What is open source intelligence (OSINT)?
Open source intelligence (OSINT) is the systematic collection and analysis of information from publicly available sources — social media, public records, news, dark web marketplaces, breach dumps, court filings, business registrations, geolocation data, and more — to produce actionable intelligence. Our OSINT investigators turn scattered public signals into a cohesive, court-ready narrative report.
What does an OSINT investigator do?
An OSINT investigator gathers and analyzes publicly available digital evidence from open sources, social media, dark web marketplaces, breach dumps, public records, and device-level signals to identify subjects, build profiles, locate persons, and document fraud or harassment. Findings are delivered in a court-ready narrative report with full source citations and chain-of-custody.
Do you handle OSINT investigations outside the United States?
Yes. OSINT is a desk discipline — we conduct investigations using publicly available digital sources from our Miami headquarters and deliver case findings to clients worldwide. We have handled cross-border romance-scam recoveries, international asset searches, executive due diligence on overseas subjects, and source vetting for journalists working in multiple jurisdictions. Where physical surveillance is needed alongside OSINT, we coordinate with vetted local investigators licensed in the relevant country or state.
Is hiring an OSINT private investigator legal?
Yes — open source intelligence is, by definition, gathered from publicly available sources, which is legal in all U.S. states and most jurisdictions worldwide. We operate under FDACS License A1800135 (State of Florida) and only work on legal investigations. We do not perform stalking, harassment, unauthorized surveillance, or any work prohibited by Florida statute or the destination jurisdiction. Every intake includes a legality review for the case's specific facts and the jurisdictions involved.
Can OSINT find someone's location?
Often, yes — through digital footprint mapping, social-media timeline reconstruction, EXIF GPS coordinates embedded in publicly posted photos, geo-tagged check-ins, breach data, and inferred device-location signals. A single photo posted to Instagram, a dating app, a real-estate listing, or a personal blog can carry latitude/longitude precise to within a few meters. Effectiveness depends on the subject's digital hygiene — many platforms strip metadata on upload, but plenty don't. We disclose realistic odds before any work begins.
How does GPS metadata in photos help locate or connect a subject?
Most modern phones embed EXIF GPS data into every photo by default. When a subject (or someone in their network) uploads an image to a platform that doesn't strip metadata, that image carries a precise latitude/longitude and a UTC timestamp. We extract that data, plot it on a map, and cross-reference it against other geo-tagged signals (check-ins, geo-tagged stories, fitness-app routes, dating-app distance pings) to build a multi-week movement pattern. In custody, infidelity, asset-search, fugitive, and tenant-fraud cases, GPS metadata frequently places a subject somewhere they've claimed they weren't — or connects two subjects who've claimed not to know each other by showing them in the same place at the same time.
Do you investigate romance scams and online dating fraud?
Yes. We unmask the actual person behind a fake online identity, recover communication histories, identify other victims, trace crypto and wire transfers, and produce evidence usable for civil recovery or law enforcement referral.
What evidence can be used in court?
Every report includes source citations, timestamps, and chain-of-custody documentation. Our investigators are available for deposition and trial testimony. Reports are prepared with the standards Florida attorneys expect.
How fast can you start a case?
Intake submissions are acknowledged within hours during business hours, often sooner. The legality and scope review typically completes within one business day, at which point we either send the engagement letter or decline the case (with any deposit refunded). For urgent matters — missing minors, active threats, fugitive recovery — we operate a real-time ops desk that can be engaged outside business hours; call 305-686-7826 directly for those.
What if you can't find what I'm looking for?
OSINT is a probabilistic discipline — some subjects have a heavy digital footprint and surface quickly; others have practiced operational security and surface only after deeper work. We disclose realistic odds before any work begins, and the engagement letter spells out scope and what "no findings" means in dollar terms. If a case turns out to be unworkable for reasons not visible at intake, we will refund the unspent retainer rather than burn it. We do not bill against an empty horizon.
Can I get updates while the investigation is running?
Yes. Standard cadence is a written check-in at midpoint and on completion; for longer engagements we add weekly status updates. For real-time matters (missing persons, active threat triage), we push leads to the named principal as they surface, by phone or encrypted message. Updates always go only to the named principal — we do not CC counsel, family members, or third parties without your explicit written authorization.
What happens after I submit the intake form?
(1) Auto-acknowledge within minutes confirming we received it. (2) A licensed investigator reviews the request, runs the legality + proportionality screen, and contacts you for a free 20-minute consultation, usually within hours. (3) If we can take the case, we send an engagement letter outlining scope, deliverable, and timeline. (4) If we cannot — wrong fit, scope too narrow, jurisdiction we won't work in, or anything that fails the ethics screen — we tell you that, refund any deposit, and where possible suggest who should take the matter.
Do I need an attorney to engage you?
No. Roughly half our caseload is direct from individuals (family, dating, missing persons, fraud-recovery, anonymous-threat triage). The other half is attorney-routed (litigation support, asset search, witness vetting, pre-deposition profiling). The work product is the same regardless of who engages us — the only difference is whether the report is delivered into a privileged work-product envelope or directly to the principal. If you do not have counsel and the matter has a litigation component, we can recommend Florida attorneys who routinely receive our reports.
What's the typical turnaround on a deliverable?
Depends on scope. A single-subject digital-footprint or skip-trace report typically lands in 3–7 business days. Threat-triage and missing-persons matters can deliver initial signals within 24–36 hours via the real-time ops desk, with the full report following in days. Multi-subject corporate due diligence, asset traces with cross-border layers, and source vetting for journalism investigations typically run 7–14 business days. Every engagement letter spells out the deliverable date before any work begins; we do not start without an agreed timeline.
Are there countries or clients you won't work for?
Yes. We do not accept engagements from foreign governments, hostile intelligence services, or any party operating under U.S. State Department or OFAC sanctions. We do not work for clients whose stated purpose is to enable retaliation against journalists, witnesses, whistleblowers, or protected sources. We will not investigate a subject in a jurisdiction where our work product would be used in proceedings that fall outside U.S. or destination-country due-process standards. Every intake includes a screening pass for these limits, and we decline any case that crosses them — no exceptions, no negotiation.
