Thursday, May 17, 2012

Would you know how to look for clues?


Notes Taken By: Theresa Payton, Fortalice, LLC. Content also covered on WBTV's segment, Protecting Your Cyberturf, featuring Kristen Miranda and Theresa Payton.  Segment airs Wednesday at 10 past 5pm.
 
It’s one for the record books of stupid wannabe thieves!  Two men robbed an Internet cafe at gunpoint and hopped on their motorcycles to get away.  The problem is, one of them had logged into their Facebook account at the same cafe before doing the robbery … and forgot to log out!  

It is an example of how crime doesn’t pay!  The police looked at their Facebook account, figured out their home address and took one of the suspects to jail.  It’s almost funny, isn’t it?  But WBTV’s cyber expert, Theresa Payton, asks if you were a victim or witness to a crime, would you think to check the digital devices around you for clues?  


Many people don’t realize that thieves are leaving digital clues all around us!

Some quick thinking on your part can make a huge difference.


1.  If your home has been broken into, check all your devices. Thieves have been known to check their email, Facebook, and other accounts at the actual crime scene.


2.  If a crime is in progress, only if you are safe, try sending a text with info or turn on your video camera to catch audio.


3.  Search the internet for clues about the perpetrator if you just witnessed a crime.


4.  If they leave evidence behind such as their personal phone or digital device, do not touch it - you might disturb evidence.  Take a picture of the screen or the device and turn that over to law enforcement.


WORD FOR THE WEEK:

Bitcoinica:  This is the actual bank and trading platform for bitcoins.  A bitcoin is a play on words - bit as in digital bit and coin - as in currency.  This is digital money traded online that is sometimes cashed in for real currency.  


WEB RESOURCES:

A Report from the Department of Justice:

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/219941.pdf


FBI Digital Forensics Site:

http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcement-bulletin/august-2011/digital-evidence


NC SBI Digital Evidence Guide:

http://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/Evidence-Guide_NC.pdf

1 comment: