'Morgenthau' Author Andrew Meier to Speak at Union League Event April 25
The evening, moderated by Bethany McLean, will include a discussion with Meier on current events in the U.S. and Russia as well as his most recent work, Morgenthau: Power, Privilege and the Rise of an American Dynasty (Random House, 2022), a portrait of a German-Jewish immigrant family whose members played key diplomatic and legal roles that helped shape 20th Century America. Henry Morgenthau Sr. made his mark as a real estate mogul who served as U.S. ambassador to the Ottoman Empire during World War I. His son, Henry Morgenthau Jr., served as FDR’s secretary of the Treasury during the New Deal. And his son, Robert Morgenthau, was the longest-serving district attorney in New York City’s history, overseeing many of the city’s best-known cases.
For Facts’ Sake: Navigating the murky world of online misinformation
The Internet is awash in misinformation but it also happens to be the greatest fact-checking tool in history – if you know how to use it properly. When it comes to fact-checking information found online my personal mantra is this: consider the source.
Stalking is More Common Than You Might Think
January is National Stalking Awareness Month, but stalking is, of course, a year-round problem. In a 2016/2017 survey conducted by the CDC, one in three women and one in six men reported they had been victimized by a stalker at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, although stalking is not a new problem, the way we communicate today has created new opportunities that weren’t available in the past. Just think of how much of our communication is no longer face-to-face, or even by phone call. Today, we hide behind texts, emails and social media posts that make anonymity easier than ever, and thus make stalking easier than ever. Add to this identity-masking technologies such as VPNs, spoof phone numbers and the Dark Web, and it’s no wonder online stalking has become an epidemic.
When Is Too Good To Be True Too Good To Be True?
International Fraud Awareness Week, brainchild of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, a trade group combining forensic accountants, computer forensics professionals, investigators and other research professionals, is drawing to a close. Jennifer Mackovjak, my co-founder and partner at 221B Partners, and I had the chance this past week to discuss investigative research with members of the Southwest Ohio Chapter of the ACFE at the chapter’s Fraud, Cyber & Ethics Conference.
Believe it or Not, Skepticism Is More Important Than Ever
In Chicago news industry lore there’s an old saying: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” It’s a great reminder that no matter what you think you may know, it’s always best to get confirmation. Assumptions are the enemy. In the investigations business, a healthy dose of skepticism is essential.
The Comma Sutra: For Private investigators, Punctuation Can Be a Special Friend
Contrary to what many might believe about a day in the life of a corporate investigator, it isn’t all secret spy stuff, and it can often be quite the opposite that helps us crack a case. This weekend (September 24) is National Punctuation Day, and at 221B Partners one of our special cloak-and-dagger skills is knowing that something as basic as punctuation can sometimes help in identifying a hidden asset, unknown corporate entity, new legal case naming our subject, or a notable social media post.
Life, Death, and Detective Work: How 'I Do's and Adieus Aid Investigations
On this date, September 18, in 1851, the first edition of the paper now known as The New York Times was published. It included reference to the marriage of Sarah Mullett and John Grant, informing readers the ceremony tying the couple in matrimony was held in Fredonia, New York at the Trinity Episcopal Church. The inaugural wedding announcement in the newspaper’s first edition and its progeny are treated in a 2017 retrospective the color and details of which illustrate why these announcements as well as obituaries and other lifecycle events are always of interest to investigators.
Catching a Fraudster: Scamanda Podcast Teaches Investigative Lessons
I love a good true crime podcast, so when a friend recommended Scamanda to me recently, I immediately started listening. The podcast tells the true story of bubbly and charismatic Amanda Riley who kept a detailed blog documenting her fight with cancer. Amanda became an inspiration to many, and people donated their time, gifts, and more than $100,000 to help her and her family. However, it turns out Amanda did not have cancer, and her story was all an elaborate lie. The podcast is juicy, for sure. But it also provides useful insight into conducting investigations—both into medical fraud and in general.
The World Wide Web is a Great Investigative Tool – Except When It’s Not
The World Wide Web – which, like so many things these days, somehow has a day declared in its honor (August 1) – has revolutionized the way all of us search for information, amateur and professional investigators alike. It has empowered us to conduct informational research unthinkable a couple of generations ago.
Mental health records pose a challenge to private investigators
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and it’s a good time to step back and appreciate the progress our country has made in destigmatizing a condition that was once seen as a personal weakness or failing. In recent years many high-profile athletes and celebrities have gone public about their struggles with mental health. These kinds of stories were unheard of just a generation ago. Thankfully, our society is beginning to understand that mental health, like physical health, is a subject that affects us all, and not a topic that need be confined to whispers.
May the Fourth be with you
Since 1987, Rick Moranis’ Dark Helmet, the lesser evil Darth Vader character in the Star Wars parody Spaceballs, has reminded viewers of the importance of choosing a good password (or luggage lock combination). World Password Day seems like a good day to revisit his bemused indignation in this cult classic. As investigators that frequently deal with delicate information from clients, personal identifiable information (PII) of subjects, financial data and other sensitive information it’s important that we safeguard that information to the best of our abilities.
What if You Could Read Your Own Intelligence File?
Published in 1997, The File: A Personal History centers on the intelligence and surveillance dossier Garton Ash obtained in the early 1990s from the collapsed regime's Federal Authority for the Records of the State Security Service that was compiled on him when he was in East Berlin following his graduation from Oxford in the late 1970s.
There’s More to the Story
National Library Week’s 2023 theme There’s More to the Story (April 23-29) is not only a great theme for the week, but also one that is week in and week out apropos in my professional life as a corporate investigator. A good investigator can sift through and search public and open-source information and find salient details key to an investigation but a great investigator knows there is indeed almost always more to the story and continues to dig until she unearths it (even if or when this information is not available online).
More Cooks in the Kitchen
I thought of this book for Women’s History Month because Zott was a scientist in the 1950s and ‘60s, ahead of her time, and in a field and industry where few women then ventured. And while Zott is a fictional character and there are a plethora of real inspirational women I could write about, it had me thinking about other industries and professions in which few women worked in the 1950s and ‘60s. This includes my own career in law enforcement and, later, corporate investigations.
Sunshine of Our Love: Why FOIAs are an Investigator's Best Friend
This week is Sunshine Week, which promotes the importance of government transparency and allowing citizens access to public records.
Sunshine Week, held on March 12 to 18, was started in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors, now called the News Leaders Association. This week, news organizations and civic organizations across the country have been hosting events and trainings promoting the public’s right to know.
Remember the Maine - And Remember the Facts
Today is the anniversary of the explosion of the U.S.S. Maine, which blew up in Havana Harbor in 1898, killing most of the crew and escalating tensions between the United States and Spain to the point that Congress declared war a couple months later. Narratives around big events can take shape quickly. Although there was scant evidence of a Spanish attack on the Maine, the newspapers owned by Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer pushed the idea that the ship was struck by a mine. By April, the Spanish-American War had begun.
Beware Scammers Selling Bad Romance
Forty percent of people who fell victim to romance scams last year said scammers first contacted them on social media, while 19 percent said contact began on a website or app. Criminals study the information people share online and use it to target their victims and convince them they’re the perfect partner. The scammers’ goal is to get people to quickly fall in love and send them money or bank account information—saying whatever necessary to make that happen.
ChatGPT: Write me a blog
Artificial intelligence - particularly OpenAI’s ChatGPT software - has been the subject of much discussion lately and for good reason. Advancements in AI over the past 20 years have led to technology that was once the province of science fiction now being available to the masses.
In the investigations world what are the implications and risks associated with ChatGPT and other AI implementations?
Numbers Don’t Lie, But Those Who Use Them Sometimes Do
Every so often court cases pop up in the news that serve as good reminders of all the ways a due diligence exercise can go wrong, and now is one of those times. At 221B Partners, we couldn’t help notice the similarities between two cases currently in the news in which fabricated numbers feature prominently.