using mobilyze in the field

At an athletics club social event a parent observed a male coach texting. The coach was using a large smartphone, with the text size enlarged. The parent observed a text message being sent to a female teenage club member. Given the content of the message, the parent spoke to the club’s welfare officer about potential grooming and solicitation, providing the child’s name the text message was sent to. The welfare officer contacted police to report the allegation. 

 

Officers from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force launched a criminal investigation. They contacted the parents of the teenager and arranged to meet with them and their 15-year-old daughter at their home. The daughter agreed to allow officers, trained in Mobilyze, to acquire her phone. After noting pertinent information about the Android smartphone, data was captured using Mobilyze. This triage on-site made the teenage girl feel more comfortable, with minimal intrusion and without the need for the officers to seize the device for examination. 

 

Investigators quickly discovered key pieces of evidence pertaining to grooming and solicitation, including messages, pictures, videos and geolocation metadata. Officers established a texting relationship between the teenager and the coach. The text conversations were initially about athletics. Over time, however, the coach was asking for nude images, sexual favors and had attempted to establish a dating relationship with the victim.

 

Without the need for specialized equipment or in-depth training, the officers quickly gained vital intelligence and gathered forensically sound evidence to assist in their child exploitation case against the coach.