Plan and coordinate an investigation in a manner that would not arouse suspicion from Cummings and Baptiste.
Most organizations are faced with the challenge of being exposed to fraud, particularly from the employees working in the company. The cause of fraud is common nowadays and has been increasing, primarily due to the rise in technological inventions and other internet platforms that tend to make the criminal process easier. Taking this case into consideration, the best way to investigate this case is through the use of surveillance methods. Most investigative agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation have deploy the use of this approach especially if want the suspects to not suspicious of whatever is going on. It means that the process will be carried out secretly through all possible legal means that will not damage the name of the company (PInow, 2020). Some of the ways that a successful surveillance process can be carried out are through the installation of secret cameras, wiretapping and microphones for recording whatever is going on with the suspect's activities. This method will be crucial in monitoring Cummings and Baptiste’s use of social media, phones and email.
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Additionally, this method can also be accomplished with simple steps such as following or tailing the suspect and also observing the suspect's daily routine and activities. The purpose of following or tailing the suspects is for the investigators to know whether the suspect is going or talking to the wrong people or places. The reason for recording the suspect's conversation will be done to establish whether the act of fraud is a collaborative activity or not, as it can be seen in the case that it involves more than one person. The investigators can also think of getting a legal permit that will allow them to trace calls, bank accounts, messages as well as emails of the suspect to establish how they plan and execute the fraud (Albrecht et al., 2011). Additionally, the information will also help the investigators determine where the suspects are not only saving their money but the victims as well as the amount of money stolen.
Create a vulnerability chart to coordinate the various elements of the possible fraud.
| Information Taken | The fraudsters were able to take and tamper with the confidential information about clients and transfer money from their accounts through data stored in Teledata Company. |
| Fraud chances | Philip Cummings was the employee who was entrusted with the clients' data and worked as the customer service representative of the company. This position makes him more vulnerable to crime. |
| Movement of the Assets | The assets were moved using the clients' data that was stored in the company where they used it to access the bank accounts of the clients. |
| Modes of Concealing the Fraud | In order to hide their devious acts, they had to change the addresses of the clients. This was done in the aim of preventing the clients from receiving notifications regarding the transactions. |
| Conversion of the Assets | Most likely, the money was being transferred into the suspects' accounts or cashed in using the ATM that was recently ordered. |
| Suspicions | The company was suspicious of the fact that some clients were complaining of not getting their bank statements despite the suspicious balances that proved to be incorrect. Additionally, the credit cards used by the suspects showed increasing debts that were not accounted for. |
| Reasons | Considering that Philip Cummings is well-paid, then the reason for the criminal act would be greed and not lack of enough pay. |
| Measures taken | More restriction measures were taken and authorization given only to authorized personnel. |
| Recommendations | More measure should be put in place to ensure that such act does not happen in future. This can be done by installing more CCTVs and employing a whistle blower who will report such suspicious activities if they were to take place again. |
Assuming your investigation used surveillance and/ or covert investigation techniques, what types of surveillance and/or covert operations would you use? How would technology play a role in this part of the investigation?
As mentioned earlier, surveillance is the best method of investigation in this particular case since it incorporates types of surveillance modes that will not make the suspect suspicious of the investigations. In this case, almost all kinds of surveillance apply correctly, but it will be most preferably to consider the electronic type of surveillance as it will be most effective for obtaining the evidence. The reason as to why electronic surveillance will best fit for this case is because the company is digitally and technologically equipped with all the latest technological systems that are probably used by the suspects to conduct their fraud activities. Since the company is electronically operated, there is a higher chance that the investigator will find traces of evidence that will be used in court with respect to the fraudulent transactions. Thus, this means that it would be easier for the investigator to analyze and carefully check the company's electronic data using electronic surveillance ( Albrecht et al., 2011). Technology would most definitely play a significant role when using electronic surveillance to investigate the case. The operation would not be possible if the technology does not exist, and conducting an electronic observation would not be an option. Some of the technologies used in the company include servers, computers as well as other digital systems installed in the company, including the company's database and the internet. All the above technologies would be used to investigate both the fraudulent act and the fraud investigation thoroughly. Additionally, the CCTVs that are installed around the company will also help determine the possibilities of where the action is taking place.
Finally, how would analysis of physical evidence help in this investigation? What types of physical evidence would be especially helpful?
A case without physical evidence is always weak, and there are high chances of losing such a situation. However, not all instances are physical evidence, the determinant of the case since there are other means of presenting evidence. In some cases, such as criminal acts or theft of inventory, the effectiveness of the case is highly influenced by the presence of physical evidence. Inventories, accounting records, contracts, and invoices are some of the physical pieces of evidence that most investigators consider helpful. In this particular case, some of the things that can be used to get the physical evidence include digital gadgets, for instance, the mobile and laptop of the suspect since it might be where they communicate regarding the fraud ( PInow, 2020). Additionally, the most helpful source of physical evidence for the case will be to conduct a thorough search through the company's systems and the office of the suspects, including all his gadgets. This method will be of great importance since it is where the activities are conducted through the internet and the company system.
References
Albrecht, W. S., Albrecht, C. O., Albrecht, C. C., & Zimbelman, M. F. (2011). Fraud examination . Cengage Learning.
PInow. (2020). Electronic Surveillance. PInow.com . https://www.pinow.com/investigations/electronic-surveillance
