On Cybercrime
Felicia Donovan (left) is a law enforcement technology and cyber crime expert with over ten years of law enforcement experience. She’s assisted in Computer Forensics cases and has been recognized by the FBI for her work. She’s also the author of The Black Widow Agency series of mysteries.
Kristyn Bernier (incognito) is a detective with fifteen years experience who specializes in Internet crimes and undercover work. She is an investigator with the Northern New England Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and has received recognition for that work from the US Dept. of Justice.
I met them when I was researching Teaser, which is about teenage girls getting into trouble on a social networking site, and they provided me an incredible education into the dark side of Cyberspace. Now they have co-authored a new book, a tremendous resource for everyone from parents to mystery authors: CYBER CRIME FIGHTERS: TALES FROM THE TRENCHES, published by Que Pearson Publishing.
JAN: You two have worked with cyber crimes a long time; tell me when and howyou decided to write a book together.
FELICIA:: I couldn't get her out of my office. :) Seriously, it was Kristyn who gave me the idea for The Black Widow Agency series so I knew she was creative. Kristyn says she thought I was on drugs when I pitched the idea to her. I recall drinking, but that was the extent of it.
I just thought with our combined talents, experience and vision, it would be a perfect writing team. And so it was...
KRISTYN: Specifically, I asked her if she was on crack when she asked me to do this book - I investigate computer crimes, but my specialty is the behavior of the bad guys and digging for info, certainly not techy computery things - Felicia tears her hair out when I just reboot for the helluvit or get angry because my computer is too slow so I just repeatedly hit "control-alt-delete" until the thing shuts off...I am still trying to figure out how to use my digital voice recorder at work, and I am forbidden from using the fax machine and copier because I beat on them when they don't work quickly enough.
JAN: What are the cyber crimes covered in your book?
FELICIA: We cover it all - Cyberstalking, Sex Crimes, Drugs, Child Predators and Sexual Exploitation, Fraud, Identity Theft, Upskirting/Downblousing (Digital Voyeurism) and a bunch of really WILD stories like Diaper Boy, Pumpkin Man, and the Nurse who brought new meaning to the term "committed relationship." You really have to read it to believe it. As we always say, you can't make this sh...stuff up. And we didn't.
JAN: Which is the most common of these crimes?
FELICIA: As for the most common - Identity Theft and Credit Card Fraud.
JAN: Which are the ones that are most useful in a murder mystery plot?
KRISTYN: Because I am the sick/edgy one, I don't find fraud and id theft exciting - I think that social networking sites, dating sites and chatrooms are the fun things to throw into a murder plot. Anything deviant means good times in a story!Actually, an important piece of the puzzle in the murder of two Dartmouth professors was that an investigator used the Internet to track down who had purchased the sheathed knife used in the slayings. The knife led to the suspects that were ultimately convicted of the murders.
JAN: What are cell phone crimes?
FELICIA: These days, the biggest crime is kids sending nude pictures of themselves or their friends to each other. Oops! That would be "Distributing Child Pornography" if the kid is underage and is a very serious offense, but I'll let Kristyn elaborate on that one.Cell phones have taken over as the new cyber crime portal because they are mini-computers. Child porn is being traded big time as are fraudulent transactions. Another new cyber crime is "Vishing" or "Voice over Phishing." Victims receive a text message to their cell phone saying their bank account has been comprimised and that they need to call an 800 number (which is a fake) to unlock their accounts so they won't be charged for the fraudulent transactions. They call, give all their info and their accounts are then emptied out.
KRISTYN: Kids just don't think when they are taking pics of themselves or their friends with cell phone cameras and then shipping them off into cyber land. Adults don't think either...there are documented cases of teenage couples who have taken videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit behavior, and then they break up, and as revenge the videos wind up on a website somewhere. Making, possessing or distributing sexually explicit images of a child under the age of 18 is a federal crime. Don't forget that cell phones are also used in stalking and cyberbullying.
JAN: What crimes are going on in social networks like MySpace and Facebook? And is Facebook safer than MySpace?
FELICIA:- K's baby but I'll say that no site is safer than another. What makes a site safe, especially social networking sites, is parents being aware of what the kids are doing on it. Understand that Kristyn maintains (and I maintain) bogus accounts on every social networking site. If we can have fake accounts, so can the bad guys - and they do. Although I do look stunning in the photo...
KRISTYN: Facebook has better safeguards, however if a child allows everyone who contacts them to have access to their page, then it doesn't matter. Parents should regularly be checking their child's site - ask for your child's password. Quite frankly, I find it disturbing that people, children and adults, spend so much time on these sites. The more info people put online, the more at risk they place themselves.
JAN:Which are the toughest cyber crimes to investigate or prosecute?
KRISTYN:- In my opinion, child exploitation. They are emotionally draining to investigate, the bad guys are constantly coming up with new ways to get away with the crimes, and there are so many victims out there that have not been identified. Once the image is sent out into cyberspace, it can never be pulled off, and these kids are re-victimized forever. It is difficult to put a child victim through a trial, and in my opinion, the punishment is never severe enough for these predators. I have many inventive punishment ideas, however they would all violate the Constitution.
JAN: Kristyn, tell us the patience and creativity required to ferret out pedophiles on the web.
KRISTYN: I prefer to call my creativity "random neural misfiring", which never stops!!!! Undercover computer cases are similar to undercover drug deals - I am lucky enough to be whacky and have the ability to think on my feet - when I am undercover, I am essentially a professional liar who is able to keep track of the stories I come up with as I am talking or chatting. I did a prostitution sting last year, and while I even surprised myself with some of the nonsense I was able to quickly rattle off on the phone with the "johns", I had the guys I work with on the floor laughing at the lines I came up with!
JAN: Kristyn, tell us the difference between To Catch a Predator and the real life police work that goes into building a prosecutable case against a pedophile.
KRISTYN: Don't get me going! In my opinion, the show has made it more difficult for us to do our jobs. The show was intended to sensationalize the crime of child exploitation for television ratings, and the perps have used what they learned on the show to become better at not getting caught by law enforcement. We now have more hoops to jump through because of this show, and the harder it is for us to catch the bad guys, the more time they are running free on the internet victimizing children. Personally, I think the show was irresponsible. You can make parents aware of the issue without making a circus out of it.
JAN: Do you have any advice for parents on cyber bullying?
KRISTYN: Awareness, supervise, monitor, open communication with your children, check in regularly and make certain your kids know they can come to you if something is bothering them. If your kid is being bullied, deal with it immediately through school, the offender's parent and your local police department. If your kid is bullying others, show no tolerance.
JAN: How to protect kids from predators?
FELICIA: Awareness is key! Parents can never lapse into thinking their kids are safe just because they're home upstairs rather than roaming the local mall. Keep the computer in a central area so it can be viewed by all. And do NOT let your child have a webcam. They provide a window into your child's private room.
JAN: Felicia: Give us some tips on how to protect ourselves and our identities on the web.
FELICIA: Limit what you put out there in the first place. For a cyber stalker, information equals power and dominance. Be aware of your "Digital Footprint" - the amount of information already available about you on the web.Kristyn and I will sometimes challenge each other to build the most complete dossier of a near total stranger to keep our skills sharpened. We can usually tell you the color and type of house they have, what car they drive, the dog's name, etc. It just never ceases to amaze me what people will put out on the Internet in chat rooms, postings, obituaries, hobby sites, etc. What you put out on the Internet, stays on the Internet.Never visit a weblink to complete a financial transaction if the link comes from an e-mail. If you need to go to ABC Bank, startup a new Internet session and type in http://www.abcbank.com/.
Kristyn Bernier (incognito) is a detective with fifteen years experience who specializes in Internet crimes and undercover work. She is an investigator with the Northern New England Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and has received recognition for that work from the US Dept. of Justice.
I met them when I was researching Teaser, which is about teenage girls getting into trouble on a social networking site, and they provided me an incredible education into the dark side of Cyberspace. Now they have co-authored a new book, a tremendous resource for everyone from parents to mystery authors: CYBER CRIME FIGHTERS: TALES FROM THE TRENCHES, published by Que Pearson Publishing.
JAN: You two have worked with cyber crimes a long time; tell me when and howyou decided to write a book together.
FELICIA:: I couldn't get her out of my office. :) Seriously, it was Kristyn who gave me the idea for The Black Widow Agency series so I knew she was creative. Kristyn says she thought I was on drugs when I pitched the idea to her. I recall drinking, but that was the extent of it.
I just thought with our combined talents, experience and vision, it would be a perfect writing team. And so it was...
KRISTYN: Specifically, I asked her if she was on crack when she asked me to do this book - I investigate computer crimes, but my specialty is the behavior of the bad guys and digging for info, certainly not techy computery things - Felicia tears her hair out when I just reboot for the helluvit or get angry because my computer is too slow so I just repeatedly hit "control-alt-delete" until the thing shuts off...I am still trying to figure out how to use my digital voice recorder at work, and I am forbidden from using the fax machine and copier because I beat on them when they don't work quickly enough.
JAN: What are the cyber crimes covered in your book?
FELICIA: We cover it all - Cyberstalking, Sex Crimes, Drugs, Child Predators and Sexual Exploitation, Fraud, Identity Theft, Upskirting/Downblousing (Digital Voyeurism) and a bunch of really WILD stories like Diaper Boy, Pumpkin Man, and the Nurse who brought new meaning to the term "committed relationship." You really have to read it to believe it. As we always say, you can't make this sh...stuff up. And we didn't.
JAN: Which is the most common of these crimes?
FELICIA: As for the most common - Identity Theft and Credit Card Fraud.
JAN: Which are the ones that are most useful in a murder mystery plot?
KRISTYN: Because I am the sick/edgy one, I don't find fraud and id theft exciting - I think that social networking sites, dating sites and chatrooms are the fun things to throw into a murder plot. Anything deviant means good times in a story!Actually, an important piece of the puzzle in the murder of two Dartmouth professors was that an investigator used the Internet to track down who had purchased the sheathed knife used in the slayings. The knife led to the suspects that were ultimately convicted of the murders.
JAN: What are cell phone crimes?
FELICIA: These days, the biggest crime is kids sending nude pictures of themselves or their friends to each other. Oops! That would be "Distributing Child Pornography" if the kid is underage and is a very serious offense, but I'll let Kristyn elaborate on that one.Cell phones have taken over as the new cyber crime portal because they are mini-computers. Child porn is being traded big time as are fraudulent transactions. Another new cyber crime is "Vishing" or "Voice over Phishing." Victims receive a text message to their cell phone saying their bank account has been comprimised and that they need to call an 800 number (which is a fake) to unlock their accounts so they won't be charged for the fraudulent transactions. They call, give all their info and their accounts are then emptied out.
KRISTYN: Kids just don't think when they are taking pics of themselves or their friends with cell phone cameras and then shipping them off into cyber land. Adults don't think either...there are documented cases of teenage couples who have taken videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit behavior, and then they break up, and as revenge the videos wind up on a website somewhere. Making, possessing or distributing sexually explicit images of a child under the age of 18 is a federal crime. Don't forget that cell phones are also used in stalking and cyberbullying.
JAN: What crimes are going on in social networks like MySpace and Facebook? And is Facebook safer than MySpace?
FELICIA:- K's baby but I'll say that no site is safer than another. What makes a site safe, especially social networking sites, is parents being aware of what the kids are doing on it. Understand that Kristyn maintains (and I maintain) bogus accounts on every social networking site. If we can have fake accounts, so can the bad guys - and they do. Although I do look stunning in the photo...
KRISTYN: Facebook has better safeguards, however if a child allows everyone who contacts them to have access to their page, then it doesn't matter. Parents should regularly be checking their child's site - ask for your child's password. Quite frankly, I find it disturbing that people, children and adults, spend so much time on these sites. The more info people put online, the more at risk they place themselves.
JAN:Which are the toughest cyber crimes to investigate or prosecute?
KRISTYN:- In my opinion, child exploitation. They are emotionally draining to investigate, the bad guys are constantly coming up with new ways to get away with the crimes, and there are so many victims out there that have not been identified. Once the image is sent out into cyberspace, it can never be pulled off, and these kids are re-victimized forever. It is difficult to put a child victim through a trial, and in my opinion, the punishment is never severe enough for these predators. I have many inventive punishment ideas, however they would all violate the Constitution.
JAN: Kristyn, tell us the patience and creativity required to ferret out pedophiles on the web.
KRISTYN: I prefer to call my creativity "random neural misfiring", which never stops!!!! Undercover computer cases are similar to undercover drug deals - I am lucky enough to be whacky and have the ability to think on my feet - when I am undercover, I am essentially a professional liar who is able to keep track of the stories I come up with as I am talking or chatting. I did a prostitution sting last year, and while I even surprised myself with some of the nonsense I was able to quickly rattle off on the phone with the "johns", I had the guys I work with on the floor laughing at the lines I came up with!
JAN: Kristyn, tell us the difference between To Catch a Predator and the real life police work that goes into building a prosecutable case against a pedophile.
KRISTYN: Don't get me going! In my opinion, the show has made it more difficult for us to do our jobs. The show was intended to sensationalize the crime of child exploitation for television ratings, and the perps have used what they learned on the show to become better at not getting caught by law enforcement. We now have more hoops to jump through because of this show, and the harder it is for us to catch the bad guys, the more time they are running free on the internet victimizing children. Personally, I think the show was irresponsible. You can make parents aware of the issue without making a circus out of it.
JAN: Do you have any advice for parents on cyber bullying?
KRISTYN: Awareness, supervise, monitor, open communication with your children, check in regularly and make certain your kids know they can come to you if something is bothering them. If your kid is being bullied, deal with it immediately through school, the offender's parent and your local police department. If your kid is bullying others, show no tolerance.
JAN: How to protect kids from predators?
FELICIA: Awareness is key! Parents can never lapse into thinking their kids are safe just because they're home upstairs rather than roaming the local mall. Keep the computer in a central area so it can be viewed by all. And do NOT let your child have a webcam. They provide a window into your child's private room.
JAN: Felicia: Give us some tips on how to protect ourselves and our identities on the web.
FELICIA: Limit what you put out there in the first place. For a cyber stalker, information equals power and dominance. Be aware of your "Digital Footprint" - the amount of information already available about you on the web.Kristyn and I will sometimes challenge each other to build the most complete dossier of a near total stranger to keep our skills sharpened. We can usually tell you the color and type of house they have, what car they drive, the dog's name, etc. It just never ceases to amaze me what people will put out on the Internet in chat rooms, postings, obituaries, hobby sites, etc. What you put out on the Internet, stays on the Internet.Never visit a weblink to complete a financial transaction if the link comes from an e-mail. If you need to go to ABC Bank, startup a new Internet session and type in http://www.abcbank.com/.
The Internet, though largely anonymous, is not innocuous.
Labels: child pornography, cyber stalker, cybercrime, digital footprint, identity theft, undercover
Jan Brogan
Rhys Bowen 
