A Case And Electronic Crime Scene - 1324 Words

According to Schmalleger (2011), identity theft is defined as misusing another person’s personal information for personal gain (p. 382). This can involve a person opening credit cards or accounts in another person’s name (Schmalleger, 2011, p. 382). Considering the nature of identity theft crimes, investigators must rely on electronic crime scenes (Lushbaugh Weston, 2012, p. 248). Therefore, investigators must know how to initiate, conduct and execute an identity theft investigation. This essay will provide a mock case and electronic crime scene, including the steps a cybercrime investigator would take to obtain necessary background information of the victim and offender, as well as the types of evidence acquired from the investigation.†¦show more content†¦The address provided was 7682 N. Fraud Street, which was the address of a coworker from an employment agency she had used for previous employment. The co-worker was responsible for Steel’s interviewi ng and hiring process and ran Steel’s credit and background report prior to hiring her. Steel explained that her personal identity information was used without her consent to activate the account under her name. She explained that she wanted to file criminal charges against anyone found responsible for the possession and/or use of her personal information. As a responding officer to an identity theft crime, the officer would base the investigative strategy on trying to determine when the victim’s identity was compromised, which may prove that the probable suspect was the victim’s previous coworker. To start the investigation, the officer would need the victim’s personal and financial information as well as statement regarding the identity theft. Some of the information that is needed from the victim to initiate the investigation is her date of birth, social security number, driver’s license number, telephone number and other personal contact information. In addition, if the victim has an idea of the offender’s identify, the officer should obtain as much personal information for the offender. The officer would need as much information as possible from the victim that would assist with the investigation. If possible, the officer would have the