Internet Research Skills for Financial Investigators™ – Module 3

Course Overview

While
online, and in particular, when delving into unknown or possibly
interactive environments, the potential to inadvertently become involved
in an undercover operation or to begin communicating with other Web
users for the purposes of gathering evidence is a very real risk, with
very real legal and investigative consequences. Learning how to
anticipate and circumvent these online pitfalls is a skill which is
gained with experience, foresight and planning. In many of the online
environments examined within this module, the necessity to conceal or
obfuscate your identity may arise, and your familiarity with the safe
and effective use of proxy servers or Web-based anonymising tools will
assist in these situations. Finally, no online investigation should ever
be undertaken without the appropriate consideration given to online
safety and security. The use of desktop firewalls, browser security
updates, and spyware detection and removal utilities should be
compulsory, and investigators should have an appreciation of the online
“footprint” left behind when navigating through the Web with the
examination of Web server log files and temporary Internet files
demonstrated in this module.