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February 28th, 2022

2/28/2022

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WATCH OUT DOMESTIC ABUSERS!!!

Domestic Abuse investigator in Colorado Springs
Just read this article today in Forensic about a product being used in the UK to catch domestic abusers. A man who failed to adhere to a non-molestation order, what we refer to as a protective order here in the U.S., was arrested and convicted after the victim sprayed him with SmartTag which is a unique forensic liquid the UK police have been piloting. The SmartTag system uses a pressurized canister, which looks very much like a spray can of mace, to deploy a stream of forensic liquid that can be used to tag an offender with a unique forensic code. The police can link the offender back to a specific criminal trespass or protective order violation by using a UV light as the spray is actually invisible. 

The company that makes SmartTag provides it as a handheld canister for spraying, a gel for door handles and gates, and an automatic trap that sprays the liquid if someone approaches the house or residence.

As a firm that's worked many domestic abuse cases, we think this product could be used throughout the United States and, particularly in Colorado. We see, all too often, that the abuser, normally a man, is usually really good at denying they've been anywhere near the victim and they are also pretty good at getting the court to believe them. With this type of tagging system there would be proof. Of course there would most likely have to be some type of warrant issued to gain access to the clothing that has the tagging material on it, but that's nothing a good investigator should have any trouble getting.

Are you dealing with a case of domestic abuse? Let us help you gather the evidence to make sure your abuser gets all the time in jail they deserve, plus some! 

UPDATE!!!! I spoke with the UK manufacturer of this product and they are finalizing a distribution deal with a U.S. company within the next couple of weeks. I'm on the list to gain access to this product asap and will definitely be adding it to our arsenal of investigative tools.

Lee Walters
EXCALIBUR Private Investigation
​352.509.8900; 719.208.4088; 505.208.6400; 803.806.7800
​Serving all of Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and South Carolina

About the author. R. Lee Walters is a retired FBI Agent with over 24 years of federal law enforcement experience. He has worked in the private investigation industry for 13+ years. Click here to learn more.
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February 25th, 2022

2/25/2022

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CALLING ALL AMATEUR FRAUD DETECTIVES

PPP LOAN FRAUD Investigators EXCALIBUR Private Investigation
Loan Fraud Investigators in Colorado Springs
This just came across my desk this afternoon and is perfect for those of you who are internet sleuths and love tracking down fraud like we do. A software engineer in Palo Alto, California, Brian Hamachek, developed a website, www.pppdetective.com where anyone can see what businesses received PPP loans from the government and in what amount. When Hamachek learned there was a government website listing PPP loans that had been given out, he searched and discovered that several businesses in his town of Palo Alto had actually gone out of business before Covid hit or didn't have the amount of employees they claimed to have, yet got PPP loans anyway which were ultimately forgiven. Basically "free" money for these scammers. He decided to spin up a website of his own where anyone can put in a city and state and see which businesses received PPP loans, mostly forgiven, how many employees they claimed and how big their loans were. We've tried it out and it's very eye opening. You can also flag a loan that you think may be fraudulent based on your knowledge of your particular city.

For those of you who may, or may not, know there's a federal law known as the False Claims Act, also known as a Qui tam. This allows anyone who becomes aware of a fraud committed against the federal government, such as someone receiving a PPP loan when they shouldn't have, to file a federal case on behalf of the government. If the government takes the case, pursues it, and wins an amount of money from the subject, the person who brought the case, known as the Relator, gets 15 - 30% of the recovered funds. Doesn't take long to find a few multi-million dollar PPP loan fraud cases and have some nice paydays. The only catch in filing a Qui tam is that the Relator, (namely you, you Internet Sleuth), has to have an attorney to file the case. We've worked a lot of Qui tams over the last 8 years and know which law firms are great at getting the government to intervene, i.e. take the case, and those that aren't so great. Let us know if you find a PPP loan fraud case that you think has merit and we can discuss with you the possibility of success and then put you in touch with a firm that will ensure the case gets a fair shake from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Good hunting!!!

EXCALIBUR Private Investigation
​352.509.8900; 719.208.4088; 505.208.6400; 803.806.7800
​Serving all of Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and South Carolina

​
About the author. R. Lee Walters is a retired FBI Agent with over 24 years of federal law enforcement experience. He has worked in the private investigation industry for 13+ years. Click here to learn more.
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February 23rd, 2022

2/23/2022

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BOA fraud right here in the Springs!

Fraud Investigation Bank of America Colorado Springs Investigator
It's almost like scammers read our last post about the Zelle and Wells Fargo scam, but didn't believe anyone read it. Including us! Our lead investigator received this text first thing this morning about their Bank of America debit card, they actually don't have one, and the fraud that had occurred along with the "restriction" that has been placed on their card. Two things to note on this text message: 1. It came from 804-215-6923 which a quick Google search showed that the scammer didn't even bother to spoof the number to make it look like it came from Bank of America even though it's most likely not the true number this text came from. Lazy scammer!!! 2. The number the recipient is supposed to call is also not a Bank of America number. I'm guessing this is a scammer who's just starting out as those are two things that could easily be made to look like BofA was calling.

Don't fall for this scam. If you have, or any other scam, please give us a call to see how we can assist.


EXCALIBUR Private Investigation
​352.509.8900; 719.208.4088; 505.208.6400; 803.806.7800
​Serving all of Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and South Carolina

​About the author. R. Lee Walters is a retired FBI Agent with over 24 years of federal law enforcement experience. He has worked in the private investigation industry for 13+ years. Click here to learn more.
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February 18th, 2022

2/18/2022

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THE TALE OF A BAAAD EMPLOYEE: My Paralegal Tried To Kill Me!

EXCALIBUR Private Investigators and employee theft
In this business, as long as I've been in it, you think you've seen it all and then a new story comes along and you realize there's always something out there that's coming to top the last story you thought couldn't be topped. In a report out of Texas, an attorney was defrauded out of at least $800,000 from a "trusted employee" (we've worked too many cases to count where a "trusted employee" defrauded their employer) as well as poisoned. Yes, you read that right. Poisoned!!!

Arturo Guzman, a sole practitioner in San Marcos, Texas, had one employee, his only employee, Ashley Szymonek, who was with him for 10 years and had his total trust. And I do mean total. Guzman allowed Szymonek to be the firm's primary contact for his bankers, accountants, and other professions and she handled almost all of the email traffic in and out of the office. We tell all business clients of EXCALIBUR Legal Support - Private Investigation that they should NEVER place this kind of trust in one employee. It's a recipe for disaster but yet we've seen it time and time again. 

This all started when Guzman was sued by a client over allegations that he improperly withheld funds. Guzman, trusty guy that he is, relied on Szymonek to contact his malpractice insurance carrier to get an attorney to represent him. Of course, unbeknownst to him, Szymonek had let his coverage lapsed and no attorney was retained although, according to court papers, she led him to believe he did have coverage and an attorney. Lo and behold Guzman gets disbarred in February of 2020 which was a secret to him for weeks until a fellow tenant in his building told him he was surprised to hear he'd been disbarred. 

On April 29, 2020, Guzman was discovered in an office where all the doors locks had broken off keys inside them, bloated with vomit on his face. At the hospital the doctors suspected poisoning, likely from ingesting a large amount of antifreeze. He ended up in a coma for days.  To complete the story Szymonek was arrested on a property theft charge, though never charged with the suspected poisoning.

Are you a small, medium or even large business owner? If you suspect you have an employee that you've given too much trust to who may be embezzling funds, contact us immediately. We've worked literally hundreds of these cases and there's not any way of skimming funds that we haven't seen. We've seen it all and know what to look for and where to look for it. 

Lee Walters
President
EXCALIBUR Private Investigation
www.excaliburlegalsupport.com
​352.509.8900; 719.208.4088; 505.208.6400; 803.806.7800
​Serving all of Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and South Carolina


About the author. R. Lee Walters is a retired FBI Agent with over 24 years of federal law enforcement experience. He has worked in the private investigation industry for 13+ years. Click here to learn more.
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February 15th, 2022

2/15/2022

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EQUIPMENT REVIEW: SECURITY CAMERAS

Security Cameras used by EXCALIBUR Private Investigators
As this is the first product we've recommended on any of our blog posts, we just want to point out that any product, such as the Reolink system pictured above, that we write about is a product we have used for some period of time and can honestly recommend. In the case of the Reolink security camera systems, we've used them in our office and home for almost 2 years now and have nothing but great things to say about these security camera systems. They are just packed with so many features. What features you ask? Well these to name a few:

SMOOTH 4K ULTRA HD resolution with real-time 25fps recording. 

ALL-NIGHT COLOR NIGHT VISION which features 4pcs spotlights that provide full-color all night long which is unheard of for a security camera at this price point.

SMART HUMAN/VEHICLE DETECTION that can be set to alert you via email, text, FTP or siren.

TWO-WAY TALK where you can talk from wherever you are through any of the cameras set up in the system. See someone lurking around your garage or back door, you can now yell at them or tell them the police are on the way directly through the camera.

DEDICATED APP where you can log in and view your cameras while also listening to crystal clear sound. We eavesdrop on our office on occasion, don't tell staff, and it's interesting to listen to the interaction between staff and customers.

2-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY: Reolink provides a two-year warranty and lifetime technical support for their customers and we've found that customer support is excellent.

Having used security cameras for many years, some good and some not so good, I'm truly impressed with how reliable these cameras are. In the two years we've had the two systems in place, we've yet to have any downtime due to system malfunction. In today's society I truly believe that a camera system is a must for any business or residence. Not only do they act as a deterrent, but they can also capture evidence that can be used to help solve crime. Criminals are still not the brightest bulbs in the box, that's why they're criminals, and often forget about the potential of a security camera catching them in the act. The Reolink systems, they offer numerous models, do a great job of doing what they're supposed to do and we can't recommend them enough for that extra peace of mind they provide.


EXCALIBUR Private Investigation is a participant in the Amazon Services, LLC Associates Program and may earn a small commission on products sold through links in this article.

About the author. R. Lee Walters is a retired FBI Agent with over 24 years of federal law enforcement experience. He has worked in the private investigation industry for 13+ years. Click here to learn more.
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February 08th, 2022

2/8/2022

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SECURITY TIP #2: WATCH FOR SMISHING

Security tips on Smishing by EXCALIBUR Private Investigation
Today's security tip involves "smishing". Smishing you say? What's that? Although it may seem like a strange word it's used to describe something very serious. Where "phishing" involves a bad guy sending an email with a malicious link, "smishing" involves send a malicious link via a Short Message Service (SMS) text that we all get numerous times a day. In our case sometimes a hundred or more! 

It all begins when the person receiving the text clicks on the link. According to Aaron Rouse, SAC, Las Vegas FBI, “You'll have a loss of access to your device, sometimes. You'll have afforded somebody access to your device, and you'll possibly lose personally identifiable information. So it's something that we just like we say with email. If you didn't ask for it, don't click on it." Rouse also described a couple of ways "smishing" is being used at this very moment. Individuals receive a text claiming to be from AT&T saying their bill has been paid, followed by a link to claim a prize, or a text claiming to be Netflix telling the target they need to click on the attached link if they want to "keep watching." Both of these give the bad guy control over your phone in most instances. 

Lisa Mesa, a smartphone user who has received numerous "smishing" texts says, “I get pre-approved for certain things, or really weird texts. They actually get kind of personal. They make it sound like they're a friend reaching out to you sometimes too. It says your appointment is ready - click on this link.”

SAC Rouse further states, “They can be anywhere. It really does depend on the scheme that's being perpetrated, and the amount of effort behind it. Sometimes we see very widespread scams. It'll go out and we quickly become aware of it because people will do the right thing, they report it to IC3.gov.”

Reporting to IC3.gov is definitely the first step if you receive one of these "smishing" texts. And it should become a habit to never click on a link you receive in an unexpected text, even if it seems to be legitimate. If you have any doubts at all contact the person who supposedly sent it and see if they actually did. If not, delete it immediately.

If you think you may have become a victim of "smishing" contact one of our professional private investigators in Florida, Colorado, New Mexico or South Carolina who can discuss different options you can pursue.

About the author. R. Lee Walters is a retired FBI Agent with over 24 years of federal law enforcement experience. He has worked in the private investigation industry for 13+ years. Click here to learn more.
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February 05th, 2022

2/5/2022

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SECURITY TIP #1: REBOOT YOUR PHONE

Security tips from a Private Investigator EXCALIBUR Private Investigation
In a continuing effort to get useful information out to our clients, potential clients and the general public at large, today we're starting our series of Security Tips that everyone should be aware of.

​REBOOT YOUR PHONE EVERY WEEK

According to the National Security Agency's (NSA) "best practices" guide for mobile device security, everyone should reboot (totally shut down your phone and restart it) their phones at least once a week. Neil Ziring, technical director of the NSA's cybersecurity directorate, was quoted in the AP as saying, "This is all about imposing cost on these malicious hackers." While it won't stop a sophisticated hacker, it will make them work harder to maintain access and steal data from your phone. The reason is that the latest malicious software typically targets your phone's root file system. But the newest phones can detect and block such malware during a reboot.

Make it a weekly habit, maybe even set a calendar reminder to do so, to turn your phone off and on.

About the author. R. Lee Walters is a retired FBI Agent with over 24 years of federal law enforcement experience. He has worked in the private investigation industry for 13+ years. Click here to learn more.
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February 03rd, 2022

2/3/2022

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THE EMOTIONAL CON

Dating Sites Investigator EXCALIBUR Private Investigation
In an exceptionally well done documentary now playing on Netflix, The Tinder Swindler, perfectly illustrates the lengths a person will go to con someone out of their money using a dating site, this time Tinder, but which we've seen on almost all of the mainstream, and some not so mainstream, dating sites.

Some of the takeaways from this documentary and proven out by all of the social media/dating site investigations we've conducted, is how the con man, or woman, sets the hook. In this case, Simon Leviev, not his actual name, claimed to be the son of a wealthy, Israeli diamond dealer. In order to set the hook with his first victim, he met her at the Four Seasons, initially, then that very same day invited her to fly with him on a private jet to a business meeting. Little did she know that all of this was being paid for by another woman who knew nothing about this new woman. Leviev waited eight months, which is not unusual when a big con is in play, to actually ask the young woman for money, ostensibly a loan. Cecile Fjellhoy, the first victim, thought she was in love, Leviev had played The Emotional Con exquisitely, and gladly gave him the money. When it was all said and done, she was out over $200,000. Leviev operated what was a ponzi scheme, a scheme were the con man takes money from one person and provides it to another. We usually see ponzi schemes involving investments, but he used it to convince his next mark that they were meant for each other and that he was a rich, billionaire businessman.

We won't provide any more details in case you end up watching this, but it is truly a cautionary tale and happens more than anyone ever thinks.

Concerned that the person you met on an online dating site or other social media may be pulling, or trying to pull, a con on you? Give us a call. We'll find out in no time if they are legitimate or not.

About the author. R. Lee Walters is a retired FBI Agent with over 24 years of federal law enforcement experience. He has worked in the private investigation industry for 13+ years. Click here to learn more.
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EXCALIBUR  Legal Support - Private Investigation, LLC
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