Seeking What Your Spouse Hides By: Christopher Schmidt of Forensic Pursuit LLC As Originally Published in fresh magazine, July/August 2008 Tel: (866) 784-2597 Email Forensic Pursuit Website: www.forensicpursuit.com

Does your spouse have money tucked away that you are not aware of? Hidden assets are common in divorce cases and can be found during a forensic examination. Has your spouse been cheating on you? Immoral activity or illicit affairs are often discovered during the course of a computer forensic investigation. Even in a no-fault state like Colorado, affairs can be relevant in child custody proceedings.

Deleted emails, files, documents, and spreadsheets can be preserved and evaluated, as well as photos and other critical information. Internet browsing history, cookies and the text of instant messaging conversations can give the courts a clearer picture of the spouse's character and behavior. In some cases encrypted or password protected data can be "unlocked" for the analyst to review its contents. Once the investigation is complete, all pertinent information would normally be detailed in a report and submitted by the forensic expert to the client and counsel. This information can be leveraged to obtain a more favorable outcome.

When children and custody are involved, having an investigator step in to prove or clear certain suspicions can be valuable. That expert can find out whether financial assets are being manipulated or otherwise hidden from the spouse. Statistics claim that in cases involving hidden assets, 88 percent involved men concealing their wealth, as opposed to only 2 percent involving women. The remaining 10 percent involved both the man and the woman concealing these assets.

Computer forensics probe far beyond basic looking around on a computer. Initial methods include obtaining a complete copy, or image of a computer hard drive. Every byte on the hard drive is copied over to an evidence drive to have it perfectly preserved. This copy, or image, contains all information that resides on the computer, including information that may have been deleted long ago. It also preserves information that is stored in areas a normal computer user does not have access to such as unallocated space, swap files, hidden files and slack space, where valuable information can be found. Forensic imaging is a critical step in the preservation of the hard drive information as well as a solid, proven foundation for retaining its admissibility in a court of law.

Once the image is made, a forensic expert can proceed with an investigation to collect and document evidence of wrongdoing. With detailed forensic procedures, the analyst can then extract data that can be valuable to the case.

Forensic Pursuit is an International Leader in Emerging Forensic Technology. All Members of the company are CHFI and EnCE certified Computer Forensic Investigators.

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