Clone Wars

The FBI issued a press release yesterday detailing a joint investigation into a $25 Million auto theft and cloning ring based in Tampa.  The ring has allegedly been in operation for 20 years and is responsible for over 1,000 vehicle thefts in the state of Florida.  The scammers “cloned” the stolen cars by removing VIN plates and other identifying features and replacing them with counterfeit ones – whose numbers trace back to other legitimately-owned non-stolen vehicles.  The cloned cars were sold to unsuspecting buyers in 20 states and Mexico.  More than 50 people have been charged in association with this investigation.

Auto Dumping on the Rise

According to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, the New York Alliance Against Insurance Fraud issued a report this week detailing a 35% increase in so-called “owner give up” frauds where a car owner arranges to have a car stolen and destroyed – often by fire or by dumping the vehicle in a lake or river.  Fraud investigators across the industry saw a spike in these scams -particularly with high-end SUV’s – when gas prices skyrocketed.  But now with the deterioration in the economy over the last few months, it seems the trend may continue.

Analysis Paralysis

It seems as though there are an ever-increasing number of companies billing themselves as purveyors of data analysis software – particularly for purposes of intelligence analysis and fraud investigation.  Companies like SAS, i2, Centrifuge Systems, Chiliad, Aster Data Systems and Tableau Software – just to name a few – have all crossed my radar recently.  It’s interesting to watch these companies branch out.  It seems that many of the got their start as academic projects or government funded/targeted corporations but they are now expanding into the private sector with gusto.  With all these tools to choose from, I think I need a tool to help me select one.  But, I’m all in favor of competition.  Let the games begin.

Who’s the Twit?

Read an interesting article in Newsweek about ghostwriting of blogs and even Twitter posts (often called “tweets”).  In fact, the article mentions  recently launched UK company Twit4hire as example of a professional microblogging firm that can be hired to post as many as 20 tweets a day on your behalf.  As an investigator or researcher, remember not to assume that someones name on an article, blog post, or other online publication means that the content is actually written by them.  Trust but verify.

Facebook Resurrects the 419 Scam

Facebook has allowed advanced fee fraudsters to deliver more personalized and targeted scam letters to their intended victims.  These so-called “419” scams (named after the section of the Nigerian penal code for Obtaining Property by false pretences) gained popularity through the use of letters and then email.  More about the scam on Wikipedia.  It seems absurd that anyone would fall for early versions of the scam – as letters were often poorly written and obviously fraudulent.  Over the years, scammers became more creative and diligent in enhancing their work product and the letters became much more legitimate-looking, although the content of the letters often belied the scam to anyone who took the time to think about it.  

But now with Facebook, thieves have found a whole new way to target victims, using the technology against itself.  Social networks that allow users to added trusted friends as connections have an inherent vulnerability.  If someone hijacks an account, they can effectively insert themselves into communications with a very high level of trust and authority – at least for a short time until the ruse is uncovered.  MSNBC recently posted an example here.  Facebook users beware, and report your account if it becomes compromised.

Privacy

Great post by Schneier:  Privacy in the Age of Persistence.  As an investigative researcher, I’m thrilled by the ever growing content cloud on the Internet.  Every day, there is exponentially more information to search through – all of it potentially useful for an investigator.  But Schneier raises some good points about how communication is shifting and “conversations” are becoming more permanent and what that means for privacy in the long run.  Big implications here.