On Demand

Social Media and OSINT Investigations


This 14-Hr. self-paced, non-state specific, on-demand course is a must for Probation Officers, Parole Agents, Investigators and Detectives, School Resource Officers, Prosecutors and Staff who investigate crimes related to the need to collect digital evidence and data. This course will use sex related crimes as case study examples. 

The rise of social networking sites and mobile technology has expanded cybercrime while also providing new investigative opportunities for law enforcement. Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) offers a range of techniques to gather intelligence across the internet and social media platforms. This course will introduce key OSINT methods, including tracing usernames and emails, identifying hidden text software, conducting phone number searches, utilizing OSINT dashboards, performing reverse image searches, analyzing websites, capturing digital evidence, and conducting trace-and-track linkage analysis. This comprehensive training will explore the use of cyber technology in investigations, covering web platforms, artificial intelligence, bot technology, and linkage analysis. Participants will examine major social networking and communication platforms to understand their role in cybercrime and intelligence gathering.
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Designed for both new and experienced investigators, this course will provide hands-on experience with OSINT tools and techniques, including how to create and use a sock puppet account to protect investigator identities during cyber investigations. Special focus will be given to OSINT applications for mobile devices, including hidden app detection which can be beneficial is detecting registered sex offender activity.

Additionally, participants will receive information on warrant templates detailing the types of data these platforms collect, such as IP addresses, URLs, voice recordings, images, videos, and financial transactions. The course will also incorporate real-world case studies—primarily involving sex related crimes such as sextortion, trafficking, CSAM, and other cyber-enabled sex crimes—to demonstrate the application of OSINT, linkage analysis, and technological tools in successful investigations. 

Melissa Maranville

Instructor, Small Business Owner, problem solver.
Melissa has over 30 years of experience in criminal justice. She began her career as a booking and intake officer cross-trained in crime scene investigations at Knox County Sheriff's Department, where she earned a letter of commendation for intelligence work on an absconded sex offender and a 15-year Criminology Professor. Melissa assisted in training and educating the FBI's Evidence Response Team in crime scene collection of human remains at the "Body Farm." She has also developed and delivered mass fatalities and counter-terrorism education at the Department of Homeland Security training division. She is also an expert speaker at conferences and on panels such as the World Anti-Counterfeiting Week held in Washington, D.C., on cryptocurrency and the dark web. Melissa developed and presented training content for the International IP Crime Investigator's College (IIPCIC), a UL and INTERPOL initiative, on "The Future of the Criminal Mind: Cryptocurrency and the Dark Web," and a separate conference on "Illicit Activity within the Free Trade Zones."

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About Us

Inv-Network was created to support those who are tasked with the difficult job of protecting children from online child exploitation. Our goal is to provide community, resources, and training to Law Enforcement, District Attorney's, and Parole & Probation Officers.
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