Social media is a great tool for connecting with other people around the world. However, in some cases, social media accounts, posts, and messages can be used in lawsuits, criminal cases, and civil cases. For this reason, social media investigation services uncover any pertinent information regarding social media. If you would like to know more, keep reading.
What Is Social Media Investigation?
Social media include popular sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. These accounts allow you to post public comments, and a social media investigator looks through those posts. They even look at replies to gain more context and additional information.
They may have a harder time if the account is private and/or has a paywall. If the person isn’t using their real name, it can also be hard to locate social media accounts. However, a social media investigator uses online tools to search the internet for relevant accounts. Some tools even use analytics, which can determine:
- User favorites
- Common followers between two accounts
- Total friends list
- If two users follow each other
In addition, social media also includes more private information, such as private conversations on dating apps like Tinder. A social media investigator can uncover these “hidden” accounts, but they can’t read the private messages. One way they can find these accounts is with reverse image search, which can find the origins of an online image.
Who Can Benefit From Social Media Investigation?
Many people can benefit from social media investigation, especially in the following situations:
- Family/Marital matters
- Criminal cases
- Personal injury
- Work-related investigations
People going through a divorce may hire social media investigators to find evidence of cheating, but many parents use it to help with custody cases because social media can reveal if someone has a stable job and safe home for a child. In Dexter v. Dexter, a social media investigation revealed the mother’s sadomasochism, paganism, and severe drinking habits, which lead to the father getting custody.
When it comes to criminal cases, social media investigators look for posts and comments that may help prove guilt or innocence. For example, a person accused of a crime may have a picture on their social media from that same day in another state, giving them an alibi.
If someone is the subject of a personal injury or work-related investigation, social media can be used to counter claims. A claimant may say their injury prevents them from hiking, but then they post about their recent hike. This information can be used to prove they are lying and exaggerating their injuries.
What Are the Benefits of Social Media Investigation?
Social media accounts are often public, so you can do much of the work yourself. However, if you let a professional do it, there are many benefits. First, you may simply not have the time to search for every social media account belonging to one person.
Not only are you wasting time finding the accounts, but you waste time looking through every post, comment, reply, photo, etc. In some cases, social media investigators end up taking screenshots of a person’s entire social media history.
You may even save some money if you choose a social media investigator. Yes, you will have to pay the investigator, but you won’t have to pay for all the tools and platforms they use to search for social media accounts. Companies can even save money by identifying employees who are embezzling money or lying about a work injury.
Social media has opened many doors, but it also can be used in investigations. A social media investigator has the tools and understanding needed to locate all accounts and information. If you would like to know more, contact us at JP Investigative Group, Inc.
