Monday 24 December 2018
The real-life Grinch
The Grinch, an envious creature who planned to prevent the arrival of Christmas, stealing all Christmas ornaments and gifts, not only went from book to film but also to real life. However, we all know that happy endings do not always happen as seen in movies and if the Grinch ultimately returns everything he stole, unfortunately in reality, thieves who behave like him do not do the same.
December arrives, the time of year to share as a family with the hope of a better next year, the time of happiness and the favorite of many, who can quickly stop being so. This is because during these dates the robberies increase as there are a greater number of houses that are empty in the Christmas season. It is the perfect season for criminals.
Fortunately, people already tend to know it, and as such they worry about leaving their homes at the mercy of the thieves who take advantage to perform their activity, which is why many people often decide to go to private detective services. These professionals act both when it comes to investigating a theft and obtaining the appropriate tests and also in the prevention of them, which is undoubtedly the most important point.
However, there are always those who prefer to take chances, and when that happens it becomes difficult at times to caught thieves because they use increasingly sophisticated techniques. It is at this point that people turn to detectives to try to solve their problems because they can provide the necessary evidence.
Nevertheless the best thing is always to prevent. For that it is important to install intelligent security systems where thieves are detected without their knowledge. These systems can be hidden cameras, intrusion detectors or for those who want really effective protection, a home automation control system. The last one includes, as an example, the detection of possible intruders, the closing of blinds, the simulation of presence and access to IP cameras, among others. All this can easily be installed by private detectives to guarantee more security while the house is empty.
As it is possible to observe the work of a detective can be essential when planning to leave home for a season without any bad surprises as a Christmas gift, when it comes to returning home.
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Detective
of Oliver Detectives
Wednesday 19 December 2018
Money and good faith the all life's enemies
December 22 is a special day for many Spaniards, as it is the day of the Christmas lottery, better known as "El Gordo". But why is it such a special day? Is that this year "El Gordo" is valued at 4 million Euros per ticket or series and 400,000 Euros per tenth. No doubt too much money to bring out bad faith among people who decide to share luck.
The first Christmas lottery was in 1811 and even today keeps making shine the eyes of many people throughout Spain. Actually the winner of the first prize could live about 13 years without working. Too good to be true, right? That in fact happens but we would have to live 100 000 years to guarantee that we will get the first prize once in a lifetime.
However, if the December 22 reveals as your lucky day and you get the surprise that you are the winner of the Christmas raffle, you should keep in mind two things:
- On the one hand, keep calm and do not discuss it with anyone;
- And on the other, keep the bill with you, since it is a bearer document and can be charged by anyone who has it in his possession.
If you are one of the lucky ones but the tenth does not belong only to you, then there are important points to consider. Even when there is a principle of good faith between the participants, the truth is that when there is money involved, everything can change. In reality, there are examples of winners whose decision was to escape with the prize, without dividing it with the rest. If that happens to you it is essential that you know that you can ask for the help of a private detective, in order to locate the person with the winning ticket that has fled.
Nevertheless there are always many ways to justify that the tenth belongs to several people. One solution is to sign the tenths on the back, photograph them and distribute the photos among the participants to accredit the shared game. Or then, you can sign a document where you have to include the name, ID and amount of each of the players. It is equally important the presence of witnesses who can legitimize that these tenths are played between several people.
Another essential aspect is to accredit before the Tax Administration that the money of the tenth has been distributed among various holders, in order to avoid being considered as a donation. If this happens, the winners are obliged to pay the prize doubly. Therefore, to avoid being subject to the tax that regulates donations, the prize should never be collected by a single person and then distributed.
Unfortunately there are always participants who refuse to distribute the prize with whom they share a tenth, forgetting that they are committing a crime of misappropriation, punishable by a fine when the amount is less than 400 Euros and imprisonment if exceed the amount referred above. Here, once again the work of a private detective can be crucial to prove the misappropriation of a certain participant.
For these reasons, whenever there is money involved you have to be as suspicious as possible and avoid be fooled by anyone.
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Detective
of Oliver Detectives
Wednesday 12 December 2018
The Sherlock Holmes of nowadays
Private detectives are increasingly known due to the iconic models of books and films. If we talk about Inspector Gadget or Sherlock Holmes, everybody knows we are talking about private detectives. But the reality is a little different from that which everyone knows. Detectives nowadays do not wear trench coats or magnifying glasses, but they remain discreet and are always nearby to help you investigate what you need. These researchers work for individuals, companies and also for law firms. And the truth is that there are many legal professionals who are still unclear in what way a detective can be useful.
The lawyer during a judicial process or other kind of course of action has to prove the facts that are object of discussion, and often it is when the private investigator enters, because it comes to corroborate the information that a lawyer has, but for which he doesn’t has proves. So, the detective's tasks will serve for the legal professional helps his clients in the most diverse domains.
Actually the work of a lawyer is complemented by the detective and vice versa, resulting enormously beneficial for both.
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Detective
of Oliver Detectives
Tuesday 11 December 2018
The hypnotic ads that adorn the showcases of the stores in time of sales
When the sales start, it is common to see disturbing avalanches of people accessing the stores to get the products at a lower price than the items normally have. However, with the beginning of the sales, scams and frauds also arrive. The truth is that we all know that they fraud us in the period of sales, but at least before they did it with more class and dissimulation. Now almost everyone is questioning the veracity of the discounts although many consumers seem unable to resist the wonderful ads that adorn the showcases.
Sincerely nobody gives anything without the ambition of something in return and if the merchants resort to the rebates it is because they earn money with that. However, consumers have already begun to report the scams found in the discount season. The most common scams evidenced are the misleading labeling and the price increase to show a higher discount. On one hand there are companies that, in the days before the start of the sales period, increase the price of many merchandise and then can announce a fraudulent reduction, often to make consumers believe that a discount is more powerful since there is a bigger difference of price between the "before" and "after", the common swelling of the discounts. Others prefer to manipulate the labels simulating discounts on products that still cost the same as before the sales season. Many customers take off the labels with the discounted price and see that it is the same as before.
Another fraud related with the sales refers to the manufacture of the products. The discounts usually seem generous, but frequently the items are produced by way to be sold at a discount price. Many chains manufacture products to market them exclusively during the discount period, and if their price is not reduced, you may be sure that the quality is.
Since these companies almost constantly go unpunished despite the efforts of customers to deal with them when these situations happen, the services of private detectives are always of great importance because they are professionals specialized in scams and can help to avoid or solve this type of frauds.
But as the best is always to prevent, we leave you some essential tips to take advantage of the discounts without frights:- Review the articles very well;
- Check prices;
- Request information about the purchase conditions;
- Save all tickets and invoices.
Sindia
Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist
and Detective
of Oliver
Detectives
Wednesday 5 December 2018
Private investigation and forensic sciences together in the search of the truth
The Forensic Sciences are of extreme importance for the private investigation since they allow the obtainment of irrefutable proofs, which would not be possible to reach another way. As such, in Oliver Detectives depending on the casuistry we use the appropriate technical-scientific procedure, especially in cases where it is necessary:
1. Checking the authenticity of documents;
2. Determine the authorship of signatures, texts, and graffiti;
3. Elaborate a graphological study of personality;
4. Analyzing and extract a profile through digital writing;
5. Study bank documents as a means of payment (checks, credit cards);
6. The authentication of audio and video recordings;
7. The authentication of photographs and possible photographic manipulations;
8. Create virtual scenarios;
9. Detect manipulations in electronic circuits (mobile phones, game consoles);
10. Find out unauthorized access to computers, cyber fraud, fraudulent use of programs, industrial and technological cyber espionage, sabotage.
Namely, it is about obtaining legal evidence from the scientific point of view with the aim of attributing responsibilities, resorting to expert and criminalistics techniques allied to technological advances.
For example, and using the graphological technique, our detective work is very useful in the Human Resources departments of companies in the phases of personnel selection. This is because this technique is being implemented more and more in entities as a complement to other traditional selection systems, such as the CV and job interviews. The advantage of this technique is undoubtedly the speed in the initial selection of cover letters, especially when there are many candidates because the results are obtained almost immediately. It is possible to obtain the maximum information of the candidate, such as predispositions, dubious or unfair behavior, intellectual potential, level of ambition, performance, maturity, personality, and sociability; as well as the aptitudes for the work in question.
Since the private investigation is a profession recognized by law in Spain, we, private detectives, are often called to testify before the courts, since our reports constitute evidence in judicial proceedings. In some of these investigations, we need to resort to forensic techniques to obtain the evidence. One of those cases refers to the determination of the authorship of signatures, in the investigation of their falsity, where the client affirms that it is false and intends, therefore, to demonstrate that said signature does not belong to him.
Increasingly the work developed by private detectives is directly related to forensic investigations and, as such, it is of extreme relevance that if the researcher himself has no training in this specific area he should resort to specialized professionals to obtain the necessary information in order to complete his report in an objective and impartial way to guarantee the maximum credibility.
The subject was exhibited as a poster at the 17th National Congress of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences held between November 22 and 24, 2018 in Coimbra, Portugal.
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Detective
of Oliver Detectives
Wednesday 28 November 2018
Paradigmatic ruling on family housing after divorce
When a third person enters the residence, it loses its nature as a family home as it happens to house a different family.
It is important to mention that this only affects divorces where there is a marital property regime, where it was not possible to liquidate the common patrimony because one of the spouses was left with the legal custody of the children, consequently with the right to use the family home.
The man who motivated this innovative sentence paid 50% of the house in which the new partner of his ex-wife lived since after the divorce she was left with custody and with the family residence. To solve it, this man decided to hire the services of a detective to show that his ex-wife lived there with his new partner and that the two had a stable life.
Since as a contrast, they had the legacy of another sentence that gave the reason to the other party for his own reason, because with the help of a lawyer and the private detective evidence this man revolutionized the right to the family home by the ex-partner when This is in another stable relationship and living in the residence that would be of both.
To read the news of the sentence click on the following link:
https://elpais.com/sociedad/2018/11/23/actualidad/1542979125_062811.html
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Detectiu
by Detectius Oliver
Wednesday 31 October 2018
Not all monsters wear costum or only come out on Halloween.
Today some people have a slight tingling in the body, positive nerves to be a different night, fears found with the desire to be the monster or nightmare that most yearn to be, in a relaxed atmosphere and joy, for the end of the day to remember the only night they think they are surrounded by monsters and terrifying characters without being the prey of death. However, they do not know that throughout the year, it is when the real fearsome beasts roam our streets, with which we share the town, sidewalks, subway cars or even work, friendships or family.
We do not want to induce fear in you, but you do open your eyes because we are really surrounded by good but we must never forget evil.
In this article we want to summarize four real and heartbreaking stories of real monsters, those that act when we least expect it and in the most twisted and unimaginable way.
The modern Cannibal of Rothenburg
Armin Meiwes is called by the media sector as the Cannibal of Rotemburgo, due to the murder and subsequent dismemberment and cannibalism of a person, with whom he had contacted by the Internet, to satisfy the fantasies of devouring and being devoured. The curiosity is that Armin had a double life, one with friends hobbies and appearance of normality and in the other where he suffered a serious disorder of their sexual preferences, a paraphilia, everything and being able to control their impulses succumbed to the desire to eat the limb sex of his last victim.
For those most interested in the horrible story, there are many interviews, documentaries and even a movie based on the real story of this murderer, named after his nickname The Cannibal of Rothenburg.
The mythical Jack the ripper
He was a serial killer who committed several crimes in London in 1888. The victims had their internal organs surgically removed. After analyzing them, it was concluded that he would be a middle-aged, well-groomed and respectable man with a harmless appearance. He probably had the habit of wearing a coat or coat because otherwise, the blood of his clothes and hands would have attracted the attention of people.
The sectarian, Charles Manson
This serial killer reached a level of evil that many other murderers failed to achieve. He was the leader of a sect, at the end of the 60s, and generally sheltered people who had deep emotional problems and who were always against their relatives. With that Manson could convince them to release their murderous instincts. After each crime, they committed they would usually write messages on the walls of the murder site with the blood of the victims.
The black widow, Mary Ann Cotton
Mary Ann, is the best-known serial killer of all time. This Englishwoman murdered more than 20 people, including her own children, using arsenic. Among the deaths are also three husbands, a lover and various children. The latter killed them to get insurance money.
It was hanged in March 24, 1873.
So remember, always be on the alert because nightmares can happen in real life.
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Detective
of Oliver Detectives
Wednesday 17 October 2018
Nobody trusts anybody
Do you think they are spying on your company? Well, then this article is for you. Let's talk about "electronic sweeps", a useful way to eliminate suspicions of espionage. But what is actually the electronic sweep? In short, it is the execution of inspections and searches in order to detect, locate and (if necessary) eliminate spy devices. It is the most important security countermeasure since it looks for active espionage instruments, intrusive systems that capture information, eavesdropping and telephone punctures. It can be applied as a preventive measure or as a secondary measure when there is a suspicion of information leakage.
The truth is that our society is increasingly transgressive when it comes to our privacy since hundreds of companies that offer spy equipment accessible to all or type of people are observed. Therefore, it is essential to hire qualified personnel with adequate technical equipment, when there is suspicion about a possible espionage case, be it the simplest or the most complex. The professionals who are responsible for these sweeps are usually private detectives, among others, hired to detect video and / or audio transmissions, cameras, hidden microphones and other systems susceptible to espionage, since detailed knowledge is essential for the detection of this equipment as the means of espionage and the places where to install them.
The electronic sweeps include from a physical record of the facilities to the analysis of the origin of eventual recordings and location of these devices. In addition, you can also do the tracking of microphones in vehicles or locate hidden GPS systems. It is often possible to install countermeasure equipment, such as equipment that generates noise and prevents understanding and/or recording conversations.
The causes for which electronic sweeps are made are diverse, but the main ones are information leaks, dishonest workers, leaks to the press and patent registration.
Espionage is booming so the precautions of large companies are increasingly justified, taking measures to prevent it.
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Private Investigator
of Oliver Detectives
of Oliver Detectives
Wednesday 10 October 2018
Maturity begins when the nest is abandoned
The reasons why young people postpone their parents leaving the house are the most varied, from the later marriages, the increase of schooling, the higher living costs or even the maternity in older age, all contribute to that the adult phase starts later than the supposed one. Whether due to emotional or economic factors, the truth is that several young people reach the age of 30 and still live with their family.
Many of them continue to depend entirely on their parents, never having worked in life, not having any kind of economy, others, however, despite having some financial independence, choose to continue living in the parents' house because they feel more comfortable in this way. All of them are accommodated in this situation and in some cases even the parents themselves adapt to this condition of life, preferring it to be perpetuated.
There are many cases in which young people choose to live in their parents' homes until later age due to the valorization of university education to the detriment of secondary education, which increases the likelihood of a more comfortable life in the future. They are encouraged to study for more years, because the process for a good academic education is long, which delays their entry into the labor market and consequently to the said "adult world". Of course, all this brings its disadvantages, as in the case of finance charges that are being postponed, many of them even ponder what will be the advantage of leaving their parents' house if they can continue to enjoy youth without truly taking responsibility for their self-supply since parents do it for them. Many do not even see advantages in becoming "adults" so soon.
There are some cases in which parents are comfortable with this type of situation, believing that in a way that is a way of showing love for their children, in other situations parents have to resort to justice to ensure that their children do something with their lives, without their dependence on them forever.
The most popular case today and in analogy with this issue, occurred in the United States, where the parents of a young man had to go to court to get his son out of the house. According to the parents, the young man, 30 years old, did not work, did not study, and did so little in domestic tasks. Fed up with this situation and after constant warnings that he would have to leave the house, all of them without success, they had no alternative but to resort to the court. Luckily justice gave them the right and the son had to finally pack and leave home permanently from his parents.
Another similar process, which took place here in Spain relatively recently, deals with a subject that is a little more sensitive. A young woman, also of 30 years of age, who with scant school performance and despite her age, never joined the labor market or even finished her academic training. This girl, daughter of separated parents, continued living in her mother's house and receiving a pension from her father. However, given the financial situation of his father, who lived in absolute poverty because the little he was earning was almost entirely for the daughter's alimony, the court considered that it was not necessary to continue maintaining that pension.
In fact, the law does not oblige parents to take care of their children who are of age in an unlimited and absolute way.
So you know ... think twice before having children because they may raise ravens and take their eyes out.
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Private Investigator
of Oliver Detectives
of Oliver Detectives
Wednesday 19 September 2018
Technology sometimes brings us closer to reality
On the screen, a vehicle about to collide with a bicycle appears in slow motion. After the crash, the cyclist projects a series of meters until he falls inanimate on the road. It seems that we are talking about a movie, but the worst is that it is about reality. We are in front of a graphic reconstruction of a traffic accident where the authenticity is shocking. It has fulfilled its purpose. Well precisely that is what it is, any simulation and reconstruction of an accident are intended to clarify it in the most viable way, using the most comprehensive and accurate techniques possible.
Of course, each case has its specific way of acting, but in all of them, the most important thing is to obtain all the possible data because the signs that are not initially found will be lost forever. This is because the scenarios are easily contaminated and the tests devalued. For this reason, experts are accustomed to filming the entire scene of the case from different perspectives and angles, photographing the smallest details with various illuminations, collecting and recording the samples to try not to lose any detail.
This way of working serves to facilitate the work of the experts, together with the appearance of the virtual analysis of scenarios, where among other things you can do reconstructions and simulations of 3D scenes, particularly useful in traffic accidents. With programs of reconstruction, simulation, and animation (the latter lacks scientific rigor), experts can see how a certain accident occurred before a judge. These computer programs take into account the variables that affect the person, the vehicles and the environment, making them extremely real.
There are several reconstruction and simulation programs but we will only talk about three. The HVE, the PC Crash, and the Reconstructor, since they are used by the police and detectives since they believe more in their reliability.
• HVE (Human Vehicle Environment) - can be used for simulation and reconstruction of traffic accidents, since it allows the creation of three-dimensional models of vehicles, people and surroundings, studying their interactions.
• PC Crash - is a collision and trajectory simulation tool that allows accurate analysis of a wide variety of motor vehicle collisions and other incidents.
• Reconstructor - is a program for the reconstruction and animation of accidents that, together with the 3D Studio Max, makes it possible to see the sequence of the accident in three dimensions.
All these computer programs allow us to observe the environment of an accident so that both the time and the distance of the facts are not a gap to investigate the causes and possible culprits of an accident.
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Private Investigator
of Oliver Detectives
of Oliver Detectives
Wednesday 12 September 2018
Loves that can be eternal
Summer is running out, those minutes of happiness are ending with this new love, a summer love, which despite being too short is also too intense. You just wanted to enjoy the holidays with your friends but that person appeared, it was your possibility to live in the present without thinking about the uncertain future. You decided to risk because you know that summer love is never forgotten, leaves a mark on our heart, a mark in our life.
But what if that supposedly ephemeral love ends up being part of the rest of our days? The truth is that when we are on vacation we are more predisposed to have fun and have fun with the only certainty that what we want is to live in the moment because deep down we know that seasonal romances tend to end with the end of the holidays. However, there is always a part of us that wishes that it does not end, or that at least in the morning it is possible to reconnect with that summer love.The intensity of these loves is essentially due to the factor of breaking with the routines that we maintain during the rest of the year, and that same intensity many times we will want more than a few months. However for a summer love to become a year-round love it is very important to let this love flow naturally without any kind of demands and maintaining a realistic perspective of the relationship. Many couples have left these summer loves but for that, it was necessary to alienate themselves from insecurities and fears because for the feared end of summer to be just the beginning of a love story there are three essential ingredients: good vibes, trust, and knowledge. live in the present.
And when you lose contact and track? Here we enter into play if you only depend on a name, a photo, an address ... We can get to find that person you want to locate, because that's what our work is based on, by means of a few data we are able to locate any person of the globe.
Everyone knows that today, the miles that separate us from someone no longer mean anything with the ability to communicate that new technologies provide us that is why if you think that summer love can be the person who will make you happy the rest of your life, do everything in your reach to get it. Many times what seems crazy can be the way to happiness, and it is always better to repent of what was done than what you wanted to do but you did not have courage.
So, never forget a summer love and whether or not it can become something stable in the future because only you and our help will depend.
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Private Investigator
of Oliver Detectives
of Oliver Detectives
Wednesday 1 August 2018
Even of your shadow you must distrust
The use of hidden cameras is often associated with the invasion of privacy because a priori indicates that someone is being filmed without having given any kind of consent for such. However, not everything is what it seems.
In reality, whoever records a conversation with another does not commit any conduct contrary to the Spanish constitution, provided that the recorded conversation does not include "facts proper to the sphere protected by the right to privacy enshrined in Article 18.1 of the Spanish Constitution."
However, when we are recording a conversation with third parties without any intervention in the conversation, the case changes shape. Because it is supposedly illegal to record someone's dialogue without either of the parties having knowledge of that fact. Although, there are legal ways to do it. That is when there is an official investigation, recording is allowed. Of course, for that, it is necessary a judicial authorization or then the hiring of a detective that participates in this dialogue.
In the field of visual recordings, a private investigator is authorized to capture images without prior authorization from the person being investigated, provided that he is in the exercise of his functions and during the course of the investigation. This is because there are certain events that are only possible to try with this type of recordings. It should also be emphasized that the use of hidden cameras by these professionals constitutes a judicially accepted means of proof.
But, as is obvious, in spite of that, clients do not always believe in the legality of these investigations, particularly in regard to the data protection law.
That is why we see the need and importance of making it clear that whenever the three basic requirements of the Supreme Court are obeyed (proportionality, necessity, and suitability), the data collected at the request of a party, by private detectives, with hidden cameras are perfectly legal.
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Private Investigator
of Oliver Detectives
of Oliver Detectives
Monday 30 July 2018
“Allways look a gift horse in the mouth”
Who never fantasized about the perfect job? That in which in addition to doing what we like, we receive a good financial compensation for it. All of us have dreamed about that at some point in our lives, and whoever says no, lies.
As children, dreams were a little different, from princesses to superheroes, the important thing was to have imagination. But, over the years, our expectations change a little and what is starting to attract us more is undoubtedly a good amount of money at the end of the month, resulting from the daily effort we have spent on our jobs.
However, unfortunately the picture is not very satisfactory nowadays, due to the lack of existing employment, and many times it is because we trust and accept the minimum of what they offer us. The more desperate our present is the more nostalgic we will have of our past and the more mistakes we will make in the search for employment, only to get out of this kind of suffocating situation.
The easiest and fastest way to find employment is through web pages, designed to offer jobs.
However, it is necessary to be careful, because, with the increase in the number of candidates exploring online opportunities, the tendency to false job offers has increased accordingly in order to exploit the applicants to obtain their personal and even bank data.
To prevent this type of scam it is important to pay attention to some aspects:
• "Red signals" - from spelling/grammar errors to email addresses that do not contain the domain of the company, extremely flexible hours, immediate incorporation into the company, unpaid trial period, all those details are indications that the offer It may not be real.
• Request for bank information - many scammers take advantage of the opportunity to request bank deposits from candidates, but a real company never requires money to work with them.
• "Easy money" scheme - if the compensation is well above the average, the ads do not specify the details or the demands and the job seems too good to be true, then it probably is not a true offer.
• The indication of the telephone number of the company - generally the type of offer where there is a telephone contact tends to be fraudulent because it is the company that will contact you after receiving your data by email.
• Offer too attractive abroad - it is always important to carry out intensive research to verify both the offer and the existence of the company because if there is no reference to the company or the information is very limited then the offer is probably false.
It is not mandatory to suspect all the offers that arise in the search for employment, but you have to keep your eyes open when we are planning our future, not making life easier for those who want to cheat us. It is worth bearing in mind that there are many unscrupulous people who only want to benefit from the suffering of others who are desperately looking for work.
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Private Investigator
of Oliver Detectives
of Oliver Detectives
Wednesday 25 July 2018
When strangers on the other side of the world know everything about you
Currently, the use of smartphones is growing, mainly the use of the various and endless online applications that are associated with our precious devices. A few years ago a mobile phone only served to call and send messages. Nowadays we are all familiar with social networks and we use them constantly, be it Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp ... and we could continue. At the same time allowing us to maintain contact with people from all over the world also allow us to share photos and videos of our daily activities.
With geolocation present in smartphones, it is possible to instantly associate with our photos and videos the place where they originated. However, this voluntary exposure of the location can often bring serious consequences because it makes it possible for virtually anyone to know where we live, where we are, our routine and whether or not we are at home. And this type of information can be easily used for malicious purposes, such as assaults, which are already constant in the homes of celebrities, as happened to Shakira and Piké, among others.
In addition to this type of voluntary localization, there is also the involuntary almost always associated with the innumerable applications that we are installing daily on our smartphones. More than 200,000 applications are using location, including meteorology, browsers, camera or games (with their advertising) for example. All of them have access to our physical positioning, or rather, all the companies that develop them use our need to acquire this app, charging it with the consent of access to our location and private data (for advertising purposes based on our habits daily and in the locations we visit), because when we need to install an application we do not even think twice before allowing such approval.
As such, we must be fully aware of the things we can or can not share in social networks and in what circumstances we do it, as well as when we install any type of application on our mobile phones. Even because with simple forms of prevention it is possible to avoid misusing our privacy.
Sindia Alves
Oliver Detective Anthropologist
Wednesday 18 July 2018
¡ Summer comes through the door and you forced out through the window !
In the summer, people tend to be more relaxed because for the majority it is synonymous with holidays or at least their arrival. This season of the year makes people more relaxed, leading some people to be more susceptible to deception. The emergence of new technologies contributed on a large scale to make life easier for scammers as they often pay for things online without ever checking them personally.
There are 4 most common scams during the holiday period:
- Burglar alarms;
- Non-existent tourist packages of illegal agencies or operators;
- Gifts on social networks (cruises or stays of a week with incredible promotions);
- Rent of properties for holidays (rent of apartments on the beachfront).
Renting a house often seems a more interesting hypothesis than staying in hotels, but also becomes attractive to scammers, who often end up asking for an advance payment for an imaginary property. These, use well-known pages like "milanuncios.com" or "segundamano.es" to carry out their scams. They can appropriate photographs of a flat, noting the address and pretending to be the owner without the real owner perceiving what is happening to them. In this context, the scammer tends to ask for money in advance since in reality there is no residence to rent. In a different but no less important way, they also advertise images of dream apartments, perfectly furnished and with the peculiarity of being located on the beachfront, at extremely cheap prices. In these cases, in addition to the prices well below the average that can give us a warning signal, the location and the state of the apartment can be fictitious.
Fortunately, there are always ways to avoid this type of fraud, being a little more attentive in the suspicious details present in the ads in question. In general, before paying, it is important to check that the apartment is actually for rent and that it is located at the address provided. You only have to look at other known websites (because it is rarely exclusive deals), try to contact the owner and check the prices, and then use simple maps or GPS programs to confirm the location.
In order for a person to protect himself or herself from this type of crime, it is essential to keep four key points in mind:
- Use an ad website with a good reputation and popularity (FlipKey, HomeAway, and VRBO, in case of Airbnb it is important that people have the Verified ID badge). Properties that do not have comments better avoid them.
- Make sure the ad is real. For that, you can search online the property and the terms "short-term rents" and "tenant rights".
- Search and locate, using, for example, Google Earth to ensure that the property is the same as the photographs in the advertisement. It is also important to obtain the rental agreement in writing.
- Payment must be made by credit card or PayPal, and never by transfer. But it is best to always call the landlord before sending the money.
Despite all the care of the world nobody is free to go through such a situation, where the imagination of the scammer exceeds the capacity of the victims to understand what is happening to them. However, the more informed the people are, the more difficult the work will be for those who make their living by deceiving others without the least bit of modesty.
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Private Investigator
of Oliver Detectives
of Oliver Detectives
Wednesday 4 July 2018
The deception and imagination have no limits
Many are the people who think they are spending unnecessary money with insurance and many others are those who consider that since they pay they can also get some extra benefit, albeit illicitly. If people are based on this way of thinking, Fraud and Insurance Scams inevitably arise. This type of crime consists of swindling through conscious actions or omissions in order to reach an economic benefit of the insurance entities, and that undoubtedly does not belong to them.
Although many times they are not discovered, many of these scammers make mistakes or mistakenly execute the plan they had in mind and end up being caught by private detectives, tasked with proving these fraudulent acts and providing evidence to insurance companies. Probably what many do not know is that from the legal point of view, according to the criminal code for the crime of fraud, the planned punishment ranges from six months to three years in prison.
And in reality, jail sentences for cases where fraud is evident to insurers have increased in a considered manner. Many of these absurd plans seem like real movie movies. From the simulations of running over to the most mediatic cases like operations of unreal hemorrhoids. Here the only purpose is to cheat without moral and irrational limits.
When hemorrhoids are really rhinoplasty...
An insurer hired us to find out several suspected cases of hemorrhoid surgeries where reimbursement of medical expenses was requested. All these cases were identical, they came from the same medical center and were always from the same surgeon. The profiles of the patients were similar: young women with a similar socioeconomic situation and with problems of hemorrhoids in need of surgery. Everything indicated that it was a fraud.
The work of our private research agency proved that the doctor in question in addition to not performing hemorrhoids, but aesthetic surgeries, more specifically rhinoplasty, also delivered the documentation of these surgical procedures to insurers as if a general surgery was given that aesthetics were not covered by insurance.
Here the work of our team of researchers to dismantle a relevant scam was undoubtedly essential.
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Private Investigator
of Oliver Detectives
of Oliver Detectives
Wednesday 13 June 2018
Geolocators are not the problem
With the evolution of technology, more and more people stop using the conventional paper map and begin to depend on the use of GPS when they do not know how to orient themselves in a certain city. In addition to its use in leisure, issues are also fundamental for many in their professional lives, as is the case of taxi drivers for example.
These devices can have many different functions, as well as helping in the orientation in a certain place, to locate people, prevent vehicle theft and even protect children or pets.
Currently, this type of technology has also helped the work of private detectives in tracking people/cars. However, this type of procedure has been a bit controversial since it has led some investigators in court for suspecting invasion of privacy. Although, the use of GPS devices by these professionals, provided they are in the exercise of their functions, is considered admissible if it is done on public roads and does not replace the work of the detective.
As described in article 48, of Law 5/2014, of April 4, on Private Security:
"1. The private investigation services, in charge of private detectives, will consist of the realization of the investigations that are necessary for the obtaining and contribution, on behalf of legitimated third parties, of information and tests on conducts or private facts related to the following aspects:
a) Those related to the economic, labor, mercantile, financial and, in general, to personal, family or social life, except for the one that develops in the domiciles or reserved place.
3. Under no circumstances may the personal life of persons who reside in their homes or other reserved places be investigated, nor may personal, material or technical means be used in this type of service in such a way as to violate the right to honor, to personal or family privacy or the image itself or the secrecy of communications or data protection.
6. The private investigation services will be executed with respect to the principles of reasonableness, necessity, suitability, and proportionality. "
In this way, based on the aforementioned legislation, the placement of a GPS (which only registers where the vehicle is physically located) must be compared to a follow-up carried out by a private detective directly and personally. This professional has the right to rely on technological means to carry out their work since they respect the basic principles of reasonableness, necessity, suitability, and proportionality.
The use of geolocators is not a crime in our profession, it is a tool that provides us with security. Taking as an example, the fact that no matter how much the researcher exceeds the marked speed, we have no justification to follow it at the same pace, attacking public safety, road safety and our own integrity.
We also emphasize that the geolocator gives us information on the positioning of the person on public roads, a fact that would be the same as if we even investigated ourselves, so this tool does not give us more information than we ourselves can see at street level. acquire.
The use of GPS or geolocator as such by a private detective who is in full exercise of his office is not considered a crime.
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Detective
of Oliver Detectives
Wednesday 6 June 2018
If you do what you like you will not feel that you are working
The heat that covers crowded beaches, the motivation that injects stress for your comings and goings to the airport, fights in the restaurants of the coast to reserve the best table with views. All that can be enjoyed by people who have vacations, but ... and those who work do not?
The kick-off of this beloved season of the year, compared to the very end of the world, people think that if you can not enjoy the benefits that you can take a daiquiri with sand on your feet but surrounded by a pack of people, You do not really live the holidays.
That desperation is transferred to many of those who see the beginning of this summer race, begin to invent the most varied excuses for not having to go to work. The easiest way, and consequently the one that seems most accessible to most is to ask a doctor for a sick leave.
The dismissal that is a worker's right, due to the temporary incapacity that supposedly manifests, allows him to continue receiving his salary even without going to work. However, more and more workers are failing to receive a salary without having to comply with their job and live the holidays.
The only way to combat this type of fraudulent losses is for employers to hire private detectives, in order to be able to demonstrate this kind of scam with guarantees and effectively. As detectives we know the proper procedures to find out about this type of case and help companies legally to take the necessary measures. Our function is to verify and advise the client if the worker is lying or if he is really unable to work. For this, it will be necessary to collect relevant information and conduct both monitoring and surveillance to obtain evidence that speaks for themselves (photos, videos) before lawyers and judges.
Another aspect to take into account when investigating low fakes is the importance of seasonality. A fundamental element that verifies an increase in the number of casualties at certain times of the year, as is the case in September, of the designated bridges and the Christmas holidays, which sometimes translates the employee's intention to extend the holidays, thus achieving more days of leisure and delay re-entry to work.
Sindia Alves and A. Oliver
Anthropologist and Private Investigator
of Oliver Detectives
of Oliver Detectives