consultant
Computer forensics consulting
Computer forensics expert
Computer recovery data
Computer investigations
Examine hard drive
Data recovery
Digital evidence
Digital forensics
Computer forensic examiner
Computer evidence
Theft of intellectual property
e-discovery
ediscovery
electronic discovery
Data theft
Unauthorized access
Downloading pornography
e-mail misuse
e-mail tracing
recover computer data
computer data recovery
computer investigation services
cell phone forensics
pda forensics
media searching and analysis
password cracking
cracking passwords
digital evidence
electronic evidence
recovering electronic evidence
hard drive recovery
hdd data recovery
image hard drive
imaging hard drive
Internet computer crime investigation
Internet crime and computer hacking
searching hard drive
search hard drive
recover documents
recover e-mail
computer searches
computer searching
expert witness testimony
Private investigation Colorado
Private investigator Colorado
Private detective
Background checks – babysitters, pre-marital, court adversaries, prospective tenants
Child custody and visitation investigations
Child exploitation and obscenity (child pornography)
Child support enforcement and collection
Court records
Criminal defense investigations
Criminal history searches
Criminal Investigation
Divorce investigation
Employee theft investigation
Identity theft investigation
Litigation-related research
Location of witnesses/debtors/missing persons
Skip tracing
Missing persons
Personal protection
Pre-employment screening
Process service
Record searches
Runaway and missing children
Sexual harassment claims
Stalking and harassment investigations
Surveillance
Surveillance (beacon or GPS tracking)
Counter-surveillance
Tenant screening
Undercover and covert investigations
Unsolved crime investigations
Witness interviews
Wrongful imprisonment
White collar crime
Assets locating
Child support
Deadbeat dads
GPS tracking
Finding people
Locating people
Colorado
Denver
Colorado Springs
Glenwood Springs
Aspen
Aurora
Boulder
Brighton
broomfield
Castle Rock
Centennial
Arvada
Englewood
Golden
Grand Junction
Greeley
Gunnison
Highlands Ranch
Lakewood
Littleton
Longmont
Louisville
Loveland
Parker
Beulah
Pueblo
Thornton
Vail
Westminster
Special master
Litigation support
Forensic science
Evidence recovery
forensic data recovery
Hidden data
Hidden files
Lost data
Hard drives

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Have a qualified PI check out that online paramour before meeting in person!

Online dating can be dangerous –

have a qualified PI check out that person!


 

With increasing regularity, we are seeing news reports of people who encounter other people in online dating chat groups or singles forums, met them in person, and were either assaulted, raped, or killed.

The most recent high-profile case causing concern is that of Philip Markoff, the Boston medical student who ran across a woman online through Craigslist's erotic services section, met her in person, and shot her. The arrest of the alleged "Craigslist killer" this past April set off a nationwide furor about the lack of safety precautions at online dating sites.

Craigslist, which previously permitted online advertisements for escort services, has reduced that danger footprint by banning such ads after U.S. Attorneys throughout the country applied pressure to do so. But other online web sites have arisen to advertise these illegal services that pose unknown dangers to the women involved, and sometimes to men as well.

Beyond online advertising for prostitution and escort services, the Internet features numerous dating and social networking sites where people can put up ads to meet others.

"Many people use these sites and meet wonderful people online. However, many others meet liars, people cheating on their wives or husbands, and even predators who use the power of the Internet to lure their victims," said Dave Pettinari, a Pueblo County private investigator. Pettinari who owns TAC Forensics and Investigations. Pettinari highly recommends that anyone considering dating online, especially if a face-to-face meeting is contemplated, get a thorough background check on that person prior to meeting.

The Safer Online Dating Alliance reports that MySpace recently removed 90,000 accounts after it was learned the sites belonged to registered sex offenders. That is a significant portion of the known one million registered sex offenders in the U.S.

Pettinari said that a qualified private investigator has the knowledge and resources to quickly determine if the person has a criminal background or whether he or she is using a fake name or providing false information to the person contemplating meeting that person.

Estimates are that 40 million single Americans are looking for soul mates using online dating services or web-networking sites such as MySpace, Match.com, Facebook, and Craigslist. These sites have a simple signup process that does not allow for vetting or screening of information. In other words, the person can provide false information to open an account – a fake name, a tough-to-trace e-mail address, and false information about work background, interests, and activities.

"People can be anyone they want to be over the Internet," Pettinari said, even to the point of providing photos that are not of that person. "When people are looking for romance, they are often not as guarded and careful as they should be about selecting appropriate potential partners. Liars, sexual predators, and even murderers can hide their true intent behind seemingly harmless online identities.

"If you were to meet someone like this in a bar, you might immediately have the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, and know to stay away from them!
Online dating sites are resistant to procedures that would ferret out the creeps who would prey on others, saying it would put a major dent in their online business activities. So it is up to the consumer of these services to take care of their own safety."


After the Craigslist killer arrest,
Craigslist was hit with another scandal when a North Carolina man used the site to hire a man to rape his wife while the husband watched. Pettinari also mentioned cases where men have raped women they met over the Internet after slipping drugs into their drinks, and men who have swindled women they met on line under pretenses of romance. After gaining their confidence, they run up charges on their credit card, open accounts in their name, even purchase automobiles before they disappear with the ill-gotten assets.

While the vast majority of victims are women, some men also have been victimized, often by men who pose as women. They either rob or harm the man who responds in person to their online virtual conversations.

"Regardless of where you live in the country, you can find a reputable private investigator who specializes in running background checks on potential Internet dates," said Pettinari. "Generally, the costs run from $100 to $200, depending on the depth of the background investigation. While not cheap, this is money well spent to protect a woman or man from a nutso stalker, or from physical or sexual abuse or murder. Such checks will also let the customer know right away whether or not the intended paramour is married or truly single."

Pettinari said few dating sites require background checks for felonies prior to allowing people to sign up for an account. But one site that does is True.com, which also screens its millions of members to determine whether or not they are married. True.com recently sued a convicted California sex offender who tried to register himself as an eligible bachelor.

Pettinari, who met his wife 14 years ago through a date-match ad in a local newspaper, said anyone contemplating getting together should always meet in public for the first few dates, as he and his wife did.

The Safer Online Dating Alliance warns women on its website never to post photos of their children, nor to describe them in detail, saying that single mothers who openly say they seek partners who like children have inadvertently attracted pedophiles.

"While I would not totally discourage men and women from going online to meet others, as I did it myself when I was single, I would encourage them to do it very circumspectly, and with utmost concern for their own safety," said Pettinari.


 

Dave Pettinari

Colorado computer forensic examiner and private investigator

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

TAC Forensics acquires a super-high-speech, forensically sound hard drive duplicator

TAC Forensic's latest addition to its arsenal of state-of-the-art devices to provide better service to customers is Logicube's Forensic Dossier.

The Dossier is the fastest digital forensic data capture device on the market today, allowing investigators to capture and authenticate at speeds approaching 6 gigabytes per minute. Computer forensic examiners can capture data from one or two suspect drives to one or two evidence drives. This sophisticated solution provides built-in support for capture from a RAID drive pair (0, 1, JBOD) and can capture data from a variety of flash media devices with a built-in media reader.

The versatile Dossier features built-in support for SATA and IDE drives, with optional support for SCSI and SAS drives scheduled to be available in late spring of this year. The Dossier also provides built-in USB and firewire connectivity and features support for most solid state drives and supports microSATA and eSATA drives with optional cables.

What this means is a TAC Forensics computer forensic examiner can quickly and efficiently acquire all kinds of hard drives and other media, getting in and out at the scene in record time. This will not only save the customer money, but will ensure virtually all kinds of computers and media can be acquired, and assignments completed.

"Developed to meet the complex challenges of digital forensic investigators, the Dossier is the cornerstone of a future-focused platform of tools that will allow us to serve our customers much better," said Dave Pettinari, president of TAC Forensics. "We strive to be on the cutting edge of advanced digital forensics technology."

The Dossier also includes a drive-spanning feature (scheduled to be available in spring 2009) that allows users to capture from one large suspect drive to two smaller evidence drives. Other features include DD image files, keyword search, audit trail reporting, and an internal flash memory to store keyword lists, software updates and reports and a touch screen display for easy navigation.

For more information on this newly acquired equipment, you can visit Logicube's website at http://www.logicubeforensics.com/products/hd_duplication/dossier.asp or http://www.logicubeforensics.com.




Dave Pettinari, Colorado computer forensic examiner – TAC Forensics and Investigations

Going through a nasty divorce? Can you have someone examiner your husband’s or wife’s computer or cell phone?


 


 

Yes, that is fair game – all their e-mail, chat, instant messaging, financial documents and notes. However, your spouse has a greater expectation of privacy if the computer itself, documents or e-mail are password-protected. In that event, you would have to obtain some sort of court process ordering access to those files. Please ask your attorney if this is possible in your case.


 

Dave Pettinari, Colorado computer forensic examiner – TAC Forensics and Investigations

Monday, February 23, 2009

You should assess home and business video security systems for coverage and utility


 

I spent $4,000 putting in a video surveillance system at my home. I has a 650 GB hard drive that allows me to save information for weeks and easily copy videos off to a CD or USB drive. One camera looks all the way down my long driveway clear to the street, the other looks into my backyard.  I agree, seeing them coming, or at least being able to gather evidence on the back end, gives one a lot of peace of mind.

Let's compare that home installation to security camera use in the workplace, using an example from a business setting that demonstrates how cameras and humans must work together in access control and surveillance:


 

I remember a contract armed security job I did at a major financial brokerage concern in Colorado Springs. A fired employee had called to threaten to kill people at the facility, so the firm hired us to supplement the unarmed guard force.

We did a survey of the camera setup outside, and found it lacking in some respects, such as no cameras in the parking lot in front of the building, where someone would have to park to come in. So we knew our major chokepoint for entry was the front lobby, where the workers came in droves and badged in at the desk where a single unarmed security guard was stationed. 

We were also concerned by a back way in, controlled by access badges. We were concerned this person would piggyback in with someone else, or use someone else's card to get in. We had some cameras here, but they were not pointed in the right direction to closely pick up activity at the door.

Due to his mental state, this guy's wife took his car keys away from him. He came to the site several times by bus, we learned by following him. We were thankful a camera overlooked the bus stop, so the officer manning the control room could monitor at dropoff times on the bus schedule.

Technology has holes and gaps, and it takes human intellect and reasoning to come up with plans to use the technology to accomplish the mission. Same applies to the home security system. Give it some thought before you purchase and install.