Australia Australia - Theo Hayez, 18, Belgian backpacker, Byron Bay, June 2019

[Intriguedbymissingpersons]

You mean WhatsApp have handed over info on this case now?

Yes. WhatsApp assisting police in Hayez investigation – Echonetdaily

 

[Rocket333]

The who could be 'black knight' or 'feelz good' or 'beebopalula' ... may not be a real name or identity.
Just Theo may have known who the identity really is.

Still, at the very least they’ll get a mobile number out of it and that number will either be connected or disconnected and will provide leads and direction.

 

[Rocket333]

Yes. WhatsApp assisting police in Hayez investigation – Echonetdaily

That’s great news. Any new info helps, even times used.

 

[Intriguedbymissingpersons]

The who could be 'black knight' or 'feelz good' or 'beebopalula' ... may not be a real name or identity.
Just Theo may have known who the identity really is.

There are a lot of fake identities out there, and a lot of fake email addresses attached to those fake identities. And an IP address does not have to be consistent. Over wifi it can change and change and change.


That's because the IP address of "your" computer doesn't belong to your computer—it belongs to the network you're connected to. Your computer is just borrowing it for a while.
That's why you'd have a different IP address at a coffee shop than the IP address you'd have at a hotel on the corner. Different networks, different IP addresses.
Why does my IP keep changing?

I understand this but you can’t set up a whatsapp account without a valid phone number. To purchase an SIM account here in Australia you need to prove ID. This is true for both post paid and pre paid phones.

Link to government information.
ID checks for prepaid mobiles | ACMA

 

[Rocket333]

If he was really running along Shirley Street, was it to catch a lift? Could a car have pulled over up ahead for him, or could he have hailed a cab or shuttle bus?

Early on someone said they were waiting to review cctv footage from one last Street somewhere between Shirley & Childe. The owner of the house was away so there was a delay. Did anything come of it?

 

[SouthAussie]

I understand this but you can’t set up a whatsapp account without a valid phone number. To purchase an SIM account here in Australia you need to prove ID. This is true for both post paid and pre paid phones.

Link to government information.
ID checks for prepaid mobiles | ACMA

You can tell I don't have a WhatsApp account

I could take this further because I can instantly see ways around this, to set up an anonymous account with an anonymous phone number. But until we know what has happened to Theo, there probably is no point.

 

[Intriguedbymissingpersons]

You can tell I don't have a WhatsApp account

I could take this further because I can instantly see ways around this, to set up an anonymous account with an anonymous phone number. But until we know what has happened to Theo, there probably is no point.

Whilst off topic I’m intrigued to know how you could set it up anonymously.

And if the perp did this it must have been a very premeditated action to go to the effort of doing so just to speak to Théo.

 

[SouthAussie]

Whilst off topic I’m intrigued to know how you could set it up anonymously.

And if the perp did this it must have been a very premeditated action to go to the effort of doing so just to speak to Théo.

It may be a choice someone has made to keep anonymous in a hidden lifestyle that they don't want others to know about.
It may not have been done specifically to target Theo, is what I am getting at.

But it is irrelevant at this point. We can discuss later if it is relevant. The public read here.
I think anyone who has worked in the technical side of telecomms would be able to set such a thing up, as well as others who have a strong desire to do so.

 

[Rocket333]

Whilst off topic I’m intrigued to know how you could set it up anonymously.

And if the perp did this it must have been a very premeditated action to go to the effort of doing so just to speak to Théo.

I bet the person he was chatting to (if here and not back in Belgium) was someone he had met in Byron, possibly at the backpackers. Or someone he’d met on his travels who was going to be in Byron at the same time. However wouldn’t he have mentioned it to family if he had made a new mate and had plans to catch up with them in Byron? He sounds close to his parents, particularly his Mum.

He doesn’t strike me as someone who would take spontaneous rides or risks. I think he’d play it pretty safe and the drunken stuff at the bar happened because he felt so safe.

 

[mussopossum]

If that message has been discussed in msm, it is now OK to discuss it here. As long as you can link us to the article.

Thank you for clarification

 

[Rocket333]

Bit of news....

New development in the case of missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez as police investigate a BUSH CAMP found in the Byron Bay hills

 

[mussopossum]

This article states whatsapp was only able to access and disclose some data - which can include a user's name, last seen date, IP address and basic information - but not the encrypted content.

So Police will know who he was messaging - they would be looking at this people and I’m sure a warrant executed for the content of the messages.

I believe the police are withholding ALOT of information and don’t fall for the “it’s all a mystery”

I agree, definitely more we are not seeing which is why i feel the phone for some reason is of such importance to find. There must be something they know on that phone that they have information about as it seems to be so much about finding the phone.

 

[Via Marple]

It may be a choice someone has made to keep anonymous in a hidden lifestyle that they don't want others to know about.
It may not have been done specifically to target Theo, is what I am getting at.

But it is irrelevant at this point. We can discuss later if it is relevant. The public read here.
I think anyone who has worked in the technical side of telecomms would be able to set such a thing up, as well as others who have a strong desire to do so.

I use WhatsApp. In fact, I use it on two phones using two different accounts, so two different phone numbers.

Whatsapp is very good at verifying phone numbers linked to an account. In fact, if you put a new sim card into a phone, or use a new phone with your sim card, everyone you're chatting with knows your "security details" have changed, and is asked to verify you.

But because what I am doing with my phones lately, I know a loophole.

My old phone has the sim card removed. But Whatsapp still thinks I am using that number, because I have not put in another sim, and just use wifi for data. If I give that phone to someone, or someone took it - knowing the number or the WhatsApp account is only going to track me down, not the actual person using the phone for WhatsApp via wifi. Does this make sense?

If Whatsapp has indeed located the other phone number chatting with Theo, but police has not said anything, it is possible they do have some clue who it is. That is the likely scenario IMO.

 

[Intriguedbymissingpersons]

I use WhatsApp. In fact, I use it on two phones using two different accounts, so two different phone numbers.

Whatsapp is very good at verifying phone numbers linked to an account. In fact, if you put a new sim card into a phone, or use a new phone with your sim card, everyone you're chatting with knows your "security details" have changed, and is asked to verify you.

But because what I am doing with my phones lately, I know a loophole.

My old phone has the sim card removed. But Whatsapp still thinks I am using that number, because I have not put in another sim, and just use wifi for data. If I give that phone to someone, or someone took it - knowing the number or the WhatsApp account is only going to track me down, not the actual person using the phone for WhatsApp via wifi. Does this make sense?

If Whatsapp has indeed located the other phone number chatting with Theo, but police has not said anything, it is possible they do have some clue who it is. That is the likely scenario IMO.

Thank you for this insight. I did not realise it would still work without the SIM inserted.

So in this case the phone would have to had to be given to someone (perp) and they only chatted to Theo when using wifi to avoid being found (however original owner found). Is that correct?

 

[Sambam89]

I use WhatsApp. In fact, I use it on two phones using two different accounts, so two different phone numbers.

Whatsapp is very good at verifying phone numbers linked to an account. In fact, if you put a new sim card into a phone, or use a new phone with your sim card, everyone you're chatting with knows your "security details" have changed, and is asked to verify you.

But because what I am doing with my phones lately, I know a loophole.

My old phone has the sim card removed. But Whatsapp still thinks I am using that number, because I have not put in another sim, and just use wifi for data. If I give that phone to someone, or someone took it - knowing the number or the WhatsApp account is only going to track me down, not the actual person using the phone for WhatsApp via wifi. Does this make sense?

If Whatsapp has indeed located the other phone number chatting with Theo, but police has not said anything, it is possible they do have some clue who it is. That is the likely scenario IMO.

Wouldn’t this also mean that when in airplane mode but on wifi (as lots of people travelling use instead of buying a new local phone) it would still work as well as technically not using a sim and only wifi? The same way when I go overseas I can still use Viber and Snapchat and iMessage etc? or is it different haha

 

[Sambam89]

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp...hers-set-to-take-a-break-20190621-p51zva.html

Police divers, volunteer climbers, sniffer dogs and a sophisticated new drone have all been deployed in the search for Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez in the past two days – but with no sign of him since he vanished three weeks ago, police will suspend the search from Saturday.

Detective Inspector Matt Kehoe confirmed there would be "no physical search" for Theo over the weekend, as investigators review the week's efforts. Whether the search resumes on Monday is yet to be determined

 

[Intriguedbymissingpersons]

Wouldn’t this also mean that when in airplane mode but on wifi (as lots of people travelling use instead of buying a new local phone) it would still work as well as technically not using a sim and only wifi? The same way when I go overseas I can still use Viber and Snapchat and iMessage etc? or is it different haha

Yes because the SIM hasn’t be replaced in the phone.

 

[Rocket333]

I use WhatsApp. In fact, I use it on two phones using two different accounts, so two different phone numbers.

Whatsapp is very good at verifying phone numbers linked to an account. In fact, if you put a new sim card into a phone, or use a new phone with your sim card, everyone you're chatting with knows your "security details" have changed, and is asked to verify you.

But because what I am doing with my phones lately, I know a loophole.

My old phone has the sim card removed. But Whatsapp still thinks I am using that number, because I have not put in another sim, and just use wifi for data. If I give that phone to someone, or someone took it - knowing the number or the WhatsApp account is only going to track me down, not the actual person using the phone for WhatsApp via wifi. Does this make sense?

If Whatsapp has indeed located the other phone number chatting with Theo, but police has not said anything, it is possible they do have some clue who it is. That is the likely scenario IMO.

The phone would therefore hold the evidence needed to support their case.

 

[Sambam89]

Oh so would still require a sim to be in the phone even if taken out after enabling airplane mode and turning on wifi

Yes because the SIM hasn’t be replaced in the phone.

 

[Intriguedbymissingpersons]

Oh so would still require a sim to be in the phone even if taken out after enabling airplane mode and turning on wifi

As Via Marple explained above it doesn’t need a SIM (sim can be removed or on airplane mode or wifi ) but it can’t be replaced with another SIM and still use the original Whatsapp account on that phone.