Bad Drivers And Insurance Scams Uncovered Online
Some people can’t help bragging and babbling about themselves online. Whether in a blog post, tweet, Facebook status update, or YouTube video, chances are if it happened, it’s going to come out online.
The Internet is making it much easier for fraud investigators to learn everything they need to know about their subjects.
Teenagers and street racers regularly publish accounts and videos of their exploits on Facebook, attracting attention from viewers who forward these reports to police, resulting in fines and arrests.
Fox Business reports, “In one Texas trial, a jury will likely give large weight to a video pulled off YouTube. The video shows a $1.2 million Bugatti Veyron – a limited production French sports car – careering into a saltwater lagoon. The owner, an auto dealer who had increased his insurance to $2.2 million shortly before the incident, claimed he had swerved to avoid a pelican. But Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Co. argues no pelican can be seen in the video.”
The old adage, “You can run, but you can’t hide,” rings truer than ever with the Internet. Not only can fraud investigators use Internet posts against unwitting criminals, they can also expose criminal activity based on the reputation of the very devices with which they are posting. Whether a person voluntarily shares information through social media, or is captured on video that winds up online, or if the digital device they use has acquired a reputation for cybercrime, it’s harder than ever to escape the truth.
Device reputation analysis examines computers, tablets, and smartphones for a history of suspicious behavior, investigating for characteristics consistent with fraudulent use. This allows online retailers, dating websites, gaming websites, and insurance companies to deny criminals access to their networks, often before their first attempt.
Robert Siciliano, personal security and identity theft expert contributor to iovation, discusses identity theft in front of the National Speakers Association. (Disclosures)
