© 2008 pearson education, inc. prentice hall upper saddle river, nj 07458 week 7 cyber crimes...

© 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.Prentice Hall

Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Week 7 Cyber Crimes

Investigating High-Tech CrimeBy Michael Knetzger and Jeremy Muraski



Week 6 Review

• Tracking internet crime– Email– IM– Etc




Week 7 Assignments

• Read Chapter 7 and 8

• Complete Web Field Trip

• View the PowerPoint Presentations

• Attend the weekly seminar

• Respond to the discussion boards

• Complete the writing assignment

• Take the quiz





Locating Online Intelligence Information

• To effectively search the Internet requires 3 basic concepts:– Knowing where to search– Knowing how to effectively search– Knowing what to do with the information




Locating Online Intelligence Information, Con’t

• Knowing where to search:– Common search engines can be used (

www.google.com).– One of the best software programs for

searching the Internet is offered by www.copernic.com.





• Knowing how to effectively search:– Use Boolean search techniques.

– Boolean logic was developed by a 19th century English mathematician named George Boole; it allows an Internet searcher to use three primary commands that will help reduce and/or expand return results.




Boolean Search Techniques• (AND) - police + officer = Searches for Web

sites containing both the word “police” and “officer.”

• (NOT) capital offense –murder = Searches for websites containing the words “capital offense” but excludes all sites containing the word “murder.”

• (Quotes) “TASER related deaths” = Searches for websites containing the full, exact phrase of “TASER related deaths.”





• Groups sites are a great source of potential intelligence information:– Google groups (www.groups.google.com)– Internet Relay Chat (www.searchirc.com)– Myspace (www.myspace.com)





• What to do with the intelligence information:• Discovery — know who knows the information• Discrimination — know what’s what• Distillation — know what’s hot• Dissemination — know who’s who




8.3 High-Tech Crime Web Sites




High-Tech Crime Web Sites

• The textbook outlines several examples of Internet sites that are valuable to law enforcement.

• Each section is categorized for easy reference.

• Use it to “know thy enemy.”




Modus Operandi of the Predatory Pedophile• In the days before the Internet, pedophiles

had no choice but to try and approach potential victims in person. They could, for example, park their vehicles near a school, playground, or other area that children frequent and try to get a victim’s attention by asking directions, needing help, passing out candy, or doing something else likely to draw attention from a child without arousing general alarm.




Traditional Methods of the Pedophile• Pedophiles have also traditionally tended

to look for vocations that allow them the advantages of working with children and having a position of trust and responsibility.

• There have been many examples of this activity in recent years, with numerous stories on predatory teachers, clergy, athletics coaches, and even police officers.




Traditional Methods of the Pedophile, con’t.• In addition to having occupations that imply trust,

these occupations also have another advantage for a would-be pedophile — a perception of power or control.

• In the case of clergy, the belief that the clergy member is doing God’s work can be a very powerful force in motivating a naïve youngster to do as the offender says.

• Likewise, with a teacher or police officer, there is a certain aura of power or authority, and the victim may fear repercussions in the form of bad grades, being kicked out of school, or even being arrested.




Traditional Methods of the Pedophile, con’t.• Further, the offender may take advantage

of victims’ perception of inferiority by making threats or telling them that no one would believe them over a “respected” police officer, teacher, etc.

• Add to all of that the constant lessons that kids should listen to and respect adults, and the child victim is in a very vulnerable position.




Grooming Victims• In addition to exercising their positional

superiority, pedophiles make use of another technique of preparing their victims.

• This process of breaking down a victim’s barriers or objections is called grooming the victim. This is not grooming in the traditional sense, e.g., combing hair or brushing teeth.

• Grooming, in this sense, is the process of preparing a victim and overcoming a victim’s sense of right and wrong and lowering his or her inhibitions against a sexual act.




Grooming Victims, con’t.• For example, if a sex offender is looking to

have sexual intercourse with a young child, he or she may show that child numerous images of child pornography in order to desensitize the child.

• The offender will then appeal to the child’s naïve logic and say something like, “It can’t be wrong if they are all doing it.”




Grooming Victims, con’t.• In the case of an older victim, the offender may

show images or videos of other teens engaged in sexual conduct.

• It is widely believed that pornography desensitizes the pedophile as well, and this can actually cause a cycle of pedophilia, similar to a narcotics addiction.

• Offenders will eventually believe that there is nothing wrong with their pedophilia if desensitized enough.

• Some offenders even believe that they are just more enlightened than the rest of society in regards to sexual relations with children.




Online Predation and Child Enticement• Pedophiles operate online in a wide variety of

ways, and the online mechanism of anonymous communications can be a very powerful ally.

• Online child enticement statistics are truly frightening and demonstrate that this type of activity has tremendously increased.

• Studies have estimated that approximately 1 out of every 5 children 10 to 17 years old received an unwanted sexual solicitation within the past year (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2001).




Online Predation and Child Enticement, Con’t.• In the past, a pedophile would have to go to a

park or school and try to talk to a child in person. Think of fishing with one fishing pole in a local stream. Now, compare that to talking to hundreds of different kids every day in an online chat room, relatively anonymously. This would be similar to casting a wide commercial fishing net into a large inland lake. Sex offenders may get so many potential victims to respond that they may have to actually work to filter their choices to a more manageable number before determining which victims they will try to meet in the real world.




Online Predation and Child Enticement, Con’t.• The larger pool of potential victims and the feeling of

anonymity will likely embolden pedophiles and exacerbate the problem of child enticement and sexual assault.

• Emboldened pedophiles online also have one other advantage — they can gradually introduce themselves to younger children. In person, it is obvious right away that they are much older than their victim, or “scary looking,” or perhaps even physically unattractive.

• Online, they can portray whatever persona they devise using names and photos they choose. A male pedophile who likes teenage boys could even pose as an attractive female online.



Conducting an online inv.

• 1. Create an undercover online identity including user names, e-mail addresses, photos, and so forth that make the investigator appear to be an underage child.

• 2. Set up chat room applications to automatically log all chats and other activities to keep ongoing records of all online activity performed while investigating.

• 3. Visit online chat rooms that might be commonly used by teenagers or underage children.




Conducting Online Inv

• Reactively engage in conversations with other chatters and people that contact you.

• 5. Document any attempts to transmit pornography, child pornography, or other harmful materials to a minor (even if the minor is really the adult investigator).

• 6. Document any attempts to entice a child into meeting for the purpose of sexual activity.




• If a meeting is proposed, reactively agree to the meeting and set up a sting operation to apprehend the adult suspect upon arrival at the agreed time and place.

• Make the arrest.


© 2008 pearson education, inc. prentice hall upper saddle river, nj 07458 week 7 cyber crimes...

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