Disclosure notice: This is a true account of a frontline investigation – written in collaboration with Semantics 21. This may contain accounts that some readers find upsetting.
This case study is based on a real experience shared by a law enforcement/investigation agency professional and written in collaboration with Semantics 21. It is presented in a first-person format to reflect the original voice and lived reality of the investigator, with all identifying information removed or adapted in accordance with UK GDPR and safeguarding standards.
Introduction
The seizure included three corporate laptops, two encrypted USB drives and a full desktop disk image — all connected to suspected coordinated financial fraud. We were looking at cryptocurrency laundering, credential theft and internal comms linked to money mules. We had no illusions about speed.
Traditionally, this would’ve taken four days just to prepare for review — assuming nothing failed. With disclosure deadlines looming, we couldn’t afford delay, duplication, or error.
Normally we’d still be imaging drives. Instead, we were already inside the media — before the second coffee.
We launched S21 AutomateX, dropped in the UFDRs, encrypted images and disk captures, and applied our prebuilt RVS profiles for financial crime. In minutes, the system spun up all six evidence sources in parallel — carving deleted files, identifying synced folders, recovering login data and hashing everything for disclosure.
Each output was named by device ID and partition — no manual oversight, no scripting, no export mix-ups.
Because everything flowed automatically into S21 LASERi-X, we didn’t just get folders of data, we got a searchable, visual review environment. Media was already filtered by category. OCR results were indexed. Flickerbook review, facial grouping and visual inspector tools were instantly usable.
We were reviewing screenshots and flagged artefacts before lunch.
From Bottleneck to Breakthrough
This wasn’t just automation — it was a rescue plan.
Six devices fully processed and reviewed in under a day. The media reviewer flagged a screenshot of an illicit crypto wallet within hours. That alone accelerated disclosure prep and influenced the charging strategy.
In a legacy environment, that moment would’ve been delayed by days of export wrangling, folder renaming and reformatting. Instead, S21 AutomateX gave us everything aligned, timestamped and audit-ready — in a format that stood up under review.
No duplication. No missed steps. Just six devices, done and ready to present.
“With AutomateX, this was no longer a double-shift slog. I set it up before coffee and walked away. When I came back, everything was ready — paginated, hashed, media-ready. It’s as simple as that.”
What if we hadn’t acted?
If we’d stuck to our previous tools, we’d still be converting images. The wallet screenshot? Buried. The link between devices? Fragmented. The review? Delayed until midweek — maybe longer.
Even worse, disclosure would’ve been shaky. No uniform structure. No ISO-aligned logging. Just multiple analysts juggling manual exports under pressure.
S21 AutomateX didn’t just speed things up — it eliminated the risk of missing the window and in financial crime, that window is everything.
S21 solutions mentioned
S21 AutomateX
The complete solution for rapid automation of victim identification, CSAM categorisation and media review
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