Open Source Intelligence 101

Every year insurance fraud is committed, resulting in millions being lost, however, investigators who use social media to find important evidence are bringing down the numbers. At OSINT, our investigators use social media evidence to provide information against fraudsters. To find out more about our Open-Source Intelligence services please contact 021 110 0422 | email contact@osint.co.za or visit www.osint.co.za Here’s how OSINT investigators gather the evidence from social media networks: 1. Look out for inconsistent information. Is the person in question presenting on a story, but living another? Some people are unaware of what important information they are giving away on social media. For example, someone claims to have broken their arm at work, however their friend posts on their timeline or comments, “See you later at the pool,” or “Can’t wait to go bike riding this weekend!” This makes it obvious that some things are not what they seem. 2. Search for con...

Do you know what social media intelligence is? Well to put it simply, it is the collection, curation and overall analysis of data found online in order to provide a look into the actions and habits of a certain individual or group. In a time where most of the people in the world are on social media networks, social media intelligence can be used to learn a lot by just studying what they do online. Here are some interesting social media facts and stats: - The top eight social media networks are Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, Twitter, WhatsApp and YouTube. - Did you know that more than half of the public use social media at least once a day? - YouTube is the most popular social media sharing website. - Facebook is the most popular social media sharing website – used by almost 70% of adults! - Social media use is higher for those who are younger – almost 90% of users are 18-29 years old. So why does social media intelligence and evidence found on social media matt...

Did you know that your SMSs, WhatsApp or social network inbox messages can be used as evidence against ? Well, for those who are possibly heading towards a divorce or a nasty breakup need to be extra careful about sending messages! Because of all the advancements in the area of digital forensics, including social media investigations and cellular forensics, there has been a massive spike in cases that use evidence found on digital devices such as smartphones and computers. Many people send messages without even thinking twice, this is known as “spontaneous venting”, however it can come back to hurt you, so always rethink what you’re saying before you hit send… When it comes to evidence in a divorce, usually a nasty one, things such as SMSs, WhatsApp messages and other direct messages are most commonly used as well as emails, phone numbers, GPS locations and search history. Most divorce lawyers will tell their clients to stay off social media platforms and avoid sending nasty mess...