Cell phones are one of the personal devices used by individuals for communication. Rising cases of cybercrime have led to misuse of these private gadgets, and many people have been using cell phones to engage in cybercrimes at high levels. Although cell phone is a private gadget, when the police officer suspects someone is a suspect or a victim of a given crime, then the investigator can custody the cell phone for an investigation. Cell phones can be helpful to investigators during investigation since cell phones are used for communication via emails and text messages, holding transactions, and taking pictures. The pictures, emails, texts, internet, social media, transactions, notes, and maps are some of the key features that can be used by investigators to attain the needed information.
Emails are some of the trusted means of communication online; it is again used in sending texts and images. Emails have got google drive and cloud as the data backup space, meaning any information that the cell phone user may like hide or store for future reference gets stored in either of the two. An investigator accessing cell phone mails, it becomes easier to track the conversations or stored images in google drive (Carter & Carter, 2016). If the case is about the missing person, then once the missing person’s image is found on the other person’s cell phone cloud or google drive, then the cell phone owner will be answerable or be held accountable to disclose more information about the missing person. Maps in the phones are also important to investigators during the investigation.
Digital cell phones today record the kilometers covered, and places visited throughout the day; in cases, an assassination has happened, and the suspected criminal denies their presence in the scene, then the investigator can access their phone to prove that fact by tracing their movement throughout the day (Cahyani et al., 2017). In case of rape cases or misunderstanding between couples, an investigator can use the phone google history to see the type of data someone has been searching and the type of videos a person may have been watching. Many people have been presumed to be sexually immoral due to researching and watching pornographic-related videos (Cahyani et al., 2017).
Social media such as Facebook has been a great platform for interaction among people. Through social media chats, an investigator can be able to determine the phone owner’s personality based on the types of chats held and the kind of friends chatted. Based on the chats displayed the most, an investigator can tell the kind of person they are handling (Cahyani et al., 2017).
The transactions now form the biggest source to prove to the investigator the fact about the things happening. Transactions normally show the kind of deals held, the amount of money paid, and who is paid. If the activity the person is paid for is an illegal activity such as conning by selling fake products, then the investigator will get the facts about the cell phone owner. Again, if the money sent or received is from or to a wanted or a criminal, then the investigator gains true information from such incidences (Carter & Carter, 2016).
In conclusion, cell phone data can give a lot of information to the investigator about the cell phone owner, who can then simplify the investigation process. Emails have got texts, google drive, and cloud save which disclose a lot concerning the case investigated or the cell phone owner. Texts flow and format can assist the investigator in knowing the cell phone owner’s personality. The types of videos watched on the internet can also reveal more about someone; for example, someone prone to watching or researching robbery information can be presumed to be a potential robber in the future or planning to be one. Through the usage of Google Maps, the investigator can know the places visited, including crime scenes. Transactions done through the cell phone can reveal the kind of activities the person deals in and to which people, which can help an investigator in finding the truth about a given case.
References
Cahyani, N. D. W., Ab Rahman, N. H., Glisson, W. B., & Choo, K. K. R. (2017). The role of mobile forensics in terrorism investigations involving the use of cloud storage service and communication apps. Mobile Networks and Applications, 22(2).
Carter, D. L., & Carter, J. G. (2016). Effective police homicide investigations: Evidence from seven cities with high clearance rates. Homicide Studies, 20(2).