Investigating the source of a threat and potential bad actors can take many shapes, and no two cases are quite alike. In some instances, the subject is someone the client knows well, while in others the subject is a complete stranger. Then there are those, like the following scenario, where the truth lies somewhere in between.
The Problem
A large accounting firm reached out to us after learning that someone was anonymously posting sensitive and concerning information about one of its partners online. Firm leadership suspected that an accountant who had recently left the firm might be behind the posts and asked for our help in determining where the former colleague was living and whether she posed an immediate threat of violence.
Our Solution
Our initial approach was two-fold. We first dug into the background of the former colleague while at the same time taking a closer look at the social media accounts where the sensitive information was posted. We soon began connecting the dots and determined the subject was living in a city far away from the client, which came as a relief. By analyzing public records and photos the subject had posted on social media, we determined she was living in an apartment complex a few miles from her ex-boyfriend, whom we also identified through opensource research. Of equal interest were other notable items she posted online — showing her own her own medical records and medication bottles, recent changes in her appearance and a book on borderline personality disorder. During a court search, we also unearthed a rare find — a mental health case reflecting that she had been involuntarily admitted for psychiatric treatment.
As part of our efforts to help the client, we identified and contacted individuals with a personal relationship to the subject in the hope they might be able to get her the help she clearly needed. We discreetly spoke to family members and the ex-boyfriend. The latter told us the couple had recently had a fight and that he had kicked the subject out of his house. Through these interviews, and in consultation with a behavioral clinical psychologist, we determined that the subject was suffering from a severe mental illness and had stopped taking her medication. We learned that she was homeless at times, and we identified shelters she frequented in case we needed to locate her in the near future.
The Outcome
The client was reassured to hear the subject was living in a different city but remained concerned about the online postings. We explained the situation to the subject’s ex-boyfriend and a close family member, who were both aware of her troubling behavior. These trusted sources agreed to try to contact the subject discreetly, without mentioning our client’s name, to help her get treatment, and to check in with us with status updates.