Page 13 - March 2021 TTI

blue dot as it “clicked” on various apps – even when phones and determined they were infected with “M-
Michael was not touching his screen. It was being
remotely controlled. The phone “answered” calls that
did not ring and had no incoming audio, a classic
symptom of cell phone spyware.
The strange behavior of his phone and computer
coupled with his drinking caused Michael to become
confused. There were multiple indicators that he was
being watched, but struggled to understand. Sometimes
he thought he was losing his grip on life itself. He
became suspicious of nearly everything, unable to make
logical decisions, and lost almost everything. He
became desperate.
Michael turned to one of his best friends, Aamon, with
whom he had worked for ten years at the church his
parents had founded. During a late night drinking
session, he told Aamon everything. Aamon promised
that he would find an expert to help with the digital
devices. Within days Aamon told Michael about a man
with “hundreds of digital forensics cases” under his belt.
In fact, Aamon said, “He is so well known, everyone
calls hi the Digital Detective. Even better, he wants me
to be the liaison between us. Then I can make sure he
is doing his job.”
What Michael did not know was Aamon had made a
deal with the Digital Detective (DD), a.k.a. Abigor,
becoming a co-conspirator against Michael.
Years after the death of his parents, with treatment and
the restoration of his faith in God, Michael took the
first steps back to reality. By the time he called my
office he was no longer drinking and had begun
attending AA meetings. He was poor but working, sad
but no longer drowning in self-pity, and was
determined to deal with the problems in his life. You
could see it in his eyes.
On his first visit, he brought me his computer,
cell phones, and the information he had
been developing. His task for me was to
find answers.
Michael provided a “report” from the DD,
handwritten on spiral notebook paper and
delivered by Aamon. DD claimed he was in
the hospital following a car accident. The
document reported the DD had analyzed Michael’s cell
THE TEXAS INVESTIGATOR
Spy”, but offered no evidence.
Michael had already paid the DD almost $5,000.
DD claims and promises in italics, followed by my
response:
1. He was a licensed private investigator (PI) under
DPS license number 202978 – there is no such
license number for a PI in Texas or Oklahoma.
2. Identified the virus as a “Trojanhorse” (sic) with
an IP of 4.224.69.0 which is based in Oklahoma
City, OK. – The IP address is owned by a
private business in Chicago
3. Promised to meet with Michael on several
occasions – Never met Michael in person. His
only contact was via Aamon
4. Multiple promises to be in court – Never
appeared in court nor warn Michael and his
attorney
When Michael paid the DD, he always collected a
receipt. Those receipts were missing.
Coming home early one day, Michael noticed a white
van with faded paper plates parked next door. Upon
entering his home, he heard a sound from his bedroom.
He moved down the narrow hallway toward the
bedroom, looked inside to see an open window. He
looked out in time to see a white male jump into the
van and drive away. Michael searched for an identifying
mark on the van. The paper plates were unreadable, but
he kept looking and found it! - a black and white
bumper sticker that read “Birds Aren’t Real”.
A few days later, Michael spotted the van and sticker.
He pulled slightly behind the driver’s side window,
looked to his right to see his friend Aamon and another
man riding down the road drinking beer. He recognized
the driver as well. He was the same man Michael had
seen drive away from his house in the van and
remembered he had also worked for Michael’s
parents!
State legislators need to know that cases
like Michael’s occur every day. Egregious
crimes can occur when an unlicensed
investigator preys on the weak and
confused. These vulnerable individuals are
desperately fighting to be made whole again but
instead, find themselves a crime victim.
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