APRI Highlights - Spring 2004

White Collar Crime Training Programs Take Off

Sean Morgan Program Manager and Senior Attorney White Collar Crime Program

A Computers and computer networks play a significant role in an ever-increasing number and variety of crimes. Obtaining and analyzing the electronic evidence from computers and networks requires specialized training and skills. Likewise, the legal mechanisms to obtain electronic evidence invoke Fourth Amendment, Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and Privacy Protection Act issues not encountered in investigating other types of crime, and also require specialized training. APRI’s White Collar Crime Program (WCCP) offers three different trainings to enhance state and local prosecutors’ ability to combat high-tech crime and fraud.

Online Fraud

The WCCP conducted the inaugural Wired to Fight Fraud training in Philadelphia, PA, in November 2003. This new course provides prosecutors with an overview of how telecommunications fraud scams are perpetrated, approaches to the physical and legal acquisition of electronic and digital evidence, and techniques for working with victims of telecommunications fraud to minimize the impact of these crimes. The goal is to enhance the confidence of local prosecutors in identifying issues and evidence sources and working with technology and victims—particularly elderly ones—to prosecute schemes using electronic devices to obtain unlawful financial gain. Wired To Fight Fraud will be held next in St. Louis, MO, from May 3-5, 2004. A third Wired To Fight Fraud training is tentatively scheduled for August 2004, in Seattle, WA.

Identity Theft

The WCCP also offers Identity Theft training for the NDAA at the Ernest F. Hollings National Advocacy Center (NAC). This course educates prosecutors about current identity theft scams, search and seizure of electronic and digital evidence, and the perspectives of leading private industry representatives. Topics include: (1) current trends in identity theft and working with other organizations to combat identity theft; (2) potential electronic evidence and digital evidence sources and how to obtain this evidence for high-tech crime cases; and (3) potential charging theories, investigation and trial strategies for identity theft cases.

Cybercrime

The WCCP also continues to offer basic cybercrime training for prosecutors with the Cybersleuth I course for the NDAA at the NAC. This course makes use of the facility’s computer lab with more than a full day of hands-on lab training. The course provides prosecutors with an understanding of basic computer and network concepts, potential sources of electronic evidence, and search and seizure of electronic and digital evidence.

For more information about APRI’s White Collar Crime Program’s trainings and publications, contact whitecollar@ndaa-apri.org  or call (703) 549-4253.