Profiling The Fraudster: Removing the Mask to Prevent and Detect Fraud

Chapter 19Information Sources and the Role of Data Mining

THERE ARE VARIOUS SOURCES available to investigators that provide valuable information that could be used to profile fraud offenders. Details such as passport or identity number, address, criminal record, vehicles owned, employment records, academic qualifications, cell phone records, and bank statements are all valuable sources of information. Access to much of this information is via databases, either run by search companies or government departments, which provide limited or full access to information to ordinary members of the public. Examples of such databases would be credit reference agencies, the Registrar of Companies, background search engines, tax authorities, and police criminal record databases.

Examples of types of information that could form the basis of data for profiling include

• Criminal history.
• Business entities where the offender has interests.
• Auditor details.
• Personal particulars, including telephone numbers and addresses.
• Passport or identity numbers.
• Spouse and children details.
• Credit history, including default judgments on bad debts.
• Previous employment history and details.
• Previous companies that conducted a vetting on the individual (This means that the name of any company that carries out a credit check on the individual will leave a footprint on the database that will reflect that the relevant named company had been approached by the individual for its service. This can be useful to know.). ...