Insider secrets for finding people 🥷🤐
When I was starting out in my career as an investigator at a public defender’s office more than 20 years ago, I was surprised at how hard it can sometimes be to find people. There are many tools to locate people but there was one incredibly useful one we did not have when I started.
Yes, I’m talking about social media, which did not exist back then the way it does now (unless you count MySpace).
🔥 HOT TIP! Don't sleep on social media! Conduct social media investigations in EVERY case. When socials became mainstream, it was quickly every investigator's dream come true, saving us so much time. A large percentage of individuals have some form of social media. If you don't look, you're missing out.
Here are some ways that I find people using clues on social media:
📸 Analyze photos. You could pick up clues from the background, or someone might drop something in the comments. Sometimes a photo might show them in front of their house. Go to Google Maps and see if it’s a match for an address you have at the top of your list.
👀 Look at posts and comments. It’s amazing what you can pick up by scrolling through someone’s life. Sometimes people will include personal information such as phone numbers or just explicitly say where they live!
🧠 DO NOT make assumptions. People post photos about good times and vacations and you don’t want to assume the wrong location based on a few social media posts. What you find there should be lining up with information from other sources.
🔼 Triangulate. Use social media in conjunction with database searches, OSINT (open source intelligence), and information from witnesses.
Take the Next Step with AK Investigations
If you’re interested in applying these techniques to your own work, consider signing up for our upcoming Criminal Defense Investigations Course. Backgrounds, Records, and Case Research is a career course, with incredible value.