For the first time ever, the severity and cost of curbstoning is quantified – at over $17 Bn in the USA. Take a look at this interactive map showing the total value and magnitude of individuals who are selling 3 or more vehicles from the same phone number on Craigslist. Data was taken from March
Using Internet Archive / Wayback Machine for investigations
Investigators have a common question: what if I could go back in time to see what a website looked like a year ago? Or even 3 years ago? What about a week ago? The Internet Archive provides just such a capability. Inspired by the fictional WABAC machine from the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, which Professor
TaxCrawler – Bridge the Gap on 2011 IRMF by Payee State Code Extract
Good news: the TY 2011 IRMF by Payee State Code Extract is on schedule for distribution in April 2013 which will contain the long-awaited 1099-K information from IRS. Finally, state tax agencies will have access to this vital data to get an idea of online sales activity. Once the data is in state agency hands,
Social Network Analysis for Law Enforcement
A recent survey conducted by Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions found that about 80% of law enforcement officers use social media platforms to assist in investigations, and 67% of them believe social media helps solve crimes more quickly[1]. Richmond, VA police successfully used Social Network Analysis (SNA) to corroborate evidence collected by detectives in interviews, as
VIN analysis
Recently, several requests have come in regarding what we can do regarding VINs (Vehicle Identification Numbers). The Harmari Engine now supports VIN extraction. It will share the same column as the License Plate in the report. Both of those little nuggets of information are not mandatory in Craigslist car ads, but nevertheless are extracted
Curbfinder Reports now feature Automated License Plate Recognition
The latest development from our R&D labs is the Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) module built into the Harmari System. With the revolutionary module, the task of detecting curbstoners in online classifieds becomes significantly more effective. Instead of having to go through clicking on the link to each car for sale, and then manually reading
Using WHOIS to Track Location of a Business
If a contractor is not reputable, he will try to cover his tracks any way he can. Using an online classified such as Craigslist, or even a website is the best semi-anonymous way to market your services as a contractor. However, when an investigation requires finding the physical location of such a business, it can
An Image Link is worth a thousand words
A new take on the age-old saying regarding pictures, the Internet has added a whole new perspective on this phenomenon for investigators. Let’s start with looking at a typical ad in Craigslist, except there’s one thing not typical about this ad: Notice that the picture is crisp, high-quality, and large in size. Craigslist image handling
How to find the location where a picture was taken
Most of the time, there isn’t much information available within the picture itself. However, certain smartphones (iphone) and high-end cameras have GPS built in, and geo-tag pictures. Advanced cameras also store metadata such as the model name, exposure settings, etc. Even without the location information, the EXIF info stored on the image is still useful