*This article is part of IPS’ July focus on technology and its impact on public safety.*
By Kim Miller, Criminal Justice faculty member at American Military University
As a certified fraud examiner, most of my work is based upon open-source online investigations. Open-source intelligence (OSINT) is the use of publicly available material, often found on the Internet. The availability of these online sources is critical to the work of a fraud examiner and fortunately many of these sites are free to the user.
Location Tools
There are several websites that can help a fraud examiner investigate the location of a person suspected of fraud. For example, using the free component of Echosec.net, allows an investigator to enter a location, a date range, and an area map. This site is particularly useful when searching for a specific event such as a flash mob attack at a certain location. Echosec.net pulls up a Google satellite map focusing on the area chosen and displays Twitter, Instagram, Panoramio, Foursquare and Flicker data all on one screen. The site also identifies if posts are made by iPhone or Android devices.
To locate an individual in a fraud case, Thatsthem.com is a free web site aggregator of public information that includes a person’s age range, cell phone number, religion, financial details, type of vehicle, and the exact VIN number of the vehicle. This site is surprisingly accurate—my vehicle type and VIN number were correct! (Note: There is an opt-out option on the home page, which I would highly recommend selecting).
Identifying a Fraudster via Twitter
Twitter is a commonly used social media site for fraudsters to contact each other. To investigate this activity, investigators can use a tool such as Mentionmapp.com. This site creates a visual graphic image of a suspect’s Twitter connections to other Twitter profiles and other strong Twitter associations. To use this site, an investigator must have a Twitter account.
Finding Stolen Goods
Often stolen goods are placed for sale on the Internet. Rather than individually searching some the commonly used online marketplaces like Amazon, Craigslist or eBay, investigators can use SearchTempest.com. This site allows investigators to conduct a search in a specific location and zip code and shows results from Craigslist, eBay and Amazon. Keywords can be specified to narrow the search. For example, in a search for a “Ford Mustang” 10 miles from zip code 07950, over 50 results were located on all three sites. A subset of SearchTempest.com is AutoTempest.com, which brings together used car listings from around the web.
Professional Conferences and Training Opportunities
The world of social media is changing rapidly and investigators must stay abreast of new tools to help with fraud investigations. For those interested in a career as a fraud investigator, one seminar to consider attending is the Online Social Media & Open Source Investigator’s Summit (OSMOSIS) taking place in Las Vegas from October 12-14, 2015. This summit was developed by OSINT investigators for the legal, educational, business, accounting, and investigative community. The OSMOSIS summit educates attendees about the most cutting-edge methodologies and power techniques for investigators to get actionable search results.
This year, experts will offer non-stop training on the latest cellular and desktop social media investigations, open source searching, asset research, and borderless possibilities on the international front, as well as the legal implications. If you are interested in learning more about this seminar, please email Kim Miller at kim.miller868@mycampus.apus.
About the Author: Kim Miller, ABD, MSCJ, CFE, is a criminal justice adjunct professor at American Military University. She is in the dissertation phase of obtaining a Ph.D. in public safety/criminal justice. She has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in criminal justice. Kim is a certified fraud examiner (CFE) and a certified paralegal specializing in criminal law and is in the process of obtaining a New Jersey private investigator’s license. As a CFE, Kim provides specific investigative lead information, researches records, and uses computerized databases to conduct investigations based on specific requests for information or in response to identifiable events. She also uses social media as an online investigative tool and is versed in using many different types of software for cybercrime investigations. Kim is also a member of Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), which is the largest international membership organization dedicated to enhancing the knowledge, skills and expertise of anti-money laundering/CTF and financial crime detection and prevention professionals.
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