Be A Technology Detective: Companies For Forensics

BeAT echnologyDetective:CompaniesForFor ensicsKadinMcElwainDr .Chen,IntroT oCybersecurityKentStateUniversity1 1/29/23BeAT echnologyDetective:CompaniesForFor ensicsSowhenIwas1 1yearsold,mybirthmother ,MonikaReinsch,decidedthatitwasappropriatetonotcometoT ennesseewithherfamily ,andinsteadgobacktoherhomeinNewY orktobewithanelderlyphilosophycollegeprofessorforhismoney .SoassoonasmyfamilyandIgottoT ennessee,outofanger ,IsearchedhernameonGoogleandranabackgroundcheckonher .T urnsout,shedidn tgraduatehighschoolandsheinfactdroppedout.Iusedthisagainstherinanar gumentandittookeightyearsforustohaveasomewhatstablerelationship.W iththatbeingsaid,Iwasengaginginwhatiscalledcyberforensics,whichsimplymeansdoingabackgroundcheckonapotentialfriend,partner ,boss,ortheliketoseeiftheyhavecriminalrecords,iftheyfinishedhighschool,andmore.Thereareacoupleoftoolsthatyoucanusetomakeyourexperienceincyberforensicsthemostsuccessful.ThefirsttoolthatIwouldpersonallyrecommendtheuseofistheNationalSexOf fenderPublicW ebsite.Thiswebsiteisoneofthemostwell-knownanditpreachesitselfasasitewhereyoucansearchsexof fenderregistriesforallfiftystates,theDistrictofColumbia,UST erritories,andIndianCounty(NSOPW ,n.d.).WhenIgaveitago,Isearchedforthreenames.Ineachrecord,Ifoundoutthingslikeheight,weight,eyecolor ,tattoos,and,theworstofthemall,criminalchar ges.Foreachperson,Ilearnedthefollowing:KentDouglasBaker:Aged66,222pounds,Char ge:BatteryOfAMinorW ithSexualMotivation(FDLE,2018).MichaelMize:Aged52,240pounds,Char ge:SexualAssault(NorthCarolinaSexOf fenderRegistry ,2016)T ammyBarker:W eight130pounds,Char ge:ContributingT oTheDeliquencyOfAMinorW ithTheIntentT oCommitIncest(TheT exasPublicSexOf fenderRegistry ,2023).Itwasamazingtoseethatthesiteallowsyoutodoacompletebackgroundcheckonanysexof fenderanditwaseye-openingtoseehoweasyitwas.Whatespeciallyopenedmyeyestothistoolwashowitwasaccessiblewithnocosttotheuser .However ,thereareothersitesthatgiveyouevenmoreinsightintowhopeopleareandiftheywouldbeagoodfitforajob,orapartner ,oraspouse,amongmanyotherthings.ThenextwebsitefordoingbackgroundchecksonpeoplethatIwouldpersonallyrecommendwouldbeBeenV erified.Thishasfarmoreoptionsfordoingbackgroundchecksonnotjustsexof fenders,butforeveryone.Infact,thewebsitepreachesitselfasawebsitewiththegoalofhelpingpeoplediscover ,understand,andusepublicdataintheireverydaylives(BeenV erified,2007).ThiswebsitewasevenfeaturedonthehitMTVrealityshow ,Catfish,whichisaTVshowaboutengagingincyberforensics,particularlywithdatingwebsiteswhentheaccountseemssuspicious.Unfortunately ,youdohavetopaytogettheresults.It snothingtooexpensive,infactonly$1,butit spitifulthatthiswebsiteisn tasaccessibleastheSexOf fenderRegistry .AnexampleofBeenV erifiedonCatfishinactioncomesinSeason8Episode16oftheshow ,centeredaroundStephanieandDanny ,twopeoplewhohavebeenDMingeachotheronlinefortenyears,buthaveneverseenorheardeachother(Schulman,2020,StephanieAndDanny,Season8Episode16,[TVSeriesEpisode],Schulman,Catfish,MTV).WhenNevSchulmandidabackgroundcheckofDannyusingthiswebsite,hefoundthateverythingwascleanwithhimandallthingsseemedlegit.AfteraZoomCallwherewefinallyseeDanny sface,welearnthatitturnsoutDannyjusthatesvideocallingandnevermetanymalicetowardsStephanie.Lookingatthisepisode,wecanseethatBeenV erifiedisworththe$1.00youpaytoseetheresultsandit sanothergreattoolfordoingbackgroundchecksonpeople.ThethirdtoolforrunningbackgroundchecksonpeoplethatIwouldrecommendwouldbeGoodhire,adivisionoftheCheckrcompany .Whatmakesthissiteparticularlyspecialisthatthisisasiteexclusivelyforemployeebackgroundchecks,socompaniescanactuallyknowwhopotentialemployeesarebeforetheyarehired.Infact,thissitepreachesitselfasonethatbuildsabetterbackgroundcheckcompany(GoodHire,2023).WhenIgavethissiteago,withthepurposeoffindingthepriceoftheservice,Iputinmyname,thecompanyIworkedfor ,anemployeenamethatdidn texist,anemployeeemailthatdidn texist,andtheexpectedquoterange.Unfortunatelyformyincompetentself,IunintentionallysentanemailtotheMcDonald scompany ,notknowingthattheCheckrcompanysendsemailstothecompaniesthattheywanttoworkfor .ButIdigress:Thissiteisanexcellenttoolandaveryrevolutionaryoneinthebackgroundcheckindustry ,especiallyifyoureanemployer .ThefourthbackgroundcheckwebsitethatIwouldrecommendwouldbeT ruthFinder .WhenIexperimentedwiththiswebsite,itwasareallyenjoyableexperience.Thiswebsiteembracesitselfasawaytoknowthetruthaboutthepeopleinyourlifeandusesthisslogan:Whatyoudon tknowcanhurtyou(T ruthfinder ,2023).However ,youdohavetobeatleast18yearsoldtobeabletoaccesstherecords,whichiscompletelyjustifiable,giventhegraphicnessoftherecords.However ,oneofthemaindownsidesofthesiteisthatitcantakealongtimefortherecordstobeaccessedandyouhavetojumpthroughmanyhoopstobeabletoaccesstheinformation.Thetimeyouwaitisultimatelyworthit,asyougetaccesstosuchinformationasthefollowing:Assets:Forme,whenIsearchedforabackgroundcheckonmybirthmother ,Ilearnedthatshehasassetsworthover$420,000Locationslivedat:WhilesearchingforthebackgroundinformationonMonikaMcElwain,IlearnedthatshehaslivedinSchuylerville,NewY ork.AfterlookingupSchuylerville,IlearnedthatitislocatedjustoutsideofSaratoga.CriminalRecords:WhileIdidn thaveaccesstothecriminalrecord,IlearnedthatMonikaMcElwaindoeshaveone.Unfortunately ,uponalmostgettingaccesstothefullrecord,Ilearnedthatyouhavetopayforaccess,morespecifically$28.05amonthforthepremiumplan.Whydotheydothis?W ell,asT ruthFinderexplained,Freereportswouldputusoutofbusiness(T ruthfinder ,2023).Ifyouareeverluckyenoughtobeabletofullytryoutthissite,itllbeworthit.Evenifyoucan t,whateverinformationyoudogetwillbejustascool.ThenextwebsitethatIpersonallyrecommendforallofyourcyberforensicsneedsisGoLookUp.Com,whichisasimplisticsitethatdoesn tprovidemuchforthe$1.00youpay ,butprovidesthebasics.Thistime,whenItriedthissiteout,Iactuallypaid$1.00togettherecords,althoughIthinkthatthesiteshouldbeeasilyaccessibleforthosewhocan tpaythe$1.00.Nonetheless,thissitepreachesitselfasthe#1peoplesearchengineintheindustry(GoLookUp,2023).Whilethisstatementmaybequestionableforsome,asthissiteonlyprovidesbasicinformationsuchasphonenumbersandthelike,sometimesthebasicsareallyouneedwhendoingabackgroundcheck.Theirreasoningforchar gingfortheirservicesisthesameasT ruthFinderabove:Theyhavetopayfortherecords.Butifyouwantthebasicinformationthatyouneedforabackgroundcheck,GoLookUpistheplacetogo.ThenextbackgroundcheckwebsitethatIwouldrecommendfortheuseincyberforensicsisPaycom,awebsiteandapplicationmainlyknownforitspayrollservice.BackwhenIworkedatLakeErieCollege,Iactuallyusedtousethispayrollservice.ButIdidn tknowuntilnowthattheyhadabackgroundchecksection.ThissitepreachesitselfasonethatusescustomizableemployeescreeningHRsoftwaretofityourneeds(Paycom,n.d.).W ithitseasilyaccessiblefeaturesforpotentialemployers,thissiteincludesallofthefollowingfeatures:Anationalcriminalrecordscan.Acriminalrecordscanbythecounty .Asearchforthepotentialemployeeonthesexof fenderregistry .Averificationofwherethepotentialemployeewenttouniversityorhighschool.Averificationofpreviousemploymentexperience.AverificationofdrugtestresultsorhealthresultsLookingatthislist,weseethatemployershaveaccesstopotentiallysomeofthebestfeaturesthatwehaveseeninthehistoryofcyberforensics.Therefore,foremployerswantingtoeasilyaccessemployeedataandpotentiallybeapartofthefutureofcyberforensics,PayComisdefinitelyforthem.ThenextwebsitethatIwouldrecommendfortheuseindoingbackgroundcheckswouldbeCriminalRecords.Com.Thissitefocusesexclusivelyonsearchingforcriminalrecordsofpotentialemployees,spouses,oranyotherpotentialassociateinyourlife.Infact,thissiteembracesitselfasonewhereyoucansearchstate,federal,andlocalsourcestohelpyoufindtheinformationyouaresearchingforaparticularsomeoneinyourlife(CriminalRecords.Com,2023).WhatmakesthiswebsitespecialisthatitusesInteliustechnology ,whichisacompanythatisoneofthemostreliableplacestosearchforpeople,telephonenumbers,addresses,backgroundchecksandmore(Intelius,2023).WhenIgavethiswebsiteago,IwasamazedathowfasttheInteliustechnologywasmakingtheprocess.Here swhatIlearnedthroughouttheprocess:AftertypinginthenameonCriminalRecords.Com,itrefersyouovertotheInteliussite.TheInteliustechnologyallowsfortheprocessoffindingsomeone srecordstogomuchquickerthanmostofthesiteslisted.ThetechnologyinvolvedinCriminalRecords.Comcarefullysearchesthroughcriminalrecords,traf ficviolations,andmuchmore,especiallywiththehelpofIntelius.Whatmakesthissiteuniqueisthatitcanevendetectifsexof fenderslivenearthepersonyouaresearchingfor .Unfortunately ,justlikealotofthesitesonthislist,youdohavetopaytoaccessthefullrecords,$24.86forthepremiumplantobespecific.WhileIamabitupsetthatyouhavetopayforalotofthesesites,yetagain,thereasoningisjustifiable,astheydopayfortherecords.ButtheswiftnessofCriminalRecords.ComwhencombinedwiththeInteliustechnologyisenoughformetolookpastthat.ThenextbackgroundcheckwebsitethatIwouldrecommendwouldbeApartments.Com,whichhasastate-of-the-artbackgroundcheckfeatureforpotentialtenantsinahome.EveryonehasheardofApartments.Com,basedontheircommercialswheretheytalkabouttheiruniqueapartmenttechnologythatcanhelpyoufindaplacetolive.Butmanydon tknowthatthissiteof ferswhattheycallOne-StopT enantScreeningforlandlords,sotheycancheckifthepotentialtenantwillcausetrouble(Apartments.Com,2023).Thewaythissiteworks,asApartments.Comexplained,isinthesesteps(Apartments.Com,2023):Thepotentialtenantsendsinanapplicationforlivingarrangementsintheapartment.Thelandlordrunsabackgroundcheckusingthetechnologyonthesite.Thelandlordchecksthecriminalrecordwiththesite.Thelandlordusesthesitetocheckrentalhistory ,whichincludesevictionsandpastdisturbancesinapartments.Thelandlordusesthesitetorunacreditcheck,tomakesurethatthecreditscoreofthetenantisgoodenoughtorenttheapartment.Thelandlordusesthesitetocheckemploymenthistoryofthetenant,includingtheircurrentjobandterminationsofemployment.Thelandlordrequeststhatthepotentialtenantsendsinaproofofincome.Lookingatthesesteps,weseethatApartments.Comisthemostuniqueentryonthislist.Ithasseveraldif ferentfeaturesthatnoothersiteshave.Plus,whenyoucreatetheaccount,itcanbeeasilyaccessibleasalandlord.Thissiteensuresthatthetenantandthelandlordgetthelivingarrangementsasquickaspossiblebymakingthebackgroundcheckeasytodo.Ifyourealandlordandyouneedaquickerwaytodoabackgroundcheckonatenant,looknofurtherthanApartments.Com.ThenextbackgroundcheckwebsitethatIwouldrecommendwouldbeauniquewebsitecalledOmniW atch.Whatmakesthissitespecialisthatyoucanuseittoseeifanyofyourpersonalinformation,oranyoneelse s,isbeingaccessedbypeopleontheDarkW eb.Asthecompanyputsit,youcanfindoutifyourbankaccountinfo,SocialSecurityNumber ,emailmessages,passwords,andmoreareexposedonthedarkweb(OmniW atch,2023).WhenItestedthiswebsiteout,itwaseasytouse.Butunfortunately ,youdohavetopaymoneytousethissite,$14.99forthepremiumplan.Butlookingatthereviews,theyallsaythesamething:OmniW atchisagreattooltoensurethatyourdata,oranyone sdata,issafeandsecureandisanamazingtoolforcyberforensics.ThelastbackgroundcheckwebsitethatIwouldrecommendusingwouldbeSpokeo.Spokeoisauniquewebsite,whereyoucansearchforapersonbyname,number ,email,orhomeaddress.WhenIgavethissiteatry ,theresultsforthepersonIsearchedforpoppedupalmostimmediately .Butthereisoneproblemwiththesitethatshouldbementioned:Y ouhavetopay$0.95inordertogetalloftheinformationaboutthepersonyouretryingtogetinformationon.Otherwise,theinformationappearsblurryonsomeparts,possiblyforidentityprotectionpurposes.Nonetheless,Spokeoisauniquesiteandpossiblythebestoneonthislist.T oconclude,therearealotofgreatbackgroundcheckwebsitesoutthere.ButtheonesthatIlistedabovearesomeofthebestIveeverseen.Whileeachhastheirownflaws,especiallyinthesenseofprice,eachsitecanbegreattouseforwhateveryoumightneed.Whetheryourealandlord,babysitter ,employer ,oryouresimplyjustlookingforinformationonafriend,there sasiteforeveryone.TheonlycomplaintIhaveisthatallofthesesitesneedtobeforfree,sopeoplecangettheirinformationef fectivelyandimmediately .W orkCitedApartments.Com.(2023).Scr eenT enants&RunRentalBackgr oundChecks.RentalPropertyManagementSoftwarebyApartments.com.https://www .apartments.com/rental-manager/online-tenant-screening?gclsrc=aw .ds&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA vJarBhA1EiwAGgZl0A1kafaPwW_82ZbMs5aHSvAnnwLDTwOkM4MjVM1lpOdNnPM4YyvkphoCT cIQAvD_BwEBeenV erified.(2008).TheEverydayInformationCompany.BeenV erified.https://www .beenverified.com/Catfish.Schulman,2020,StephanieAndDanny,Season8Episode16,[TVSeriesEpisode],Schulman,MTV .CriminalRecords.Com.(2023).Criminalrecords:Peoplesearch,BackgroundChecks&PhoneNumberLookup.CriminalRecords-PeopleSearch,BackgroundChecks&PhoneNumberLookup.https://www .criminalrecords.com/FDLE.(2018).KentDouglasBaker .https://of fender.fdle.state.fl.us/of fender/sops/offenderSearch.jsfGoodHire.(2023,November9).Employmentbackgroundchecks.https://www .goodhire.com/lp-employment-background-checks/GoLookUp.(2023).Findpeopleonlinewith#1peoplesearchservice.https://golookup.com/Intelius.(2023).Peoplesearch,BackgroundChecks&PhoneNumberLookup.Intelius.https://www .intelius.com/NorthCarolinaSexOf fenderRegistry ,(2016).MichaelMize.NPSOW .(2023).Home.DruSjodinNationalSexOf fenderPublicW ebsite.https://www .nsopw.gov/%3Cfront%3EOmniW atch.(2023).BereadyifIDthefthappenstoyou.https://www .omniwatch.com/Paycom.(n.d.).Backgroundchecksoftware:Employeebackgroundscreening:Paycom.Paycom.com.https://www .paycom.com/software/background-checks/TheSexOf fenderRegistryOfT exas,(2023).T ammyBarker .T ruthFinder .(2023).Backgroundchecksandpublicrecordssearch.https://www .truthfinder.com/p/home/