Pretexting Woes for HP

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - This past week, Hewlett-Packard Co’s spying scandal gained heat when four journalists sued the company in San Francisco Superior Court. Journalists Dawn Kawamoto, Stephen Shankland, Thomas Krazit, and Rachel Konrad are suing HP over allegations that HP hired PIs who spied on the reporters’ home, cell, and work phone numbers. The HP investigators allegedly got access to the phone records by falsely representing themselves to telephone companies.

PI Jailed for Forgeries

SACRAMENTO, CA - It has all the makings of a Hollywood movie: Kathleen Culhane, a former PI, has admitted to forging documents in an effort to save the lives of four death row inmates. Culhane has now herself been sentenced – to 5 years. Culhane allegedly fabricated statements from jurors and witnesses and signed the false documents in a bid to stop executions. She was charged with two counts of forgery and single counts of perjury and filing false documents.

UK PIs Turn to Public

UNITED KINGDOM - UK private investigators are setting up a public online forum for PIs, attorneys, and the general public. The discussion board is designed to dismiss myths about PIs. Launched by Jorge Salgado-Reyes of Salgado Investigations and Neil Sheppard of Trident Investigations, the site hopes to dispel some of the damage done to the industry by certain high-profile cases – notably the HP spying scandal. The forum is open at a time when the government in the UK is in consultation to regulate the investigation industry.

Landowners Spied on In Canada

CANADA - Documents available under Freedom of Information legislation show that private investigators provided the Energy and Utilities Board with passwords which permitted the board to listen to landowners' private conference calls. The calls were about the Energy and Utilities Board proposed projects and the investigators falsely represented themselves as landowners as well in order to get access to the calls. NDP leader Brian Mason is claiming that public money was used in order to hire the investigator to spy on Alberta residents.

India Introduces Private Detective Agencies (Regulation) Bill, 2007

INDIA - In the Rajya Sabha this past week,“The Private Detective Agencies (Regulation) Bill, 2007” was introduced. The bill calls for regulation of private detective agencies and for granting of private investigation licenses. The bill is similar in scope to the already in place The Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005. “The Private Detective Agencies (Regulation) Bill, 2007” is in direct response to the growing number of PIs in the country. The rapid growth of the industry has many calling for regulation to better protect customers.