Abstract
This chapter presents a number of case studies that illustrate the use of script analysis in a business environment. All cases are to some extent based on real-life examples reported upon in the press or shared by practitioners in the field. Where relevant and required, names of individuals and locations have been changed or removed to ensure strict confidentiality. The main purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate the potential of script analysis for preventive purposes. The crime types that were selected have deliberately been kept simple and straightforward as to allow the reader to gain sufficient understanding of the approach itself rather than to become distracted by the complexity of the incidents that are described. From gaining such initial understanding it will become evident that the value of script analysis becomes even more obvious when dealing with more complex crime types.
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Notes
- 1.
See Haelterman et al. (2012) for an example of a detailed assessment of financial, ethical, and esthetical costs of situational crime prevention measures.
- 2.
Average amount for the cargo theft incident reports (i.e. 332 in total) that contained information on the loss value (TAPA EMEA 2013: 7).
- 3.
Average amount for the cargo theft incident reports (i.e. 363 in total) that contained information on the loss value (TAPA EMEA 2014: 5).
- 4.
Initially the phenomenon was referred to as the ‘Romanian Method’. While this particular modus operandi originally stems from incidents that first occurred in Romania, TAPA EMEA emphasizes that it is by far not only Romanian criminals that appear to display it (TAPA EMEA n.d.: 2).
- 5.
As the actual incident was not witnessed in real time and as no CCTV equipment was fitted on the trailer, it is unclear how many offenders or vehicles participated in the theft. While in some occasions only one vehicle is involved, there is evidence of offenders using up to three or more vehicles, either to carry the load that is taken off the trailer, to drive in front of the truck to control its speed, or to drive next to the truck to prevent it from changing lanes. For the sake of this case study, we assume that the offenders used three vehicles, two normal cars, and one vehicle big enough to carry the loot.
- 6.
Please note that as they often relate to rather common customer features, the answers to such security questions can easily be retrieved by an offender via, for example, social engineering.
- 7.
The data to produce such counterfeit cards is obtained through electronic copying of the card data, for example, by means of tiny skimming devices fitted in a false front that is installed on cash machines, or by an unscrupulous employee in a restaurant putting the card into an electronic copying device out of sight of the victim (Experian 2013: 10; CardWatch n.d.).
- 8.
‘Tokenisation’ is the process by which sensitive information is being replaced with a randomly generated token or symbol as to ensure that this information is not transmitted or stored in an unsecure format (Kovacs 2014).
- 9.
Video accessed on 20 July 2015 via https://www.youtube.com
- 10.
Source: http://www.securitymanagement.nl/nieuwe-fraudemethode-plaag-voor-multinationals/ (accessed 20 July 2015).
- 11.
In some occasions the e-mail account is hacked and accessed by the criminals. In other instances an account is created which is very similar (but still distinct) from the CEO’s genuine e-mail account.
- 12.
- 13.
In this particular case, the outside legal counsel was not aware of any fraudulent set-up but got unintentionally involved to make the scam look more credible.
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Haelterman, H. (2016). Case Studies. In: Crime Script Analysis. Crime Prevention and Security Management. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54613-5_5
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