How Private Investigators Can Catch Social Media Deceivers

With the growth of technology, advancements in smartphones, and rapid increase of various online outlets, social media platforms have played an integral role in our society. Not only can social media platforms allow individuals to connect with others, express their feelings, and share their daily activities, but it also provides the opportunity to promote their businesses, support important causes, shop, and more. We, as a society, are also seeing the impact social media has on the dating culture. Precarious at best, countless apps like Tinder and Bumble have completely changed the way we meet people. However, with this growth, comes the opportunity for theft and deception. Catfishing and other methods of deception have grown exponentially and have become seemingly effortless to hackers and those of ill intentions to take part in. With the increase of social media deceivers, private investigators have refined their methods to catch these individuals.

Powerful Social Media Investigations

The popularity of social media platforms is undeniable, with nearly 81% of adults in the US owning some form of social media account. However, with over two-thirds of the adult US population on social platforms, the opportunity for hacking, catfishing, etc., is great. Luckily, there’s much awareness for this pressing issue and countless private investigators can lend their services to bring these virtual criminals to justice.

When conducting a social media investigation, private investigators closely examine social platforms such as Facebook, Instagrams, Twitter, Youtube, LinkedIn, Reddit, Tumblr, and more. Depending on the nature of the case they take on, private investigators will collect evidence by looking at lists of connected social media and dating profiles, as well as other evidence that supports the claims of their client. In the event of a catfishing or scamming scenario, private investigators will pull metadata from photos and posts that will reveal the real from the fake. Most importantly, they will produce the original source of their client’s profile image as well as other images. In order for these skilled private investigators to catch these social media deceivers, they need as much information as possible for a successful outcome. On their client’s social media account they will scour their profile for any illegal or suspicious activity that would lean towards proof of deception. Additionally, investigators will also keep an eye out for any alternate or linked social media accounts by utilizing advanced search tools and techniques (Google reverse image search being a popular option). This form of investigation allows private investigators to determine if a certain profile is real, or used as a front for other profiles.

Once this crucial information is gathered, private investigators are able to successfully catch social media deceivers. While social media plays such an important role in our society, it’ also an open door for deception, scamming, and catfishing, requiring individuals to tread carefully in the information they share and the people they meet.

Author Bio:

This post was written by Specialized Investigation Consultants. Specialized Investigations Consultants is a professional Miami-based investigation company founded, owned and operated by current and retired law enforcement professionals. Our Miami-based investigations business serves all of South Florida with over 100 years of combined State, Federal and Local law enforcement experience.