Nearly everyone is on the internet these days, browsing websites, posting profiles, searching for people and yes, searching for possible crimes. Law enforcement officials across the nation are using the internet as a tool that allows them to gather evidence and investigate 'unreported' crimes without ever leaving their desk.

The lieutenant in charge of overseeing the Internet Crimes Unit of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported his preference for using the internet. Facebook profiles have made the official's life a lot easier when it comes to finding wildlife violations.

"People go on Facebook bragging about their exploits. They think they're protected," the man reported as he explained one situation in which he searched local profiles until he found a picture of a man holding a snook that he had speared.

The man's Facebook profile not only provided evidence of the suspected violation, but included his name, where he could be found and a lot of other identifying information that made it easy for the official to make an arrest only days after finding the picture.

Social media websites are amazing inventions that allow people to connect and communicate with only the click of a mouse, but it is important that you be careful what you post. The Florida commission will go to any length to find a violation. The commission has even gone as far as trying to entice friends and family to report their loved ones by offering a cash reward for any information about a possible violation.

Source: Sun Sentinel, "Undercover wildlife officers use Facebook, social media to catch poachers," Alexia Campbell, Aug. 1, 2011