Below are frequently asked questions about CTI’s online investigation / OSINT courses.
How can I be sure that the material presented is timely and up to date?
This site seems very “police-centric.” I work as a corporate investigator. Can I take these courses?
Why do I have to register through the Justice Institute of BC or Holland College?
There are other places that offer online courses… why should I take yours?
Why is there a time limit on each course?
Why are the Internet Investigation Level I & Internet Investigation Level II courses so expensive?
Why are these courses so long?
What makes CTI’s instructors good trainers?
Why should I take this online instead of in a classroom?
What makes you think I need this training to do my job?
Is this training transferable?
Where can this training be used?
How can I be sure that the material presented is timely and up to date?
Not only do we train other investigators in open source investigations, we are also hired to conduct open source on behalf of:
- Private investigators
- Lawyers
- Computer forensic companies
Since we conduct open source on behalf of these companies we have to be as “up to date” as possible on new techniques and methodologies. This knowledge then transfers over to our online courses and live training.
This site seems very “police-centric.” I work as a corporate investigator. Can I take these courses?
The short answer is yes as long as you have proof of where you work. The program was originally created for police officers but, over the years, the techniques have been taught to many other types of investigators. As long as you work in the following fields, you qualify to take these courses:
- Corporate investigator
- Private investigator (licensed)
- Government investigator
- Police officer
Why do I have to register through the Justice Institute of BC or Holland College?
CTI has partnered with both the Justice Institute of BC and Holland College. What this means for you is that you now get provincial recognition for any of the courses offered through Cyber Training International. This is a great way to add professionalism to your CV and career goals.
There are other places that offer online courses… why should I take yours?
Yes there are other places to take online courses but the old adage, “You get what you pay for” applies. Students that have tried other online courses say that ours are more in-depth, more realistic and easier to understand. This is because we gear our courses to what investigator’s actually experience on a daily basis through real world examples. Many students have said they started having success before even finishing the course!
Be careful of US based courses! Many of the things they teach are NOT applicable in Canada. Canada has very stringent privacy laws while the US does not. What you can gather through open source in the US is often unavailable in Canada.
These courses are taught by Canadian investigators who understand Canadian law.
“While I consider myself reasonably adept at using the Internet and related social networking sites and Google, this course was chocked full of great tips and advise for how to become much more effective at open source searching. I will be able to conduct open source inquiries with much more confidence now.”CV, Licensed Private Investigator (Retired Municipal PD)
Why is there a time limit on each course?
The simple answer… if there wasn’t the course(s) would never get completed. We all have busy lives and schedules but think if you had to travel to a police college to take this course – you would be gone for up to a week and then come back to a backlog of files. By taking these courses online you don’t have to leave your work place or home. You can fit the course(s) in around your workday and still keep on top of your files. There is a time frame at the college and there is a time frame for the online course(s).
Why are the Internet Investigation Level I & Internet Investigation Level II courses so expensive?
If you think this training is expensive then you either haven’t had to pay for your own training or, the courses you did take were one day taught by inexperienced people. We have seen one day courses charge upwards of $1,000.
When CTI was approached by the Justice Institute of BC to offer courses under their banner, we negotiated really hard to try and keep the costs affordable for everyone.
The average course at a post secondary institution runs at around $150 / day / person. These courses are based on a 35-40 hours in class course. You would normally pay $600-$2,000 / person for the same 4 days we teach at those post secondary institutions.
That’s a savings of up to 300%!
This training is guaranteed to be one of the best programs you will ever take and is based on our decades of experience in law enforcement and open source investigations.
Why are these courses so long?
Level I & II are the longest courses at 35-40 hours. You have one month to complete each level.
The Facebook Course is approximately 4 hours to one week depending on the student’s skill set.
The Internet Lite Course is approximately 4 hours to one week depending on the student’s skill set.
The Critical Incident Course is approximately one to four days depending on the student’s skill set.
The LEEDIT course is a one day course.
Internet Investigation Level I & Internet Investigation Level II aims to cover everything you would ever need to conduct an online investigation… and beyond.
We guarantee that once you complete Internet Investigation Level I & Internet Investigation Level II you will have more online investigative knowledge than 95% of investigators out there.
We could make these short and choppy, but then you wouldn’t get the context of the material and wouldn’t be able to articulate in court what it is you are doing – and how you did it.
What makes CTI’s instructors good trainers?
We like to think that our qualifications speak for themselves.
PLEASE check out any instructor that teaches open source investigations. This is a “hot” topic these days and it seems that anyone who can surf the Internet feels that they are automatically Internet investigators.
We have spent decades using the Internet in actual police investigations.
We are not managers, analysts, or civilians – we are professional investigators.
“The course was laid out very well and is very topical giving investigators new tools to use in an attempt to identify suspects and obtain real intelligence.”Sgt RT, Municipal PD
Why should I take this online instead of in a classroom?
Our trainers have degrees in our fields and have taken countless Internet and Forensic courses.
The biggest complaint we get from in-class feedback is that “I wanted the course to be longer so I could really understand it – there was so much material.”
We want you to be able to take your time, go at your own pace and really absorb what we are trying to teach – we feel it’s that important.
Over the years we have also come to realize that every class can be divided up into thirds; the first third need lots of help and don’t really “get it” (doing this online allows them to slow down and practice), the second third are Internet friendly but need some guidance – and the last third are irritated with the first third because they want to go at a faster pace. We have to teach to the middle third which frustrates the first and last groups. This is why online training is often so much better.
What makes you think I need this training to do my job?
In this day and age you HAVE to be able to navigate the Internet and social media. If you don’t include them as part of your routine investigative procedure then you are missing a large chunk of information.
Next time you are out in public look around you. How many people are on smart phones taking pictures, uploading files, images, updating their blogs, tweets and timelines?
We are still astounded at the number of investigators under the age of 30 who can’t find their way around the Internet and social media.
Go from being a good investigator to a great investigator!
Is this training transferable?
Yes! No matter where you work in your organization this material is transferable.
We have worked with individuals in Patrol, Youth Squad, Drugs, Waterfront, Criminal Intelligence, Fraud, and Tech Crime. The material works in all areas.
All of the material contained within these courses came about from an investigative need.
Where can this training be used?
This training can be used in any organization, anywhere in the world, that has access to the Internet.
We have taught police officers from Asia, the United States and Europe. We always ask them what their top 5 online crimes are and they all list the same things.
These courses are geared for any officer or investigator, in any agency, working anywhere in the world.
All you need are some basic investigative rules and the Internet.