PivotPoint Consulting LLC

Why Are Solar Panels Always Optimistic? They Keep Their Sunny Side Up. 🌞 If you missed the release of our newsletter yesterday, which included an article on solar panel scams, you can still obtain a copy and be in-the-know on this and other investigative topics. https://lnkd.in/guby6VVT

Good news and great news! Forgot to subscribe in time to get the latest edition of the Focused Private Intelligence™ newsletter? The GOOD news is...you are now able to access prior versions of the newsletter through our website. The GREAT news is...when you become a subscriber to the Focused Private Intelligence™ newsletter before the release of our 3rd issue (July 1st), you will automatically earn 30% off of a personalized team strategy session. These strategy sessions are beneficial in tackling roadblocks in thinking and approaches when it comes to your investigations or business. Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/guby6VVT

Thank you, TALI Region 2 and George Rodriguez, for hosting us (Melody Bruns) at your April monthly meeting last Friday. George provided an informative presentation on digital forensics and its applications. We particularly enjoyed learning about the capability to overlap the data exploited from IoT devices to uncover activity. Many are unaware that specialized private investigators have access to sophisticated tools which the general public does not have, and they can legally use these tools to assist businesses and individuals. These resources can come in handy in a variety of instances, such as if you discover an employee has been embezzling from your company or if you need to access information from cell phone/computer of a deceased relative. The work George is doing at DA Forensics to provide support to private entities across the country is nothing short of impressive. https://da-forensics.com/

GAO reported this week that the federal government loses up to $521 billion annually to fraud. And that’s just fraud, not waste or abuse. And that doesn’t include state government. To put that number into context… 💵 It’s greater than the budget for all but the top five federal agencies. 💵 It is enough money for the U.S. Air Force to buy 751 nuclear-capable B-21 Raider stealth bombers at $692 million per plane. 💵 It is close to all annual federal spending on children ($609 billion). 💵 It’s enough money to run the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for almost 5 years. We have work to do to protect taxpayer dollars from fraud actors. Let’s get to work. #fraud #fraudrisk #governmentfraud

When working an investigation or new type of case, you formulate a more efficient approach when you take time to conduct a strategic, systematic plan of action. The result is...you better align your approach with your goal(s), which will save you time and resources. If you have assistance from team members or an independent sounding board during this process, you are able to better generate ideas and viewpoints that may have remained hidden in the shadows. Bottom line ↔ Avoid the infamous rabbit hole. Try out a strategy session with us or another experienced 3rd party. If you opt to check us out, consider subscribing to the Focused Private Intelligence™ newsletter. You get 30% off of a personalized team strategy session when you become a subscriber between now and July 1st. (That's a $45 savings!) And even better, the team strategy session you earn has no expiration date...so you can save it for the complex cases. https://lnkd.in/gZsqxBuD

Threat actors used deepfake technology to commit identity fraud 10 times more in 2023 than in 2022. In honor of the April 2024 publication of the Focused Private Intelligence™ newsletter - featuring an article on deepfakes and the impact they are having - we are providing a free guide to assist investigators embarking on this terrain. Our free investigative guide "Deepfakes: Top Ten Tips for Investigators" includes the steps we recommend investigators take upon embarking on a deepfake investigation. Get immediate access to it here: https://lnkd.in/g8dwHPrW.

Recent reports show that threat actors are posing as law firms and sending malware-laden PDFs designed to look like legitimate invoices. This type of cyber attack relies on human interaction and trust, so before opening an attachment or clicking a link, especially one included in an unexpected message, stop and think! Be #CyberAware. @FTI Consulting Cybersecurity https://lnkd.in/greQG3hU

Wouldn’t it be nice if every case could be investigated using the same techniques? As trained investigators know, that rarely (if ever) happens. Cases are nuanced. They have peculiarities. Methods differ. Investigations overlap. You may be tasked to look into one specific activity, but it's important to be aware of indications of other schemes. As the following examples from 2023 demonstrate, one individual can engage in both drug trafficking and international terrorism; sexual abuse and counterintelligence activities; identity theft and drugs. 🔹 A suburban Chicago man admitted that he trafficked fentanyl and other drugs and attempted to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). 🔹 A Florida-based Naval commander was found to have distributed child sexual abuse material and was in possession of information classified at the Secret (and Confidential) level at his residence. " 🔹 An Ohio-based Airbnb renter was accused of identity theft and aggravated possession of drugs. Bottom line ↔ You don’t yet know what you might need to know for your future investigations. One way for investigators stay on top of the current investigative trends is to become a Focused Private Intelligence™ newsletter subscriber (delivered via e-mail). https://lnkd.in/gtRRgdzK Regardless of the type of cases you investigate, expand your understanding of all threats and remain aware. 

The #FBI has released the 2023 Internet Crime Report, which is packed with data and insights into cybercriminal trends. Click to see the latest figures for ransomware incidents and cyber-enabled frauds such as business-email compromise and tech support scams. Some highlights from the report: • In 2023, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received a record number of complaints from the American public: 880,418 complaints, with reported losses exceeding $12.5 billion. This is a nearly 10% increase in complaints received, and it represents a 22% increase in losses suffered, compared to 2022. • Investment fraud was once again costliest type of crime tracked by IC3. Reported losses to investment scams rose from $3.31 billion in 2022 to $4.57 billion in 2023—a 38% increase. • After a brief downturn in 2022, ransomware incidents were again on the rise: IC3 recorded 2,825 ransomware complaints in 2023, which represents an increase of 18% from the previous year. Click here to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eUhjq8dc

Analytical thinking is - and will continue to be - such a necessary skill as we continue to incorporate AI in our professional workplaces. PivotPoint Consulting can provide investigators with actionable ways you can incorporate analytical thinking skills and concepts into your investigations. In short, we provide tangible ways to help you think about your thinking!